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What do you guys think about Varmint Hunter mag. ? I look forward to reading it and they don't pander to the mfgs.<P>Conrad

Conrad,as of late,it has offered little. Maybe they are out of subject matter,or the payroll is light? BUT,Steve Timm,is another that I think is a straight shooter. He's their saving grace,I like his often analytical approach. Often,he does something different,than I would contemplate. But he is always there to explain his decision making process,I very much like his style. He educates me,in every article. Sometimes it is subtle,other times of great signifigance. Two thumbs up,for Timm......

Ghost,<BR>Field and stream,outdoorlife,and sporting classics are the "People" magazines it would seem,of our subculture.<BR>Currently I favor browsing the rack at the local food shed for hunting mags as they have gotten so specialized these days.<BR>The Safari club mag is outstanding for African hunting and does a few articles on north American hunting now and again.<BR>I have a subscription to "Magnum" the South African magazine that deals with firearms for hunting,sport,defence,and lots of really OUTSTANDING hunting articles.<BR>I wish we had a Magnum type of magazine here instead of what is out there.<BR>Gun wise I like Handloader,Rifle,Precison shooting and the former "Tactical shooter".<BR>Lots of good info and the better writers.<BR>Good luck to ya!<BR>E4E<P>------------------<BR>Remove the mechanical variables,and then you can only blame yourself!<BR>http://home.intekom.com/upfront/cost.htm

The first artical I always read was The Dumb Crook Line Up, in Shooting Times magazine. Well, this is gone, Jerry Constantino is gone, so the magazine is a little less special now. I still buy all the popular gun magazines, and love to read them all, even subscribe to some. Subscribing is bogus for me, bogus! The news stand gets them before I get my copies! Damn, subscribers should be getting them first, we already paid for them in advance! <BR>I agree that a lot of the articals are re-hashed by other gun writers, as if they all take turns re-writing the same artical. Or us each others notes. And I totally HATE those DAMN This vs That articals!!! Gads! It would be better to explain why and what it is good for, then to explain the stupid differences between the two. They should TEACH, not rant for easy money!!! Have I said enough? ~~~Suluuq

Sheister, I like your thinking.<BR>As the saying goes....Money talks and bull **** walks. No one is gonna give away there paycheck with bad reviews.

My favorite writer is probably Mike V. He is technical but yet not too tecky and puts things clearly. You definitely know he is a 30 cal man. I think that says a lot that he chose one caliber to live/research/and enjoy and can give you lots of specific good info on it.<P>I would suggest a subscription to "gun tests" they tell it like it is and will put down a gun/product/ammo etc if it does not mee their standards. They are definitely "call it like they see it". That goes miles in my book.

The only thing lacking from Gun Tests is the entertainment value. I've got a subscription to this one, and it's boring as hell. They do tell it like it is thats for sure, though. ~~~Suluuq

There are some good writers around, but most of the best are dead. I recommend reading Boddington's post on gunwriting on this board--it gives a whole 'nother view of living the dream like he does, and it ain't all skittles and beer. I think the best days of gunwriting are gone, at least in print, and the best shooting journalism is now on the net. Who remembers the American Rifleman of the 1960's and 70's? It had useful articles on the kinds of topics we cover here. The Internet is in its infancy right now, and we are the pioneers. If you read a print article and end up with a bunch of questions, they might never get answered. You can write the gunwriter in care of the magazine, and you might hear from him, but probably not. If you post a question on the net, you could have from one to fifty responses within 24 hours. You have to weed out the people who don't know what they're talking about, but you have to do that in print, too. The upshot is that today's best gunwriting is interactive. It's right here, right now, and we're part of it. John Taffin has a pretty good model going on sixguns.com. Also, Jim Taylor has a virtual magaine at sixgunner.com. Check them out and let me know if you think I'm all wet on this. Okie John

Al Miller!,John Barsness,Stan Trzoniec,Ken Waters and sometimes Ross Seyfeid.

Re: gun mags<P>I subscribe to several of them, buy if I was limited to 4, I would currently take--really belong to--The Varmint Hunters Asso., Precision Shooting, Rifle and Handloader.<P>

I'll go with Conrad,and Critr gitr and say Steve Timm. I also like Gerry Blair. Course Dr. Howell is the professer. <P>Varmint shooting is my first love. The great thing about that is you don't have to just read about it for a year before you can actually go out and do it. <P>Frankly, I've had a lifetime of reading. I still have some books, but only take Varmint Hunter and American Rifleman now. <P>I have never worn a barrel out. This is unacceptable!! I have close to 2000 rounds through my M77 22-250, and will probably put another 1000 through it this year. Maybe more. Mostly at hair. <P>Reading of other's accomplishments and adventures is no longer enough. Of course there is always more to learn. New methods and advances can be helpfull. But much of the new stuff is just something more to buy. Like the old saying " fishing lures catch more fishermen then fish". <P>Time to put the books down and burn some powder. See you in the field my friends.<BR><P>------------------<BR>Rick

I can''t find more than these 3 mags worth subscribing to, as my interests go....... Rifle, Handloader and Muzzle Blasts. I do pick up something else occasionally from the news stand, not often. I do like to read Mike Venturino and Sam Fadala, but my all-time favorite is gone, too. That was Finn Aagaard. (yes, there are four A's!) I miss him big time. It pi**es me off now that I never wrote to let him know how much I enjoyed his work.... ain't that always the way! He hunted, not to get his name in a book, nor even to hang a fine trophy on the wall, but because he loved the hunt.

Gentlemen, While most of your comments have been on gun writers, the original post was on "outdoor writers". In that vein, I would like to commend John Wooters, who writes the Buck Sense column for Petersons Hunting. John has been around for a long time and judges trophies more on the difficulty of the hunt than the size of the headgear. While he never knocks other types of hunting, he quietly advocates taking the best (which normally means the oldest) deer off a property which is in its natural state. No food plots, no mineral licks, feeders, etc.. He doesn't shout about it, just quietly makes his point. A real gentleman who speaks softly but makes a very valid argument about what true "trophy" hunting should be. Traveling man

Gentlemen, While most of your comments have been on gun writers, the original post was on "outdoor writers". In that vein, I would like to commend John Wooters, who writes the Buck Sense column for Petersons Hunting. John has been around for a long time and judges trophies more on the difficulty of the hunt than the size of the headgear. While he never knocks other types of hunting, he quietly advocates taking the best (which normally means the oldest) deer off a property which is in its natural state. No food plots, no mineral licks, feeders, etc.. He doesn't shout about it, just quietly makes his point. A real gentleman who speaks softly but makes a very valid argument about what true "trophy" hunting should be. Traveling man

Loud Cloud -<BR>Understand your contention of Outdoor Writer and Gun Writer.<BR>Personally, when I think of outdoor writing, I think of hunting or shooting stories. In that vein, my favorite writers are: John Barsness, Ken Waters, Rick Jamison, Mike Venturino and Ross Seyfreid as current ones. Of the older, I can remember Warren Page, Elmer Keith, Finn Aagard, Skeeter Skelton and lastly, Bob Milek. Thought the world of Milek at one time, then he wrote an article slamming the 7mm Rem Mag (one of my most favorite rifles at the time) and I lost faith, thinking him just another gun hack.<BR>I've given up 3 gun magazine subscriptions in the past few months, due to articles lauding the new S&W products. Shooting Times is the latest I sent my outraged letter to and demanding full rebate of remaining subscription. Guns Magazine was prior to that.

Sorry, Loud Cloud -<BR>Meant Travelinman!

The best that are no longer with us are certianly: Robert Ruark, Gene Hill, Peter Capstick, and Elmer Keith.<P>Boddington is better at writing about hunting than rifles or gear. I've read Safari Rifles and American Hunting Rifles. They are great reference works and everyone should read them, but they are repetitive in some ways. Where the Lions Roar and his various magazine articles that I have read have been much better.<P>I also give a vote to Terry Wieland. He's a much more accomplished writer than all but Michael McIntosh today.<P>For the record I don't like Cooper!

Okie John made a good point about some gun writing raising questions that don't ever get answered. Maybe sometimes the staff of the publication involved put a barrier of apathy between the reader and the author. About a year ago I noticed a minor point in a photo accompanying a technical article in the American Rifleman. I wrote a question to the Rifleman and received a reply that said if I would write another letter the editor, coffee runner or whatever the twit's position was would then forward it to the author. I replied, using a black marker on the back of Mr. Twit's letter, that if he wasn't enterprising enough to forward my original request to the author I wasn't going to commit another letter to the governmental wannabe labyrinth of NRA headquarters. My question was about Lee-Enfield rifles-I can wait until I see a Canadian army veteran I know. I got a definite sense of "you got all you deserve, now go away" from the publisher in this case. curmudgeon