Gun Magazines, the type you read

Handloader · Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:50 pm Post subject: Gun Magazines, the type you read

What newstand available gun/hunting magazines do you regularly buy and why?

I always look for the newest "Rifle" or "Handloader" magazines and find the majority of writers to be knowledgable and real world in their approach to firearms and reloading. There are no big egos striving to be the next Jack O'Connor or Elmer Keith.

The current edition of "Handloader" features excellent articles on the Vanguard and the 7RemMag. Their articles generally are intellectually honest and don't resemble the majority of publications where features are more like infomercials than evaluations. Too, none of the writers seem to be trying to be the next Jack O'Connor or Elmer Keith, although Venturino is fairly self promoting, albeit, knowledgable.

What is your favorite?

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

I'll read any of them depends what I see for sale and what issue seems to interest me the most, normally I take everything I read on them with a gain of salt though, not saying that they are baised just you never know who is paying their checks at the end of the day (advertisers in the magazines, sponsers etc). Smile

Dimitri

Bushmaster

American Rifleman...American Handgunner and Handloader. I have suscriptions for these. Plus one that does not pertain to guns..Western Horseman...

Handloader

Dimitri: one of the gun rags with the largest distribution charges a minimum of $50,000 (that's US $) for the centerfold spread or featured article. I am sure they would assure us that anyone so featured has to meet certain requirements, but, it seems, principal among those would be advertising money.

pth1947

Read American rifleman, Shooting Times and Guns And Ammo

Dawgdad

American Rifleman, Shooting times. Predator Hunter

SwampFox

I only take three, IHMSA News, American Rifleman and Gun List (now Gun Digest). I have the Amerian Rifleman, at least 4 editions, at all times, in my reception room. All positive comments, never a negative, should you wonder about that.

I had one fellow say it had been a long time since he seen an AR in a waiting room and that we were his kind of people. Very Happy

Ed

shrpshtrjoe

American Rifleman, Guns and Ammo, Outdoor Life.
Joe

Gil Martin

My preferences are American Rifleman and Guns magazine. All the best...
Gil

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Man I suck... I only have a subscription to OutdoorLife. I used to have more subscriptions but we dropped a few to cut costs when the prices increased.

-DallanC

Handloader

DallanC wrote:

Man I suck... I only have a subscription to OutdoorLife. I used to have more subscriptions but we dropped a few to cut costs when the prices increased

-DallanC

DallanC: Like you, I dropped several subscriptions to the monthly gun magazines, but, mainly due to content. In fact, there is marginal content in many of the popular magazines.

Many on this list have an extensive background in hunting, reloading and other aspects concerning firearms. While those new to these matters can find enough fodder to justify the purchase price, seldom is there anything that hasn't been presented many times before. Afterall, how many articles do we need to read about 1911s or cartridge comparison, such as the 270Win vs the 30-06. Most of those comparisons end up with something like "ultimately any of these would be an excellent choice, depending on what you want". There are some exceptions in publishing, however.

"Rifle" and "Handloader" feature articles by Barsness, Spomer, Pearce and others that attempt to go several layers deeper in exploring new subjects or are, at least, a tad more candid in their appraisals. "Varmint Hunter" and "Precision Shooting" are superb publications for technical information, much of which is subscriber submitted and frequently challenge conventional wisdom or, at least, add new data to the body of information available.

On this forum we have some members that could write articles that were more realistic and informative, although, they might not appeal to the advertisers and the product promotion they expect for their advertising dollars. I look forward to seeing a publication emerge that would reflect more the real world than the fantasy world portrayed too often by the big rags. What kind of magazine would we have if Bushmaster or PaulS, among many others, were Editors?

Maybe, through the various media, we beat all these horses to death. Maybe, hunting and shooting isn't all that complex and some stuff simply needs to be learned first hand. But, we revere the firearms and we are addicted to reading everything and anything we can about them. It is a fascinating hobby and preoccupation. We spend hours with our noses in gun rags, loading manuals or on various forums because of some catharsis it evokes, afterall, not all of us live in the remote areas where hunting and shooting is available on a daily basis. Most of the guides I know in Alaska or Idaho have the approach that the firearm is simply a tool to get the job done and their rifles and handguns don't resemble many that I have seen in the gun rags. But, they know how to hunt and shoot accurately and kill cleanly.

I wonder if gun rag sales are declining as a result of interactive forums, which, IMO, are much more informative and, often, accurate?

Pitt55

I religiously buy a mag. from Saskatchawan called Big Buck. Very little advertising, just great articles on lucky hunters. Great field photos from all over north america. I also read outdoor-life and sometimes reloader. Big Buck is by far the best I have ever read though.
DON

freedyf

Does anyone else ever get sick of the BS the writers put out, on how great their (trial?) rifle tests were, on rifles that cost in the multiple of thousands of dollars, with scopes costing half the price of the rifle, and of the canned guided hunts they participate on private ranches in NM and AZ. On one article they talked about getting unstuck in mud, etc., by putting a Lighlift jack under the frame of your truck. I have not yet figured out how to put a Highlift jack under the frame of a PU, without screwing up the body$$$$Maybe I'm alittle dense, but I belive I live in the real world. But I still read their articles and magazines. Freedyf

PaulS

I read the American Rifleman - the only time I read any of the others is when there is an article that strikes my interest as I walk by it in the grocery store. I used to get a lot of them but from month to month there just isn't that much of interest to me.

moose2

The American Rifleman is about it for me.--tr