seems a little skinny at 58 pages.

Sad.

Just stopped in at the office in Prescott on Friday to meet some of the new crew and picked up a copy. It does seem slim, but advertisers look at subscription numbers. Enthusiasm doesn't figure in their numbers.
But you still get to start with an editorial by Dave Scovill and end with one by Terry Wieland.

Pretty much the only one worth reading, except Handloader, which I have a slight preference for. I went for the e-sub last year.

I keep falling for the $8 offers from the other rags, but think I've finally learned my lesson.

Shooting magazines are usually thinner in the "off-season" (the peak of which is probably March), and thicker in summer and fall, when shooters typically buy more stuff and advertising increases.

I like Terry Wieland's writing; Scovill's can seem a little ... repetitive.

The worst Wolfe Publications writing, IMHO, suffers from Lee J. Hoots Syndrome. ("An oppressively large number of sentences in which the person who performed the activity is never mentioned were written.")

Not a Hooter fan myself.

Barsness would be a good replacement!

Scovill is absolutely one of my favorite authors. Yeah, sometimes his sentences get a little convoluted, but I like to go back and re-read if I have to. He is a good teaching writer. His book on Colt's Single Action Army: Loading and Shooting the Peacemaker, is top notch. Yeah, I had to re-read a few sections and he was hard to follow sometimes, but I used that book like a study guide to reload for the .45 colt. Good info on cast bullets and neck tension too. His editorial is always my first stop, no matter what topic is.

I used to subscribe to Rifle and Handloader both back in the day before the magazines got so thin and on the pricey side. I go to the bookstore to check them out nowadays and if there is an article that I'm interested in I will purchase a copy. Over the years I have enjoyed many of the writers who are no sadly gone, Ken Waters was a favorite. I have in my files several letters that Ken answered back when he would send letters to readers sharing his knowledge and experience with a topic they were interested in.

"Lee J Hoots Syndrome" Had to laugh at that though I never noticed it til it was pointed out.

I have noticed, though, certain editorial/style quirks in Wolfe publications. The use of the word "frangible" to describe manufactured objects is something I don't remember seeing anywhere else. Checking with a dictionary, though, indicated it might not be incorrect, entirely.

Both Rifle and Handloader both have a lot more pictures and a lot les teaxt than they did when I first encountered them almost 40 years ago

As much as I love reading anything written by Barsness and Shoemaker I dislike anything written by Hoots. Or Clair Rees. Nothing personal.

I vote that Phil and John go visit Journal of Western Hunting. Those boys in Oregon are on to something. The way that they format things and put down lots of material makes it one that I probably will subscribe to.

Yeah, I got mine today and was really disappointed with the skimpiness. I can remember when they were over 100 pages, but lately they've been around 70. Fifty-eight just seems ridiculous.

I've said this before, but sometimes Dave Scoville's writing style makes me yell, sometimes even out loud. However, several years ago I came to peace with his column because the man is unquestionably a loony like the rest of us.

That title goes to MV for his 8,000th article on either BPCR (incl lead casting) or WW2 firearms.

Roger that.
Bob

I subscribed to ALL of the Wolfe Publications magazines from Number One.

Then, they started dicking with my buddy and roomy Johnny Buffalo. At that time, I canceled any and all of their stuff.

Hell, I wasn't learning anything anyway. It was kind of the same stuff over and over. And I was kinda sad about that. It isn't that I grew so smart, but "they" didn't grow beyond that point ... if that makes any sense.

And, yeah, I wrote for Wolfe Publications for many, many years. Ken Howell was very much a man, as he often reminded me, "educated beyond his own intelligence."

Al Miller was THE BEST EDITOR EVER (most experience and knew the most).

His predecessor, Tom Gresham, the son of the FINE man, Grits Gresham, was the perhaps the worst editor I have ever known, so I quit Wolfe at that time and told that ass**** to dickhimself. Hey, maybe you get the idea

Clair Rees? Holy Crap. I still remember his many Styrofoam "heads" and toupees to fit each in his motel room on a hunt out of Reno. And I remember the DDDD brassiere that he proudly showed Chub and me ....the bra of his strip-club lover (He was married a the time and that pissed us off). WTF goes on with that????

Also, on the same hunt Clair pushed a loaded rifle out of the window of a Suburban; fell on the ground, fired, and flattened a tire. Maybe not a great, nor experienced, "hunter." Truly, Clair Rees is a flake ... YMMV. But if you figger differently you might possibly be wrong

Lee J. Hoots? A waste of good ink, air and time. I have no words!

Terry Weiland? Absolutely, a fine and exceptionally gifted writer who truly knows stuff! We can ALL learn from him.

Phil Shoemaker? I absolutely LOVE his writing and it is totally based on experience in the field. THE BEST!

Dave Scovill? Hey, Dave is a good guy and if he calls you on the 'phone, you better be braced for two-hours Dave knows sh1t, but his learning maybe stopped when guns progressed beyond cylinders and levers. Still, he's a wonderful man, truly a good man, and a fine friend and he kills critters.

Dave's wife, Ruby Montgomery? Oh Crap, she is a wonderful person and the proofreader at Wolfe. Love her totally. Haven't hugged her for many years, but the her warmth lingers on and on. What a fine person!!!

And Johnny Barsness? Need you ask???? Johnny is a friend, a fantastic rifleman who kills stuff most sincerely dead ... but who, at the same time, treasures the animal's very soul ... if that makes any sense.

Johnny is quite possibly the finest hunting writer of our time.

God Bless All and out of here now,

Steve

I wish I would have gotten a life subscription back when they came out. Money was tight then!! I was working for about a $1 per hour trying to make it through college.

I miss some of the writers too. Al Miller comes to mind. Layne Simpson rarely has an article anymore - sad. There’s other very good writers that have passed, to many to mention.

Baseless is one of the better writers.

I respect Scovill a lot. I like what he writes about. I suspect that in his position there’s not a lot of proof reading of his article, but that’s ok. He is an expert in his field! I’m a fan of the straight wall cases, iron sights etc. For me though, they are more “fun” than serious hunting cartridges. But I’ll probably be carrying a 32 WCF this fall for a doe. I hunt for meat now, rarely worry about antlers. I would love to hunt with 458 on Kodak island and I’d love to hunt with any number of the authors who wrote about Africa. Next year if I’m healthy enough — Cape buffalo, but that too may be a pipe dream.

My hunting trips are far too short and far too few, besides getting long in the tooth has it’s drawbacks. Hiking/packing up and down Mountains is more romantic than practical anymore. But I still do it, just not with the physical agility as before.

Hahahaha. Steve, tell us how you really feel! Nice write up brother. I appreciate your honesty!

Rooms,

Thanks very much for the vote of confidence!

Dave Scovill does like to talk on the phone. In fact when he was editor, more than one of the staff writers tried to call him around 4:30 in the afternoon, so Roberta could drag him away from the phone to go home at 5:00, though it often ended up being a little later. This occasionally clogged up the phone lines at Wolfe late in the day.

Roberta retired herself a year or so ago. They're having to break in a new copy editor, and it hasn't been easy. Copy editors are a dime a dozen in the magazine business, but really GOOD copy editors are pretty rare.

As usual, Stevie the dogzapper tells it like it is. And I have to agree with his assessments.

Nice to see him poking around here.........

Dang just re-read my earlier reply Barseness not Baseless - damn the spell checker!!!!

I'm grateful to Dave Scovill for the development of 45-270-SAA bullet, a .452 slug that falls out of my molds at 280 grains as a solid and maybe 20 grains less as a hollow point. I'm really happy with Brian Pearce's writing in general and especially pleased with his writing about reloading the 45-270-SAA in both .45 Auto Rim and the 3 different pressure levels in .45 Colt.

The Auto Rim load pushes a 280 bullet from my S&W 625 close to 900 fps with little blast or recoil, but good Lord when it hits a steel plate it seems to slap it down twice as hard as a +p 230 grain load does. I have yet to take any deer with it but I'm sure it would produce clean kills at moderate range.

I use the midrange .45 Colt loads in a .45 Colt Mountain Gun at about 1000 fps. I have that revolver set up with an Ultra Dot red dot sight and enjoy making the steel clang father away.... If a collected works of Brian Pearce ever becomes available I'll buy it....

I think everybody enjoys John's writing.... the focus he and his wife gives to hunting for the meat resonates well with both my wife and I.... we are "trophy meat hunters".

I thot you were being TnC ! (tongue-in-cheek)


Jerry

Unfortunately this seems to be the trend.

Jerry

I have 15 years or so piled in an old trunk for safekeeping of Rifle and Handloader. A few copies are on my headboard for those nights I can go to bed and keep my eyes open for awhile. Been electronic sub for 3 or 4 years now. Have most on a thumb drive for an occasional look. That said I agree with most about the writing talent. John B is head and shoulders. Clair Reese was a joke. Scovill, Pearce, Haviland and others are good. Weiland is enjoyable and reminds me of Ross Seifried who I miss greatly because of his knowledge of the old stuff like Terry. Ken Waters can't be replaced. But I am at the age and I have read so many it is getting repetitive. I will read anyway because it is what I do.

I think for the most part, the "glory days" of the gun/hunting rags and writers has passed and it is a lot tougher business to gain and maintain a good reputation in then it was, way "back in the day". In many ways, the hunter is slowly being replaced by the hunter/shooter who, thanks to the internet has access to much more information then the hunters/shooters of yester year.

When Elmer, Jack, Askins, Skelton, Finn, Grits, Capstick, Cooper and others were in their hey day, much of what they wrote was taken as gospel and they opened up a big world of hunting and shooting to millions of sportsman.

Now days one can hop on the internet and read about any thing they want to pertaining to shooting and hunting. If it was not for the latest craze called "long range hunting", gun magazines would be really thin. If we took out the rifle scopes resembling Hubble telescopes that are all the rage and the latest 6.5 wonder cartridge, they would be even thinner.

Also, the opportunity for todays writers to do certain things is not there like they used to be for gun writers from yesterday. Bag limits, lengthy hunting seasons, etc. are not there like they used to be. How many gun writers go on one or two month all species hunts now days?

I have a bit of sympathy for ethical and honest gun writers who work hard and try to put out informative articles. Articles based on their own personal experiences, or some good technical information they are passing along and credit to another source they consider reliable. Those kind of writers keep my interest and I learn from them.

I don't see the future being that good for gun magazines, hope I am wrong.

I’m down to Handloader, all I take now.

I've always been amazed that JB and Phil S. come on this forum and comment and answer questions. Usually a bunch of know nothing internet wise guys run their mouths to the point that people like that leave.

If the currant liberal censorship of the IN continues then paper magazines may make a comeback as the ability to e-publish shooting and hunting information becomes more difficult.

Will they be distributed in plain brown wrappers like porno mags back in the day?

How do you know they came in plain brown wrappers??