Precision Shooting Magazine Shuts Down after 56 Years
Precision Shooting Magazine is folding. Editor Dave Brennan announced that the respected print magazine will go out of business after 56 years of publication. This is a sad day. Precision Shooting was a serious journal that advanced our understanding of firearms technology and excellence in the shooting sports. Among the writers for the magazine were many talented shooters, gunsmiths, machinists, and engineers. Over the years, Precision Shooting articles (and bound books) have spotlighted major advances in barrel-making, stock design, bullet design, optics, and much more.
We are sad to see Precision Shooting close its doors after more than half a century. Editor Dave Brennan, his employees, and his ranks of writers are to be commended for giving us so many years of interesting and thought-provoking reading.
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Tags: Dave Brennan, Precision Shooting Magazine, Print, Publication, Subscriber
Great magazine, they certainly will be missed.
I really enjoyed PS and am going to keep doing our hobby of target shooting, for we can keep our safe and healthy past time.
It is sad, but then again I could never figure out why as a Canadian I had to pay so much more for a subscription (in US funds) – far more than just what would account for postage. I refused to subscribe.
je ne suis pas surpris par cete disparition,cete publication ne voulez pas de mes articles,les jugeant insufisament documenter alors que je reste une source d’inspirations pour tout les tireurs du tnv.On ne les pleurerat pas. Pierre
Truly a terrible day as PS has been a cutting edge magazine over the years and given a world wide audience something to aspire to.
Boutique magazines will struggle against the Internet and will need to adapt to survive.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The internet has seriously crippled many print publications. Even my local newspaper will begin 3x weekly service next year. The three big outdoors magazines are in trouble, and now you can read their episodes online. Very humbling, I always enjoyed PS.
That just plain old sucks.
I am going to miss it.
Isn’t it possible to do an Online version of the magazine only so as to avoid printing costs?
Too Bad, I always looked forward to my PS coming. A lot of great information over the years.
I would buy an “On-Line” subscript if it was availalbe.
Sorry to hear.
While I enjoyed the writings of Brennan, I think he lived in the wrong generation.
He refused to engage in email, internet, or the like. He was a hard-ass to deal with evidently, and turned off many people that tried to write an article. And that was a major problem with getting decent articles.
Regardless, it’s sad to see a magazine do down.
I also am sad to see PS go, but it had been going downhill for a long time. I’m amazed it lasted as long as it did. I canceled by subscription a few years back when is seemed that all Mr. Brennan would publish were bedtime stories: I was asleep almost instantly when I started an article. . . . . .
This magazine died long ago. When they started shooting dirt clods. Lol.
I had a feeling that something was up when my last issue was delivered about two weeks later than usual.
I have to wonder if “enable us to pay off debts remaining on the books” means I will see a rebate of my remaining subscription? I will miss the magazine, but I am feeling kind of ripped off right now.
Seems like they had a good run and were the source of a lot on information when it was scarce.
Now that SO much more is available on the Net (hello, accurateshooter.com!) it’s obvious that these specialty mags will die off.
They were paying $20K/mo for printing? That seems extraordinarily high, much like their nearly $40 annual fee….
Having recently renewed my subscription I am disappointed. I enjoyed the magazine but not at $20 per received issue.
For me they jumped the shark in 1998 when they let .22 benchrest group publish in their journal section, that they were going to award US Military miniature medals for Win, Place and Show.
They were dead to me when the editor failed to make any editorial comment on the inappropriateness of such a decision.
Good riddance.
Well that sucks! Now all there is internet “e-zines” and printed corporate yes magazines. Soon enough the printed word will fade away like cd’s and next in line movies and theaters. Gee, it’s not that hard to see why there was a positive reelection. Glad I had my time of fun…How Boddington can you really read? Is that AR really that new or unique? You’ll have years of that drivel… Later, off to the range!
I’m happy for the internet and the wealth of information freely available and quickly accesible. It saddens me to lose a source of information with such quality/editorial controls.
Digitally native people will never know such quality sources of information. The compromise on free information is the absence of peer review and the editorial process. How many times in the recent years have you read a “news” story that has had factual, grammatical, or typographical errors? How many times 10+ years ago do you remember the same?
I hope that in this evolution more people realize this, and the value in these trustworthy sources of information is recognized. I think accurateshooter is in this arena with the Bulletins for example. Although there isn’t a good way to monetize this content without alienating and losing readers to freely available (and albeit untrusted sources), it should be highly regarded and its presence protected. In fact, I’m going to donate right now.
A truly sad day. I have been an avid reader for 10 years. When money got tight I cut my magazine subscriptions to two and this was one of them. My wife would always joke that I got my Porno mag in the mail when it came because of the opaque wrapping. Best of luck to Dave.
Been a subscriber since I first started shooting…always looked forward to the “magazine in the plain plastic wrapper”…PS was a source of great information which made up for some of the mediocre articles or personal reminiscences that seemed to predominate in the last few years. Given the realities of today’s world maybe a digital magazine would work. I will definitely miss the magazine and their pleasant office people.
On se calme!Il y a de bien meilleures publicassions en France ainsi qu’un excelent forum http://www.tirmailly.com qui reste une raie feroce en mathiere de balistique.La preuve:j’y passe le plus clair de mon temp et je vous invite a y venir pendant que le ministere taule-air que je dilapide l’argent du contribuable.
Here is how my luck is.Sent IBS application and fee for PS mag this morning.Came home from work to find out PS closed the doors.Somedays I just sit in awe of how the hell things like this happen.
It sure was a much better publication then the foolish zombie shooting article`s that make it in many of todays shooting magazines.
It is too bad. A very interesting and informative magazine, although at times some of the articles became, in my opinion, too esoteric.
Also, no mention of a refund for those of us who still have a balance, of unreceived issues, due.
Dave published several of my submissions over the years. I found him fair, straight forward, and to the point.
Thanks for a great run, Dave!
This magazine will be missed for sure!! Isn’t it an idea to make it digitally?
Thanks to Dave and his team!
I have been a subscriber to PS for the last few years (and have an “unexpired” subscription at this time). I was quite shocked when I saw AccurateShooter’s publication of their “good-bye” letter. I generally liked that publication but thought it dealt with way too many “far afield” topics, especially rifles that I’d be hard pressed to note as exemplars of “precision shooting” rifles. It was, however, basically the only game in town if you wanted more than just match results, so I subscribed.
I note in the IBS By-Laws that most classes of membership include “…a subscription to the Corporation periodical”, which has been PS for at least the last few years. I seem to recall that there was something like $20-$30 of the membership fee that was to cover the subscription. I wonder how IBS will be dealing with this. Partial refund of the membership fee? Extended membership term? Alternate publication (paid for how)? From the practical side, IBS match results and match announcements can certainly be handled online – and, in the process be much more timely. However, folks won’t get their names “in print” and I suspect that will be the most missed function of such a “hard copy” publication.
It is VERY interesting to note that as PS has gone south, the “new” (and MUCH improved) NBRSA publication, “Precision Rifleman” is on a tear, improving and expanding each month. The November issue is full color, 32 pages, and almost exclusively in-depth match results – I especially like the equipment lists. I suspect its “improvements” are a substantial, if not the vast majority of the, reason that dues are going up Jan 2013.
From an unexpired subscriber’s standpoint, I’ll certainly miss PS, especially the issues I paid for but won’t get. One poster suggested that the wording of the “good-bye” letter might indicate a refund is coming. I’m not holding my breath.
I dont think Precision Rifleman includes high power shooting that interests many. After all shooting from position is what its all about
Very disappointed! I just resubscribed about a month ago! So, how do we get a refund?!
Thank you all at precision shooting for many years of a great magazine. It will be impossible to replace. We will be praying for you all to return to the work force soon.
Sad to see them go away as I really liked the magazine. I am waiting for some individual contact to subscribers. Quoting the letter on the website:
“Since this problem broke our first priority has been to raise the size of our treasury as much as possible, to enable us to pay off debts remaining on our books.”
I hope these debts remaining on the books to be paid off started with subscriber refunds as my last renewal was for 2 years (thru 11/2013). Everyone is hurting in this economy and I canceled another subscription to maintain this one…I just don’t want another fresh economic wound.
PS will be sorely missed.
This is almost as sad as Shane riding off into the sunset.
My thoughts are with Mr. Brennan and his crew. This is a helluva way to enter the holiday season.
Courage Pierre! La retraite c’est dans pas longtemps,que tu le veuilles ou non.
Qund est ce que tu en fais autant sur maillyforum?
Some comments and insights as a 20+ year subscriber and author of over a dozen articles published in PS.
A loss of a fading star. Always a pleasure viewing the artful cover without all the tabloid like inserts and come-ons. Also avoidance of promoting the sportsman’s need and right to own bayoneted assault rifles with ~30 round clips. Dave’s editorials were also often well worth a read.
Had the occasion to talk with readers calling about my articles, and a common complaint was PS did not publish enough such hands on articles to help subscribers improve their equipment, techniques, and accuracy (consider its cover title “Precision Shooting, Dealing exclusively with extreme rifle accuracy”). To that I will add my displeasure of highly technical ballistic articles showcasing the author’s calculus acuity and for readers able to trudge through pages of such, or those unwilling to do so, inadequate common language summary of meaning and practical application.
The above over several years, perhaps perpetuated by Dave’s recent decision to cut off “new blood” authors (“columnists”), likely contributed to subscriber decline.
Have a book case full of all my PS mags, with articles of interest flagged. Guess this will prompt finally setting up an index to make the useful information contained more evident and accessible.
Hopefully another source will come forward to fill the void.
say what you will, precision shooting magazine was the best of the best for in depth articles pertaining to our precision shooting interests.the human interest articles were very interesting also. just a very well rounded magazine that will never be duplicated in any form. thank you dave brennan and your staff of expert writers both past and present for the best of the best. i have every issue back to the mid 80′s and know will treasure them even more. brian abel fond du lac wisconsin
Dang! I’ve only been reading Precision Shooter for about 5 years, but I really looked forward to seeing it on the shelf of my local gun shop every month. While I’m certain the web has all but shaken loose the pillars of print media, the willingness and necessity to adapt to a changing audience is more important than ever. Digital Media is not only here to stay, there’s a REASON so many folks are moving toward it as their primary format for information – it’s easy, searchable, and eternal,… My hope is that someone willing to put forth the effort to make the transition to digital media will pick up the legacy of Precision Shooter and carry it forth,… It is well worth the effort.
Ryan
feel cheated since we renewed my subscription in Feb 2013 and was not informed that co was out of business
I’m in a similar situation to George and a couple others–having paid for a renewal and not received what I paid for. Got my letter of inquiry returned, marked “unable to forward.” I’ve looked around on the Internet regarding what a magazine is liable for in this regard, and there’s not much I can find. One story about Hallmark Magazine folding and providing a continuation of a completely different magazine–Parents–in its place. Interesting question involved here, because in subscribing you are essentially buying something to be produced in the future. One contrast: Our local daily newspaper just went to three days a week, and all subscribers were made whole for what they had already paid, in terms of the new subscription set-up. I join the others on this site in mourning the loss of the magazine, but I’m a little miffed about the way it went out of business and the complete lack of communication regarding it, outside of a one-pager on a website. Good magazine; not a good exit.
I too miss the monthly envelope, the 21 months of issues I paid for but will not receive, and most of all the writings of M.McPherson and others of his kind who kindly shared their years of experience with us in articles and in personal communications.
I thought my subscription had expired and I tried to renew.
A huge loss to shooters at all levels. The math was tedious at times, but those same authors gave us so much to ponder. My own knowledge level increased more than I could ever hope given my own abilities. In digital format, Precision Shooting would still be an incredible value to shooters. We can only hope it can be resurrected in some format. Whatever it takes, please keep trying.