Memories of the great gun writers being lost to today's shooters

[DustyGmt]

I always liked Massad Ayoob articles. Very blunt plain speaking man and his articles were always very interesting and exciting as he always wrote about combat handgunning from an LEO/AF or Civilian standpoint. The couple of times I was driving in Hanover, NH I considered speeding to see if by chance I might get pulled over by Ayoob, lol. He is, or at least was a uniformed officer serving for the Hanover police department. Ha ha

I'm a techno halfsie though, I spent half my life growing up with no cell phones or computers so I used to read all the gun magazines I could get my hands on, I entered the digital age as a teen and now reading magazines seems like something done in ancient times. This thread has motivated me to go dig out some old shoeboxes and start flipping through what's left of my magazines.

 

[entropy]

I just received some shotgunning magazines (second batch of them) all told about 25 flats boxes (Shotgun shell cases-holds ten 25 rd. boxes) worth, going back to the late 70's. I tackle one or two a night.

 

[Mullo98]

I think YouTubers of today are just the same as gun writers of yesterday. I don't see many talking poorly on YTers like Karl and Ian from inrangetv/Forrgoten weapons, or Paul Harrell for example,these guys are respected just like Keith or Skeeter. The format is just different.

 

[HB]

I think YouTubers of today are just the same as gun writers of yesterday. I don't see many talking poorly on YTers like Karl and Ian from inrangetv/Forrgoten weapons, or Paul Harrell for example,these guys are respected just like Keith or Skeeter. The format is just different.

100% on point. 50 years from now somebody will be yearning to find a way to watch youtube videos on a long forgotten format. And Cooper will sound like some wool clad field and stream writer shooting passenger pigeons.

 

[ThomasT]

I haven't seen him mentioned but my favorite gun writer was Terry Murbach. He posted here and on the TFL forum as Wil Terry. I mentioned how much I liked his writing and wished he still wrote articles to Jeff Quinn at Muzzleblast and the next thing I know I get an email from Terry Murbach. And for several years till just before he died we traded many emails. I wish I had of saved them all in a file. He was funny as all get out and even invited me to come to S.Dakota and stay with him. I didn't make it and regret greatly now.

My grandfather was a custom gunsmith and worked with Phil Sharpe on the 7x61 Sharpe and Hart round that led to the Remington 7mm Mag. My GF also bought lots of barrels from PO Ackley. I have letters from PO Ackly and Phil Sharpe were they wrote to my grand father way back in the mid 1950s.

And I loved John Wooters and Finn Aagaard. I have a few books from both of them. I guess I'm old school. I would rather read a book than watch a YT video. But I have to say a good YT video can be very informative. And some are just plain crap. Best of all they are free.

And don't forget the poster here named Dennis Prisbee (DPris) who just passed away. What a loss.

I liked Dave Scoville until he decided to dump on Jack O'Conner in one of his editorials. I couldn't understand where that came from or what purpose it served.

 

[entropy]

And don't forget the poster here named Dennis Prisbee (DPris) who just passed away. What a loss.

Yes Denis was a great guy, told it like it was.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

When I got into shooting in the 1960s, no Internet, the magazines where we got our information, the gun writers enjoyed far greater stature, were seen as the "experts", many had "been there, done that".

 

[loadedround]

Amen!

 

[sscoyote]

How's about good old Gerry Blair...greatest coyote hunter of all time...in my mind.