Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Someone's missing the boat.

Ray,

You don't have to explicitly say you're an expert on magazine publishing, or anything else. It's implicit in your statements, and not just on magazines but any subject.

One of the interesting things about writing for magazines is how many readers aren't really in it for information, much less entertainment. Instead they read magazines so they can argue about what they read. There aren't vast numbers of these, but Handloader usually forwards one every year or two, mostly for amusement purposes. One recent letter was from an older guy indignant about one of my articles because it contradicted some of his long-held beliefs. This isn't unusual: I've sold quite a few articles over the decades due to really investigating and testing long-held handloading beliefs that turned out not to be true. Sometimes they used to be true, at least partially, but aren't anymore, but sometimes they never were true, but simply a guess that "sounded" reasonable, like the widely-held belief that the muzzle fireball often seen from rifles in dim light is caused by still-burning powder.

This guy got angry because his father had told him a particular manual published around 1960 was the final, authoritative source on rifle handloading, and I'd dared to challenge one of the statements in that manual. Some other readers are like that, or even worse, and apparently mostly read magazines to write "gotcha" or whine-letters. I used to waste time arguing with them, but anymore don't bother.

Aside from acting like you know everything about magazine publishing (and then denying you did), you make another common Campfire mistake, assuming your experience universal, as in: "I own a black Labrador retriever, therefore all Labrador retrievers are black." Just because Handloader hasn't run articles on YOUR favorite cartridge in the past few issues doesn't mean they haven't run articles on them in the past, or won't in the future. It also doesn't mean, by a long shot, that all other Handloader subcribers are upset about the lack of articles on those particular cartridges.

In fact, I'd be willing to bet that if Handloader did run articles on your favorites, you'd be writing them to argue about the articles, because that's what you like to do on the Campfire. This thread is a good example: It started out about binoculars, but then you jumped in and started whining about handloading articles.

Ok fella's thanks. Also forget to mention I'd like to see them in a roof prism model. Besides the 6x30 Leupolds and 8x Nikons any others stand out? I've got a pair of 8x30's, but there again, they just don't work in the evenings. RRM

One of the interesting things about writing for magazines is how many readers aren't really in it for information, much less entertainment. Instead they read magazines so they can argue about what they read.

Ray,

Here are quotes from your posts on this thread:

Printing and shipping hunting magazines have gotten too expensive these days. No amount of advertisement on print is going to make a difference. (Later you posted: Did I say anywhere that I was an expert? Of course advertisement is a factor.)

Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't think I can continue buying Handloader. I will give them the benefit or the doubt through another season, but that is it. (Later you posted: I understand that in order for a magazine to publish such data takes time, but I can wait.)

Apparently you like to argue so much, you do it with yourself.