Respect (or lack there of) for older Gun Writers

People today celebrate ignorance and mock anyone who uses correct grammar. When all your validation comes from the mob, the mob rules.

I too enjoy the older writers.

Young people tend to look down on old folk, and oldtimers tend to look down at younger people. Most of the time we are all wrong.

I expect your post will get a lot of support from the older regulars here.

Miami_JBT said:

Are some of these folks past their prime?

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Yes. Some of their ideas (Elmer Keith loads) are past their prime too. At some point time moves on. Living icons become caricatures of their younger selves.

I'm an Ayoob fan but from his younger days. Took a force on force class from him and respect his points of view but time moves on......

If you can find a copy, give Jim Foral's Gunwriters of Yesteryear a try sometime.

It's an anthology of the generation before the generation the OP's referring to -- writers like Stewart Edward White,, Charles Newton, Townsend Whelen, Ned Roberts, Edward Crossman, Charles Askins Sr., Ashley Haines and many others you may never have heard of.

Derek Zeanah said:

45AARP

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hard to believe but I haven’t seen that yet. Lol that’s awesome

There is probably a little envy thrown in there too.

I don't know how many times I've read people talking about "evolution" while saying stuff that wasn't as smart as they think they are when I heard it thirty years ago. I've been around long enough to see them talking (removed by moderator) about, well, themselves from a few years ago, multiple times.

OP is on to something, for sure.

I love watching old Ed McGivern clips

But I also think it's the nature of things for the young to believe the old to be "behind the times" or not up to date on the latest technique, technology, etc


And for the old to believe the young don't have enough time, experience, or thought into a topic.

Sometimes they are both right.

It's an ancient friction and the wise listen to both and discern what's what. Much can be learned from both camps

Derek Zeanah said:

But there's a crowd who thinks if you're not carrying a high capacity (preferably a Staccato) 9mm with an optic and a mounted light appendix carry then you're hopelessly obsolete in your thinking, and your tactics. Hell, you probably still think 45AARP is an effective man stopper!

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The humorous part is how the Timmies were denigrating 1911's not too long ago.

I came up reading and usually rereading, again and again, all the usual suspects of the past. Used the analog internet (rotary dial landline telephone, Shotgun News and The Gun List) quite heavily too.

Old or new, there's really nothing different, as long as you keep investing in your education and continue to learn. One thing I picked up on pretty quick at work as technology worked its way into everything was, the old ways worked, and the new ways could and did make life easier, and if you were a follower of Bruce Lee (another dead guy from the past who was on to something ), you learned that old and new could be blended together and take you to the next level ahead of those who chose only one way or the other. I don't see any difference there in anything either, including firearms, their accessories, and the techniques used.

The trick will always be, learn as much as you can about as much as you can, and take from all that, what is useful to you, make it yours, and always continue to move forward.

Lots of the old ways work, and work well, but things also change, and if you don't keep up, you'll stagnate, and get left behind.

Cooper is a prime example of what is good about the past, and what isn't so good about getting stuck there. He was innovative and at the time, a lot of us jumped right on that train and went for the ride. Some of us got off when we saw things and others progressing elsewhere, and moved forward, while others are still on the Copper train, in an endless circle, stuck in the past.

Following the Bruce Lee philosophy, you take what you learned from him that is still relevant to you, and discard what isn't and keep moving forward. And that goes for anything and everything else.

Ayoob is the same way, and I think a lot if not most of his stuff is still relevant, but again, things change, and you need to continue to learn and keep up to know what to keep and what to discard.

With any of this, young or old, you only know what you know. Older guys have a bit of an edge there, at least if they have been paying attention and doing their homework, and can have things learned in the past to draw on, where the younger guys don't, but just because you didn't learn the "old ways" of doing things, doesn't mean you don't know whats what either, and old or young, if you don't continue to keep up, all you will know is the old ways.

Let's see whom would have more pertinent information for a commonplace CCW carrier?

A veteran of the police force, undercover, detective who spent his career on the beat OR a soldier who spent his time in a cadre of soldiers in the desert of AFG/IRAQ kicking down doors, patrolling and worrying about IED's?

Is some of Ayoob's tactics dated, sure; nevertheless there is a lot of wisdom still there as well.

I can learn from both and try to, but for what situations I currently may find myself in, a veteran beat cop/detective would be a great asset as to how to handle myself around thugs, responding police, and the general public. General shooting techniques, cover/concealment, equipment setup I would lean towards some trained soldiers that have a history of training individuals.

Keyboard commandos where going to the grocery store is traveling outside the wire...