Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Gunwritters/smiths and ignorance

Its not what you think honest!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Guys do you seem to get asked a question over and over that it seems many shooters do not understand? I am not talking about "my super new magnum will knock a mosse on its butt at 1000 yards" but the questions you seem to get all the time or subjects that a large number of people seem to have trouble with.

Me its headspace - specificaly how I can change it with my reloading - making the brass headspace on the shoulder instead of the belt in the case of mags, headspace as what are the symptoms of too much - they are very confusing to me and I haven't had problems but would like to KNOW whats going on instead of being pretty sure

The perennials that I get most often have to do with annealing cases, fire-forming cases with inert filler, and using case expansion to "read" chamber pressures. I wonder which of these Saint Peter will ask about when I show-up at The Gate. Whichever one he asks about, I'll be relieved at not having to answer or explain the other two any more.

What I get,is most no savvy the merit of a modest rifle tweak(bedding/trigger),loading ammo specific to a single rifle and the value of good glass.

Plus damned few can comprehend the difference a great bullet can make......................

With me, it's the following repeat questions:

1. How do you clean a barrel?

2. What is the best load for my rifle. (Yeah, right, like I'm supposed to know).

3. Gee, I've only shot 5,000 rounds through my .22-250 and I must have cleaned it three or four times. Now the accuracy is gone. What's the problem? (And they always argue when I opine that the barrel might be fouled or the throat worn out).

Steve

The barrel break-in thing,gets old too....................

Yeah, Stick, it does.



Occasionally, though, a reader comes up with one that makes me laugh out loud (absolutely NO disrespect meant, of course). I had a reader call last year with a totally new question. He owned a Winchester M-94 in .30-30. He saw a box of ammo at the local feed & grain store that was marked ".30 Carbine." The Winchester was a carbine and he was wondering if the ammunition would fit? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



To be perfectly honest, almost all questions from readers are intellegent and totally straight. When the barrel cleaning one or the fouling/throat erosion one comes up, I just assume I haven't done my job well enough. The .30 Carbine question is not my fault. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



What occasionally gets to me is the fellow who will call about a subject that I've repeatedly covered in print. When asked if he read a specific article I'd written, he'll answer, "Heck no, I've never read your stuff, I subscribe to Guns & Ammo and a buddy of mine gave me your phone number." That is just soooooo very inspiring.



In the end, there is no such thing as a dumb question. If the reader doesn't know the answer, either I haven't done my job well enough, he missed the answer or he's just too entry-level to understand my words (again, my fault). This is when a "gunwritter" needs to give special one-on-one attention to the individual reader. If you do that; totally answer his query, treating the reader like you yourself would like to be treated, he is a reader and a friend for life. And that's a very good thing.



I have noticed that readers ALWAYS call when Karen and I are having dinner. I cannot tell you how many dinners I've had go cold. I fully realize that it takes a lot of courage for a reader to call and securing an answer is really important to him.



The last thing on my mind, EVER, is to say anything about the call being inconvenient or bothering my smothered water buffalo steak dinner. If I did that, he'd be embarrassed and never call back. The reader is my friend, a friend I've never met, and a brother of the rifle. Of course, I'll answer his questions and help him with his gunny problems. That's what I do.



Steve

The Phone Call Thang,is hilarious!...................

Stick, you are twisted. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Steve

Guilty...as charged...............

Twisted, or maybe bent. I'll have to work on that.

Steve

Teal,

I understand all about 'headspace'! My ex-wife had a lot of it! Usually, tho' I just referred to her as being an Airhead but headspace was pretty accurate, as well! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ..the9.3Guy

Ha - just let me foreward this to Michigan........... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Dogzapper: Wonderful attitiude about the readers that contact you with questions. Nice to see someone show that much respect to a total stranger with a question, in todays age of rudeness and brush-off. Of course, the same old questions must get old, but to think of how that reader will remember his conversation with you makes me give you the 2 thumbs up. I don't post very often, and I seldom read any of the gun mags anymore due to the Internet, but I just had to say something. And for all the writers that post here at the campfire, thank you all for being "one of the guys" with us. 4fun

Actually, I was about to do a column on that very subject.

The "magic load" is one of the most often asked, understandably in this day and age of so many powders and bullets. Variations are:

"What was the overall-length of that load you mentioned in ......?"

"How far off the lands did you seat the bullet in ....."

"What's the best riflescope (or binocular, spotting scope, mounts. etc.)?"

"Will a 7x57 (.270, .280, .30-06, .308, or anything less than a .338 Mangle'em Super-Farter) really kill an elk?"

"How do you free-float a barrel?"

Of course, the farce of breaking-in a barrel is always a good topic.

I too get a lot of phone calls, sometimes during meals. I also try to answer each one, as well as the letters, though the letters sometimes go a month or more before I can find time to spend a day writing answers rather than articles, hunting or going to the range. But readers pay my bills, so I figure they are my real bosses--though don't tell my editors that! Once ina while I get one who wants to tell me exactly what to write, and from his all-wise perspective. Those are about the only ones I eventually find myself too busy for....

MD

Ahhh, the 'phone calls!

Ten years or so after my case drawings first appeared in the Speer manual, I still get 'phone calls from handloaders who think that they're calling Speer, with questions that they obviously think that they're asking Speer ("Why don't you make 300-grain spitzers for the .30-06?" for example). I've gotten more than one of these calls in the same day. One day, the 'phone rang again (with another "Speer" call) the instant that I put it back in its cradle after the preceding "Speer" call.

My first words are always "You got this number out of the Speer manual" (from, of course, the manual's page that tells where the drawings came from). That always stumps 'em for a second or two, then they say something like "Uh, yeah." Then there's usually a pause after I suggest "Read some of the words around this number," and some of them apologize.

These calls end well. I can and do answer most of their questions, and we then go on to have a good chat about any number of other subjects usually but not always about handloading, ballistics, shooting, etc. I usually enjoy 'em, even though some come in the wee night hours.

I think it's great that you guys even ANSWER phone calls, especially in this day and age, when the answers are usually available on the internet.

I've never phoned a gun writer, but I've emailed a few, and usually they answer my question, (or sometimes add to my confusion) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I've never been brushed off by a writer that I have emailed or PM'd, here or on other sites..

I find it remarkable that writers even fully identify themselves on websites, considering that EVERYONE has an opinion, and there are so many armchair critics.

Craig Boddington seems to be the favorite interent whipping post of the internet, and although I don't really love his style of writing, I recognize his experience is far greater than I will ever have...Or most of his internet critics, for that matter!

of course, I suppose the writers that don't participate, are losing out on valuable (and free) consumer studies... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Gatehouse, they just figure a guy that lives in Pemberton needs all the help he can get, so they try to humour you.

But seriously, there is a lot of info given here and if they also correspond with shooters, that is a real plus in my book
Nice to hear they will take the time.

teal325
One of my favorites is "if I wanted it in 3 or 4 months, I'd have called you in 3 or 4 months".

Old so-and-so can does it why cant you ?

I went up 200 fps over your max load and the bolt locked up and I broke the handle with a hammer.....you need to learn how to build a rifle......

At a Safari show....happens thousands of times.....several rifles laying around with Leupold 1.75 X 6 scopes...customer picks up rifle, looks through the scope, "God I like this rifle"....aint even looked at the rifle yet..

customer buys rifle I built....I installed Swarvoski scope....scope goes bad....that God da^%$ Charlie Sisk is a fuc#*&^ up......I paid $5000 for this rifle and $1500 for this scope and this scope is a piece of junk....that Charlie Sisk is a blah blah,blah,blah......never mention the scope manufacturer....happens with other brands too...

I want a 6 1/2 pound 416.....and I dont want too much recoil....if you know what your doing you can design a stock and cut the chamber so it doesnt kick much.....my usual response is "I'm just a rifle builder, I aint God".

I want a rifle that shoots flat to 600 yards......yeah, dont we all.....

Here is the only one that really pissed me off.....I build a 300 Wby for a fellow....decides he wants to shoot a musk ox....I recommend a 220 grain Partiton and make 100 rounds........a couple weeks later his laywer calls me says the customer wants his money back for a defective rifle and ammo......seems he had to shoot three times and none of the bullets gave full penetration.....Partitions only retained about 70% weight....rifle should have been able to compensate for that....

Of course all the one already listed...barrel break in, which scope is best.....best load.....what bullet....will a 257 Bob kill a deer....

Lately......I dont like the article that writer wrote.....call him and tell him to change it......

What do you think of John Barsness ? Does he know what he's doing ? Then after reading the article about the buff hunt they ask "Have you ever met him ?

Why does Steve Timm like to shoot 'p dogs so much ?

Does Richard Mann really live in West Virginia ? Why?

John Haviland makes a lot of lead bullets....is that why he is going bald ? I nearly busted a gut laughing at that one......

Charlie

Jackie Bushman mentioned one of my all time pet peeves today on Buckmasters - brush busting guns. Nothing sets my teeth on edge like someone "explaining" to me how their 30-30/35/44/375w/etc will punch right through the limbs/twigs/vines, but my 243/30-06/7mm/etc will explode on contact or be knocked several feet off course.

Phone calls?

Don't you guys have unlisted numbers??

L.W.