I sincerely think that the amount of information that will become available in the next couple of years will be quite interesting. The widespread use of the internet has had an impact that none of us could have foreseen only a few decades ago and it has brought together a wealth of knowledge. What is also important is that the gaps between the old world and new world collecting fraternities are being bridged at the same time. The key word here is cooperation.
There are bound to be some bumps in the road, some caused by language barriers, others by considerations regarding European permit laws and the need to publish in order to retain one's permit. This means that some info may be withheld for a period of time, in order to prepare a publication. Many European collectors are allowed to pursue their hobby by law because they have to publish regularly. There should be a reasonable amount of consideration for this, especially in a country that still has a relatively unique freedom regarding fire arms collecting as opposed to the rest of the world.
In the old days, the only media were periodicals and books. Now, we have the internet as a medium and quality forums like this one and Jan's, as an alternative. And more importantly, a generation that knows how to use them.
But as I said, I don't believe that the Gollum approach works (sitting on your little piece of information and keeping the rest of the world from seeing it). I also don't believe that anything can be just chucked into the public domain either. One of the drawbacks of the internet is the total lack of control when it comes to intellectual ownership, so I understand that many are being careful.
So let's hope that the Gollums in our collecting fraternity will disappear and that a good, open and cooperative international community will grow out of this. One thought: none of us live forever, so at one point in time or another all will be revealed
