American Rifleman Magazine

[abunaitoo]

How old is it????
At the gunshow, a friend gave me a 1946 issue.
Magazine is way older than I am.

[elk hunter]

The NRA goes back to just after the Civil War. I'm not sure how old the "American Rifleman" is but I'm sure it goes back to the 30's. I believe the original NRA publication was "Arms and the Man". I'm just not sure when the name changed.

[HarryT]

Name changed in 1923.

[KCSO]

The NRA dates back to 1871 and The Arms and the Man was the original magazine. Now there are a number of choices of magazine depending on which box you check. Our family has been getting the magazine since 1948 IIRR. I have issues back to the 50's when i started reading it.

[seaboltm]

Don't know how old it is, but I do know it is mostly political articles these days. Takes me 10 minutes to read the magazine since I skip over the political articles.

[KCSO]

Ah for the good old days... Articles on reloading and new guns and the Dope Bag and the monthly schematic. IMHO the whole NRA has shifted to a money begging operation and I can't be sure how bad they will cave in when the crunches come.

[cbrick]

Ah for the good old days... Articles on reloading and new guns and the Dope Bag and the monthly schematic. IMHO the whole NRA has shifted to a money begging operation and I can't be sure how bad they will cave in when the crunches come.

Oh boy, here we go again. Every morning when you wake up you should call the NRA and thank them. But for the NRA right now today you would own no legal firearms. Do they do things I don't like? Sure, it's a huge organization with widely diversified agenda's and I don't expect them to call me and ask my permission before they do something. There are times when I would probably do some things differently but my firearms are still legal so . . .

Just as in the 2012 elections when 5 million Republican's stayed home and didn't vote because they didn't like the candidate, see how well that worked out? Supporting the NRA is exactly the same, sometimes ya just have to hold your nose and do what needs to be done.

Rick

[Airman Basic]

I send NRA the price of a subscription every year. Agreed the mags are too politicized and really don't interest me anymore. Also, the mailing lists they send your address to are too much sugar for a dime. Just send donations anonymously and get that warm fuzzy feeling of doing good.

[Echo]

I really long for the old articles on 'How To...', and the bulletins on all the registered matches, &cetera.
Sandy Froman was Director for some time, and lives here in Tucson. She said their biggest problem was cashflow, because of all the old pharts who got their Life Memberships 'way back aren't paying any dues these days, and of course she was talking about ME - I've been a life member since 1968, and I'm the Worst of the Worst, because I paid for my Life Membership with NRA Award Points, or 'Silver Certificates' as we used to call them since one could use them to purchase NRA Sterling Silverware. (I have a service for 12, and am a piker compared to many - Jim Clark had 3 services for 12, besides giving one to each of his kids.)
So that's where the money-grubbing is coming from...

[alamogunr]

Oh boy, here we go again. Every morning when you wake up you should call the NRA and thank them. But for the NRA right now today you would own no legal firearms. Do they do things I don't like? Sure, it's a huge organization with widely diversified agenda's and I don't expect them to call me and ask my permission before they do something. There are times when I would probably do some things differently but my firearms are still legal so . . .

Just as in the 2012 elections when 5 million Republican's stayed home and didn't vote because they didn't like the candidate, see how well that worked out? Supporting the NRA is exactly the same, sometimes ya just have to hold your nose and do what needs to be done.

Rick

+1
Rick, I couldn't have said it better. It's too bad that so many of the gun owners are "curmudgeons". When we were kids we all used to deal with the one that would get upset over some minor thing and take his ball and go home. Well, the same principle applies, except we won't have any guns or ammunition or components to go home to.

I don't think it will happen in my lifetime(I'm 72) but surely in my son's and grandson's lifetimes if we don't stick together and support those who lobby for us and vote for the candidates who support us.

BTW I'm a curmudgeon about some things too.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

In the world we live in today gun ownership is all about politics. Money controls politics and we don't have a lot of billionaires willing to write mega checks to support our cause but Obozo and the libtards do. Waiting in the wings for her turn is one of the biggest anti gunners ever born. Maybe the American Rifleman should devote every page of the of the magazine on subjects such as, how to build yet another AR upper lower and middle.

[shooterg]

The "Rifle" started in 1885, changed to "Shooting and Fishing" in 1888.In 1894 the publisher went to the matches at Sea Girt and gave much press to the NRA, In 1906 an NRA official bought it(originator died in 1903) and it became "Arms and the Man". In 1916 it became the property of the NRA for $1, became the American Rifleman in 1923. In 1973, the American Hunter was spun off , now we have 4 publications (including Insights, the youth mag), none of which are as interesting to read as when there was only one !
I have all of 'em back to 1929, and a few before. In reading the letters to the editor, you find that anti-gun zealotry is nothing new.

[MaryB]

I read the political articles, sometimes has new information on a candidate I didn't know and can use against them in a town hall meeting. I am getting American Rifleman right now, might switch back to the hunting magazine next year. While I enjoy the gun articles the hunting articles are better reading.

[Multigunner]

You can occasionally find collections of Arms and the Man and American Rifleman on Googlebooks.
Some great stuff in these articles.

[captaint]

Shortly after my very good gunsmith friend passed, I was at his home talking to his daughter in law. She asked "Mike, Bud had a magazine that he considered quite valuable. Do you know what it was ?" I said yes. It was American Rifleman #1. She asked,"do you know where he kept it ?" We were standing in his den. I walked over and got it out of its spot and handed it to her. She was rather amazed. I wonder what happened to that magazine..... They are very nice people.

[TXGunNut]

Only gun rag I read, better than most but that isn't saying much. Yes, I'm an unabashed supporter of the NRA but I don't want to have this thread drift to that topic. I'd rather read about other things but the AR is the NRA's official journal so it must by definition report on NRA activities and many of them are political. I don't care for the current trend towards articles on black guns but that's just my preference.

[captaint]

For a number of years, the AR was so un interesting, I literally didn't even read it. Honestly. I just got them and threw them out. Then, maybe 10 years ago they hired someone else to run and write the mag and now I do read it every month. Glad it got better again. Mike

[1Shirt]

Agree with Cbrick!
1Shirt!

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Several years ago an elderly gentleman gave me two sets of American Rifleman magazines starting in 1927. One set was his and the other his father in law. I only kept one year, 1941. I kept that year because each month there was an article on a single shot rifle. You can read ads for a 1892 Winchester carbine for $25. Of course we had real money back then, not this monopoly paper we have now. Last year I told the NRA that they didn't have to send me the magazine any more, They could just send it to me on line. It saves them a few bucks.

[williamwaco]

Don't know how old it is, but I do know it is mostly political articles these days. Takes me 10 minutes to read the magazine since I skip over the political articles.


AAAHhhh! Isn't that the truth?

I realize the necessity of rattling the bushes for money and votes but I sure miss the old magazine.

[dragon813gt]

The current version can be summed up easily. Political articles to anger you and paid advertisements. All firearms featured are paid product placements. I read about the old firearm at the end first. I do enjoy the one article per month that's historical. I fully support the NRA. But I'm not a fan of the magazine.