I've seen him several times on Outdoor Channel, and I must say, in my opinion, he is an a$$hole. Not only does he talk like a retard, he is a smarta$$, comments are not exactly what most consider correct.....

He should give up, IMO.

On the other hand, I like him because he is not afraid to say what he thinks. Yes he has an odd sense of humor, but then so do I.

I liek to learn other's opinions and I get it from him.

I like Petzal. Makes me laugh and I enjoy watching and reading his stuff.

JM

My friend Dave is a good guy.

I met and talked to Dave a few times at the SHOT.

He came across as a really good guy who is smart as hell and extremely funny. I'm sure he is somewhat of a smarta$$, but then so am I so I can hardly fault him for that. Plus he is a fellow left-hander.

He seems to take his work very seriously but does not take either himself, or some of his over-wrought readers that way.

Good for him.

Steve

To each his own. I guess my point is, some people are better suited to keep to writing, and not live broadcasts.

When you are arrogant enough to fault a gun for not grouping well, when you're shooting off the hood of a vehicle and it's no fault of your own, I have a problem.

I've only recently caught the show he's on, the others on the show do a fine job.

I enjoy watching him on TV. He certainly is exacting in his opinions and isn't scared about stating them, but those opinions seem to agree with most of mine. So he must be a good guy! I think he is a welcome break from most of the other 'TV Guys.' I also appreciate the fact he features traditional bolt-action rifles, rather than all the semi-auto 'modern sporting rifle' stuff the other shows seem to be infatuated with.

I do, though, get your point about the shooting off the hood stuff. Hopefully, most of his judgements come from more thorough testing off the bench.

Petzal is intelligent,which is a refreshing break in outdoor TV.

He sure beats the hell out of another "ho-hum" bowhunt with camo clad busty chicks hunting unpressured mid-western bucks raised on food plots.....

If I have to sit through another Real Tree episode and listen to the incessant babble, I'm gonna throw up....

I'll take Petzal....

Petzal is far better than those "Boner Collector" jackoffs.....

Wayne-


Dave Petzal is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable gun writers to ever pick up a pen- especially with regards to hunting rifles.

He also has a great sense of humor and is entitled to opinions the same as any other free thinking American.

Sorry you don't agree.

As to his screen persona. The man is a writer, not a used car salesman. At least the man speaks in complete sentences with a full command of the English language unlike the Camo-clad Southern hillbillies who populate most cable hunting shows.

Agreed.

I just can't see the glory in shooting deer others have scouted and 'raised'.... then making out like you're friggin JOC...

I like him on the show.

"Your comments are amusing considering you likely would not make a pimple on Dave Petzal's azz."

I will wager, I have shot thousands more rounds through a rifle than he has. When everyone like him is writing about the newest "Remchester" that comes along, I shoot fully custom rifles made with the finest actions/barrels/components money can buy. I compete regularly and have done so for close to 20 years. I think I have learned a thing or two along the way.

I never criticized his knowledge, only his delivery and arrogance. Which it sounds like you share, Jim62.

Well Wayne, I deleted that comment about 10 minutes ago because I thought is was rather harsh. I can see that I was wrong.

You seem to have enough arrogance for everyone. Your incredibly petty comments about Petzal's efforts pretty much shows that.

As far as you having more experience rifles than Petzal does- I sincerely doubt that- no matter what your ego tells you.

Petzal has sold more fine custom rifles from his collection during the last 30 years than you are likely to ever handle, let alone actually own. He was commissioning custom rifles from the likes of Winston Churchill, Griffin and Howe, etc in the 1970s when you were most likely an itch in your daddy's pants.

He also owned Jarret's rifles (paid for with his own money) 25 years ago before most of the world even knew who in the hell Kenny Jarret was. Same with Melvin Forbes at ULA.

I also bet that in front of a camera, he would look like Walter Cronkite compared to you.

Now thats funny right there!

I met Dave at the Shot Show a few years back and thought he was a good guy

Pat, we live in a day of Entertainment....unless the TV screen is festooned with Real Tree camo,and guys with baseball hats on backwards are High Five-ing....we feel cheated somehow.

Gawd forbid someone says something intelligent......

Part of Dave's "problem" with live interviews is that he is literally as deaf as a post. I haven't seen any of those TV shows, but in real life, Dave quite often answers questions that weren't quite asked, simply because he misunderstood what was asked.

If anyone think he sounds stupid, that person may have no concept of what hearing loss means.

You say that as though it is a bad thing!

I happen to be a big fan of camo clad busty chicks and I don't much care what they're hunting!

Bob,

Like a lot of us, I can't stand to watch the usual hunting shows, for all the reasons you cited.

And the cliches are endless. "This is what it is all about", It doesn't get any better than this".

And the camera work. It shows a couple of hunters pretending to look for downed game from the point of view of the downed game. That camera man must be a genius at finding downed game.

Yuck!

Steve

I haven't seen him on television. I have read his writing. I think that he enjoys playing the part of crusty curmudgeon. I once contacted him about an opinion he expressed and received a very nice, intelligent reply. I would value the chance to visit with him.

Wayne,

You really shouldn't have claimed that you've shot more than Petzal and own nicer rifles.

I have known Dave since the early 1970's (he will be 70 this fall) and he was already a veteran custom-rifle loony then. He has shot hundreds of thousands of rounds in competion, hell maybe millions. Along with knowing LOTS about all sorts of custom rifles (from personal experience and his checkbook) he has shot competively in shotgun sports for decades as well, for the last 15 years or so with a high-grade Perazzi that he sold 11 other guns to buy, some of them top-line customs.

Just because a gun writer talks about factory rifles a lot doesn't mean he doesn't know custom rifles. Believe it or not, most gun writers write for their readers, who are often the semi-mythical "average guy," not some who knows a lot like you.

Steve: I shouldn't poke fun....ALL hunting is "good" of course,but some of the TV stuff is better than others.I enjoy Jim Shockey and Craig Boddington stuff because they go interesting places,and see neat animals....

Like Nsaquam says there is nothing wrong with busty chicks but I am tired of watching turkey hunts and food plots....

The bucks are really neat,however....but I'd rather kill one from the ground on my own two feet.

I like the Benoit stuff I have seen.Personal prejudice...

I have to agree with BobinNH I can't stand watching all those hunting shows on the TV. They get hootin and hollaring and even crying after killing a deer on a high fence hunt. Come on give me a break. I find Petzal to be funny and informative. It is a better approach then the Bone Collecter BS. With that said I am going to give a promo shout out to my buddy's hunting show starting in January on the Sportsman channel, Skull Bound. Check it out.

John, we'll never persuade the distant, detached omniscients that their telepathic psychoanalyses and personality appraisals are missing the target by a mile or more.

Especially on the Campfire.

I enjoy watching Jim Shockey. He is one of the few who doesn't act like it's his first time to shoot something.

He's old school and can hunt.

JM

Petzal seems like a good guy from reading his stuff.....and a smartazz, which I can dig!


The easiest way to record hunting is to bait, climb and sit on your ass, so that is what is out there.

Personally, I don't watch any TV stuff. Buncha goatee'd camo goofyphuckers....

Hell, I don't even watch the occasional TV shows I've appeared on!

I don't mind Shockey, Adams, and Haines. I have a lot of respect for those guys and they can all hunt!

I am pretty sure Jim and Jana would love to have you on a future episode of Skull Bound.

Dave always has some funny analogy or euphemisms scattered throughout his stuff; kinda like some other popular writers here....

I believe he's a pretty influential mentor and a guy that doesn't feel the need to look like a tree or pimp a single shot apparatus like a used car salesman.

C'mon John,

You gonna tell me you didn't watch yourself on Pawn Stars when you tried to pass off the Poobah's thong as belonging to Elvis?

LOL>

I actually like Petzal shows and the way he speaks. He is much better than the Younger guys who jump up and down and scream when they actually make a good shot. I hate any of the shows where they have the 20 years old Blondes who are more into make-up and trying to look pretty than hunting. David is a refreshing down to earth guy who seems to be very knowledgeable about rifles. I have never met David and couldn't say for sure if i would like him or not but have seen nothing that would make me think otherwise than he would be a great guy to know personally .

MontanaCreekHunter,

I just might be interested too....

JohnMoses,

If it was the thing with sequins, it WAS Elvis's! (Though how the Poobah eventually acquired it, I don't know.)

I heard he stole it off of a mannequin in San Fran...

Back on topic, Personally, I'd would much rather watch a Gun/outdoor writer or an average Joe go on a hunt than most the TV personalities who have their own show.

I do enjoy Mossy Oaks Hunting the Country because they feature everyday guys going afield.

I think you are better off turning off when someone displeases you and not get yourself in an knot.

I bought a DVD on White Tail hunting a few years ago and only opened it it up a day or so ago. Most are very unimpressive.

They are flogging a DVD with some of the supposed experts in their field and they get all excited and "huggy" with another grown man, litteraly shaking with excitement and demonstraing their lack of experience at taking animals period.

I too, like to be informed. I can't have the same experience at local game many of you have and that is fine. But and I will name only one, the point being these guys were promoted as Pro Staff??????? Professional what?????

Stan Potts.

Good night, I turned it off, forever.

John

So true John. I wonder what affect that behavior is having on the youth of today who hunt?

As a youngster, If I had acted like they do when they make a kill, my Dad would have kicked me in my ass...hard.

And I would have deserved it.

JM

Stan Potts , i can't watch that idiot for any longer than it takes me to switch channels.

Asides from Mule Deer, who is far and away my favorite writer, Petzal is second on my list. He's way sharper than most people give him credit for and his dry sence of humor always makes me laugh. May he live long and prosper.

First time I saw him on TV the quote that caught my attention was, "the Torx screw is the best invention since the ribbed condom"! Good stuff.

they collect bones alright, and i think i know what kind of bones they prefer.

Bob,
I usually agree with your posts but not this time. Those are the bow hunts that I enjoy watching most. If you keep this up we'll have to get you a rainbow sticker for your truck.

never met petzal... likely never will...

never seen him on TV, as i never seem to find myself in front of one...

my perception of his stuff i've read leads me to believe that he's intelligent, cogent, and funny...

maybe funnier than mcmanus...

if the opportunity presented, i'd go out of my way to meet the guy...

and i've made some incredible shots, shot some incredible groups off the hood of a truck...

in the attempt to magnify ourselves it's easy to ridicule a snapshot of others mistakes...

buy a ticket... watch the whole show....

it's a part of hunting becoming mainstream, i think...

when we moved to illinois i was 9... through high school, in a mid sized town of 15000 there were 8-9 kids in the entire high school who hunted... another 1 that might have liked to...

we were socially outcast geeks...

i'd guess that today, hunting is as popular as the NBA... and more than a few of hunting's practitioners get their mannerisms from the NBA, or something like it...

Are you serious?

Hunting is not "mainstream". Not even close.

Less than 10% of the US population hunts- less than half the number of folks who own guns.

As a percentage of the population- there are LESS hunters now than just about any time in our history and less young hunters coming in.

About the only sub group of hunters that has seen an increase is women of all ages.

I don't know Dave Petzal, but I have enjoyed reading his articles.

I like his articles and his smart-assed 'tude. Too bad he is a Yankee

DT: No need....

The girls really are cute.....but I'd rather see them in Penthouse....call me a male chauvinist pig...

I agree, the ones on hunting shows are too.... 'clothed'....

Dave is a big '06 fan and has wrote some of the best '06 articles.

MtnHtr

I've only read his writing, but completely agree. I can only imagine how JOC and EK would be received in today's media. I see Petzal as one of the last bastions of the Old Guard. Unfortunately his type is so few and far between that he's the odd man out now, with the "goatee'd camo goofyphuckers" being the norm.

Equipment-wise these ARE the Good Ol' Days, but I think that window has passed for journalism-----------with a few notable exceptions.

Dave Petzal apprenticed under Warren Page and is maybe the last active writer who knew personally (Ken Howell excepted) that generation of writer/shooter/hunter. If you read his written material closely not only is he funny but a sage user of all sorts of firearms.

I would give about a weeks pay to sit at his feet and converse with him, maybe thru sign language, about Warren Page. He is a treasure. We would all be very lucky to have his experiance.

The only gun writer i would have went out of my way to meet is Elmer Keith. I read his writing with a passion and don't believe the man would have known how to tell a lie and his writing were from experience and trial and error . There will never be another like him. JB you have some big boots to fill, I only purchased Hand-Loader Magazine for your Articles and Brian Pearce Articles .

Retard is right. He is often wrong as well on several accounts.

not to start an argument, but how so?

You should save them on an Ipod in case you ever meet the Queen.Great gift idea.
I've always enjoyed his writing. I don't watch much TV.

Your Dad and my Dad must have gone to the same charm school!

Sycamore

John B i was thinking your videos was what was loaded in the IPOD Obama gave the Queen of England.

Almost certainly!

I enjoy Dave Petzal on TV as well as I enjoy his writing. Currently, he and Mule Deer are the only two I look to for information.

I accept information from everyone but Dave and John explain things in a way I understand. In addtion, they both have a great sense of humor and more than a boatload of experience. They both have my greatest respect.

When I see or read Dave Petzal I think "curmudgeon" which is an observation of style and not a criticism. Whether he is or isn't I don't know.

I find it refreshing compared to the BS artist style which I see (and avoid) too often. With his style Petzal can convey information succinctly and, I think, with veracity. I'm certainly in no position to criticize his opinions.

I like him maybe he is over your head

I was agreein` 100% until you said this.
A very close 2nd maybe, but funnier? Nope

Recently stayed at Holiday Inn Express and had a bottle of Smartwater one day earlier in the week. Apparently important to some that we qualifiy ourselves.
My opinion of Petzal continues to grow as I think he was a good writer to begin with, and has continued to improve. Believe he's the real deal along with Boddington & Barsness, I appreciate anyone that is capable of making me think.
Haven't seen Petzal's TV show, so no comment.

The subject has been raised before on the 'fire. From the archives, here's a quote and a reply from about five years ago:




--Bob

WiseGeezer (whoever he is) once threatened to shoot me in the Achilles tendon if I didn't slow down while we headed up a Montana mountain one snowy November day. I complied.

The man anticipated your statement. Here's another quote from about five years ago.



--Bob

and about six years ago, you had known him half of your 52 years. Thanks for the reference to put the pieces together, MD.

Wish WiseGeezer still posted here, but it appears he hasn't posted here in six years. No farewell, just no more posts.


I read Petzal back in the mid-1980s in F&S. That was 25 years ago, and he had the curmudgeon persona in full gear even at that time (if he's turning 70 soon, he would have been in his mid-40s then). I enjoyed his writing and learned a lot from him at an impressionable age.

I was a new rifle loonie a few years back, and traded into a used Bansner Sheep Hunter in 7mm WSM. I couldn't get it to shoot like I wanted and began using the Internet boards for the first time to get help. Out of the blue, a fellow lefty gives me a real shot in the arm, and good advice......signed his post "D. Petzal". We carried on an Internet conversation and I've been a fan ever since, was prior also. If I want a BS article supporting every new product, there is plenty of that. But, when I want the real deal, give me Petzal.
Don

Here is some classic WiseGeezer from a post 6+ years ago:

I enjoy Dave Petzal's segments on the television show The Gun Nuts a lot.

Curmudgeon? Most certainly, but so am I, so we share a point of reference.

Knowledgable? Without a doubt.

Not politically correct? Bonus Points!

I do wish that his partner on the show Phil Bourjaily would not speak into the camera with his eyes closed. I find that an annoying behavior in anyone who practices it. In spite of this, he too is worth watching.

If I had the chance to go on a road trip or hunt with either or both of these guys (and of course Mule Deer) I would jump at the chance in a heartbeat.

I like the Outdoor shows and I like the various hunting celebs that you guys hate. I also like Dave Petzal.

Sums things up pretty well. Love his blogs on Field and Stream's web site. Lt's of people disagree with him, but a lot more seem to find him pretty sharp. I'm in that group. As to his wisearse humor, he'd fit right in with the folks at work.

My thoughts exactly! The man knows rifles and is intelligent.

I've been reading him since I was ten years old or so (1994) and find him refreshingly honest, practical, and as much of a smartass as I am, which I like. I haven't been around that long and I wasn't even a thought in my parents minds when guys like Elmer Keith, Jack O'Connor, Col. Whelen, or Warren Page were in their heyday, but people like Petzal (and a couple of others) serve my generation as a reliable tether to those of the "old guard" and help provide much needed direction in the days of marketing journalism.

Why do I think that the majority of the people who think Petzal needs to "give it up", especially those who would go so far as to verbalize their opinion without provocation from behind a computer screen, would be the first to boast of making his acquaintance at SHOT Show or in the field?

It surprises me how many people think Dave Petzal is O.K. or even good in his writing's or on T.V.
I thought he was the worst ever.......until I watched a horrific hunting show with Dave Blanton speaking some inbred dialect of english spending entirely too much time standing on the backside of a goat.

Its funny how some Internet commando says, "I've shot more, own more, blah, blah" only to find out he's a piker.

One thing I've learned on this site: if you can't back it up it's bragging. And if you brag, you'll be cut to pieces.

Did WayneShaw, the OP, ever post again after Mule Deer straightened him out on the facts/stats?

Petzal is a hoot and if you prefer the likes of Michael Waddell over him you are showing your age!

Dave is the genuine article and doesn't bother trying to prove himself. His lasagna tastes just as good to him whether unmet readers like him or not.

Well said!

Or, lack of age...

Very well said, Petro. You would probably enjoy the writings of the old guard you mentioned, and especially for O'Connor, the writings are still available in book form. Though a lot has happened in the gun field since their passing, there are timeless aspects to their writing that make for excellent winter reading with a good cup of coffee.

I have several books by Dave, and have read a lot of his articles. I kinda like him.

Resembles a couple of old geezers here around the 'fire.

Technically I should be in the "Michael Waddell" crowd if you go by age...I can't stand that joker. Or any of the other "Realtree" yahoos and similar shows/hosts of their ilk.

Give me Dave Petzal, John Barsness, Mike Venturino, Elmer Keith, and Jack O'Connor any day (not listed in any order).

I don't know when M. Waddell started writing in Petersen's Hunting but I must admit that I seem to skip right over his articles every time I get a new issue (promotional subscription). On the other hand, I have just read for the second time, the compilation of stories "The Lost Classics of Jack O'Connor." I doubt I will ever get tired of reading JOC's writings.

Petzal's wit really strikes me too. One thing I have enjoyed lately is his blog on the Field and Stream site that he and Phil Bourjay (sp?) manage. Kinda helps me get a little Petzal in even though I no longer have a subscription to the magazine.

I've been reading his articles in the back of Field and Stream for years. He is entertaining and isn't just trying to sell something. This is in a magazine where you can only tell the articles from advertising by checking to see if it says "ADVERTISEMENT" at the top of the page.

I will tell you all a personal Petzal story and you judge for yourself what kind of man he is.

Years ago, he and I were at a Weatherby seminar at the Buffalo Horn Ranch in Junction, Colorado. We were headed back to the airport in a large van full of other gunwriters and we all had tight flights. The van had a blow-out in a little town called Parachute, CO. It was a Sunday, and no place was open or us to call for help (this was before cell phones).

Eventually someone from the lodge got there with a spare, we all made it to the airport, but missed our flights.

Of course tensions were high. Petzal was in line in front of me trying to get re-booked. It wasn't going well and the guy at the counter was making it worse by calling Petzal "Buddy."

Petzal popped and said, "I'm not your buddy."

He got re-booked, and then it was my turn. I would not get out until the next day.

I had no money back in those days. No credit card and very little cash and was facing the likelihood of having to spend the night in the airport with no way of getting food.

Despite having just seen Petzal pop, he was the only one I knew there well enough to ask for money. "Dave, I hate to ask, but I'm traveling kind of light. Can I borrow some money?" I asked.
Petzal looked me in the eye and without saying a word pulled out his wallet, gave me a $20, turned and walked away before I could say "thank you."

When I got home, I immediately sent him a check for $25. He immediately sent it back saying it would be usury to take advantage of a fellow man in a tight spot.

It was about more five years before I ran into Petzal again. It was on the floor of a SHOT Show and I handed him a $20. He asked "What's this for?" "Repaying you for Parachute, CO" I replied.

He had forgotten.

I love hearing stories like that, Scott. Thanks for posting it.

The late Bob Brister (whom I didn't know at the time) had just arrived for a hunt on the Mescalero Apache reservation (NM) when he got word that his father was dying (Houston). There was no place to rent a car for the drive back to El Paso, and Bob wasn't having any luck finding a way back. So I volunteered to drive him to the El Paso airport. Some things are simply more important than hunting or money, no matter who you are.

Another gun writer ran out of film too soon at a SHOT Show, and there was no place there, open on Sunday, where he could buy more. So I gave him a few rolls of Ektachrome from my camera bag. He later "replaced" it, roll for roll, with cheap and chintzy bulk film.

Gun writers are like everybody else in one respect � some are princes, some are parasites (or worse). I could (but won't) name one who's a quite wealthy crook (a thief, among other things).

Dave P is one of the best of the lot, in all the ways already listed here. He's a friend whom I'd love to see more of. A lot more.

Here's Dave's latest blog from the F&S site:
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs...thing-right-about-guns?cmpid=enews081011

There's an error in the blog. Maybe somebody who knows him could send him a note to which he'd attend.



Water was not one of the four humors; "blood" was.

--Bob

I like Petzal. I like the way he writes.

I guess I don't understand. When I was younger and there were at most 3 options on the haunted fish bowl and few if any hunting shows, you could "get up" and change the channel if you did not like what you were seeing. Now we have many options and a remote but find time to watch and complain! Push the button.

I have yet to sample a TV "hunting" show that I can stand to watch all of. So there's not even one on the "favorites" menu of my satellite receiver. Haven't even sampled one since I can't remember when.

I like him.

Me too...

I also like Petzal. I would gently suggest that anyone who thinks he "talks like a retard" is simply incapable of recognizing an intelligent man's sense of humor.

Scott. I remember that trip all too well. You may recall that Jim Carmichael was the only guy who got home that day after he stood in the road waving a twenty dollar bill and the extra from Deliverance gave him a ride. Petzal is a good guy and has a cutting sense of humor. I�ll be shooting with him in a African Heavy Rifle competition on Saturday and I am looking forward to it as much for his wit as for the shooting.

x2

Petzal is a smart smartass and I like him. Met him in person and a good humble smart down-to-earth guy,. How could you as a gun owner not like his writing:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs...media-cant-get-anything-right-about-guns

what other mainstream gun writer is putting out articles like this?

Yea, I've always thought of Petzal as an artisan (Johny B too) and the generic, Real Tree group as a bunch of house painters. As much as I love to hunt deer myself, there are times another whitetail, or T/C episode from the tree stand or box blind view almost leaves me apoplectic.

Stan Potts? Get a grip man!

Dave has the unmitigated effrontery to know (and to write, with dry and cutting wit) what less-experienced gun freaks won't admit to themselves that they don't know.

I remember Carmichael doing that. I remember being in ear shot when Petzal walked up to the cab of that truck and asked if there was room for one more. Carmichael said "No" and shut the door in his face and they drove away!

Petzl is good, and certainly light years better than these morons on the "huntin" shows nowadays. Bill Heavey is another writer that is very likeable and writes good articles as well.

Agree 100%. How many times do we have to watch tree stand hunts over food plots? Give me a break.

One rack in the tree is often better than 2 in the bush..........

Petzal is okay IMO. Anybody old school is better than the new regime that pass themselves off as "gunwriters" these days.

I like Petzals straight forward style. He seems to have been around the block a few times, and I can respect that, even if I do not always agree with his opinions of certain rifles. I usually buy the "50 greatest rifles" issue every year. Every year it makes me wonder.......

I will say this about Petzal.

Most of the 20-30 somethings have NO clue as to the man's level of overall experience with long guns. He has forgotten more about them than many young writers will ever learn.

The owners of Feild and Steaam should be SMART enough to publish a compendium of All of his Feild and Stream pieces going back to the beginning. Not only would it be a very entertaining read with much info still being applicable today, but it would ALSO give some of his critics a bit of perspective on how much the man actually knows.

I would buy a copy.

As a thirtysomething, I'd rather have the real Dave rather than what was put in his Field and Stream epochs.....

Too much for the common Joe and probably not a scratch of what the man knows, for starters. That's why Rifle and Handloader was so good for many years.

It would be interesting to read his stuff at those levels.

Well Hawk.. As a 30 something how many of those article of his say pre -1990 have you actually read? I bet damn few. They were not a general as you think.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s the regular gun dept columns had MUCH more space for copy than they allow the writers now. The gun dept writers like Petzal and Carmichael also had more feature articles printed as well.

His current print column is about the number of words as his blog entries(very short) and the only feature articles he seems to be involved with are " The Best guns of 2011" etc.

This soon to be 30-something spent alot of time in library archives reading old Field and Stream magazines, including Petzal's work.

Which is probably why you realize he knows whereof he speaks and appreciate his opinions.

I have every Guns and Ammo from 1967 to 1987 and Outdoor Life from 1976 to 1985. My Handloader and Rifle magazines date to the 1970's. Ever read Wilf Pyle?

Petzal never went into his detailed reloading procedures, bullet casting or a host of other things serious shooters do in F and S, probably because F&S didn't cater to that small audience. Which is why I think his best stuff is in his noggin, not a slight on him in the least. F&S of the 1980's isn't going to delve as deep as the G&A's of old, either.

I'm pretty aware of such things.

But hey, I haven't read anything that old "pre-1990"....

Yep, I have read Wilf Pyle. He has nothing to do with Dave Petzal's knowledge or previous body of work.
Neither do ANY of the magazines you have mentioned above. Petzal never wrote for any of them to my knowlege

I see what you are saying about Petzal probably having more to share with the reading public than what he has been given space write over the years with Field and Stream.

But frankly, if you have not read his articles in F&S from the 1970s and 19870s you are dismissing the value of something of which you do not know.

I like In depth articles like Rifle and Handloader as much as anyone. But real knowlege on a subject is based more of understanding general concepts than details anyway. Especially something to be enjoyed as a like a hobby of shooting.

My point was that a compendium on all his F&S articles would make a damn good read, not just for information or entertainment but as a historical record of the times and the guns Petzal has owned and shot- which in itself would surprise a lot of folks..

I have read Petzal probably in the same capacity you have read Wilf Pyle...maybe even before 1990.

I'm not damning anything I have not read and certainly not the idea F&S making a compilation, just saying F&S schit wasn't at the level of Handloader in those days (or even now) and that it would be more interesting to meif Dave had something like that.

Well that's your opinion.

It still does not seem like you have really actually read many of Petzal's F&S columns before 1990.

At least we can agree we both appreciate Petzal's writing.

Certainly more than the OP here does..LOL

Petzal is one of the good ones in several ways.

Obviously those who know Petzal consider him to be have extensive experience with firearms. I think he has a sharp wit along with his knowledge.

For those who agree, what is your opinion of his actual use of firearms in the field? Experienced gun writer, field outdoor writer, or both? IOW does he fit the mold of Barness, Boddington, Carmichael, VanZowell, O'Connor, Keith, etc?

I love watching his show.