I don't want to be an alarmist, but....

[John Truitt]

Changes in social ideas/ interest, and economics are two big factors. Gun enthusiast are a small group of our population and side by side folks are an even smaller percentage of that population. That group is aging and we are unfortuntately loosing more than we are growing. I do believe we had a big bubble that started back in the 1990's and was carried into about 2006/ 2007. Events like the Vintage Cup and Southern Side by Side and other side by side shoots were born and created a venue for us to do our thing. Even more influential was the birth of collectors associations, ie: PGCA, that have been our base/ home of operations and center for information/ etc. Yes the internet has made the sell and purchasing of guns more readily available and conventient.
All of these things play a role in how it is all going/ will go/ etc. IMO the base upon which it all matters is in exposing people to the guns. We as Parker enthusiasts are not only entrusted with the guns but also a responsibility to "pass along the torch" to our neighbors, younger generations, sons/ daughters/ wives (girl friends), etc. Opportunities exist. It is in how we perceive these opportunities that will determine the direction of our path. I believe, and maybe I am wrong ( I know I am wrong more than I am right), but I believe we hold the future of gun collecting in our own hands. I am certain it will not be conducted in the same manner as it has been in the past. Times they are a changing and we must be willing to adapt and adjust our course so we do not become extinct.
The prices for guns/ collectibles will vary as things go their cycle. People must see the object as valueable for it to hold any worth and be of any importance.

[Bill Murphy]

New blood in double gun use and collecting can start at your gun club. Kevin McCormack and I were raised from childhood in the same gun clubs. When we were kids, we were the only ones shooting double guns. Early on, Kevin and I only owned one Parker apiece. As time went on, we educated our fellow club members in the world of double guns, and now our shooting companions own hundreds of double guns and Kevin and I have been through hundreds of double guns ourselves. These people were not dragged, kicking and screaming into this world, they just watched and saw how much fun were were having.

[Eric Johanen]

I find that the decline in prices and those purchasing them is mostly due to the loss of economic gains for the middle class in the last 10 years and the lack of young people in the shooting sports. While there are young people shooting and more women on the clays course, It is not enough to maintain the market. There is growing participation for special side by side events, it is still a small niche. Develop a plan to draft a young family member or a friend with younger children or grand children into the shooting sports in general and side by side shotguns in particular is a slow process but the only one that holds out hope for the future. I have a friend or two that are shooting fine American and English guns and they in turn have interested their sons. They are selectively buying and all are shooting them both on the course an in the field. I have been lucky in that my nephew, who is in law enforcement is a shooter and has taken up the side by side habit several years ago due to my encouragement. I started him out shooting my best guns and he has developed a keen interest. In his early 30's and raising a family he is not an active buyer at this time. (he has an uncle that is doing that). He has access to my guns and has an appreciation for them. He will be attending his first 4 day side by side event with me this year and is really looking forward to it. He shoots them all very well and I do have to work to beat him for scores (to have young eyes and reflexes again). He knows what they are and their values and when my time comes, they will be passed to him. He in turn will pass them on to his son. I rest easy knowing that I will not have to sell any and they will end up being used and well taken care of.

[George "Scott" Davis]

Just spent three days at the Las Vegas Show and a wonderful dinner and time at the Parker Banquet. In my opinion you would had to be blind not to observe the "Problems" we have with our hobby based on the last three days. First public attendance at the show was miserable at "best", second the average age of the vendors and attendees had to have been 70 or above, third Parker Banquet attendees was a "very mature group", fourth been going to this show for many years and the if you were a buyer you had a choice of some excellent Parkers at extremely reasonable (low) prices, finally almost no attendees under 40. If our hobby and passion for Parkers is going to grow and continue we must develop a organizational plan to help get the younger generations involved. I'm convinced with the depth, knowledge, skill, resource we have within this organization we can accomplish this critical task. But we better get started as out members are not getting any younger.

[Dean Romig]

I think we need PR reps to get the word out. We need to be seen on any and all kinds of media. Younger people need to see how much fun we have shooting these old side-by-sides at sporting clays, skeet and trap. I think we need links on our various websites to shooting-event videos that can be easily accessed right on our home pages. We've got to make it very easy for them - this is the generation of "instant gratification" so let's put it right out there. Some of you guys with "Go-Pros" take videos of your hunting forays actually shooting birds a-la Mike Smith, and get them to the folks who can post them up on the forums.
I know it's pretty hard in some parts of the country to get this kind of thing on TV but it can be done if we contact the right people at the right stations. I think most collector organizations are 'not for profit' so maybe some of this can be aired as a "public service."

Just a few thoughts, while we're brainstorming.





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[Kensal Rise]

Dean is on the right track. It's visibility and "acceptance" in the eyes of potential enthusiasts that can help reverse things.

Something we can do NOW, and with little effort, is to create a new home page button/link to "videos" and link to this Youtube selection:

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...gun+collectors


While I'm not sure that "killing birds" right off is a wise course, target shooting and the "History Channel fun" of old doubles certainly is.

In addition, the PGCA can partner with other double gun organizations to promote our passion through more refined videos, special events at the Southerns, revised promo ads in Shooting Sportsman, Double Gun Journal, etc.

But the focus should ALWAYS be on youth and NEW shooters of any age (under 80).

[Tad Tadlock]

My youngest daughter, Macey, is a member of the Junior Shooter's Magazine Shooting Team.

She has to come up with and write articles for the magazine to be sponsored on the Shooting Team. She wrote one about attending an Appleseed shoot and she has written a couple of reviews.





As you can see above, she is shooting a double.

She likes clays and so that she and I can shoot more, I just purchased a Do All Raven Automatic Trap Thrower. I'll get her to write an review article about the trap thrower and get pictures of her shooting clays with her cowgirl double and with some of my Parkers.

[David Noble]

I wish this whole thread was in a members only forum. It pains me that interested visitors to the site will read this thread and decide that Parker collecting/shooting is a dying genre and not worth investing time or money in. Us members are already hooked and enjoying what we do, but the newcomers to the site can be easily turned away. There is no doubt that we need to advance interest in the collecting and shooting of Parker guns but displaying the dirty laundry for all to see is not good for our cause. I'm not attacking anyone here....please don't take it that way. I'm just saying...

[Mills]

I am going to break ranks and say I am optimistic about the future of collecting. I have wanted to be a collector ever since seeing my great uncle's gun room with guns all around it when I was about 3 or so. I wanted a Parker for years before I owned one and only got around to acquiring multiple ones a few years ago. Truth is, it is hard to be a collector when you are young and just starting out. Although the average age was pretty old in Vegas, there was a small but significant group in my age range. I predict more will come on as time goes by.

We can't rest on our laurels, though, and need to be proactive in attracting younger collectors and shooters. I had several conversations with members in Vegas about this issue and some good suggestions were made. I don't know if those suggestions will be acted on, but those might generate other ideas that will.

[SXS OHIO]

I invited my nieses boy friend to a preserve pheasant shoot last weekend. I asked if he had a shotgun to hunt with...yep...I got a Mossberg pump. So after much thought I offered to let him use a pretty nice L.C. Smith field 12 with 30" M/F barrels. We had 8 shooters, 50 birds doing a European type shoot, Hi overhead shots so the 30" barrels would work good! Ben got off to a slow start and fussed not having his Mossberg. Told him to cover up the birds, things did change and he started hitting birds hard. Big smiles now! He made some comments later in the hunt when we got the pointers out to find missed birds, we had some bonding time. At the end of the day I gave him the Smith gun, that young man is now hooked and was headed home to learn all about his new L.C. Smith double gun. He is a good kid...learning the plumbing trade, not a spoiled liberal type and I am sure he will keep that gun I gave him, he appreciated it!!! SXS ohio