Gunzines (deja vu)

[jsalcedo]

I recently acquired a number of old gun mags and put them in the
bathroom for colonic inspiration.

I currently just let 4 subscriptions expire: GUNS, Rifle shooter
handgunner, shooting times. All the same crap over and over.

I like 1911's, remington 700's and Chevy pickups but lordy I don't want to see one on every front and back cover of every mag for 2 years.

Now its the springfield XD (woohoo!) now I get to look at that ugly black piece of plastic (sorry POLYMER) for another six months.

So I start looking at my old gun mags for some relief.

Guess what? Pages full of 1911's and remington 700's
with the liberals lie column(tm) and WOW look at the 1982 chevy pickup.

The letters column still has the lame old questions on dry firing,
wearing out of mag springs and the value of grandpas nameless
shotgun he bought for 4 dollars and can of live bait.

Whenever a new gun comes out (usually a custom 1911 or some faceless polymer clone) every gun mag runs an article about it in the same month then the gun writers coo and gurgle about it for a couple of pages, then you see a fold out advertisement for the same gun a couple pages later.

And don't expect them to say anything controversial about Smith and Wesson, Ruger or the NRA. Nope they just close their collective gunwriter ears and go nanananana.....

I'll still read American Rifleman beacuse they have a few interesting historical articles and he armed citizen column.

The rest of the gun rags get a big juicy ppppbbblt!

 

[Standing Wolf]

It's extremely difficult for traditional magazine publishers to compete with the internet. Their costs per reader are much higher, and although they receive advertising dollars this site doesn't, they have to fight and scrap for those, too.

I still read American Handgunner, Guns, Shooting Times, American Rifleman, and America's First Freedom, but spend considerably more time every month right here.

 

[George Hill]

I read Playboy for the Articles and American Handgunner for the Pictures.

 

[George Hill]

Kidding... I don't read Playboy.

But I do like A.H.'s pictures. And John Taffin Articles.

 

[eotp]

Playboy has articles???

 

[Stickjockey]

Now that you metion it, I don't think I've bought a "gunzine" in almost a year. Finally got tired of the "All the Same Guns, All the Time" theme that seems to be so pervasive nowadays.

 

[George Hill]

In between the pictures, eotp. Look again.

 

[firestar]

That's why people call them "gun rags". I don't have any subscriptions anymore and I haven't bought a gun mag except for Shotgun News in years. My dad still has his subcriptions to Guns and Ammo and Shooting Times but I don't read them unless I am really bored. The gun reviews in these mags is a huge waste of time because they will never say a bad word about ANY gun.

 

[DigMe]

The gun reviews in these mags is a huge waste of time because they will never say a bad word about ANY gun.

Bass guitar magazines are the same way and this same issue comes up about basses on a bass message board that I post on. I pretty much don't trust any magazines except for Consumer Reports when it comes to product reviews. I DO sometimes buy the mags and read them though. I think there is some information to be gleaned, just not objective information.

brad cook

 

[stevelyn]

I've found that your average gunrag has been getting proportionally thinner as the price increases. I learn more from this site than I get from most mags. Here I can exchange ideas, learn things and teach things.
I do have three must-reads and find the quality steady along with unrehashed information. RIFLE, HANDLOADER, and SOLDIER OF FORTUNE. Anything else I can get off the 'net.

 

[TarpleyG]

The letters column still has the lame old questions on dry firing....

Kinda sounds like this place or any other forum that's been around for a while. There's only so much "gun" you can talk about.

GT

 

[NukemJim]

I pretty much don't trust any magazines except for Consumer Reports when it comes to product reviews.

I do not trust Consumer reports due to the fact that when they have reviewed cameras ( an area I know more than a little about having majored in medical photography in college and having been a professional medical photographer) they make mistakes, do not underestand photography and generlly do a very poor job. I do not think that they are biased like the gunrags merely that the same people who test shampoo this week, do hair dryer next week and did TVs the week before i.e. they do not know enough about what they are reviewing.

IMHO

NukemJim

 

[garrettwc]

I quit subscribing to gun rags after I discovered the forums. The reviews and information are more up to date and the BS has been filtered out of them.

The only one I still "buy" with any regularity is SWAT. Rich and company put together a lot of good no BS info in there.

 

[denvas]

Gentlemen,

There is even a fair amount of disagreement among the gunwriters themselves who write for these same magazines about what should be written and how. Take a look at the linked posting from the 24hourcanmpfire forum and I believe you will understand what I mean.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...=159801&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

I am the DVNovum on that posting and tend to be from the old school of writers where you told a story and did not write infomercials for the approved advertisers of a given publicaiton. As you will see as your read through the posting there is quite a bit of difference in philosophy between those like Ken Howell and myself as compared to other writers that are so called editors to some of today's better known magazine.

 

[Mute]

Dear AH,

I thought people only read about things like this in your pages, but I was visiting the local gunstore and I saw this gorgeous Hard Chromed Kobra Carry......