horkin yorkin--
I can assure you that it was not Ross's lack of "shilling" that caused the separation. Any magazine is to a certain extent beholden to its advertisers, but of all the gun/hunting magazines I've written articles for (and that's most in the business), the Wolfe magazines are the least advertiser-sensitive. Which is one reason I work for them.
As a matter of fact, I recently became aware that a certain American firearms firm had liberally screwed a subcontractor, who happens to be a friend of mine. I called the editor at Wolfe, Dave Scovill, and told him I could no longer in good conscience write about that firm's firearms, and also told him why. Dave understood completely, and backed me up. His level headed-response was to not write about them for the immediate future, but also to wait and see how the situation worked out.
I can also assure you that Ross's stuff didn't get edited very much at all, as that was part of the deal when he signed on at Wolfe. I know this because I was one of the people that encouraged him to come on board. Ross isn't independently wealthy, but he never did have to worry much about putting a roof over his head either. This allowed him a certain degree of independence in his writing and lifestyle. He is to a certain extent a recluse, and became even more of one after he moved to the ranch in Oregon six years ago. But he is indeed a very avid shooter and warms up quickly to anybody else who shares his passion.
MD
