Re: Combat Arms LMT Article. Whats wrong with this
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Gunslinger2111</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hey Gents,
After spying Sniper's Hide for a few years, this concern around the size of the pasty charged me to finally join up. When I get to the office tomorrow, I'll dig out the pasties from which that target was used and measure it. I think the problems are that the proportions are off. The picture is cropped and staff helps to caption the articles during the editing process. The art directors don't always have the time or attention to notice those types of details when they're putting together a 100+ page magazine in just 3 weeks. I don't know if you ever read Intermedia's special interest pubs from years past, but I took this job a year ago to feed guys like us articles packed with objective information and photos that my uniformed peers wanted to see. I used to get P.O.'d when at all of the B.S. advertising fluff and command each of my contributors to speak freely (if you have any questions or concerns about how I go about doing this, ask away, I'll be wide open on this forum). I'm doing my best to draw down the contributions from writers that none of us can respect. I'm trying to bring guys with actual credentials on board so that we can bring trust back to the newsstand. Let me know what you want to read about, tell me what questions you want answered, and I'll try and line up exclusive material for future issues. I have a Bullpup magazine coming out, followed by a redesigned Book of the AR15 and Surplus Firearms. I'm a VMI graduate and, believe it or not, I do still live by the Honor Code. - Eric R. Poole </div></div>
Greetings Mr. Poole
I'm the original poster who asked "whats wrong with this picture" and latter said "come on Gun & Ammo you got some splainen to do". It speaks volumes for your character that you answered the call to do some "splainen". I also like the fact that you made no excuses but rather stated that you would look into it and get back to us. To my way of thinking that removes you from the "its faster to make it up than look it up" school of journalism.
You have a tough and very knowledgeable audience on this forum. Many of them have little faith in many gun magazines. I was enjoying your article but as soon as I saw that picture, my reaction was that I got a whiff of rodent. The dot in the photo is the stated size. The shot group is the stated size. The bullet holes are not the right size. All of us have seen 30 caliber holes in a one inch paster. An .83 inch group of five 30 caliber shots in a one inch paster does not leave much paster. I have shot enough .17 caliber ammo to know that is what it looks like. This is not an accusation. In fact to be fair I would like to point out that I noticed something in re-reading the photo caption. It reads "This one-inch target pasty <span style="color: #CC0000"> </span> <span style="font-weight: bold">represents</span> <span style="color: #000000"> </span> the best five-shot group fired from 100 yards using standard ball ammunition." I'm not sure what this means. Is this not the actual group but a reproduction because of technical requirements? If so I find it a reasonable explanation but an odd practice. I'm looking forward to your findings. Thank you for responding.
You asked what we would like to see in a publication. I for one would like to respond. I would also be interested in hearing what fellow "Hiders" have to say.
I grew up with guns and in my free time if I'm not shooting I'm reloading or reading about shooting or reloading. I'm an old fart and my oldest Gun magazine is a 1959 copy of GUNS. From about 1971 until 1995 I subscribed to about every Gun magazine published in America. Between 1980 and 2000 I wrote and published between 40-50 articles on a free lance basis about half of which were gun related. About 2000 I dropped my subscriptions because I found they were piling up without being read. I'm sure one reason I quit reading was because I knew much of what was being written because I had read it before or had personal experience with the subject. However, another reason was the quality went down hill. When I pick up an article and it only has opinions rather than facts and there are five photos and four of them are of the author, you have lost me.
I buy gun magazines for three reasons.
1. <span style="text-decoration: underline">I want to learn something</span>. The history of the weapon or it's development. What is new or in development.
2. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Vicarious trigger time</span>. Give me the facts. What is the pull weight of the trigger. Was the trigger smooth or gritty. How did it shoot with different loads? For example your piece on the LMT. I bought the magazine for the article. I wanted to read the article because I'm looking at spending 3K on a rifle. The guys in my shoes would love to see what that rifle would do with Radway Green, German DAG, Federal GM and a smattering of handloads. Back in the seventies George C. Norte or others would not write about a new rifle without putting half a dozen loads through it and giving velocity and accuracy figures.
3. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Entertainment</span> Light stuff that is just fun. Skeeter Skelton's Me and Joe comes to mind.
Of the new generation of writers I like David Fortier and Zack Smith. I would love to see several people from the hide write something. (Are you reading this Lowlight?)
As to subject for future magazines.
1. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Battle rifles</span> What is out there, i.e. FNFAL, HK91, SIG, FN49 etc. Medium bore semi auto rifles. What are the options. How do they shoot? What are their Histories.
2. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Guns of our enemies</span> What are our young men facing in Iraq and Afghanistan? What are their advantages and disadvantages etc. (My son described guns in Iraq that I believed were obsolete and models that are locally made copies. (He is forth generation Regular Army BTW))
3. Sniper rifles. Drag eight or ten rifles out of one of Martin Peglers books and put them through their paces. Give us the history and details and quirks of the design.
If available give the thoughts of the people who have used or are currently using the weapons. I'm in the middle of US INFANTRY WEAPONS IN COMBAT by Mark Goodwin with a forward by Scott A. Duff. It is simply the thoughts and experiences of US Servicemen regarding the small arms of WWII and Korea. I can't put it down.
Gun Magazines have a unique place in American. They can educate new shooters and swell the ranks of gun owning voters. They can capture the interest of young men and help get them interested and skilled in shooting before they are called upon to defend our country. Or they can be fluffy rags pandering to an industry. I personally would love to respect the Gun Publishers like I did in the past.
For what its worth the M1 Magazine you put out a few months ago is the best magazine published in the past year IMO. I believe I have bought most of your specialty magazines with the exception of the AK one (i don't care for the AK). The fact that I keep them with my reference books rather than putting them in the gun magazine box that will go to the basement tells me something.
Anyway that's my two cents worth.
