amazingflapjack
US Veteran
I read it as well, and I remember wondering about his statement that the M-29 was out of production, and I thought maybe, but I was pretty sure you can still get a new 629 (?) What's the real facts guys?
The American Rifleman, Rick Hacker, and the M29
- Thread starter Muley Gil
- Start date
Paladin85020, the scary part is{of course I agree with you on the quality of those writers} I am old enough to have enjoyed their new just published articles. Please keep writing your great articles! All my very best, Joe.
Last edited:
Texas Star
US Veteran
Rick Hacker knows a lot about cigars, I believe. I think I recall an article by him on cigars in, "Playboy." I don't smoke, so didn't read it. I have read some of his gun articles over the years, and they seemed sound.
I'm very surprised that he'd make such obvious errors.
The NRA seems to me to be pretty snobby on the whole and I expect them to try some alibi on this or to refuse to acknowlege the errors. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens.
I haven't seen that issue and it may be that some staff editor changed a sentence without realizing how serious that can be. But several errors like that?
I never felt that anyone's brother was getting an easy entry at, "Guns & Ammo", and I've read it since 1958. Yes, I was VERY young then. Actually, I don't think they ever had brothers there.
Gun writing is a bitterly competitive business and editors choose their writers by some arcane means, probably on a basis of who they know or hear about. The late Don Zutz told me that a famous gun magazine returned his manuscripts without even reading them, as far as he could tell. Yet, he was perhaps the most knowledgeable shotgun writer, ever, and a VERY knowledgeable handloader and rifleman. That publication used the work of people who impress me as being mainly shills for the ad people and gun manufacturers.
I'm very surprised that he'd make such obvious errors.
The NRA seems to me to be pretty snobby on the whole and I expect them to try some alibi on this or to refuse to acknowlege the errors. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens.
I haven't seen that issue and it may be that some staff editor changed a sentence without realizing how serious that can be. But several errors like that?
I never felt that anyone's brother was getting an easy entry at, "Guns & Ammo", and I've read it since 1958. Yes, I was VERY young then. Actually, I don't think they ever had brothers there.
Gun writing is a bitterly competitive business and editors choose their writers by some arcane means, probably on a basis of who they know or hear about. The late Don Zutz told me that a famous gun magazine returned his manuscripts without even reading them, as far as he could tell. Yet, he was perhaps the most knowledgeable shotgun writer, ever, and a VERY knowledgeable handloader and rifleman. That publication used the work of people who impress me as being mainly shills for the ad people and gun manufacturers.
Last edited:
truckmizer
Member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2005
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 5
The days of Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, George Nonte, Jeff Cooper and the others are gone. Their legacy, sometimes hard to believe, lives on. Writers like Rick Hacker only leave their desk in their minds after reading the exploits of the early writers that actually did them.
mkk41
US Veteran
The standard Model 29 was discontinued for awhile. It was brought back in the so-called Classic series.
model70hunter
Member
We must own the same book case. Mine are too. Nicely said, they are who I had in mind when I said authors of note are now missing.
Comparing many of today's authors to one of the masters is like comparing print on matchbook covers to Hemingway. The commonality is words made it to print but only one paints a picture in ones mind.
model70hunter
Member
I agree on the NRA passing over on this article and totally agree it is a competitive business. I only know one gun writer and he is in the shotgun field. He does write about his passion but he too now seems to push products.
I believe that the writer that is now heavy into archery (Chuck something) wrote at G&A and his younger brother wrote some articles for a while. We are talking 40 years ago, but I am pretty sure that was why I dropped the subscription and to be fair, there were some other young writers there that did not hold my interest. G&A was the first "gun" magazine I bought and subscribed to, Shooting Times was the 2nd.
hotrod150
Member
I remember reading Elmer's account of his 45 Colt's top strap "departing this vale of tears" for parts unknown, thought it was in "Hell I Was There" but just now looked and couldn't find it. He kind of skips around in that book though so it may be in there.
As I recall, Elmer (and most others) preferred the 45 Colt, but he switched to the 44 spl when he started working with heavy loads because the 44 spl SAA had thicker cylinder walls.
I haven't yet read the Hacker article in this month's Rifleman, but it sounds pretty disappointing. I'm surprised as he's been gun-writing for many years-- guess he should stick to western stuff.
Texas Star
US Veteran
There are still a few good gun writers. Brian Pearce comes to mind, but not a lot of others.
Hmmm...we're forgetting our member Massad Ayoob. Mas has some good info. Apart from his comment about the excellence of the South American work ehic as applied to Taurus products, I haven't seen him say anything I'd question.
Hmmm...we're forgetting our member Massad Ayoob. Mas has some good info. Apart from his comment about the excellence of the South American work ehic as applied to Taurus products, I haven't seen him say anything I'd question.
Last edited:
model70hunter
Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2006
- Messages
- 3,564
- Reaction score
- 6,320
+1 on both. I find myself reading Wolfe Pubs magazines more and the rest of them less. Pearce and the rest of the Handloader and Rifle writers may be opinionated at times, but they tend to write what they know and have the chops to back it up.
Texas Star
US Veteran
Well, a couple are pretty sketchy on British martial arms...
But I was pleased to learn via John Barsness that the better 165 grain .30/06 bullets will provide ample penetration even on very large animals. (He was not pushing that ctg. for the Big Five. But I'd use a .30/06 on leopard with confidence.)
Last edited:
Gunsnwater
Member
Teacher would call the cops have the kid arrested fine the parents, take dad's guns and put the youth in reform school.
WPWarhawk
US Veteran
John Taffin is carrying the torch for Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton.
John, you mean the men who actually did the deeds and then later wrote about them???
I too miss the men who were the first experts on these matters and put their thoughts and experiences down on paper for we mortals to read!!
Thanks for the memories............
tombstonegunsmith
Member
Here is a copy of some email correspondance I recently had with American Rifleman after I spotted a nomenclature error. Mr. Keefe answered my email the same day that I sent it.
Hello,
I have never written to a magazine before but in this case I feel that I must. In the article about Gun Parts in the July 2013 issue American Rifleman I found two glaring errors. In the drawing of the single action and double action revolvers, the bolt is also named the hand which it is not. The hand is actually the part of a revolver that rotates the cylinder.
Otherwise please keep up the excellent work that you are doing.
Jon N. Harting
Proud Life Member
Dear Mr. Harting:
This is interesting, and thanks for taking the time to write. There has been an evolution of gun terms in which on a single-action revolver the rod that does not have an actual extraction mechanism is called the ejector rod. It serves both purposes, but as it is a mere cylindrical pin without an actual extractor, so ejector rod seems to have become the commonly used term.
On a revolver with an extractor mechanism, although it may also have the ejection assembly, the term has come to be ejector rod. Not sure why, but that is the way it has evolved. Some guns, such as top-breaks Webleys and can actually be extractor-only in operating by depressing the front of the extractor lever before fully opening the revolver.
As to the "bolt/hand," I believe this was borrowed from the Ruger parts nomenclature, and frankly, I do not understand it either. The role of the bolt is quite clear. But the cylinder is advanced by a hand, or a better yet descriptor is pawl. The editor who worked on this project is long since removed from NRA service and is a former Ruger employee as well. Next time I see him I will ask him.
Many thanks for your detailed reading of American Rifleman.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Keefe, IV
Editor-In-Chief
American Rifleman
11250 Waples Mill Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22030
[email protected]
Hello,
I have never written to a magazine before but in this case I feel that I must. In the article about Gun Parts in the July 2013 issue American Rifleman I found two glaring errors. In the drawing of the single action and double action revolvers, the bolt is also named the hand which it is not. The hand is actually the part of a revolver that rotates the cylinder.
Otherwise please keep up the excellent work that you are doing.
Jon N. Harting
Proud Life Member
Dear Mr. Harting:
This is interesting, and thanks for taking the time to write. There has been an evolution of gun terms in which on a single-action revolver the rod that does not have an actual extraction mechanism is called the ejector rod. It serves both purposes, but as it is a mere cylindrical pin without an actual extractor, so ejector rod seems to have become the commonly used term.
On a revolver with an extractor mechanism, although it may also have the ejection assembly, the term has come to be ejector rod. Not sure why, but that is the way it has evolved. Some guns, such as top-breaks Webleys and can actually be extractor-only in operating by depressing the front of the extractor lever before fully opening the revolver.
As to the "bolt/hand," I believe this was borrowed from the Ruger parts nomenclature, and frankly, I do not understand it either. The role of the bolt is quite clear. But the cylinder is advanced by a hand, or a better yet descriptor is pawl. The editor who worked on this project is long since removed from NRA service and is a former Ruger employee as well. Next time I see him I will ask him.
Many thanks for your detailed reading of American Rifleman.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Keefe, IV
Editor-In-Chief
American Rifleman
11250 Waples Mill Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22030
[email protected]
Malpasowildlifer
Member
S frames...
I've read other articles by him that referenced the "S" frame as well. I'm sure he means s prefix n frame but still......
This is correct,I have been reading Mr. Hacker over the years
and to say there are some errors in his writing is being polite!
Maybe there is some hidden meaning in that last name
Pete
opoefc
US Veteran
Group, I sent Mr. Hacker a letter pointing our disagreements with his article's "facts" about the Model 29 and received a reply, part of which I quote : In a Dec. 15, 2011, recorded interview with S&W historian, Roy Jinks, he stated " The two revolvers used in the first (Dirty Harry) movie were S frame designation and were essentially pre-production N frame Models." While "S-Frame" may not not have been an official S&W term, it has certainly evolved into a generic term= one even used by respected S&W historian, Roy Jinks = for the big frame revolvers before they became N frames." End quote.
Mr. Hacker went on to comment about Elmer Keith's cylinder exploding exploits, etc. and ended his reply with a comment " you may be correct in my misinterpretation of my barrel turning operation - I merely went by what the gunsmith told me."
Signed "Rick Hacker, Field Editor.
That's "The Rest of the Story" I will ask Roy, in the "Questions for Roy", category, his recollection of the citec interview with Mr. hacker in 2011. Ed.
Mr. Hacker went on to comment about Elmer Keith's cylinder exploding exploits, etc. and ended his reply with a comment " you may be correct in my misinterpretation of my barrel turning operation - I merely went by what the gunsmith told me."
Signed "Rick Hacker, Field Editor.
That's "The Rest of the Story" I will ask Roy, in the "Questions for Roy", category, his recollection of the citec interview with Mr. hacker in 2011. Ed.
Similar threads
- Locked
