Decline of the American Rifleman

[230RN]

I6turbo remarked,

"Or, maybe that's the mentality of the country as a whole. Maybe fluff is all the majority want. Maybe there's no audience for anything more in-depth and technical."

While that seems to be more-or-less true nowadays, It's unfair to condemn any publication if one trashes it without reading it. In the AR, I find a lot of the hard-nosed info is in the smaller articles. (And I too read "This Old Gun" on the back page first.)

I repeat my accusation that a lot of the AR/NRA knocking is just for the sake of knocking the AR/NRA as a "meme" in and of itself --and possibly with low motives.

Remember the Biblical injunction, "Knock not that ye not be knocked." Mat 7:1 NIV

Terry, 230RN

 

[CapnMac]

It is not just American Hunter but most hunting and gun magazines.

Pretty much all publications, any more, sad to say. Writing skills are as flawed as reading skills, and that has crept into editing skills as well as proof-reading skills (those not entirely surrendered to Otto-car-wreck).

Much of this is "our" (collective "we" and not merely "gun community 'we' ") "fault" as our fast-paced modern life no long allows the sort of time and contemplation to actually stop and require precise communication from those providing it.

It only takes a few clicks on the NRA website to notify them to stop sending paper copies to your physical mailbox.

Been trying that since 2013, still does not work. They keep sending the copies to that previous address. I'm ok with that, they get to decide how to throw them away.

 

[W.E.G.]

Been trying that since 2013, still does not work. They keep sending the copies to that previous address. I'm ok with that, they get to decide how to throw them away.

Put in a phone call. They used to actually make a serious effort to get these things right. Or perhaps notify them of change of address, and then cancel the physical subscription. I wouldn't want my name out there on magazine covers that relate to guns. It screams "old person" and "gun owner." Which only can lead to trouble. The fact that you have failed so far in solving the issue does not mean it is unsolvable. I have succeeded in stopping many HUNDREDS of junk-mailers from sending junk to my mailbox.

 

[230RN]

Pretty much all publications, any more, sad to say. Writing skills are as flawed as reading skills, and that has crept into editing skills as well as proof-reading skills (those not entirely surrendered to Otto-car-wreck).

Much of this is "our" (collective "we" and not merely "gun community 'we' ") "fault" as our fast-paced modern life no long allows the sort of time and contemplation to actually stop and require precise communication from those providing it.
...

I'm not sure it's worth analyzing, granted that it's true. Too many possible variables to explain it in one scoop.

Potheads. (Includes other non-Rx chemicals with deleteriousand sometimes permanent effects on mental processes.)

Too much information available. (One can unconsciously search only for information favorable to your preconceptions.)

Schools are ignoring their proper goals. (Education, not indoctrination.)

Lemming-like mentality. (Which includes a need to agree with opinions you're surrounded by. Normally this is a positive adaptive trait.)

Deliberate corruption of information channels by "others." ("Others" includes foreign interests.)

Et

Cetera

Terry, 230RN

 

[230RN]

^ Don't know why I got a double post on this. Possible confusion on my part between editing window and the actual post window appearing with it? We'll see next time around.

 

[PzGren]

Decline of the American Rifleman​

And I had understood it as a rant about the decline of American marksmanship, with morbidly obese folks shooting from a bench, instead of field positions and had taken a deep breath to add to the rant. Oh well ... that English language .

 

[S.Crockett]

It isn't a generation thing, it's an editor not doing his job thing.

It‘s exactly generational and it reflects irreversible communicative change, …. and that change is not is a good way. It’s symptomatic of how they think.

 

[gunmechanic]

Very sad to hear that , i liked that publication when i was a member .I guess it is like most things in this world now just a little subpar.

 

[gbw]

It used to be the authority on firearms of all types, both technical and practical. Now it’s a shill for LaPierre and advertisers. I keep membership only because a club I’m in requires it. But I think that requirement will soon go the way of the dinosaurs.

 

[.38 Special]

It occurs to me that the "free" magazines which come with membership to an organization are almost invariably lower quality. I get Muzzleblasts with my National Muzzle Loader Association membership, and it just doesn't hold a candle to my paid Muzzleloader subscription. (The latter, by the way, is one of the few remaining really good gun magazines. If you happen to be interested in American longrifles, it's worth the price.)

So maybe we were fortunate that Rifleman was a worthwhile magazine for so many years.

 

[PapaG]

I first thought this was going to be about the declining numbers of hunters/shooters. Fits both, really.
Sad to see declining numbers in one, editorial quality in another.
When I see "shotty" used to refer to shotgun and "running a bunch of different ammo", I write them off.
BTW, Life, Patron, Endowment and Benefactor member here. Last upgrade was over twenty years ago.

 

[Mosin77]

I started reading a novel yesterday published by a real publishing house (so, not some self published or fly by night thing on Amazon). The book is by a serious, published author with at least a dozen books to his credit, from the UK (where they take the English language slightly more seriously than we do in the States, in my experience.)

In the first two chapters I found at least 6 typographical errors or grammar mistakes. I conclude that even for a printed book, nobody bothers to actually proofread any more.

Magazines and newspapers are put together these days with the same level of writing prowess as a high school student’s hobby blog. “Content” is the name of the game, and the quality of that “content” matters very little. It’s all about saying “we have such-and-such amount of subscribers, therefore you should pay us this much more for the privilege of having your ads included.” In the case of AR, their subscriber base is generally not going to cancel membership because of poor magazine quality (something probably not as true in 1934 when it was a great, and perhaps the only way to get serious shooting information for many) so they’re going to barely lift a finger on the magazine.

 

[Boom Vang]

You are just reading things written by people that don’t know as much as you do. Happens all the time. If you keep reading, you should do it with a red sharpie, grade them and send them a photo. Who knows how many people you will help down the road, educating the educator…

This right here.

The .360 Buckhammer article was another poorly written piece of marketing shill. After the third paragraph it lost me. That television actor should not be writing for public consumption.

It's obvious that the AR writers possess limited knowledge, skills and abilities, and are writing for readers with even less KSAs. When they started with accuracy testing handguns at 7 Yards some years ago, the quality dropped pretty quickly.

Saves time and space, however. I can finish a issue of AR in under 10 minutes, and dump it right into the trash.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Many years ago, I used to save my Rifleman magazines for future reference. Then, I started trashing them after a quick read. Now, I just trash them directly. (Life member here, so I don't have the option of just dropping the subscription.)

They go straight into the recycle bin at my house also. The only reason I belong to the NRA is it's a requirement for membership at my private range. They use NRA instructors and probably (not sure) get cheap liability range insurance through the NRA.

Apparently the USPSA is headed down the same road as the NRA/AR with it's membership and governing body.

 

[TriTone]

Noop.

AR, with only a very few exceptions, is now written primarily by Millenials and Gen-Zers.

Attention to details, proof-reading, and the use of correct firearms nomenclature isn’t their strong suit. Nor do they really care all that much.

Not going to comment on the quality of the rag’s recent work, as I haven’t partaken in it for a while.

I know plenty of millennials and Gen-Z’ers who care a whole heck of a lot about attention to detail, proof-reading, and the even the correct use of firearms nomenclature. As a whole, they also seem to care a whole lot, about a lot of things.

No need to paint two generations of people with a short-sighted, rude, broad stroke of junk. We could say that your generation, whatever it is, had/has plenty of shortcomings, as well, yet what productive outcome could come from such senseless, over-generalizations?

Not very THR.

 

[ilbob]

Most publications are facing the same issues of declining ad revenues which forces them to take steps to reduce their expenses. It is hard to get good material for any print publication these days, in part because the authors want to be paid a living wage. Used to be that a bunch of people wanted to be a magazine writer or reporter and were willing to work for next to nothing. That kind of thing has died along with the ad revenue implosion so we are left with editing by computer because the computers work cheap.

A lot of magazines have turned into shills for their advertisers because without the advertisers they would starve. This is not something that is totally new though. Big spenders on advertising have always gotten somewhat of a pass by the publications. It is just getting worse over time.

 

[Thomasss]

I was leafing through the new August American Rifleman and noticed a couple of clangers right off.
In seven pages of plugs for Rossi firearms, the picture caption showing a S&W type hammer block calls it a "transfer bar." Strangely, the text gets it right.

Hate to tell you but both you and Rossi are wrong. The S&W safety device is properly called a "transfer bar." According to SAMMI, a "transfer bar" shields a firing pin attached to a hammer and a "hammer block" shields a hammer from striking the firing pin mounted on the frame. They both do the same thing, but because the firing pin is located in different places on their respective revolvers, the shielding is performed differently and called by different names. Maybe you can "Save Face" by telling the NRA Riflemen of the error in calling the item a "hammer block" in the article which it is not.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

In the past 10 years or so the only times I have read or even looked trough any magazine is when a friend wrote an article or there were photos of my dogs in it.
Gun magazines are the worst, just endless sales pitches.

 

[GEM]

Whether paper gun magazines survive is an interesting issue. SWAT just disappeared. Around here, after a massacre, the major supermarket chains ditched their gun magazines. Barnes and Noble put them behind the counter so you had to ask for them. In general, the local classy supermarket had an excellent magazine rack with quality publications in many areas. It has been ripped out for a soda pop display. The management told that they just don't sell and they will just keep the crap out check out about Brittany Spears' butt. A favorite topical mag I subscribed to, folded.

Perhaps as dinosaur, I like sitting in chair with a paper mag or a book. that's going away.

 

[Pat Riot]

It isn't a generation thing, it's an editor not doing his job thing.

Bingo!

 

[doubleh]

I started with the American Rifleman in '62 and have seen it decline in quality over the years IMO. It still has some interesting historical articles though.

 

[Elkins45]

I interviewed for and was offered a job as a staff photographer for AR and AH back in the late 80‘s. Unfortunately I decided to turn it down. It would have required living in the DC metro area and the pay was so low I would have been forced to either live in the slums or find a roommate.

Perhaps their low pay scale explains it to a degree? Gotta cut those corners somewhere to pay for Wayne’s new suits.

 

[I6turbo]

It occurs to me that the "free" magazines which come with membership to an organization are almost invariably lower quality. I get Muzzleblasts with my National Muzzle Loader Association membership, and it just doesn't hold a candle to my paid Muzzleloader subscription. (The latter, by the way, is one of the few remaining really good gun magazines. If you happen to be interested in American longrifles, it's worth the price.)

So maybe we were fortunate that Rifleman was a worthwhile magazine for so many years.

Good points.

 

[I6turbo]

Most publications are facing the same issues of declining ad revenues which forces them to take steps to reduce their expenses. It is hard to get good material for any print publication these days, in part because the authors want to be paid a living wage. Used to be that a bunch of people wanted to be a magazine writer or reporter and were willing to work for next to nothing. That kind of thing has died along with the ad revenue implosion so we are left with editing by computer because the computers work cheap.

A lot of magazines have turned into shills for their advertisers because without the advertisers they would starve. This is not something that is totally new though. Big spenders on advertising have always gotten somewhat of a pass by the publications. It is just getting worse over time.

True. Part of my job has been marketing for the past 30+ years. Almost everything is ultimately driven by marketing, PR, or some angle to shape people's thinking and/or buying habits. EVERYTHING. The less the masses are aware of it, the more successful it's considered be.

 

[Mk VII]

It is possible to download some old editions from the 1930s and on from here https://archive.org/details/pub_american-rifleman?tab=collection