Why aren't there more collector associations????

[King Cobb]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

Remington and Winchester were big companies with a lot of products. There are at least two Winchester collector associations. I was a member of the Winchester Club of America for seven or eight years and there was never a word about either of my interests, Model 12/42 and Model 71 in their publication.
Remington has the Remington Society of America --

https://www.remingtonsociety.org/

I've attended four of their annual seminars over the years and they always have their annual meeting in conjunction with the Winter Las Vegas show. At these events I've usually been able to find at least a couple of members interested in the same things I am!!

I am no longer a member, but the winchester collectors association covers both the 71 and the 12 fairly regularly.

[Craig Larter]

With the internet it is very easy to create a group and discover like minded people. Facebook groups (which are much like forums) are created for all kinds of interest groups like shell box collectors, illinois river decoy collectors etc. I'm kinda surprised more groups haven't formed around different brands/models of vintage shotguns. I just found a Model 11 Group on Facebook.

[GH-16]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

With the internet it is very easy to create a group and discover like minded people. Facebook groups (which are much like forums) are created for all kinds of interest groups like shell box collectors, illinois river decoy collectors etc. I'm kinda surprised more groups haven't formed around different brands/models of vintage shotguns. I just found a Model 11 Group on Facebook.

Personally I refuse to Facebook! I wont get political on this site, so I'll leave it at that statement.

As far as other collector groups forming. I feel it's more a sigh of our times, the younger generations just simply aren't joiners and I'm including the majority of the baby boomers in that group. Forming & maintaining these groups takes one heck of a lot of work & effort to get them up & running & then maintaining that momentum. Unfortunately almost every one of these groups devolve into a small clique of a handful of it's membership that weather intentional or not end up driving away as many people as they attract. Then there's always the few that want to take control to drive a particular personal agenda.

Over the years I've been involved with a few dog breed clubs that became brutal with people wanting to grind their own axe. The PGCA is pretty much the exception to the rule in this regard, but even here I've sensed some of these same things.

It's a fast paced complex world we're living in and quite often participating in a collecting organization just doesn't fit into the schedule.

[Stan Hoover]

Originally Posted by Craig Larter

Why have not more vintage shotgun associations formed??? No Ithaca or Winchester 21 or Model 12 collector groups or Remington model 10 or 11 groups? Many of us are interested in more than Parkers. If vintage shotgun gatherings are to continue and expand more non sxs should be included in my opinion. What say you?.

Craig,
I really wish there was a website for those guns produced in Ithaca, or even a collectors association. I really don't know what or how much would be involved, I assume a website would be easier and a place to start?
Stan

[Craig Larter]

Stan: It is simple to create a Facebook group, that is the simplest way to seek out other Ithaca collectors. Back when I started the AHFCA facebook didn't exist so I set up our first forum.
Setting up a web page is much more involved in that content needs to be created. I believe a site like GoDaddy has tools so non-programmers can set up a web page and have it hosted on their server.

[Stan Hoover]

Craig,
I guess I'm primitive, no Facebook here. I know next to nothing about setting up a website, so I guess I'll keep wishing.
Stan

[Cold Spring]

Originally Posted by Stan Hoover

Craig,
I guess I'm primitive, no Facebook here. I know next to nothing about setting up a website, so I guess I'll keep wishing.
Stan

Stan, you're not that far behind. There are member fellas trying to be active in one vintage gun collector group I can think of, while still using Commodore 64's and 35mm cameras . And just last year one submitted a story for publication in its newsletter that he'd written using a typewriter and the editor had to redo it in Word. Such a wide range of technologies. And now I hear talk of using Zoom for that collector group's Annual Meeting.

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by Frank Srebro

There are member fellas using .... 35mm cameras in a vintage gun collector group I can think of.

hey - I represent that remark

look at the fit and finish and the case leather work on the Nikon S2 - not unlike the craftsmanship on the guns we like

[OH Osthaus]

They are easy to use but i am not sure site building tools like GoDaddy and Squarespace support interactive forums

[Cold Spring]

Agreed Rick, the better 35mm cameras are fine instruments. But I seem to recall you taking digital pics of an Ithaca in August at Rock Mtn using your smart phone.