Wednesday Review : Snail mail, shotguns, books, and how to hold on to a dollar. (Patreon)
Content
First and foremost, we did set up a PO Box finally:
PO Box 80849
Charleston, SC 29407
I fear what I might find. Obviously no firearms guys. We have Carolina Rod and Gun for that.
This has been a pretty exciting week behind the scenes.
1. The auction we referenced last week, the one with a random fan who went the extra mile to bid for us? Well we had him bid on a set of shotguns we assumed were the same. If we could get both at a low price, we'd have spare parts enough to ensure proper function no matter what was going on inside.
What actually happened is he won both and while the same model, they are two clear and distinct variations, one of which I've never seen or heard of before. I'm now extremely curious to get them in as this information now places the number of distinct variations of this (currently mystery to you guys) shotgun model up to 5 known, with 1 more possible due to observed early advertising.
https://i.imgur.com/IFivyDo.jpg
2. One of our Discord volunteers found a Burgess at a local show for, well roughly half the lowest price I've known one to go for. It wasn't a folding model, those are insanely pricey now. But we weren't looking for a folder really anyway, as the shotgun series is going to focus on aerial shooting.
This plus a few other tidbits like a cheap Winchester 1893 have placed the shotgun series already dramatically under budget. Which might be the first time I've ever said that. I'm sure we'll find a way to complicate things. The good news is we were supposed to take like 4 months to find what we've found already, so for the immediate moment we're broke again. THAT I am used to.
https://i.imgur.com/sIdq0jSg.jpg
3. By the way, the secret shotgun hunt is semi-public. You really just have to come by our Discord and drop me a PM. I have a copy/paste list of "rules" so that we aren't just giving people a wishlist to compete with us, and instead are getting those willing to do some hunting/researching in pursuit of a series. Once something is acquired for the show the same group can help each other track down their favorites that turn up after.
4. I had a lovely conversation with a young machinist about possibly doing some side work and even visiting us. I always try to stay plugged into skilled people with undecided futures because I feel there is a LOT we could do to further support old guns as a community. Anvil is still very early and very rough but I have a feeling Mark and I could possibly work up a hub of historic preservation for collectors to utilize.
5. Traditionally I don't get recognized while still in my home state of SC. Well I do, but by people who knew me before the show. Lately more and more people are bucking that trend and I ran into about a half dozen fans in Greenville this weekend both at the collector's show and a Cabelas. If any of you are here, thanks for the warm greeting!
I never know what to do with even my low-grade celebrity. I've always been a sociable person and warm with strangers, but being representative of C&Rsenal makes me panic a bit. I get fixated on whether or not the fan is enjoying their time with me. Sometimes I think the fans the same and we end up having a very awkward interaction of trying to give the other person the floor.
Also I'm really trying to digest using the word "fan" because once someone is in front of me I cannot see them as a part of a blanket body of people. I just end up talking to enthused individuals which is always pleasant even if I'm unsure about being worth the attention.
6. We're considering releasing all the old episodes of Primer as digital downloads on the site. To make them more interesting, I was going to also provide a commentary track with Mae, myself, and possibly Bruno or other team members talking about any memories associated with that episode. Loose pricing now is $3 a pop -OR- patrons over $5 get 2 a month. Thoughts?
7. Schiffer Publishing sent over a pair of books for us to try on, free of charge. My favorite was a history of the Chilean Mauser, which is so often over looked. I'll be mentioning them in an upcoming update, but it's nice to have some help as research costs are generally pretty high for our show!
I'm hoping to work out a more regular ad slot for them on the show in exchange for a budget on reading material. Not even going for cash changing hands, just easing the bills. If you decide to buy anything from them in the coming days, maybe mention us.
Finally, I've noticed Patreon slipping a bit. I'm unsure of the reasons why as exit surveys are rare and often random for reasons. I do feel like the more frequent updates actually tend to nag people into remembering to save their pennies, so I'll have to stay with just once a week and when episodes release. Don't forget, if you're upset with Patreon for any reason, we also exist on Subscribe Star now. Just search CandRsenal.
I'm also looking to make time for sustainable ideas (like the commentary) that can be tailored towards rewarding you all. I welcome suggestions, just know some are more complicated than they sound!