No secret that the gun publications run on paid advertising- more now than in the past but, they Never Have been the gun-culture equivalent of Consumer Reports. It is typical to report occasional mechanical problems, malfunctions and even a trip back to the factory but " This Gun S**ks!" existed among print-zines only in the old Engledrum GUN TESTS magazines which he launched and maintained without gun company participation in the early 1980s- stopping only when there was a general improvement in Industry Quality Control He was a special case as he became angered when his delightful new,much-save-for Smith 59 would not even function on S&W (Fiocchi) ammunition - or anything else. A decade and more ago, an online GunZine appeared because the publisher had gotten tired of never seeing any negative gun reviews. Now, having attracted industry participation, he refrains from publishing them himself.
If a sample gun simply suks too hard for words, the usual practice is to return it un-written to the manufacturer with the somewhat sincere promise to take another look if/when/if ever they get it right.
Among the current crop,American Handgunner has high production values, interesting subject matter and a publisher with wide interests that depart from the current mania for el-fake-o sub-machine guns. The American Rifleman maintains a substantial page count and a good array of technical, cultural and political content though the current issue contains an ominous insert from Wayne about drastic changes in the Organization.
Other periodicals are bleeding advertisers and, in most cases page-count as the two factors are directly related. Many traditiional advertisers are seeing less benefit from the print-zines when the readership seems to be going to
Independent Internet Practitioners.
Jo'se Ferrer as Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge remarked that It is seldom a good thing to meet someone who's work you admire. Many of the old Gun writers were able to define themselves in print -where the effects of Alcohol and Arrogance-when they were present, were not apparent. This enabled them to become cultural icons and/or mythic heros. The recent and current writers are often capable, credible and entertaining but many are hampered by actual public contact and internet interaction with their readership.