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I've subscribed to both Handloader and Rifle since their inception and have all issues in mmy library. I do prefer articles of a technical nature and find that these Wolfe magaznes are still the best, although they have droped several notches over the past year or so (JB's departure just steeepened the slide).

J Barsness did a good job of replacing Ken Waters. Overall, Handloader is getting to be pretty light weight, tho' do not know of anything better. Technical depth, in print, has seriously declined across the boards.
Some good stuff online, but it must be tough for those lacking experience to weed thru all the crap. The manufacturers are making good data available via the web and that should be a "go to" for anyone looking for reliable data.

Wolfe Publishing USED to have the best writers in the business. They ran Ross Seyfried and John Barsness off, but still have two that are real standouts, Brian Pearce and John Haviland.

Once they are gone, Wolfe is finished.

I've been reading Rifle and Handloader for many years and it saddens me to see what once was a great publishing company be so bent on self destruction.

If you haven't already done so, email them and tell them how you feel. It may make a difference, though after the replies I got from the new owner (Don Palacek), I doubt it.

-Mike-

458 is the only one I consistently read in Hunter. I look to see if anything else catches my eye but it's not often. I'd rather be here reading something.


Mike

dont have subscriptions to any mags at the moment.....happy as hell to be out of town and somewhere with a Hastings and Barnes and Nobel......after alot of time going over the magazine racks the only hunting mags i picked up were Sports Afield(damn good mag anymore, i really should subscribe), Gun Dog, Wild Deer and Hunting Adventures(a mag out of Australia/New Zealand) and African Sporting Gazette.........and a small mountain of Photography and Photoshop mags.......

For $19-$20 for the online versions I'll keep them.

Mike

may have to try that.....i do like Phil's writing and even bout 1/3 of Mike V.'s stuff.......like having hard copies though must be one of the few youngins that likes having a stack of old mags to go through.....i must have literally a ton of back issues of magazines in my basement, hunting mags, gun mags, computer mags, photography mags, reptile mags, dog mags...drives the wife nuts but i do go back through them all the time.......

I've let my subscription lapse as well, since JB's departure. It's funny, I still re-read old issues of Handloader, occasionally Rifle, but never Successful Hunter. It's the technical and "how-to" information. As my handloading and shooting skills evolve, stuff I read years ago means more the second or third time around.

JV

Free read at the local supermarket. Not going to subscribe anymore.

- Tom

I have a significant number of back issues and after looking at the latest Handloader, there's no reason to buy another one. Running off Seyfried and Barsness was monumentally stupid and, in the end, I expect only Rees will be writing for Scoville. What a pity.

I dropped my subscription to Rifle as it no longer had anything for me.
This latest issue of Handloader has an excellent article on the 327 Federal by Brian Pearce, well researched, and clearly written. This article is as good as any of the 1950�s and �60�s introduction articles published in the American Rifleman by Hatcher or Davis. There is also the promise of a follow article using a Custom handgun.

The article on the 8mm Remington Magnum was a good one and the Cartridge Board by Gil Sengel is as usual; informative and interesting.

I'm not renewing having Wolfe magazines delivered. I still download the magazines on Wolfe's web site. Wolfe Publishing has run off their best writer. I don't know of gun writer publishing/ payrolls/personalities and who is right or wrong in the firing. A good writer will be hired by another publisher. If Wolfe owners think that losing JBs audience is justified its their Business.

idahoguy101

I also am hugely disappointed in the slide of all three of the Wolfe magazines. I have also been a subscriber since the first issue of each magazine but I did not renew my multiple subscriptions this time. I did however renew a one year subscription to Rifle, if it improves I may consider checking out the others again.

As another poster put it - there is just too much fluff. They are turning into nothing more than what can be found in G&A or the other typical news stand magazines.

Even though I have no interest in black powder I can read black powder articles by Ross Seyfried and find them interesting, black powder articles by Venturino leave me cold. Not only that but I grow tired of his constantly reference to his friend(s) (_______), fill in the blank, it has been my experience that someone who has to keep constantly mentioned the same friends over and over is either trying to impress someone or doesn't have very many friends - in the big V's case I suspect both instances may be true.

Scovill - I try to read his articles but generally they are just all too full of Scovill.

I did send an e-mail to Polacek (sp)citing a few of the reasons I was dropping my subscription after all of these years (nearly 40) and while I do not have his exact reply it was to the effect that they were a small company could not pay the writers top wages and were doing the best they could. I was tempted to write back to ask if he could afford to not to hire the best, but it is his company and he can run it the way he wants, I suspect that sometime in the near future it may be for sale or out of business.

You may be right, but i don't see that any of the three has improved since JB left. And, coming on the heels of the Seyfried departure....

As EK would say, "The proof of the pudding...."

I still buy Handloader for Brian Pierce Handgun articles . I do miss Johnny B articles, with him and Brian being my reason for buying the magazine. Scovill articles i wouldn't waste my time on.

I have been reading Wolfe mags for several years though I never subscribed. I usually just purchased off the stand when an issue caught my interest. In retrospect this was pretty dumb considering I bought more issues than I skipped. I have not bought any magazines since JB left prefering to just read the few articles I like and then put them back on the stand. One thing that I have noticed here in Boise is that the mags seem to be staying on the shelf a lot longer, sometimes until the new issue comes out. I used to have to rush to buy because the store usually sold out. I am now looking for JB's new articles online and in other mags.

I would like to see Wolfe drop Successful Hunter and Rifle, then expand Handloader in size and make it a monthly magazine. You can get plenty of good hunting and firearms reading in a variety of magazines, but consistently good handloading info is much less available in a monthly format. If they used their remaining quality writers (Haviland, Pearce, Venturino, Gash, Trzoniec, etc.,) they could put out a monthly handloading magazine that featured modern rifle cartridges, blackpowder rifle, modern revolver, pistol, and blackpowder revolver as well as shotgun. I realize fat chance of that happening, but I would subscribe to a monthly Handloader.

Outside of The Varmint Hunter and Precision Shooter the Gun Rags aint much anymore!!!

I was in the public library today which happened to have Petersens Hunting. Browsing through I read a decent article by Mule Deer and scanned another by Lee Hoots on sheep hunting in Alaska. Anyway, as I was looking over the photos I was thinking what a weird, ugly looking gun he had...turns out it was a Mossberg 4x4 - the laminated one with the skeleton butt and the sweet vents and black tip...mounted up with a Swarovski scope. Sorry, but I broke the quiet rule and laughed out a bit. Just doubt any manufacturer could pay me enough to hunt that combo on my guided sheep hunt in Alaska.

I am looking forward to what he has in store for Successful Hunter.

Good Lord. Reckon he will be wearing an eye patch in his next photos?