Gun periodicals--need ideas

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Because of a lifelong interest in guns, I subscribed to and saved around 50 years of gun magazines. These would include The American Rifleman, Guns Magazine, Guns and Ammo, and Shooting Times. Like most youngsters I started out without a lot of money and could usually only afford one or two subscriptions at a time, but as the years passed subscribed to all four of these, plus picked up magazines by other publishers here and there, sometimes off the newsstand, etc.

I always thought that they might come in handy for reference, and a few times they did, but overall not so much. About 20 years worth have been 3-hole punched and are in 3-ring binders. That would be the more current ones from the mid '80s to about 2010. All the earlier ones are stored in sturdy boxes sorted by year and month. Beginning around 2010 I discontinued saving them. Overall, very few issues are missing, probably not more than a dozen out of all those years and titles. In many cases they have an index for an entire year's content as a first page in the binders.

Now I'm planning on moving across the state sometime next year and must either take them along again, which I've done a couple of times before, or dispose of them. I'm getting well along in years and doubt if I'll ever use them for reference again, but really hate to just trash them out. I offered them to the local library, but was told that they'd recycle them. I offered them to Cornell Publications, but they already have another donated collection of the same publications and years.

So what I would like to do is to give them to someone or some organization that would like to have them. There would be no cost for the magazines, but I would have to be reimbursed for shipping. They are HEAVY! Probably UPS would be the way to go, or even truck freight, and I'd be quite willing to ship just a box or two at a time. The best possible solution would be for someone that wanted them badly enough to come by my shop and pick them up. It amounts to just about a pickup truck load full.

When moving time arrives I'm going to bring in a dumpster and dispose of lots unwanted items, and if the magazines are still here they'll have to go into the dumpster for recycling. So.....there it is. Posts or PMs welcome.

[rockrat]

If you have a local gun club, see if they might want them for their members. We had the same thing happen at our club

[richhodg66]

Our local DAV thrift store sells old magazines for a nikel apiece I think, and I have brought old ones and donated them and they don't seem to stay on the rack long.

The last time I deployed to Iraq, a guy sent me a good sized box of Guns and Ammo and Shooting Times magazines from the '70s and '80s. I'd read one and pass it along to the MWR building where they had reading materials for guys to take. Took me a year to get through all of them, but it kept me entertained. Most gun mags aren't good for much now and most weren't much better then. I still buy a copy of Hand Loader now and then and still get the American Rifleman, obviously, but I don't find most of the publications very interesting.

[HeavyMetal]

Ya know most of what is in the gun mags is advertising and drivel written by Mall ninja wanna be's, but many old time writer's are worth the time to save their work.

Skeeter Skelton was a great story teller and always worth the time to read his stuff, Dean Grennell was the best hand loading guy Guns ever had on staff and is also worth the read. Ken Waters is another that needs saving and of course how can I not mention Elmer Kieth who was another great story teller and advocate of of hand guns that weren't wimp rated, LOL!

Jeff Cooper is another, now all these guys have books of some type out there but most are long out of print.

My suggestion, and it may not be very feasible, would be to have a forum here with the articles written by each of the already mentioned set up under the author's name.

We have all seen questions asked and answered, some very often the same question: what better use of old gun mags than to sort through them and create an online library for both old and new shooter to use as a reference source.

Heck just the amount of time and effort answering 9mm reloading questions makes having Ken Waters 9mm Pet Loads articles a sticky in such a forum!

Just an idea I hope will work out.

HM

[Der Gebirgsjager]

These magazines do contain many articles written by the authors mentioned. I don't know if all of the articles made it into the books that were written by the authors.

It was my original idea to have a vast reference library, and the idea of putting it all on line is a commendable one, BUT (and there always is one, isn't there?) I was informed by Cornell Publications that it was all originally copyrighted material and that most of it hasn't expired, and that is why they don't offer copies for sale.

So, that information leads me to believe that as nice as an on-forum reference would be, the same problem of copyright infringement would exist. Also, what a vast amount of typing, or scanning would be involved, and what a large amount of computer space would be taken up. I just don't know if it is either possible or practical.

I did have one other fellow, off line, suggest a donation of the collection to the local gun club of which I am a member. There are some advantages to that solution in that there would be no shipping cost. On the down side is the fact that they would tend to disappear. So I will keep that solution in mind, but hope for another that I like better.

[runfiverun]

i took mine and distributed them around.
the VA got a bunch, the doctors waiting room and ER room got some, the dentist got some, the rest home got a bunch, the gun club got some on their table, the tire shop got a hand full...
I basically just wandered in and left them behind about everywhere I went.

I'm sure some got tossed in the trash but most got re-read or 'redistributed' on their own.

[Blackwater]

I wonder if the Army or Marines might accept the donation to ship overseas on a "space available" basis? One of my cousins was USAF, and he did a LOT of flying on "space available." Seems there's always room in quite a few flights. Our fighting men overseas would probably enjoy reading about the civilian use of their guns, and about all the other options they'll have once they come home. Just a thought.

If not, the thrift stores are probably a good suggestion, too. Like you, I have a huge collection, being the packrat type I am. When I was at sea, my MIL BURNED (!!!) 15 big cardboard boxes full of very neatly and tightly packed books and magazines. Said she "didn't think they were any good." How she could have thought that, when I'd gone to the trouble and time of packing them so painstakingly, is beyond me, but then, she always WAS kind'a "different." My wife was very proud of me when I just walked away without saying a word, and only asking her how she could think that I'd gone to the trouble to pack them as I'd done, if they'd been 'trash.' She knew how much I loved those old books and mags, and back then, when we wuz po', I'd reread them regularly. And to those authors noted above, I'd add Bill Jordan, some of Jack O'Connor and Warren Pages' stories in OL and F&S, and some of John Jobson's stuff. There were many good writers once. Now, we get mostly reps for the advertisers, who seem to have never found a gun they didn't like and wouldn't promote .... excepting the early Remlins that flat out couldn't be made to function, and those, they never told us about one way or the other, until much later.

Love old books and mags. MUCH better than the fare today!

If none of the entities mentioned will or can take them, try your local school library. One school may refuse, and another may accept them, though, so ... be advised it all depends on just who's in charge at any of the schools. What a waste it would be for those good old mags to go to waste in a landfill somewhere!

[minmax]

I save all mine too... don't know what is going to happen when I am gone. I still even look for old Handloader mags I don't have. I'll pay up to $3-4 each. When in good condition. I hate to see them thrown away also. If you have the time ebay and craigslist. Good luck with your move.

[salpal48]

I did that long ago. Put them On the Curb.

[Nueces]

I preserved the Handloader and Rifle mags, but cut up most of the others, to keep the old authors' work in file folders.

[shooterg]

I have American Rifleman back to 1929 . The current ones ain't worth saving and can be viewed online anyway. Pretty good reading up through the 70's, not so much since.

[Southern Son]

My wife is a dental nurse. When she was in a private practice, I gave all the old ones to her and she took them into the surgery where she worked and she left them in the waiting room. She used to say that heaps of blokes would say thank god there is something decent to read. She now works in the same job at the public hospital. She spoke to her boss about it and was told that the only reading material allowed in the waiting room was all the pamphlets that the government print. I think that it is the only way the hospital can get anyone to look at the junk mail that is produced.

[crowbuster]

In the process of getting rid of all mine. Many boxes. Got friends i give them to. they read them, take then to work and leave in breakroom for other folks to read. I may give to the services, since rich enjoyed the ones he recieved, i had not thought of doing that. Thanx rich for the great idea

[Plate plinker]

I try to give my piles to the new guys. So they can get all sort of grand ideas.

[mold maker]

I read, and remove HF coupons before sending them to rest and rehab facilities. The residents there have time to fill and it may give liberals a new perspective. Remember not all residents remain there very long but may be a captive audience at least for a while.