Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Bryce Towsley is one of the countrys best-known gun writer?

Who died and made you Moderator of this forum?

I swear, some of you guys need to get laid.........

Testy, aren't we? Note the use of the smiley face in the above quote. I used a smiling smiley. In the internet world, this would indicate something light hearted. You decided to post something harsh and uncalled for. Now, my tone will change. You sir, need to be slapped. Repeatedly. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> (HINT: look for visual indications that the last sentence was said in a stronger, less friendly tone)

---> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <--- Note the use of a smiley. This smiley isn't smiling or laughing. He's angry. Your post has angered the smileys. Its use suggests an unhappy or disturbing event has happened. Posters use these little fellows to more clearly show how they feel about an opinion or event. They are used because you cannot see the poster's face.

Do you have any questions?

Try not to be such a negative Nelly.

Layne Simpson might be a great guy to hunt with and a congenial host with whom to have dinner, but I've never been invited, so I can�t offer an informed opinion on those 2 subjects. As a professional gun writer, I think that he is often rather lax in his research and has written at least a few articles that fell pretty far short on the quality and testing side. Hey, but I'm not a professional gun writer like yourself, so I can only offer a non-professional's learned opinion.

Simpson aside, let's get back to Bryce Towsley. Remember that being compared to Paris Hilton is not all bad. Paris Hilton sells a lot of copy just by being Paris, despite having no known talent, at least no known talent that can be shown here on Rick's family oriented site. OTOH, Bryce obviously has enough talent in his field to make a living at being good ol' Bryce, just not what I would subjectively grade as being 1st tier talent that would put him in the company of John Barness or a plethora of now deceased gun writers. Having grown up in northern New England, Hanover, NH, I think that it would be hard to be a gun writer based in Vermont, since the hunting opportunities in Vermont are so limited when compared to many other State in the USA or Provinces in Canada.

As an aside, are you a Tar Heels fan? If you are, I see that the Corn Husker's old QB, Joe Dailey, is doing about as well in Chapel Hill as he did in Lincoln, too bad that a change of programs didn't result in a change in outcomes for good ol' Joe.

Jeff

Obviously the point went over your head, hence your choice of ridicule for a response.

I'll simplify it for you: since when does someone need to be "well-known" in order to have a point of view of value?

And on a side note, you'd think a writer with a high opinion of himself would know the word for which he is attempting to use is "segue."

Of course you understand that this is merely constructive criticism. To improve the quality of your articles.

I've never had dinner with Layne Simpson either and I'd settle for a beer - than man flat knows 1911 pistols.

Readers often express their wish for more "Me and Joe" stories and I've noticed over the years that if someone like Layne Simpson writes one he gets flamed for not doing enough research. Go figure.

Steelhead might be on to something. Some of you folks really need to get more sleep or something.

Bricktop, you quoted 260remguy's post in its entirety and then asked, "Is there a requirement that a writer be "well-known" to be enjoyable?" My response was not ridiculing. It was written to lighten things up a bit. Sometimes threads like this turn ugly. I attempted to keep things light.

WRT the next part, I don't believe that anyone here thinks you have to be well known to have an opinion. A quick glance at the responses that came after should confirm that. Specifically, I refer you to Ken Howell's response - I don't have to be a hen to know what an egg is, or how to tell when it's rotten.

Spelling is important. So is grammar. This situation puts me in mind of people who live in glass houses.



I appreciate constructive criticism. I do not appreciate sarcastic BS.

" ... a writer ... themselves ... "

... and you're correcting spelling?

I corrected his spelling, not his grammar, and I never claimed to be a writer. Too bad the board doesn't operate in real time.

.


John 8:7

Yes, I did quote his entire post. And I asked a question. You're very perceptive.



Sure it was.


That's been the underlying theme of the discussion. I guess you missed that, too.



BS? Maybe. Sarcastic? It's all in your perception. Then again I'm not trying to impugn someone's reputation because he doesn't habit the same gun shops I've visited.

The only sin I've committed has been that of questionable grammar. Trying to deconstruct someone's reputation over their presence or absence in so-and-so's shop is another matter.

What Steelhead said! Sheesh, the guy is published, in a number of publications........enough said! I don't have to like all of his articles, but, that does not diminish their relevance for another rifle loon!

Should have mentioned that I have found a number of his articles to be quite excellent...

I think that my 1911 'smith is pretty darned good, actually he's a master at making 38 Super target pistols, so I doubt that there is much about the 1911 that I want to know and don't have an equal or better source.

Skeeter Skelton's "Me & Joe" stories were among my favorites in his life's body of work, but I honestly don't ever recall reading anything by Layne Simpson that was in the "Me & Joe" style. Perhaps I missed out somewhere along the line. Skeeter was a great story teller, but a pretty average technical sort of gun writer (at least IMO). I think that people read Skeeter because he was so easy to read, probably with the help of a good editor or 2, and because he would honestly tell you if he liked or disliked something. I can honestly say that Skeeter is the only gun writer (that I can think of) whose work directly influenced me to buy, or not buy, a particular firearm or firearm/cartridge combination. Skeeter influenced me to be a fan of the 5" S&W 27 revolver and a fan of the 44 Special cartridge. I even went so far as to have not 1, but 2, S&W 624s converted from 6.5" to 5" barrels as a means by which to cover both bases, a 5" N-frame Smith in 44 Special. I think that Skeeter would have approved.

Here is my short list of tier 1 gun writers, in no particular order:

Living:

John Barsness
Edit: John Wooters (retired?)

Deceased:

Jack O'Connor
Elmer Keith
Larry Koller
Francis Sells
Bob Milek
Harvey Donaldson
Warren Page
Ned Roberts
Townsend Whelen
Skeeter Skelton

There must be more in the deceased category, but I'm in my bedroom getting ready to go coach 6 hours of 10 year old girls' softball and can't look at the walls of books in my gun room to pick out a few more of the past greats.

Edit: I now remember that John Wooters influenced me to buy a Colt Woodsman .22 semi-automatic pistol and Skeeter/Bill Jordan influenced me to push my Father into buying me a 4" S&W 19 when I was 13. I still have both handguns buried somewhere in the vault.

Jeff

Anybody please:

Some info if you will? Who or what can you recall, or tell that BT wrote for, or published previous to ten years or so back?

I can not recall ever seeing the Towsley by-line until roughly several years previous.

Then again, there is a lot I don't recall anymore.

The main one that I can think of is American Rifleman. The thing I've noticed is that his writing tends to lean more towards the "sanitary," technical stuff vice that of a raconteur. In other words it doesn't tend to stand out, he just gets to the point.

At any rate, here's a blog from Dave Petzal that may be of some interest. I just hope he's hanging out in the right gun shops.

http://fieldandstream.blogs.com/gunnut/2006/02/are_good_gun_wr.html

I simply thought it odd that someone who has expressed so many opinions on this thread would feel qualified to hush the opinions of others. Nonetheless, there was no malice behind my simple question: �Who died and made you moderator?� It was just a short, simple way to get my point across. But then short and simple may be a concept you are unfamiliar with. If a smiley makes you feel better though, here it is: <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Perhaps not. But you sir, have no manners.

I didn't like him much in Miami Vice either........