Question for older guys, American Rifleman magazine

[Shiner Taste Tester]

American Rifleman used to carry a full report on the National Championships at Camp Perry, list all the competitors and how they placed.

 

[BigBolt]

Have not read it since 76 back then it was good today ???

 

[rfwind]

WLP has gutted the NRA for his corrupt benefit. Only reason I belong is membership is required to participate in most rifle matches. Most gun articles are about the latest micro innovation of AR-15’s and 9 mm‘s.
NRA support and recognition of competitive shooting is a joke.
I receive monthly reminders to renew my annual membership; a waste of NRA resources and my time to try to get extra money.

 

[Bill K]

Not the same as it used to be, in my opinion, been reading it for a LONG time. Too many Pistol/drill/ad type articles and not enough good old rifle/hunt type reads.

 

[farmerjohn]

It’s not what it used to be. It’s more like a gun ad catalog than an in depth source of information.

Plus 1

 

[MikeT124]

Switched from Rifleman to Shooting Illustrated about 6 or 7 years ago. More in tune with my interests now. Self defense and hand gunning. It still has decent articles on shooting technique, self defense, law and preparation.

Mike

 

[ebb]

How would we have ever known all of our rifles are junk and we just needed to get a new Creedmoor without the fine reporting of the American Rifleman?

 

[rockhound78]

I have been a life member for 50 ish years.. They quit sending me the mag about 20 years ago for some reason, but it looks like I am not missing much

 

[K22]

My current feelings towards the NRA, a once great organization, I will keep private since my feelings are not positive.

I stop subscribing to gun magazines a long time ago. Gun writers, out of the necessity of their profession have to develop a continuous stream of new ideas, often sending the shooting sports into the weeds with nonsensical theories and assertions. I was not immune; I went into those weeds a few times despite evidence and my practical experiences to the contrary. I finally learned the hard way to stop looking for the "silver bullet", instead learn how to shoot.

My best friend, an NRA life member, gives me his American Hunter magazine after he is done with them. I do enjoy some the hunting stories and in some rare instances, there is an article that is useful dealing with field shooting skills and hunting tactics.

I ignore all the articles on these "new super cartridges". When did hunting big game become some secret mystery endeavor requiring barrel burning, ultra paper ballistic cartridges or cartridges that are just a remake practical performance wise to existing cartridges to succeed? Maybe big game has evolved into a new super animal due to climate change? I wonder how Jack O'Connor was so successful with the lowly 270 Win? Maybe it was because he was an accomplished hunter and field shot.

 

[SEM]

Mine goes directly to the round file

 

[nakneker]

Seems like they put less effort into content now days, that and more ads. I jumped off that train a long time ago.

 

[Doug Casner]

I dont belong to the NRA for the magazine. I like to think theyve got a little pull in congress and then ya hear the wayne stories Makes you question your life membership. The Rifleman is pretty thin. Doug

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Life member since the early 70's, and to me, the best part of the magazine is the 'Armed Citizen' report. I seldom now find an article that actually is of interest. Don't give a rip about antique stuff, and finding an article that I'm really interested in is one issue out of a year of twelve.

 

[Richard308]

Ok, you guys old enough to have been reading American Rifleman circa mid 70s and earlier, do you consider the magazine at all worthwhile? It used to be that I considered it one of the best, and one of, if not the most important reasons to join the NRA (back in the politically more calm days). I guess these days I may read parts of one or two articles per year and am seriously considering asking them to stop sending it (if that option exists) (I am a Life Member). Most months I just look at the cover to see what might be in it, then stow it with the others. Maybe I am wrong, maybe not. Oh, and please do not use this posting to bounce off onto a "whip the NRA" thread. That is a whole different topic and I am not interested in that here.

Danny

It's not like the old days, when they would do a big write -up about the Nationals at Camp Perry.
The rifles, barrels, loads. etc.that the were used by the shooters in the service rifle matches.

 

[M-61]

I remember a time when I looked forward to reading it.

That ship sailed quite some time ago.
I no longer get it but a friend does. Maybe 3 times a year he’ll bring a copy over figuring there is an article I’ll find of interest.
As with most magazines they have really fallen greatly in quality or have disappeared.
Years ago I subscribed to Guns & Ammo.
If it’s still published I haven’t read it in decades. I don’t think any magazine has a proof reader anymore. Factual, grammar , and mostly spelling errors ( even in ads) for whatever reason drive me nuts.

 

[358WCF]

Good for deer camp where there's no Internet. Also good fodder while on the "thinker".

The glossy paper doesn't lend itself well for a deer camp "thinker" usage.

 

[Jon Leary]

The info we all used to look forward to in the magazine is now covered in forums like this one.

 

[Forum Boss]

Keep in mind that, before the internet, a good writer could make a living writing 4-5 major magazine stories a month. I wrote some articles for AAA Travel magazine and was paid $1200 for a 2000-word article. Now a writer would be lucky to get half that, and many articles are just pieced together by editors. And in the old days, a magazine might even pay the travel expenses of a writer to a big sporting event overseas (or an African hunt). I doubt that NRA Rifleman is doing that.

For general websites, such as travel sites or car review sites, many sites are paying a low flat fee or perhaps five to ten cents a word. That's a huge difference.

But there is also a significant trend in our culture -- a massive shortening of the attention span and reluctance to actually sit down and read an article. The average internet attention span (time to decide whether to read a page or move on), is under TEN SECONDS.

I think many of the current NRA Rifleman articles are pretty well written, with good graphics, but the bottom line is that real gun journalists can't make a living the way they could in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. And so the content is not as informative, or interesting -- because really talented outdoor topic writers just cannot make a living at it anymore.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

I would say now days 90% of all reading is online, and I find more info on forums
20 years ago I read every word on them two or 3 times. Now they just go to a stack

 

[Olspark]

American Rifleman and American Hunter have been out of my life for quite some time. I used to subscribe to Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and a lot of other specialty mags. The sporting magazines starting becoming repetitious in my opinion and I started dropping them. The last to go was Bugle magazine by RMEF. Forum boss is correct about making a living writing now and the attention span of readers contributing to that decline. My wife is one of few people that I know that can become buried in a book most of the day. I certainly can’t.