Shooting Literature

[VA_XTC_Shooter]

It is my understanding there are no decent shooting related magazines out there PSM closed up shop. All others just fluff new products.

Curious though, why books seem to have taken a big dip? When you search up shooti g books, moat are at least 10-20 yrs.old and dated.

Is there just not a market? I'm biased, I snag juat about every shooting related book I come across.

 

[Downeast]

Could be that most under 30 can't read. A quick one or two sentences from Google and they are experts.

I agree. Not much out there in the way of books. Litz seems to be the most recent author if you enjoy ballistics.

 

[K22]

Social media = death of print literature / journalism.

PS: Nothing like paging through a good magazine while on the potty.

 

[rijndael]

PS: Nothing like paging through a good magazine while on the potty.

Which is partly why I'm averse to handling other people's cell phones.

 

[ebb]

I read the answer to this in the American Rifleman. Why learn the basics of precision shooting, reloading, and rifle maintenance when all you have to do is buy a Creedmoor???? Seriously this is what most young guys tell me. The Creedmoor was designed to out shoot all others. They read it all here on the internet, so it must be true.

 

[Bill K]

Present day youth, some teachers have reported that the majority of students in high school now days are at the level of 4th graders, so what would you expect ? Them to read and learn good old fashioned RRR's ?
To much electronic video/phone time and no skills at reading printed material any longer, so with sales down, so go the books.

 

[rijndael]

Present day youth, some teachers have reported that the majority of students in high school now days are at the level of 4th graders, so what would you expect ?

There is some hope. My kids all take Latin, the older 2 have had 4 years of it. They can school me on etymology pretty handily.

 

[rr2030]

I read the answer to this in the American Rifleman. Why learn the basics of precision shooting, reloading, and rifle maintenance when all you have to do is buy a Creedmoor???? Seriously this is what most young guys tell me. The Creedmoor was designed to out shoot all others. They read it all here on the internet, so it must be true.

Lame

 

[DirtySteve]

I read the answer to this in the American Rifleman. Why learn the basics of precision shooting, reloading, and rifle maintenance when all you have to do is buy a Creedmoor???? Seriously this is what most young guys tell me. The Creedmoor was designed to out shoot all others. They read it all here on the internet, so it must be true.

That is why I own one.!!! Lol

 

[ebb]

I have no hate for the 6 or the 6.5 Creedmoor. If not for owning 2 and at one time 3, 260 Remington's I would own a Creedmoor in a heartbeat. It's the 100% belief in something written on the internet, by a snake oil salesman and buying it hook line and sinker just because its something that they want to believe. They want to believe that finding this info on the internet, and not seeing it at the range or hearing it over the counter at a gun shop or reading it in a magazine, makes it top secret info that only they are privy to. I was totally amused when I read about the Top Secret South Carolina load, like they were the only ones that had ever tried using H4831 in a 6.5. I also get a little ticked when I hear some internet commando lecture Randy Robinette on the reamer he designed, or any of the other industry founders that are responsible for the quality of the bullets, barrels and firearms we can use today.

 

[Downeast]

That is why I own one.!!! Lol

I own three! And a buddy of mine is buying one in a Tikka today. It's a great caliber for what it is. Nothing more, nothing less.

If the youngsters want to buy the Creed, I say go for it! If they like shooting them they will eventually buy 1 or 100 more firearms in other calibers.

 

[MislMan]

Join your local library with internet access. You'll be able to checkout many hard-cover books about history and development of many fields. You will have access wherever you go.

 

[jackson1]

Precision Shooting magazine was one of my favorites. Glad I kept a few issues. Will still reread on a cold winter night. Todd Kinder's Small Caliber News is another good one, sadly long gone. My sons can dispose of them when I'm gone. Got a notebook full of pet loads, one of these days I should write my procedures for loading them. Might better if I could load it on their phones.

 

[DirtySteve]

A lot of old books can be downloaded from the US Library of congress.

 

[VA_XTC_Shooter]

Join your local library with internet access. You'll be able to checkout many hard-cover books about history and development of many fields. You will have access wherever you go.

I have that, but have found the shooting related literature lacking.

 

[Bill Norris]

I read the answer to this in the American Rifleman. Why learn the basics of precision shooting, reloading, and rifle maintenance when all you have to do is buy a Creedmoor???? Seriously this is what most young guys tell me. The Creedmoor was designed to out shoot all others. They read it all here on the internet, so it must be true.

Yea, the C M came on the scene with a whirlwind of hot marketing B S. Hornady pumped it up to the point that lots of unschooled "shooters" thought it would shoot a bullet out to 500 yards and magically correct it's course for the remainder of flight and then gain enough speed to stay aloft longer than any other cartridge ever made. I have nothing against the C M at all but the lousy marketing was exactly B S from the word go.

 

[TaperPin]

It is fascinating how the shift in information has evolved. I would have given up my first girlfriend in high school to have an internet full of shooting information (turns out she wasn’t as wonderful as the first impression suggested).

On the other hand there’s no doubt I would have read less Capstic, Keith, O‘Connor, Seyfried, Milek, Zumbo, etc. and instead would have spent a misguided youth thinking of the coolest super-short barreled, overbore, suppressed, and painted, rifles with bolt knobs and scope turrets the size of hotdog buns. . . . Or whatever has rotted the brains of today’s youth. Instead it left some of that for me to discover later - I’m just now coming to terms with scopes that weigh more than some babies.

The search functions now only show what The Man wants us to see - imagine how many useful old websites are no longer easily accessible. Marketing dollars buying search placement are clouding our judgement - imagine what 20 more years will bring. Our Visio smart TV just made accessing over the air antenna channels only possible if you first scroll through 900 channels with advertisements. What’s next - one powder company or bullet company having a monopoly on all our shooting?! . . . oh wait. . . Hmm . . .

Maybe we are living in the good old days and 20 years from now the only guns will be “owned” with a monthly subscription and ammo volume will be based on the subscription package. The winners circle will be determined by pay for play, and the only hunting will be some reality tv show with competing teams on pay per view. In some dark alley, down in a long utility basement below a high rise, the only surviving gun guys will have the equivalent of prohibition shooting matches, and rooms with guys gathered around a single lathe talking throat angles, where you have to know someone and repeat the secret knock to be invited in.

 

[KMart]

The internet killed the magazines.

 

[marazzi59]

I can't speak on everything but what exactly are you looking to read about? I could probably recommend a title or 2. I have a lot invested in my personal library.

 

[CharlieNC]

Books? With the decline in our education system and the advent of TV and social media most people want to be entertained vs investing brain power to read, so the consumer base has diminished. To write a book requires considerable effort vs anyone being able to make and post a YouTube and become an instant expert, so the supply side is diluted as well.