Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters How NOT to treat a writer

Another side of this coin is this: I had a writer for a well known magazine approach me with the idea to build a switch barrel combo of .308 and 6mm AI. He would furnish all the components, I would build it and he would write the article. He chose a Model 70 for the action and we went to work. He got the .308 and shot it. Wrote/called to say that it wasn't shooting as good as he'd hoped. He was not using wind flags (claimed he didn't need them) and stated that he had four shots in the 'ones. (.1xx) and the fifth shot blew out to almost 1/2 inch. Thought it needed rebedding. I tried to tell him that was good for a .308 that was not a full blown target rifle. In the end I rebedded that rifle FOUR times and there's never been a word printed about it yet.

Had another writer recently (in the past three weeks) call about doing some chambering for him. He wanted to come down and wait for me to do them. I explained, as nicely as I could, that I had others whose work had been here 2-3 months and I couldn't, in good conscience, run him in ahead of them. He said that he understood and would get back to me. I heard from a mutual friend that he was a little 'put out' and I wouldn't be hearing from him.

The third case happened to Charlie Hood, maker of the great Hood press. A writer approached him for a press to 'test' and it would get written up. There was no concern that the press would satisfy because it's the greatest press for loading at the range that's ever been. Charlie provided the press but to date, several years later, nary a word from the writer who, at last word, still had the press. This same writer approached a gunsmith who builds benchrest rifles and hit him up for a custom paint job on his benchrest stock stating that 'he would get a lot of business' from the paint job. The gunsmith declined.

None of the three mentioned here have ever posted, to my knowledge, on this forum. These anecdotes only are given to show that there is some reason for skepticism on the part of those standing on the Jell-o.

Good one, .280! Darn, now Igot to admit even lawyers have a sense of humor, LOL.

What is it you care to know? You think these writers are putting on some communist plot in code in their articles? Or are you just PO'd that you're not an "insider" that can deal directly with the manufacturers, get discounts, special items, freebies, etc? Writers can even have some bias and still be credible. I have no doubt the John Barsness, Ken Howell, have at times in their lives or all their lives had a preference for a certain item, manufacturer, product, etc. Whats wrong with that. What in the hell do you propose that you'll expose by "exposing gunwriters." Me thinks you take some things way to seriously. If you think one has done something to affect their credibility, then don't read them or dont believe them...its up to you...but its not some communist plot dude! Pretty much, I think you're just a little jealous of them, and their contacts, and ability to move about in an industry that you can only see through the retail outlets.

Good rant man!

And correct, not just for gunwriters but every other aspect in the arena of "common sense" issues.

The truth, .280Rem, is just about the very opposite of what you suggest. The post was made in jest. It was preceded by other posts of the same nature and those were actually clarified at one point.

If you want more definition from me after a re-read of the above posts, let me know.

aaaaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Sorry but I feel it is a safe ascertain that the vast majority if not all the �Gun Writers� regularly prostitute themselves as evidenced herein. We have seen in this thread statements made to the effect that the �product� no matter how much it would benefit Joe Q Public would not be mentioned in the writings of certain scribes resulting from a failure to provide some type of discounted �Most favored Customer� type pricing. The �Quid Pro Quo� adage was mentioned and while I appreciate the honesty that absolutely personifies the rational why I only read PS and VH!! Now we have established the �whore� part and the only thing that remains is the �price� part. Have some friends in the firearms manufacturing business that have told me some pretty ugly stories about some scribes over the years and the subject being discussed here so mark me down as on of the ardent skeptics.

The old saying goes like this:

�Be Advised---ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE, WAR, AND GUN DEALS�

can no one remember the theme of this thread was courtesy, not the pecadilloes of some gunwriters other than ken?
mercy.
there are abuses in every business, guys ...
mercy, again.

Boss Hoss, the good thing about this place is that it's a Campfire and not really a battleground of the worst order. Continue saying what you want to say and I'll read it, giving it my attention. It doesn't bother me that people disagree with me or I with them (I actually have friends who are totally out to lunch regarding their STUPID opinions of my stuff <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> but I don't let it bother me.

EDITED: (For flavor, if nothing else.) I still expect the gunwriters speak in code and do other things like that when they're just by themselves. You can't fool me! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Why would a gunwriter come here to post?

Fellas, Ken is stating his honest appraisal of the gunwriter business from the standpoint of many years in the business.

Why would anyone impune his credibility and basically tell him he is full of shiite. This thread started out with reasonable doubts, beliefs and opinions but has degenerated into non-gunwriters telling gunwriters how it is.

I need shoulder surgery in December, anyone care to tell the surgeon how to perform the surgery...........................

Really and truly, 41Keith, the "secret handshake" is performed thusly when two gun writers meet:

Each one cups a hand behind the same-side ear, leans forward a tad, squints and says, "HUH?"

"My position is just an adamant refusal to be used by a supplier to his advantage despite his rudeness. If he figures that he doesn't want or need whatever I can provide, I'm not going to use any time and effort to provide it. Why should I crawl into a supplier's stove to keep his house warm?"


The reader is the customer and the sole reason the scribes exist. As the customer I have very high expectations with what I pay to read and this tells me that the ego of some will not allow my best interests to be served. I have been advised. Not trying to be ugly just making light of what has been said.

Thanks a lot, Rocky! I just knew if I kept the pressure on the "society" would permit someone to give me a break with this one.

(I might have a deal on hearing aids I could pass on, but let's keep that between ourselves for the moment, okay? It's a volume thing, so you'll have to give me the numbers.)

Granite can be cracked, which makes granite so much more useful than opinionated brains.

Doctor Johnson wrote that the value of travel � for seeing at first hand versus imagining from afar � "is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are" [emphasis added].

One of the silliest Westerns that I've ever seen � watched part of on TV and nearly lost my lunch � was, I found-out later, made by the Brits from a book written by a German who'd never been to the States. Logical. The Brits and the Germans know everything (including us) better than we do.

Was it Ambrose Bierce, in The Devil's Dictionary, who defined being opinionated as "being wrong at the top of your voice?" I can't remember for sure who wrote it, but he was right on.

I'm not gonna say whom I almost asked, above, "Did you have to teach your mother how to squat 2 P, or did she already know more about it than you did?"

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well said.

I'll offer something else, Ken, along these very lines. It seems to me that some tend to consider you an old duff who's a whole lot more fragile than you really are as a man.

You're a tough old coot, Howell. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Corollary: why would those who distrust us so rigidly come here to see what we say?

Some of that might be normal, Ken. The young bulls test the older ones. Dominance can pay a dividend, you know.

Regarding Johnson, one favorite mention of his wit was encapsulated in the mention of his response to a detractor. He said she was "fundamentally sound."

It didn't escape some that he referred more to her intestinal constipation than anything else.

That subtlety seems long ago lost these days.

My favorite example of instantaneous wit in real life was PM Benjamin Disraeli's retort to his much less witty nemesis in Parliament (whose name I can never remember, so I call him "Lord Starchblood"). In response to the taunt that he was doomed to die from either the hangman or the plague, Disraeli shot back "That, Sir, will depend on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."

A close second is the anonymous Englishman who (in court!) called a duchess a pig. The judge said he couldn't do that.

"May I call a pig a duchess?"

The judge said that he could. The man turned to face the duchess.

"Hello, Duchess."