Are there any GOOD Magazines on Casting Bullets and Reloading in General ?

[DoctorBill]

Sometimes, some stores have a big magazine rack.

I have looked thru some for any magazines on Reloading.

Zip.

Barnes & Noble's Book Store here in Spokane's Big Shopping Mall has
a huge Magazine Rack and had only one Reloading Magazine which
costs $52 per year for a subscription (12 issues) !

My Lord God...is the magazine printed on the same paper they print
money on ? !

Am I just not in the right place or are there very few Reloading or Bullet
Casting Magazines out there ?

If you know of any - let us know !

I need some good literature to read when sitting on the throne.

An experiment I can relate to -
http://www.mynetimages.com/8c44f74000.jpg

DoctorBill

[462]

Doc, look for "Handloader".

[NVcurmudgeon]

A second here for Handloader. It has articles by Mike Verturino, who has a wide-ranging number of cast bullet interests, and there are a couple of regular columnists in the front, Brian Pearce and Jeff Scovill, who are good on CB pistol loads. For deeper study, Lyman's Handbook of Reloading # 49 is basic and excellent. Also just out is the Fourth edition of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook, make sure you get the Fourth, as the Third came out n 1980.

[MtGun44]

Gotta vote for Handloader, too. Brian Pearce is really worth paying attention to, as is
our own Mike Venturino. Editor Scovill is an old school loader and shooter and I like his style, too.

Bill

[DoctorBill]

OK....
http://www.amazon.com/Handloader-Magazine/dp/B000BVEEM8

$23 for 6 bimonthly issues.....$46 per year.

are they 50% advertisements too ?

Scientific American or Discovery Magazine don't cost that much.

I guess there just are not enough enthusiasts out there to bring the
price down.

That is maybe two boxes of Gas Checks value for 6 magazines....

I think that way. I am cheap.....

DoctorBill

[Eutectic]

Are there any GOOD Magazines on Casting Bullets and Reloading in General ?

Sadly, not anymore DoctorBill....

Your capitalized "GOOD" even leaves "Handloader" out! The last issue John Haviland writes an article on 'Handloading .410 Shotshells' ....... He claims he loads 9 OOO buckshot into the .410! That's his data now... the picture shows 8. WOW! 9 OOO buckshot weigh an ounce and a half! Some load for a .410! WE DON'T NEED IDIOTS LIKE THIS LISTING DATA!!!!! Lucky this combo wouldn't fit; some mistakes will.

This was in Handloader No. 269...... I have EVERY issue of "handloader' dating back to 1966... but I won't have anymore come to my door....

Eutectic

[462]

"$23 for 6 bimonthly issues.....$46 per year."

Nope, $23 per year...six issues.

Borders carries it.

[DoctorBill]

"$23 for 6 bimonthly issues.....$46 per year."

Nope, $23 per year...six issues."

Of course.....I was thinking were it one issue a month...

I have my head up my butt tonight.

then you'd say, "Right...only tonight ?"

Anyway....is it a good Magazine or kinda run-of-the-mill ?

Most magazines anymore are blah blah...the writers are generally out to
hype and 'popularize' everything to the point of being asinine - then the
ads that fill the other half of the pages are bizarre.

DoctorBill

[Dennis Eugene]

Handloader, is the best one left out there, but that don't mean it's great, I buy it and like it. Could it be better ? You bet, but it is what it is the best of the bunch. Dennis

[Piedmont]

Handloader is the only magazine I have subscribed to for the past few years. It is worth getting and keeping. Some issues don't have much that interests me but it sure is nice to have stacks to look through on cold winter day.

[Bret4207]

Handloader is the best there is. There's usually at least one fairly decent article. It's not what it used to be. Try buying back issues from used sites or Ebay. The older articles were far more technical.

If you don't have Ken Waters "Pet Loads" your library is incomplete.

[Black Wolf]

Handloader (along with Successful Hunter and Rifle Magazine) are all available online through Wolfe Publishing for a meer $20 a year for all three magazines (they're in pdf format).

http://www.riflemagazine.com/home/index.cfm

This should keep you busy for a while: http://www.riflemagazine.com/backissues/index.cfm?type=0

[bobthenailer]

handloader is the best out there ! although not as good as it used to be ! ive been subscribing to it since the mid 70s ! and i have kept all issues, i made photo copies of the indexs for fast reference. its funny what was written about allways did not intrest me at the time i read it but new intrest come along all the time and my fist place to look is the handloader index!

[old turtle]

I of course get the NRA magazine but the Handloader and Rifle the best gun magazines out there. The are really along the lines of technical journals. I like to keep the original copies as I like to look back through them and do research. I have copies all the way back to the early 70s. My experience is that most other magazines are BS. I know I am an old stick in the mud but if you wish to gain a great deal of understanding of reloading and technical background, obtain a copy of Sharps "Complete Guide to Handloading." I know much in it is dated but a great deal is not and in provides insight in all aspects of the various components.

[blackthorn]

First, I no longer subscribe to any magazine. I do buy individual copies of Handloader after I glance through the index to see if there is anything in there that I am interested in. Having said that, even a subscrition at $52 a year is only $1 a week (less than a cup of coffee!). The reason I don't subscribe to anything is that I just plain got tired of paying good money for what amounts to a "mini-calalouge"!

[MT Gianni]

If you spend time in the archives here you can learn a lot without the advertising. That doesn't mean you should neglect our sponsers, just that they are not in your face.

[pearson1662]

If you don't have Ken Waters "Pet Loads" your library is incomplete.

And it makes a great Christmas present. $37.80

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1879356643/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0935632336&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1RN0BEDQMHR43MF5MPRT

I love this "book". I read and re-read and re-read...

[HORNET]

The Handloader/ Rifle combo is about the best of the commercially available magazines. I add Rifle because they sometimes sneak some loading stuff into the gun articles. Neither is as technical as they used to be but they claim they had to change to meet the commercial market.
The absolute best source is this website.
The Cast Bullet Association and the ASSRA both have membership magazines that are quite good (The Fouling Shot and Single-Shot Journal). You might want to check out their websites as well.

[rwsem]

Handloader is also published on line by Wolfe Publishing. You can get Handloader, Successful Hunter and Rifle magazine for like $20 per year. Download all the magazines and you don't have the clutter...

Best Reagrds,
Ron

[TCFAN]

The CBA has all of Frank Marshall's "Speaking FRANKLY" on a DVD. I think it cost $15.00 dollars and is well worth it. I printed mine out and put in a 3 ring binder.A lot of good reading on that DVD.He wrote some of the best articles the CBA has ever had in the Fouling Shot.......Terry

[runfiverun]

now i am sad i let my handloader/rifle subs go thinking there might just be something better out there.
i learned much about reloading from reading [shooting times] magazines/and making errors-keeping notes.
i was just too frustrated by disagreeing with much of what was written in handloader, and not being able to afford what was pictured in rifle, and no substance in shooting times anymore.

[btroj]

I get hand loader and rifle. I also get precision shooting but it is a magazine geared to a specific audience.
I find that as my knowledge base goes up and the gin mags are watered down they are of less interest to me. I no longer need a review of the latest, greatest pocket pistol or sniper rifle. I dontdo tacticool either.

Good is sadly a relative term. Guy I work with likes shooting times, says he doesn't want his head to hurt when he reads a gun magazine. I think this board is full of people who don't mind the agony of having go really think about what we just read and analyze the data.

[leadman]

good info I get Handloader and Rifle, along with Shooting Times and Guns & Ammo. The last 2 are pretty much fluff, but I like to see what is on the market now, and once in awhile they have some old guns in there . I like Allan Jones articlesin Shooting Times. He is a retired ballistican.

I still get info fom the old (1930s plus) American Rifleman magazines. They contained much more info on casting and loading and wildcat cartridges. Really gives a good understanding on where many of our cartridges and rifles came from.

[alamogunr]

I subscribe to Handloader and have all the issues back to #1. I enjoy going back and choosing an old issue and reading it again. I used to subscribe to Rifle but let it expire since I wasn't into high$ rifles.

I also subscribe to Precision Shooting and Black Powder Cartridge News. Both are focused narrowly on a specific audience but they both have articles that interest me. Both are very expensive. Maybe someday I can recoup some of the cost by selling back issues.

I get several of the slick gun magazines(I won't name them) that I subscribed to when they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I pass those on to friends or my sons. They will go away when they expire or they will offer me another subscription for less than a dollar an issue.

John
W.TN

[pmeisel]

I dropped Handloader, it just wasn't good enough for the money to me, but it was the best of the bunch.

Thinking about buying the "Gun Digest on a disk".... to be honest I like old Gun Digests, and Ken Waters' Pet Loads, than anything new out there... the tried and true just sets better with me.

[R.C. Hatter]

:coffeecom Sadly, the answer is NO ! That said, I have kept my Handloader and Rifle subscriptions from issue 1 to date. At one time I subscribed to 5 gun magazines, and have watched them all disintegrate into "gun rags" with most articles being of no interest to me. Now, I have only the above two magazines left. I grew tired of the continuous articles about this or that "wonder 9" , AR platforms of various descriptions, as well as the so-called "churners" which don't really work any better than the old standard calibers, but do prompt separation of a lot of big bucks from a man's pocket, if he's not careful.

[alamogunr]

I dropped Handloader, it just wasn't good enough for the money to me, but it was the best of the bunch.

Thinking about buying the "Gun Digest on a disk".... to be honest I like old Gun Digests, and Ken Waters' Pet Loads, than anything new out there... the tried and true just sets better with me.

I just looked up "Gun Digest on a disk". I might be interested in that. I don't have room to accumulate the paper copies. The older ones had a lot of good articles in them. I do have all the
"Handloader's Digest's". The last one I have(#18 I think) was the worst of the lot. If they ever put out another one, I'll pass.

John
W.TN

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
It seems most of us here, went through the process outdoor life, field & stream . Got bored & moved to g.&ammo & shooting times. Got bored and moved to Handloader, American rifleman & Rifle . The last 3 were worth the money for many years.
You can go to the library & read some of these if there is any interest.
But there is more info here , our old site,& the sites previously mentioned.:Fire::Fire:

[bhn22]

Handloader may be the "best" out there, but that's not saying a whole lot. Buy books instead. Get Verals "Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets". Beartooth has a great technical manual. The really neat part is that there is no loading data in either manual. Verals book covers making cast bullets from beginning to end, and the Beartooth manual is an advanced "users" guide to cast bullets. You might get $50.00 wrapped up in both of them, and if you're not careful, you'll learn a lot. Magazines have evolved into advertising copy for the most part. There are a few good feature writers like Brian Pearce, but they're there to make the magazine marketable. I am amazed at how little practical information is published in magazines, for the most part, they regurgitate old "how to" information wrapped neatly in advertising copy. The last time I checked an issue of Handloader, it was slightly over 50% advertising, as counted by column inches. And as far a Venturino being "our own", he hasn't posted here in over 5 months, according to his profile.

[Tom W.]

I like Handloader just fine.

I have noticed that Mike Venturino likes the RCBS 270 SAA bullet a lot, which is good, as I'm always looking for different loads for that boolit.

But then, I like Guns & Ammo and American Rifleman, too.

[Harter66]

I'm a Handloader/Rifle guy also. I stumbled across it when they were doing all the doubles and drilling stories.

[Bret4207]

The CBA has all of Frank Marshall's "Speaking FRANKLY" on a DVD. I think it cost $15.00 dollars and is well worth it. I printed mine out and put in a 3 ring binder.A lot of good reading on that DVD.He wrote some of the best articles the CBA has ever had in the Fouling Shot.......Terry

I'm very proud to say the collected works of Uncle Frank was my idea, at least as far as I know. My one claim to fame! I mentioned it on the CBA website and it took off.

[curiousgeorge]

I have to go along with all the other posts. Handloader is the only one left that is worth subscribing to at all. It is the only one that I still get. Could it be better - sure thing. Is print media struggling just to stay afloat in today's electronic media market - like a man dog paddling in the middle of the ocean. It does cost more than the others. But compared to what you get from the other magazines on shooting, casting, and reloading it is at the very top of the pile.

Venturino and Pearce still know their stuff. I don't know if I would want their jobs. How many times can you come up with something fresh and new on a topic that you have covered over and over and over. And then along come the critics to pick them apart. I hope they keep on writing.

TCFAN makes a really good suggestion. The old "Fouling Shot" (later on "Cast Bullet Association") used to be interesting. A collection of Frank Marshall would be some good stuff. I have been going back through my old Gun Digest's and copying articles pertaining to casting and reloading and putting in a binder. Wish the two Harris's (probably no relation) were still in print.

Steve

[alamogunr]

I'm very proud to say the collected works of Uncle Frank was my idea, at least as far as I know. My one claim to fame! I mentioned it on the CBA website and it took off.

Thank you! I have enjoyed that CD immensely.

John
W.TN

[pmeisel]

Curious, you make a good point about the difficulty of coming up with new material every month. I think a lot of us that have been at the hobby for 2 or 3 decades, or more, suffer from "read that before" syndrome.

I am interested in the .357, how much new can be written about it after 75 years? I enjoy a well written 20 or 30 years old article just as much as the new ones.... sometimes more.

A lot of great gun writers have passed on, but their stuff is still good, and some of those still active did work I liked 25 years ago, I don't mind rereading it if it is really good.

[Potsy]

I've got most of the "Rifle" & "Handloader" issues going back to at least '98 (and a few before that). The cool thing is, as my interests change, I've usually got some articles buried somewhere on the subject (was looking at a couple of articles on Savage bolt actions last night).
It has gotten less technical. Ross Seyfried left around '05, and he has been my favorite writer since I was a teenager. Talk about articles about guns you can't afford!!!! I like them though, gives me something to aspire to.
John Barsness left a couple years back for a while, but he's writing for them again. He an Brian Pearce are probably the two that interest me most. Scovill can be interesting. Venturino's OK, I just don't shoot BCPR and typically load my handgun rounds to greater than 700fps.
Rifle and Handloader are the only two that I've found that even mention bullet casting. They are a lot of the reason I got into that to begin with.

[Pepe Ray]

I pretty much concur with the posts so far.
Glad you mentioned Seyfried, I miss his work but am soooo happy that I clipped most of his work from the old Guns & Ammo rag before he left for Wolfe Pub. Of course he;s gone from there now but I still have the magazines in binders.
He did deal with some expensive firearms but NOT exclusively. Much work was done on cast boolet design, large bore hand guns and no matter what the subject he could make it interesting and educational. He had a style or delivery that is unmatched today.
When I need a boost I dig out my old paper files and enjoy.
On several occasions I've tried to reach him to get permission to convert his work to electronic format but he's evidently not interested. Oh well---
Pepe Ray

[shooter93]

The Cast Bullet Association puts on a small but good magazine. For it's size there is generally a lot of good information, much of it comes from the membership experiments and experiences.

[DoctorBill]

I just signed up for the Cast Bullet Assoc Forum and can log-in to the Forum.

I then go to the Cast Bullet Assoc Publications and it won't let me
log-in (with the same username and password) to buy "Speaking Frankly"
and the "Cast Bullets for Beginner and Experts".

You have to log in to order anything.

Do you have to be a paid up member to buy the publications ?

Strange.

DoctorBill

[KYCaster]

GUNS & AMMO
Top ten reasons not to buy Guns & Ammo.....

1) After you list the five rifle/pistol makers who sell 95% of the guns in the U.S. what's left?

2) Jan Libourel....personally responsible for the terms "hard ball" and "soft ball" as applied to 45ACP ammo. (What do they mean anyway?) (BTW...he got the job when he married the publisher's daughter.)

3) Do you need any more reasons?


SHOOTING TIMES
Kind of died along with Dean Grinnell. Nothing much in there after he left.

Jan Libourel....he must have divorced the publisher's daughter. When he showed up here, he had a lot to say about how much advertising dollars and corporate egos were affecting the gun press. Got old really quick.



GUNS
Absolutely the best photography I've seen in any magazine. Ichiro Nagata set the standards in the pages of "Guns" magazine and very few can come close to the same level of excellence.

Absolutely nothing else of value in the rag. In the last issue I bought, the top two feature articles combined amounted to less than one full page of text. I bought it because of the "teasers" on the cover, only to find that the articles didn't live up to the cover hype.

This is a very good example of what I call "THE BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS" approach to journalism....since the average reader has such a short attention span, you have to break up the text into groups that can be read in no more than thirty seconds. Using headings, photos, graphs and quotes from the text you can keep the reader interested for three to five minutes. You don't need to include any real knowledge, just the mention of a subject is enough to let the reader say, "I read about that."

All fluff...no substance.




AMERICAN HANDGUNNER
MY **** IS BIGGER THAN YOURS!!

I don't recall which rag was on the other side of the argument, but they had an on-going feud about which gun game would "get you killed on the street". :groner: Who cares? Operative word here being "GAME".




AMERICAN RIFLEMAN
A mere shadow of it's former self.



RIFLE
The first copy of "Rifle" I ever saw was in a give away package at a pistol match I attended. It had a article on the Kalishnakov rifle. I was really impressed by the technical aspects of the article and started looking for other issues of "Rifle". This is when they started selling at the local news stand. They are easier to find....but I haven't seen anything equal to that first copy.




HANDLOADER
Same publisher as "Rifle".....quite a bit different focus. More stuff that interests me.

I kind of watched Brian Pearce grow up. I mean I've watched him mature as a writer. Seems to me he's gotten into a style that doesn't appeal to me. His writing is technically correct for the most part, but all his articles seem to follow the same outline....kind of fill-in-the-blanks. Gets kind of boring.

Mike Venturino.....He's another that I've grown up with, but he kind of keeps changing his perspective or focus. I watched him move from WV to MT and change his interest from Colt's SSA to BPCR to milsurp while always expanding his casting experience. Always something new with Mike and he has a knack for drawing you into his passion for the subject.

Like others have said...best of the current gun rags.

Jerry

[DoctorBill]

KYCaster......you hit the Bullseye Dead Center with this:

"..."THE BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS" approach to journalism....
since the average reader has such a short attention span,
you have to break up the text into groups that can be read in no more
than thirty seconds.
Using headings, photos, graphs and quotes from the text you can keep
the reader interested for three to five minutes.
You don't need to include any real knowledge, just the mention of a subject
is enough to let the reader say, "I read about that." "

Everything is that way now !

I teach College Chemistry at Spokane Community College.

The Text Books are ALL written that same way !

Disconnected rubbish with lots of pictures and CARTOONS !

A 'Comic Book' approach - less words - more cartoons (the more bizarre, the better).

As if written for a six year old and with lots of Hype and Bizarre statements
done to keep the student's attention.

I call it the TV Show mentality - everything in 30 second sound bites.

And my students....most can't stay on target for any length of time.
If early - they don't want to get out of bed.
If at noon - they want to go eat.
If afternoon - they are sleepy from just having 'et.

What will we be in a hundred years ?

Problem is - the general public thinks that that is 'the way of things'
and thus that way gets PROMOTED and reinforced.
The Media buys it and thus that is what we get on TV - our major input source.

Oh well...it won't matter to me in 25 years.

My Dad thought I was lost back in the 50's when things were intense
and people could fix almost anything by themselves.
He tried to make me pay attention...

I believe, now, that all this stems from parents not teaching what they've
learned to their kids. We assume the schools are teaching them what they
need to know to go ahead in the world. NOT !

I am going to take my 24 year old son thru all the steps in reloading rifle
cartridges next week while he's home from the Coast Guard for Christmas.

I'm feeling a great sense of guilt now for not teaching my kids what I know,
realizing that I would have had to force it on them kicking and screaming !


DoctorBill

[Powderpacker]

I just signed up for the Cast Bullet Assoc Forum and can log-in to the Forum.

I then go to the Cast Bullet Assoc Publications and it won't let me
log-in (with the same username and password) to buy "Speaking Frankly"
and the "Cast Bullets for Beginner and Experts".

You have to log in to order anything.

Do you have to be a paid up member to buy the publications ?

Strange.

DoctorBill
If you use the castbulletassoc.org address there will be a menu on the left with a "Merchandise" section where you can click on "CBA Store" and from there you can access the publications. I just checked it and was able to get in without logging in.

[scrapcan]

Handloader and CBA fouling shot are the ones I subscribe to and read.

The good thing about the Fouling Shot is that you and I can write articles and submit info to them. I wish I had something to share.

Another newsletter I like is the Antique Reloading Tool Collectors Association newsletter. We need authors over there also.

[TCFAN]

I'm very proud to say the collected works of Uncle Frank was my idea, at least as far as I know. My one claim to fame! I mentioned it on the CBA website and it took off.

Bret,..... That was a outstanding idea.Thank you!! The best 15.00 dollars I have spent in along time...............Terry