Good Article by Terry Weiland

[vacek]

Handloader has an article in its latest publication from Terry Weiland that gives a great perspective on Reloading Hand Tools. I recommend it. Weiland is a really good writer and has an understanding for vintage quality and vintage tools.

[thxmrgarand]

I am not a big fan of Weiland's writing. For instance, in my view he has written about the same Savage Model 99 at least 4 times over the past few years. I didn't learn anything useful to me in the hand tools article, and learning useful ideas new to me are why I read Rifle and Handloader. I guess I like all the other regular writers in those magazines but at the same time the articles seem to repeat every 3 to 4 years. Also, a few of these writers repeat pretty much the same articles in 3 or 4 different magazines in a row. Probably it's just me.

[vacek]

Weiland's writing is not typically "how to" but more of a different view of firearms and the art of firearms. He obviously enjoy's history and I do as well so while I agree he doesn't write a lot of how to articles I still enjoy the history behind rifles and handloading. I gues to each his own. That's what makes the world go round or semi-wadcutter.

[EDG]

Terry Weiland tried to write an article about what is considered craftmanship and state of the art manufacturing.
He did not know what he was talking about. His view was that hand fitting was the only way to build a top quality product but he is very wrong.

The very best CNC machine tools can, when the process is designed by competent engineers and programmed by good programmers, produce much finer fits than any craftman. Reason you don't see this much is the CNC mills, lathes, grinders, programmers and engineers can make the company a lot more money on a higher volume product than a few custom rifles. example - the transfer chamber of one popular semiconductor machine tool costs $10,000 for the aluminum blank the size of a pool table. These blanks can only be made of American aluminum. Then they are flown to Singapore where the machining is done for another $10,000.
The finished machine will sell for $4 million to $7 million each. A $50K rifle is chump change when one of the German milling machines cost $3 million.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Weiland is an ***, imho. He, like Ronald Reagan once said about the democrats; "It's not that they're bad people, just that they know so much that isn't true...".

[vacek]

Well, as I wrote to each his own. CNC is great, so was/is the talents of custom gun makers.

[EDG]

Terry Wieland has not worked in either capacity.

Well, as I wrote to each his own. CNC is great, so was/is the talents of custom gun makers.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

he's a hack...

[vacek]

Not bad for a dumb old hack.

Terry Wieland is shooting editor of Gray’s Sporting Journaland a recognized authority on fine firearms. He is also a columnist for Rifle, Handloader, and Safari Times.

In 1971, as a journalist, Wieland made his first trip to Africa to cover the civil war in the Sudan, returned in 1972 to cover the turmoil in Uganda, and again in 1976, covering both the bush war in Rhodesia and the riots in South Africa. He made his first hunting safari in 1990 and has returned a dozen times since, hunting in Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Wieland is the author of Spiral-Horn Dreams (1995), The Magic of Big Game (1998), A View From A Tall Hill (2000), Spanish Best: The Fine Shotguns of Spain (1994 & 2002), Vintage British Shotguns (2008), and Dangerous-Game Rifles (2006 & 2009).

Biography source:http://www.johnrigbylondon.com/twbio....Less

[2manyguns]

I am not a big fan of Weiland's writing. For instance, in my view he has written about the same Savage Model 99 at least 4 times over the past few years. I didn't learn anything useful to me in the hand tools article, and learning useful ideas new to me are why I read Rifle and Handloader. I guess I like all the other regular writers in those magazines but at the same time the articles seem to repeat every 3 to 4 years. Also, a few of these writers repeat pretty much the same articles in 3 or 4 different magazines in a row. Probably it's just me.

i for the most part enjoy weilands writing but the rest of the crew needs to do something else .. scovill writes about the 45 SAA , Pearce the same and then Mike Venturino chimes in , the next month give it a stir change a few sentences around , stir and repeat, even Barsness is getting tired.////

[Geezer in NH]

IMHO there has not been many good gun writers since Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton and even then both were wrong on some issues.

[RKJ]

Perhaps I don't know anything either, but I like his writing.

[dragon813gt]

I find all of the writers in that magazine to be sub par. Not saying I can do a better job because I'm not a writer. But compared to professional auto journalists they are extremely lacking in all areas.

[mdi]

WOW, I guess Mr. Wieland has someone fooled. I would guess he's getting paid to write articles, so is the editor of Handloader a non-shooter/reloader that knows nuttin' about reloading and Mr. Wieland has him/her fooled? Personally, I read articles, use/remember what may be useful or apply to me and ferget the rest. As everybody has an opinion, I can't condemn someone 'cause their opinion differs from mine (which seems to be pretty popular here!)...

[vacek]

MDI .... well said. I really don't understand the need to flame someone that you don't have a personal knowledge of. Anyway I started the thread just to let readers know that I thought there was a good article written. So I am going to let this thread rest as it is creating too much negative input and not really furthering our great hobby/craft of casting.

[mdi]

BTW, I read the "Man Stopper" article and saw nuttin' amateurish or stupid. But I'm just an average guy that's been reloading for 30 years, casting for 14 years, and shooting for 50 years so I couldn't have as accurate an opinion of Mr. Wieland as the gun writers/experts here...

[dragon813gt]

So we aren't allowed to have a differing opinion than you? You are free to like his writing. Just like we are free to find it poor at best. I already stated that I'm not a professional writer and I can't do it better. But there is nothing wrong w/ wanting better writers. The internet has obviously killed a lot of magazines but there are still ones w/ good writers.

[vacek]

This thread just doesn't want to die. Yes opinions are always welcome; but is rudeness necessary? Not from Dragon813t as he expressed his opinion in a respectful manner..... but calling names like Hack etc.... is that really necessary? I am 64 and have read hunting/reloading/fishing articles for a long time. Even the best writers have bad or mediocre articles. I am very good at my job, but there are days I miss the mark. I just came from a time/view of expressing opinions without feeling the need to be rude.

[mdi]

Differing opinions, yeah cool! But, " Wieland is an a***", "He's a hack", "Hasn't worked in either capacity" (gun smith or machine operator), are just childish attempts to sound superior to a specific person, putting Wieland down somehow elevates their starved egos.

BTW; I read the article in question, but didn't read the author's name until this thread started, (I had to go back and search for the article) so I'm not a friend of Wieland nor a fan

[vacek]

I can't resist this ..... Again, not bad for a hack. Now I will quit the thread. I promise.

Petzal Reviews the Second Edition of Terry Wieland's "Dangerous-Game Rifles"


by David E. Petzal

1

There are only a few books on guns that are worth a damn, and to make matters worse they are rarely updated* and become less valuable over the years. Such is the case with Warren Page’s The Accurate Rifle (1973) or Jim Carmichel’s The Book of the Rifle(1985)--still eminently worth reading, but now quite dated.
Happily, this is not true of Terry Weiland’s Wieland's Dangerous-Game Rifles. It appeared in 2006, established itself as the definitive work on the subject, sold out its first printing, and then sold out a second printing. Now, Terry has done a complete revise, which is not only up-to-the minute, but more complete than the original.
Wieland is a writer of the first magnitude, and his book is an irresistible combination of nifty (and mostly very expensive) machinery, high adventure, gore, lots of excellent photos, and plenty of very sound advice which you can use even if you never hunt anything bigger or more dangerous than whitetail deer. He is careful, scientific, does not rely on hearsay, rumor, or innuendo, and lets you know if he does not know something, which is almost unheard of in this business.
DGR II also contains one of the best quotes on marksmanship that I’ve ever come across:
“A good shot is the man who shoots well when he is shooting badly.”—Major J.E.M. Ruffer
Real-world price is around $29 from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and the usual suspects. It’s published by Shooting Sportsman Books.