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Forums10
Topics38,931
Posts550,843
Members14,460
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Most Online1,344 Apr 29th, 2024
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 369 Likes: 2
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 369 Likes: 2 |
I stopped my subscription to SSM years ago as well. Not worth the money. Sporting Classics now has my subscription and I find it 10x as interesting (and larger to boot) then SSM.
NRA Patron Life Member
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,999 Likes: 113
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,999 Likes: 113 |
I dont blame you, SDH. Your sentiment about corporate America putting the $ 1st is hitting the nail on the head. You wouldnt believe whats happened with medicine over the past 30 years. Its all business now and about the almighty dollar where hospital administrators are making a million dollars a year and the doctors who do all the work are being paid less and are relegated to a position of servitude, in many cases. Sad, because many doctors have had enough and are hanging it up.
Socialism is almost the worst.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 251
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 251 |
I have not dropped my subscription to SSM yet, but one more Tom Roster column promoting non-tox for upland shooting would probably be the last straw.
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,513 Likes: 408
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,513 Likes: 408 |
SSM has been hot garbage for a good long while. The ads have gotten ridiculous and the articles are boring. The only decent stuff in the rag has been the gunsmithing articles....thats been about it. When I get a hankering for a decent read, Ill go into my archives and pull a SSM or DGJ from the early years. The guys writing the articles lately seem like posers to me. Trying their very best to imitate McIntosh, Mathewson, etc. and they just seem to come up short every time. Oh well, still have the old stuff to rummage through when I feel the need. This! I gave up on SSM a number of years ago for all these reasons. I did enjoy SDH's columns but that was about it. I'm interested in editorial, not advertorial.
The world cries out for such: he is needed & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 291 Likes: 11
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 291 Likes: 11 |
I certainly miss your articles, SDH. I continue to subscribe to SSM---read what interests me and ignore what I don't. I'm an avid bird hunter and shotgunner and SSM fills the bill for me, but I do miss the gun smithing articles. I too subscribe to Sporting Classics---there's certainly lots to read between issues.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,405 Likes: 16
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,405 Likes: 16 |
Thanks for the understanding and support. I enjoy writing for Sports Afield as they allow me room to choose the direction of the topics as long as they pertain to custom Hunting rifles, the makers and the fellows that hunt with them. As much as I love fine engraving guns that are simply a platform for applied art are not what I'm interested in researching and writing about. Magazine distribution is sketchy these days and subscriptions are the surest way to get desired magazines, I'd recommend Sports Afield for those that are interested in international big game hunting, the major focus of the magazine.
As for advertorial, that notion and considering fancy ads as content is the trend on the newsstand. I recently saw a story labeled as "Sponsored" a trend that has a gagging effect on me.
I had a great 22 year run with SSM but had been feeling more and more that I was out of touch with the editorial direction and content of the magazine. I do feel that loosing Fine Gunmaking was loosing the last consistently authentic column in the publication. I Never wrote about advertisers and Never repeated a topic in over two decades. When I left I had a list of nearly a dozen potential topics that I think you guys would have enjoyed reading about...
Recently, on the reader-board of a church I saw posted, "Change is inevitable, growth is optional". I try to live by this notion.
I'll be posting about the Summer Seminars in a few weeks, mainly stockmaking. I hope to see some of you in Dallas, look me up at the ACGG section.
Last edited by SDH-MT; 12/30/17 03:31 PM. Reason: edit
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,179 Likes: 130
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,179 Likes: 130 |
Give Dan Cote a call. DGJ can always use another quality writer.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,561 Likes: 249
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,561 Likes: 249 |
....Your sentiment about corporate America putting the $ 1st is hitting the nail on the head.... I have completely no idea, but doesn't this assume a healthy bottom line? It could be possible that paid circulation is going down, like it seems other print periodicals face. I have had no interest in this magazine for quite a while, but the bean counters may have been sent in to make business not creative decisions.
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,966 Likes: 96
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,966 Likes: 96 |
Agree about the quality of the content going straight down. My subscription still has a year to go but I doubt I'll renew. I have all issues from the first but recently took about a foot high stack of the most recent to the trash can. The early years were great. Double Gun Journal or Sporting Classics would be a great place for your special articles.
Actually, I'm also getting a bit bored with DGJ. I mean, how many full color pictures does one need without well written editorial content.
John McCain is my war hero.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 9,985 Likes: 894
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 9,985 Likes: 894 |
I am beginning to have the exact same sentiments. A guy doesn't need 2 or 3 articles on Fox guns (or, whatever) every quarter, either.
I know guys who have sent in interesting (to me, anyway) articles 4-8 years ago, and never heard anything back.
Best, Ted
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