Precision Shooting

D

Damon

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I was sad to see Precision Shooting shut down. There's been a long line of great stuff in the magazine.

And then I got to thinking - is there any plan to keep that content alive, perhaps on the internet? With that many articles, and a properly constructed website, I'm confident it would pay for itself (my day job these days is web development/marketing). The hardest part would be the work required to copy the articles over to a digital format - that's a lot of articles. But it's doable.

Anyone know if that was considered? Just seems a shame to let it all fall into obscurity...
 
You might consider contacting the editor with a proposal. As it stands, no one is making any money off of the content, so anything would be better than that. Of course there would be less appeal for those looking for new developments, but as you say, there were a number of good articles.

When we moved into this house a few years back, I boxed up a number of issues and stored them in the garage. There they sit, boxes unopened. Perhaps it is time to see if there are any new shooters that are interested in them, or to simply toss them or start a postal lending library. Flat rate boxes might lend themselves to this, or as you say, they could be digitized, and passed around that way, with a small fee to cover the cost of digitization. Certainly I have no interest in developing a long term relationship with my flat bed scanner.
 
I also have an old box with 50 or 60 issues stuffed inside. I don't look through them, because I realize it would probably take me an hour to find the article I'm thinking of. Of course, on the internet, that's easy. You'd want to have the text on line rather than scans of the pages. And there's the question of how to get good pictures as well. I'm going to think on this. There may be a way to make it make sense.
 
The the titles, authors,dates of publication, and possibly summaries could be listed as text, and the articles with pictures could be as scanned.
 
A lot depends on what is available - if any of the content is already digital and in what format. There are also scanners that do a good job of extracting text from images. Does anyone know a good way to get in touch with Mr. Brennan? I assume the contact info on the current website is for the office no longer being used.
 
Damon said:
I was sad to see Precision Shooting shut down. There's been a long line of great stuff in the magazine.

And then I got to thinking - is there any plan to keep that content alive, perhaps on the internet? With that many articles, and a properly constructed website, I'm confident it would pay for itself (my day job these days is web development/marketing). The hardest part would be the work required to copy the articles over to a digital format - that's a lot of articles. But it's doable.

Anyone know if that was considered? Just seems a shame to let it all fall into obscurity...
Click to expand...

The "Precision Rifleman", the new and improved Voice of the National Benchrest Shooters Association is a very good medium for some of the better selected subjects that used to grace the pages of that other magazine.

You might contact the Editor, Audrey Brown, 307-655-7415, if you or others have articles you might want published. No need to reinvent another wheel.
 
I'm more interested in preserving the old articles than creating new ones. If done properly, it would be a nice resource. As it stands, it appears all that thought will die as the magazines get lost/destroyed.
 
Compilation - The Benchrest Shooting Primer

Dave Brennan compiled many of the best articles from over the years into "The Benchrest Shooting Primer", which shows up on eBay from time to time. Mr. Brennan may also have some new copies laying around. I believe the office was in his house and that the phone number in the magazine may be his home number. If not, there can't be too many Dave Brennans in Manchester, CT. Call him up. When I got interested in benchrest a few years ago, I started buying back issues direct from the magazine offices and also off eBay. I have many years worth that I have not had a chance to go through yet, but I am looking forward to it. The articles by Mike Walker, Allie Euber, Seely Masker and others have been invaluable to me. I also like the non-benchrest articles by Wes Lefler, Mick McPherson, Bob Greenleaf and many others. It helps me be a more complete shooter. I am sorry for the loss of the magazine and hope that "Precision Rifleman" can take up some of the slack.
 
I have virtually every issue from 1986 thru 2008. They were a gift from a neighbor who saved everything. I would love to donate them to someplace that would digitize them or put them in a library of some kind!
 
I think I'm going to put some thought into how this could be best accomplished and try to give Dave Brennan a ring once I figure it out. Who knows, it might make sense.
 
PS is shutting down? that is sad news. Dang.
Feeling old as dirt to start with this morning..
 
I am getting a chuckle out of this thread. I had, up to 1 year ago all of the Precision Shooting mags from 1976 until now. Offered them to anyone willing to pay shipping only. Through them in the garbage about 6 months ago.
 
Copyright problems

Just because PS folded doesn't negate the Copyrights. Some held by the authors & some by the magazine. A couple of years ago Brennan said he didn't need any new writers, and I knew then they were going in the crapper. The content had gone to hell. Where's Gamatto when we need him?
 
To be clear, nobody is talking about violating copyrights - I just wanted to know if Dave Brennan had considered allowing the use of the materials online, with consent of the authors if needed.
 
Downhill

Yes,the quality of the articles dropped off severely.In the last couple years,you were lucky to get one good article per issue.
 
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