Remember SHOTGUN NEWS?

Ya know, this brings back memories...

I used to peruse every edition of SN I could get my grubby little paws on. In my teens, reading through the great deals, I though I just had to have a Mauser. Didn't care what kind. Wound up with a 24/47 from Century; cost about $79.99 complete with bayonet and sling back then, if I remember right. Shot a crap-ton of Turk surplus ball out of it, also ordered from SN. Maybe Sarco, Century, or J&G? Can't remember. I know I'd buy it 880 rounds at a time, and those might last me a couple months. Shot everything from rocks to rabbits with it. Sold that rifle off some years ago, but sure wish I'd kept it now. Not that it was anything special, mind. I remember it taking a quart of kerosene and a scrub brush to get all the cosmoline off, and I sharpened the bayonet to a razor's edge.

If only I'd have known then what I do now; I'd have stacked a lot stuff deep. "Those were the days, Edith."

Mac

As a kid in Kalispell Montana , I used to stroll over to Norms News and buy a Shotgun News, get a Cherry Coke mixed behind the counter and eat some fries while reading.
I learned an incredible amount of gunstuff doing so.

My friend Keith and I used to go downstairs to the .22lr target range under the building on week ends when his mom was working upstairs.

MacAR said:

If only I'd have known then what I do now; I'd have stacked a lot stuff deep. "Those were the days, Edith."

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I remember Steyr AUGs WITH the LH bolt conversion thrown in for $450 and M1-carbines for $79.............woulda/coulda/shoulda...............

George P said:

M1-carbines for $79.............woulda/coulda/shoulda...............

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That hurts my heart, just to think about it George. Sadly, we'll never see those days again.

Mac

I've been a subscriber for 2 5-30 years. Currently I look forward to Paul Scarlatta's articles. I not only learn about the guns, but also the political history. I miss the home shop gunsmithing articles by Reid Codfield. With the loss of Sarco I think I will pull the plug.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Oh ya, loved it when there were pages and pages of Mosins and Enfields with matching cartoon characters. Those days are gone forever.

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Ye Old Hunter and his Swiss Army rifles - $12.95 - suitable for making a floor lamp?

vintovka said:

(the very worst) is that one thing you really, really wanted (and could afford even now) is no longer available at any price.

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That truly is the worst... I lusted for years after a Garand... only to wake up one day and see them selling for thousands of dollars. Same with '03 Springfields; hell, even Krags are going for a grand now. Hard to believe.

Mac

Shotgun news was the go-to firearms facts source many of us had before the internet became common.

The Numrich Gun Parts Catalog.

Track of the Wolf

Dixie Gun Works paper catalog was another parts bible chock full of firearms related information.

I remember anxiously waiting on the next copy!

It came 3X a month by snail mail; how would yob get an advance copy in those days?

I bought my second cap and ball revolver from a EMF ad.
Also one those Italian made Sharps 1874 rifles.

I pulled out a old SGN to look up Mosin parts for a project.
They had reasonable proces for a complete bolt assy

Remember SHOTGUN NEWS?

Remember it very well, ran ads in it for doing M1 Garand work. Got a few Garands from Hawaii for custom work. It was nice because for a decent price we were able to get work from all over the country.

Ron