For today's #ThrowbackThursday, we're going back...way back. Picture this: 2001. Matchbox Twenty topped the charts. The Y2K virus turned out to be less serious than the common cold. And the Internet was...well, it just wasn't what it is today. Many publications, including this one (which was then known as NRA InSights), didn't even have websites. So when we wanted to tell you about the cool websites you could visit to learn more about outdoor manufacturers and events, we had to print those sights on dead trees, mail them to you, and hope that the websites still worked when you got your magazine 3 months after we finished writing the articles. Wild, right?
So, here's a quiz. This is from an article we published in 2001, part of a regular series we called "Web Finder." Out of the below 10 sites, how many do you think are still around today? (To make it harder to cheat, we've removed the hyperlinks. Oh, OK, fine. You got us. The truth is that our software in 2001 didn't support hyperlinks.)
- Navy Arms Company—Replica firearms for the cowboy action shooter, skirmisher and reenactor. www.navyarms.com
- Savage Arms—Centerfire, rimfire and air rifles for the hunter and competitive shooter. www.savagearms.com
- Henry Repeating Arms Company—Features include sections on their rifles and collectibles. Also featured is a dealer search. www.henryrepeating.com
- Sturm, Ruger and Company, Inc.—Rifles, shotguns and pistols for hunting and competitive shooting. The website includes firearms safety and company history. www.ruger.com
- Single Action Shooting Society—This group of competitive shooters and reenactors preserves the spirit of the Old West. www.sassnet.com
- Imperial Schrade Corp.—This is the offical website for Schrade Knives. See the folders, fixed blades and multitools available. www.schradeknives.com
- Daisy manufacturing, Inc—Avanti competition air rifles for 2001. www.daisy.com
- Brownells—The company website is full of the same products as their 444-page catalog. Factory parts for rifles, shotguns and handguns, plus gunsmithing tools. www.brownells.com
- TRUGLO, Inc.—A full line of no-battery, fiber-optic aiming devices for firearms and archery. www.truglosights.com
- Primos Hunting Calls—Calls and accessories for turkey, deer and other game. www.primos.com
The answer? All of them! Matchbox Twenty may not be as cool as they used to be, but apparently the outdoor industry has real staying power.
