Feb. handloader magazine..

[NSP64]

I just got it off the magazine rack. It was too good to pass up. Has articles on the .327, reduced loads in rifles, and S&W 'N' frames.:drinks:

[Bret4207]

Yes, and Editor Scovill lets the rest of the world in on his secret- he uses a FLAT NOSED PUNCH!!!! This was discussed in another thread where my unkind remarks about Scovill earned me a rebuke. Thanks be to God Brian Pearce is writing for him, and I have to say I'm impressed the our own Mile V has seen fit to do more casting articles, Sure wish we could get the straight scoop on how much of the content is Scovills decision and how much is the writers decision.

Not a bad issue at all, but I sure miss Ken Waters and Al Miller.

[NoDakJak]

Amen Brett! Al Miller's writings is what got me interested in casting for rifles as well as pistols. John Wooters is another Handloader/Rifle alumni that influenced me greatly. Particularly about the 25 caliber. Brian Pearce is great but how the devil does he find time to run a ranch plus do all this testing and writing? One of the greatest things about the original Rifle/Handloader was the articles by the readers. Scovill ended that! I was informed that all writing was now by staff writers. Evidently, Big business propaganda could not be properly controlled if the public was allowed to air their interests and views. Madison Avenue rather than common sense has taken over the gun world. John Barsness was evidently too truthful for a writer and rumors are that it cost him his position at Rifle/Handloader. Siccum Brett! All that I can do is rant as I just don't have the horsepower. Neil

[RayinNH]

John Barsness is now writing for Guns magazine. He makes his appearance in the March issue...Ray

[Tom Herman]

I usually only pick up gun magazines if they have at least a couple of articles that I want to read.
This month's issue has the fantastic article on the new old Smith N frame revolvers, the .327 article, and athe review of the ruger LCP... Definitely a copy worthy of holding onto!
I sure as heck wish that S & W had simply recreated the old guns minus the nanny state "improvements", but I guess that's the way it goes. I'll continue looking for originals. You never know. If a newer version of the Model 1917 is offered to me at the right price, I might take it. I swore I'd never own a Taurus Thunderbolt with the lock in the hammer, but when one fell into my lap at a screamer fire sale price, I couldn't afford not to buy it, and it's been a lot of fun.
The .327 is intrigueing... Although I'm not generally a fan of the magnum concept, it's interesting to follow the evolution of the .32 S & W to .327 Magnum. It would certainly be a fun caliber to have!

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[HeavyMetal]

Handloader has diffinetly dropped "originality" from it article's!

I to was informed that they had a two year backlog of article's and had guys in house taking care of future "stuff".

Just like the car mag's we'll see a transition to "do it yourself" articles with "kits" provided by manufacturer....... This way the consumer won't have to get his hands dirty "shopping"!

I used to subscribe, now I just look at the newsstand and only buy if it has something in print that I like. Heck I don't even recommend the mag to newbie's any more because of it's lack luster content!

That's why I joined this site! Here creativity reigns supreme ( and sometimes actually succeeds) in creating new product and broadening horizon's!

On that note isn't it interesting that a bunch of members have been using flat punch's for years on our lube sizer's and suddenly a writer burst's on the scene with a discovery!

We will see more plagerism in the future I garontee!

[runfiverun]

next he will be telling us how great it is to size nose first, so the bases get mashed flat by his new star..

[AZ-Stew]

Heavy Metal is correct about the two-year backlog on articles. I had an article published in Handloader #157 (Petite Loads For Squirrels) and from acceptance to publication was just about two years. The thing that irked me and was the biggest reason I quit writing and trying to get stuff published is that they paid on publication, rather than on acceptance. In other words, from the time they accepted an article it took two years to get paid for it. I don't know how anyone breaks into that business. How do you support yourself for two years while you're waiting for the paychecks to show up? On the other hand, if you're only writing to make enough to enhance your gun collection and have a REAL job on the side (No offense intended, Mike V.), I guess it's a good side business.

Regards,

Stew

[Scrounger]

I think it's like a lot of other jobs out there, you got to need the prestige to put up with the other crap, nobody gets rich at it.

[Bret4207]

Scroungers probably got it right. I wish The Rifleman would bring back the "In My Experience" column, things like that.

[threett1]

I picked up that issue at the mag rack and enjoyed it. Just recently aquired a minty Smith 28, so N frames have interest for me now. I too was amused by the comments about flat nose punches. Only thing I have used for quite a while. I was highly disappointed about Johnny B leaving, one of the reasons I enjoyed this gun rag. I also miss Ken Waters, Ross Seyfried(sp), and the occasional Al Miller article on military guns. Mike V and Brian Pearce are the only reasons I pick it up now.

[DonH]

Scroungers probably got it right. I wish The Rifleman would bring back the "In My Experience" column, things like that.

I wish the RIFLEMAN would bring back the RIFLEMAN! AR mags of the 70s and 80s are some of my most treasured gun literature. The current rendition is close to junk mail. Were I not a life member, the current mag would certainly not be an enticement to join NRA.

[dromia]

I read these threads and agree with the sentiments on the high class of articles and writers in the gun comics of the past.

However every so often there is twinge of uncertainty, like when you catch yourself saying the exact same thing to your bairns, as your father said to you, about how good things were in our day .

Its hard to pass onto the next generation what we know as they need to relearn it for themselves, old heads don't fit onto young shoulders. Many are the times when I've cocked up only to understand too late what my fathers words of wisdom actually meant.

Is it a case of "nostalgia isn't what it used to be"?

We are all older and hopefully wiser, if we were reading the gun comics of today with out the knowledge of the shooting greats of the past and our own hard won experience of "doing" it. How then would we view the works of todays writers of the have now/pay later, post modern, internet generation.

Now in my day.............:mrgreen:

[MakeMineA10mm]

I wish the RIFLEMAN would bring back the RIFLEMAN! AR mags of the 70s and 80s are some of my most treasured gun literature. The current rendition is close to junk mail. Were I not a life member, the current mag would certainly not be an enticement to join NRA.
:sad: Exactly my feelings


Not a bad issue at all, but I sure miss Ken Waters and Al Miller.
And don't forget Wallace Labisky and Don Zutz. They knew more about shotshells and reloading them then anyone will write about today (because of liability), and they're writing styles were both very entertaining and readable.

I especially miss Ken Waters.

[klw]

Heavy Metal is correct about the two-year backlog on articles. I had an article published in Handloader #157 (Petite Loads For Squirrels) and from acceptance to publication was just about two years. The thing that irked me and was the biggest reason I quit writing and trying to get stuff published is that they paid on publication, rather than on acceptance. In other words, from the time they accepted an article it took two years to get paid for it. I don't know how anyone breaks into that business. How do you support yourself for two years while you're waiting for the paychecks to show up? On the other hand, if you're only writing to make enough to enhance your gun collection and have a REAL job on the side (No offense intended, Mike V.), I guess it's a good side business.

Regards,

Stew

I'm impressed. Handloader actually bought an article of yours?! After years of writing for them they told me to go away. They were paying monthly salaries to several writers and because of that they didn't want any more freelance submissions. That was one way to end a 20 year relationship.

Paying upon publication seems to be the norm now. I just got an article accepted for the 2010 Gun Digest and they are now paying when something is printed. I don't like this but... The previous editor, Ken Ramage, paid upon acceptance but he lost quite a few articles. Three of mine that he must have paid for almost a decade ago were never printed and never will be because no one can find them. I understand that at $400 per article Gun Digest figures that they have lost about $10,000 worth of articles.

Another thing about paying upon publication is that the final decision isn't really made until the printing occurs so if they change their mind after you've waited a couple of years then you are out. But, well, what can you do.

[klw]

I especially miss Ken Waters.

It has been years since I purchased a gun magazine. Has Ken Waters passed?

[felix]

Kenneth, your article about dehorning a mold is one of my prized pieces of literature. Well written and well taken advantage of. For example, there at Baldor where I worked they have an internal office for keeping instruments in official calibration, such items as calipers, mics, and other electronic measurement devices. I took my personal stuff to them for their lunch hour work (paid with cash), along with your article. About every month I took them a mold or two for them to modify the mold(s) to assure gravity-only boolit dropping. Some molds required expert grinding, others just sharp exacto knife work. I should have had them do all my molds before I retired because the work was that good. They were paid based upon effort expended, never more than 5 bucks for a two cavity mold. Some of the molds were trully trash when submitted. ... felix

[klw]

I'll never live long enought to get out from under Ken Water's articles. I never wrote an article on dehorning a mould because I've never done that. Don't know how. So it must have been one of Ken's.

I always wondered what Ken thought of the confusion between us? I know that he use to sign his name Kenneth Waters and changed to Ken when I started writing. Everytime someone comments about my writing I always wonder if they really meant me or Ken. Usually they meant Ken.

Oh well. I'm getting old. Maybe getting forgetful will not be all that bad.

Where's fort Smith Arizona?

[felix]

Probably taken over by the renegade Apaches and is long gone, but the one still standing in ARkansas fought off renegades of a bunch of tribes taken together. ... felix

[MakeMineA10mm]

It has been years since I purchased a gun magazine. Has Ken Waters passed?

I don't know if he has passed physically, but in his writing, he has. I don't think I've seen anything new with his by-line in many years.

[Scrounger]

Believe I remember someone posting that he hangs out at The Campfire, I think it is: http://northlandphoto.com/campfire/

[JohnH]

I din't buy the Feb.* Handloader specifically because of the N frame article. Guns magazine had already run an article on the same I had read, and I found myself staring straight into the same abyss that was the cause of my buying no firearms magazine for over ten years.... They all run the same crap, and they all suck up to the makers. First Scovill got rid of Seyfried, now Barsness is gone. Jamison was let go because of a suit against Winchester. Guess the truth is too much for the makers to bear. As always, shoot the messenger. I hope Mike V. won't have to suffer this fate as well. How many rememebr an article Mike wrote as a young man on using cast in 223 and in that article, also used a Mini 14? The John Wooters, Skeeter Skeltons, Mike Venturino's, Ross Seyfried's, Rick Jamisons, Kenneth L. Waters (who wrote an exellent article that appears in the NRA Handloading Handbook on reforming brass for older chamberings) are too far and few between to quite them because they speak the truth. The gun rags whine and cry that they are loosing market. Gee, I wonlder why.

[Bret4207]

Oh man. I just read ALL of Scovills article on sizing. Now he claims to have invented nose first sizing and that HE gave Lee the idea for for their push through sizers!!! Has this clown ever seen a STAR????!!!!!! Good Lord that guy is a pimple on my butt I just can't reach to scratch. I may have to send him a letter, that will of course never get printed, requesting a volume control on his ego.

Scrounger- are you sure you didn't mean 24hr Campfire and Ken Howell, the former editor of Handloader and Rifle? I asked Ken about Ken Waters and the story was his wife was an ailing woman and that between age, her health and his, he just had to stop writing. As far as I know he's still alive. Those who know him say he's dry as toast and that the person writing the articles doesn't come across face to face. All I know is I'll cherish Pet Loads till I pass. Whatever the man is like, his writing will live on as a testament to his ability. Not a bad thing to be remembered for, eh?

Kenneth- I recall your articles very well. "Don't Pass Up a Potter" still has me looking for Potter gear. You would think since they were made practically in my back yard I'd be able to find some Potter gear, but such is not the case. I own a 90gr x 6.5 NEI mould I bought from from you a good 10 years ago. It will always be referred to as my "Gun Writers Mould". I don't care if folks confused you and Ken and Ken or not, you did good work and I thank you for that. How you had the patience to do those charts on variations when casting is beyond me!

[klw]

Well if you want a Potter I'd suggest calling Ron Peterson Guns in Albuquerque New Mexico and asking to talk to Ron. He bought my reloading collection about 12 years ago and hasn't sold all of it off yet. So he might well have the Potter collection I sold him. Tell him Ken suggested calling.

[TAWILDCATT]

Potter enginering moved to Florida many yrs ago.I do have a potter (NO NO) and we had a potter tool at the club. Which I sold to a collector and bought 2 Bairs.
and have any one looked at an OLD Rifleman.I had most from 1928 on and when I left Mass in 2000 I left them.no one wanted them.they weren't so great untill the 60/70s and the new one at least has better quality printing.
I think Ken Waters is on one of thes forums.not cast boolits,when I surf I will write it down. :coffee: [smilie=1: