Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters No longer with Wolfe Publishing

JB: That's good news IMO. When I consider the volume of articles you have written and their superb content and quality, I wonder how long one can run on that treadmill before collapsing, either physically or mentally, a burned out carcass. Freed from those bonds it would seem to be a blessing that will enable you to redirect your talents in newfound ways, whether it be for monetary gain or personal development. Hopefully both.

Too, that's bad news for those of us that cherish your experienced words and opinions and knew we could find them at WP. But, the revolving door has let new talent in as well as seeing great talent depart and I wish them well in their quest to find a dozen or so writers that can fill the vacuum created by your departure. What a challenge!

John,
We, in our house, will sure miss you at Wolfe. We look forward to your future work. I just sent you a letter, as editor of Successful Hunter, a couple of days ago. Will you still receive it? It was a thought about nostalgia and hunting, also enclosed a couple of pictures of my daughter and her first kill, an Arizona jackrabbit. We sincerely wish you the best.
From Southeastern Arizona.

I have had the pleasure of working with a variety of individuals who have been described as irascible and filled with perspicacity � you know; cigar chewing, whiskey drinking, beef eating curmudgeons. Men who could get the job done are not always easy to work around and they are sometimes more difficult to like. If you consider your relationship as a business venture you will learn and the scars will make for an interesting story.
I believe I read my first article by Dave Scovill in the 1970�s. The article compared neck sizing to full length sizing and I was impressed his writing style. Dave writes about things that interest me and I wish he had time for a few more feature articles. Hunting called coyotes with the .25-35 is an article I would like to see.

I enjoyed working for Dave and learned a lot from him. He has a very broad AND deep knowledge of rifles and handgunns. While he is certainly a character, he is the one person who, more than any other, made RIFLE and HANDLOADER inot major shooting magazines. I sold my first article to him in 1991, and we had many interesting talks and debates about others over the next 17 years. I'll miss working for him, and indeed all of the office staff.

But life goes on, and now I am going to go catch a fish--this week in Montana, and next week in Alaska with Phil Shoemaker.

Dave's a good guy, I enjoy his writing.



Hope that 6.5-06 article comes through.

John, I hope you enjoy your hunting and fishing you've missed out on. Maybe you'll get to hunt the "last day" you wrote about in SH.

JB, your recent article "Sentiment" is your best ever, in my opinion. Great writing!

Hell, I thought that was the norm for most all of us around the CampFire!

Dear Mr. Barsness,

Your articles no longer appearing in Wolfe Publications is not the end of the world. It just seems that way to me and, judging from this forum, a lot of other people as well.

You are one of the main reasons I read and subscribe to Handloader and the two sister magazines. I don�t know when your articles first starting appearing in Handloader or when I first became a fan, although I�m sure it had something to do with seven-millimeters. (I also recall an article in Fly Fishing The West, which I may still have, that had to do with dapping for trout.)

I looked forward to your articles as I did the late Finn Aagaard�s. They were based on experience, logic, a regard for the opposite sex, a fair dose of humor and an appreciation for the classic cartridges and the reasons they became classics. Fortunately, I (we) can still look forward to you sharing your experience and insights in other publications and the �net.

Best of luck to you,

Mark Delle

Yesterday I was at the range with a fellow member of "Campfire". He and I have quite a bit in common: same age, he and wife celebrated their 50th. a week ago; my wife and I a year ago. Our adult children fit within the same age span. Both of us are hunters/shooters and favor moose hunting in particular. And we both buy our Wolfe mags off the rack and are not subscribers. If we like what we see, we buy, if not... we don't.

I suspect we'll continue to buy if we like what we see... If not, we won't! It's as simple as that.

As to John: I've enjoyed his writings, but I've not always agreed with some of his opinions, and I've told him so. If I have a disagreement with someone, I'll tell them, NOT someone else! Same with Dave: I've enjoyed most of what he's written - but not ALL! And, I've told him so.

They BOTH have made statements in print that were OPINIONS and not facts! I've pointed it out to them. If they accept it, fine. If they don't, I'll still read what they have to say and decide for myself if it's fact or opinion.

The writer at Wolfe that I've learned the most from (in a way that's helpful to me in a practical sense)is Phil Shoemaker, and I wish he had the time to do more.

John has GREAT talent, and I don't think his writing needs to be limited to guns and hunting. He'll do well whatever he decides. All the best John.

The question that begs to be asked, is WHY?

Oddly enough given the reality of the D/B/A (and the current state of the shooting and fishing press) I at least, sadly, never thought of the recent staff as working for [Dave] Wolfe Publishing at all.

As noted supra I'd be part of a following should hairdresser style someone choose to hire a writer with a following - and as noted supra I'd be most interested in a bound collection of old and new work.

John,

I'm sorry to hear you've left Wolfe. I learned much from you through the years, gained much insight into hunting/shooting, and had good laughs at times.

I look forward to reading more articles from you, where ever you may wind up and, if I happen to meet you in person, to thank you for all that you've done.

Tight lines and straight shooting!

Don't think I'll be renewing either, you were the reason those mags were delivered to my house. Good luck with whatever you persue.

Unfortunately, change is SOP in today's business world..........

As a gunwriter, I've ranked MD right up alongside, and maybe even surpassing, the best ever.

For a person of MD's experience and capabilities, landing on his feet elsewhere is a foregone conclusion and just depends on what he wants to do.

Unfortunately, all gun & hunting magazines really leave a lot to be desired today, and now my reason for reading WP magazines is just about totally gone.

Dedicated guns articles aside, the "Rifles & Woodsmoke" column was always one of my favorites.........the wisdom & experiences imparted as well as the tongue-in-check humor was always a good read.

Best wishes for whatever the next endeavor & adventure brings.

MM

John,
Does this mean we'll have to wait for your article on the 300 Weatherby to appear in another publication? That is one I was looking forward to!

Best of luck and thanks for your polite and willing efforts to help me (and others I'm sure) with numerous questions!
Marty

Regardless of how the why's might be different, but the lose of Seyfried and then Barsness will make it hard for me to keep reading them. With JB at the helm and a mix of the old and new of folks like Pierce, Shoemaker, Spomer, and Haviland I really liked the majority of the writing. A steady diet of Venturino (some of his stuff I like, most I don't), Trzoniec, and Rees would be very hard to swallow...

Well Dern!!!! Happy Trails dude. You'll land in a soft spot no doubt. Only thing is, I just had a Mark X action rebarreled in B-29 Ackley Improved and was hoping to get an article or two about it out of Rifle by you. Was also considering the other one, what was it??, the 9.3 BullShisk or something like that. Anyway, please add a line here now & then and let us know where to look for you and 'Leen. Thanks for what you do.

Since we've been trying to find the ideal spot for John, how about editor and writer for a rifle and handloading magazine staffed by Seyfried, Boddington, Shoemaker and VanZwoll? I'll sign up for the first 10 year subscription!

Wildcatter,, I would second that, and maybe some old articles from guys like Bob Millek, Ken Waters and Finn Aagaard