Which Gun Magazine.......?

[Yendor357]

Glocks and ARs, all dolled up. Maybe a lever gun that they bolted all sorts of useless eyesores onto. Who needs that?

 

[raljr1]

I read American Rifleman and Safari Club Magazine....and National Geographic

Robert

 

[31FordA]

When I was in high school I looked forward every month to buying Peterson’s Handguns from the news agent up the street from school. I also got Guns & Ammo and Combat Handguns there every month. Skipping lunch most days paid for the magazines. I also wrote to Smith & Wesson every year for the catalog and price list, which they were good enough to send me at no cost.

These days I buy American Handgunner and Guns at the grocery store. I particularly enjoyed the writing of Mike Venturino and John Taffin, so they will be missed. Not too many gun magazines pay much attention to old revolvers these days.

 

[Goldstar225]

Like Mule Packer I date back to what I consider the glory days of Skeeter and Bill Jordan. Read and enjoyed everything they wrote. Now I get American Handgunner, Handloader, and American Rifleman but it just isn't the same.

 

[Golddollar]

I'm a Benefactor Member of the NRA and have a subscription to American Handgunner paid up into 2030. My dad was a Life Member of the NRA back in the late 1950s and I'd have his American Rifleman read before he got home from work. My third bedroom has all of these magazines stored in boxes. I hope the floor holds up. When I pass on, they are going to my honorary nephew's law firm to help with its firearms law practice.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I receive American Rifleman through my NRA membership, the others I will skim through at Barnes and Noble. Interested mostly in historical articles. The writers I grew up with-Keith, Askins, Jordan, Skelton, Nonte are all gone, don't hunt, not interested in the latest wonder rifle rounds .Nor the latest wonder handguns which are either just tricked out M1911s or some plastic and aluminum lightweights-not a fan of the M-16/AR platform. When I subscribed to more gun magazines I found they had a 3-4 shelf life, then they began to repeat, often found the most interesting parts were the columns.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I don't need no stinkin' gun magazines. I shoot revolvers.

 

[mckenney99]

I used to subscribe to all the usual suspects but all have been allowed to expire except for one. I have been a subscriber to Gun Tests magazine since they started. They generally do a decent job of doing fair reviews of the firearms tested. Just like the rest of us, they do have their bias' and it comes thru in their reviews occasionally.

 

[AJ]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had a subscription to Guns Magazine for two reasons. First are the writers, John Taffin and Mike Venturino. Now that they are gone......? Second was the fact I meant some of the staff when we had a shoot here sponsored by Guns Magazine. The only other writer that I read all of his articles is Will Dabbs, mainly for the humor involved. I look through American Rifleman when I see one laying around at the range office. I never joined the NRA due to LaPierre, I thought for years he did more harm than good. Now that he is gone, I may have to rethink my position on that subject. I get offers from G&A and ST with very low subscription rates. At about $0.60 a copy it makes it worthwhile just to read a couple of articles and pass it on.

 

[rockquarry]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had a subscription to Guns Magazine for two reasons. First are the writers, John Taffin and Mike Venturino. Now that they are gone......? Second was the fact I meant some of the staff when we had a shoot here sponsored by Gun Magazine. The only other writer that I read all of his articles is Will Dabbs, mainly for the humor involved. I look through American Rifleman when I see one laying around at the range office. I never joined the NRA due to LaPierre, I thought for years he did more harm than good. Now that he is gone, I may have to rethink my position on that subject. I get offers from G&A and ST with very low subscription rates. At about $0.60 a copy it makes it worthwhile just to read a couple of articles and pass it on.

I don't know if Roy Huntington is still the editor of GUNS and AMERICAN HANDGUNNER, but he was a few years ago. Excellent editor and was responsible for the good content of the magazine and keeping talented and experienced writers like Taffin and Venturino busy with their great articles.

I haven't seen the magazines recently. Perhaps there are still other good writers working for them.

 

[AJ]

I don't know if Roy Huntington is still the editor of GUNS and AMERICAN HANDGUNNER, but he was a few years ago. Excellent editor and was responsible for the good content of the magazine and keeping talented and experienced writers like Taffin and Venturino busy with their great articles.

I haven't seen the magazines recently. Perhaps there are still other good writers working for them.

The editor now is Brent T. Wheat.

 

[Ματθιας]

I used to subscribe to a couple, but I came to the conclusion that they are just paid advertisements with biased reviews.

And since there aren't any old school news stands anymore or gun magazine selection at places that do sell magazines, I can't browse and find one I actually want to buy. Oh, well...

 

[rockquarry]

The editor now is Brent T. Wheat.

I've never heard of him, but maybe he'll be a good editor. Roy Huntington probably retired. He was editor for a long time and that was after a twenty-year career with the San Diego PD.

 

[AJ]

I used to subscribe to a couple, but I came to the conclusion that they are just paid advertisements with biased reviews.

And since there aren't any old school news stands anymore or gun magazine selection at places that do sell magazines, I can't browse and find one I actually want to buy. Oh, well...

You have to take most articles with a grain of salt.Not many give less than a stellar review. Rare is the article that show any defects in that firearm. Just remember who pays for the advertisements that fund the magazine and the writers. Most of the guns in a lot of the magazines that are reviewed are high end firearms, no one that I know buys them and certainly not me! I mainly read the historical articles and not the reviews. Sorry to ramble.

 

[wuluf]

I still subscribe to AH, Guns and Handloader, largely because I never take my phone into the bathroom. I'll very much miss Venterino, Taffin, and Mark Hampton. Dabbs is fun to read..

Sent from my SM-S921U using Tapatalk

 

[rockquarry]

You have to take most articles with a grain of salt.Not many give less than a stellar review. Rare is the article that show any defects in that firearm. Just remember who pays for the advertisements that fund the magazine and the writers. Most of the guns in a lot of the magazines that are reviewed are high end firearms, no one that I know buys them and certainly not me! I mainly read the historical articles and not the reviews. Sorry to ramble.

You'll find the magazine writers often will not do a review/article on guns that are problematic or are junk. The lack of an article might tell us a lot. Many readers may be unaware of this. An advertiser is likely to advertise in a magazine only if he has a good product and is confident it will pass the test of the reviewer.

I don't believe you will find too many gunwriters who would give a false or misleading review. If they do happen to skate over some facet that needs more words, then read between the lines. Again, this doesn't happen nearly as often as some imply.

Bear in mind that a review or detailed article involves only one gun almost all of the time. It makes the article much easier for the writer and there is less space taken up in the publication. Shorter articles (2,000 - 2,200 words) are what is published these days. The 3,000 - 3,500 word comprehensive (and better) piece of years back is long gone.

Use two guns in a review or article and you have a much better piece that tells the reader a lot more about a gun, and/or handloads, etc. but you have a longer article. Same difference between shooting two five-shot groups vs. one. One doesn't tell you much.

I'm speaking only of paper published magazines, not YouTube material.

 

[paknheat]

Still read a few. Shooting Times, Handloader, Guns. I do really enjoy Will Dabbs stories also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Bald1]

Thanks for all the replies. I have had a subscription to Guns Magazine for two reasons. First are the writers, John Taffin and Mike Venturino. Now that they are gone......? Second was the fact I meant some of the staff when we had a shoot here sponsored by Guns Magazine. The only other writer that I read all of his articles is Will Dabbs, mainly for the humor involved. I look through American Rifleman when I see one laying around at the range office. I never joined the NRA due to LaPierre, I thought for years he did more harm than good. Now that he is gone, I may have to rethink my position on that subject. I get offers from G&A and ST with very low subscription rates. At about $0.60 a copy it makes it worthwhile just to read a couple of articles and pass it on.

This exactly. I only subscribed to 2 publications. NY State Outdoor News and Guns. I let the Outdoor News expire. It was bi weekly and I found myself only reading it in cold weather months. My Guns subscription ended and I’ll probably renew because it’s less than $1 an issue.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Fourty years ago I was at the Reno libarary and they had several mags
that I never knew or heard about, that I found, down right enjoyable.
Not a gun rag really but they were fun reading.
the name was.........
Fin & Feathers.

 

[madmikeb]

I've been reading American Handgunner since issue 1! That is the only one I read these days and I renew my sub for 5 years at a time when it comes up.
I actually still had all of them but when I moved I didn't want to pay the movers the price per pound to bring them west. I probably would never have reread them anyway.