Shotgun News Blows.......

[Poonie]

I haven't bought a shotgun news in ages. Was at Wal-Mart the other day cruising the magazine rack and saw they had some, so I just threw a copy in to the cart, not really checking the contents. I get home and sit down to read and man......what a joke....no articles worth reading except one of some guy threading a Mauser barrel or some such drivel. real exciting ....99% of the ads are for the tactical Ar type rifles, etc. No articles whatsoever regarding milsurps and the like. I remember this rag used to have several decent articles in each issue that covered the gammut. Now it seems they only cater to the SWAT wannabe crowd, which to me is about as interesting as watching paint dry . Needless to say that magazine went right into the fire starter box after the first look through. I won't be wasting my money on that rag again.

[Enfielder]

Aw c'mon. You'll miss out on the monthly edition of Fred's M14 stocks editorial. Whenever I'm in Exton Walmart I'll do a quick read of SGN at the rack. If there's an article relevant to my interests, a 25% chance, then I'll buy it. I would not subscribe to it.

[shiloh]

SGN has good articles once in awhile -- but it is mostly ads. If it wasn't for the multi-page spreads from Sarco, J&G and R Guns I wonder if SGN would even be able to stay in business.

Although it's not a shooting mag, I like Mowbray's Man at Arms - Gun and Sword Collector. Focus is mainly on antique weapons (an interest of mine that actually predates my interest in milsurp and modern guns), but they have done lots of great, detailed articles on WWI and WWII-era guns as well. I get American Rifleman because I'm an NRA member, and it has some good articles also, but I can't remember them writing a negative word about any of their advertisers. AR's gun reviews all read like advertising copy.

[GunLawyer001]

SGN is for old guys without Internet access, the guys who think that computers are for doing the household budget and playing Pong.

Why would you want to peruse month-old ads in a non-searchable format, where any ordering has to take you to a phone and you have to describe the product and hope they get it right?

SGN is the buggy-whip manufacturer of the gun business, new technology has made it irrelevant and quaint. The only question is whether they fold before or after Blockbuster shuts its doors.

[phillyd2]

Aw c'mon. You'll miss out on the monthly edition of Fred's M14 stocks editorial. Whenever I'm in Exton Walmart I'll do a quick read of SGN at the rack. If there's an article relevant to my interests, a 25% chance, then I'll buy it. I would not subscribe to it.

I thought he died or retired or something.

[Nate7667]

Well in a way, they are playing the market. Think about how many AR type weapons were bought this year alone. And how many people want to pimp them out with all bolt on goodies.

Small Arms Review is where its at.

[PA Rifleman]

SGN is for old guys without Internet access, the guys who think that computers are for doing the household budget and playing Pong.
...
SGN is the buggy-whip manufacturer of the gun business, new technology has made it irrelevant and quaint. The only question is whether they fold before or after Blockbuster shuts its doors.

That blunderbuss hit both the pubs -and- the readers. Why do you tell us how you *really* feel about SGN? [8^)

Agreed, it's long past obsolete.

I dropped them long before the gun biz went over to the internet, They kept selling my name & addy to anyone with pocket change and a desire to know I had guns. (read: how long 'till the bad guys figure this one out?) I told them multiple times to knock off the data whoring, they refused, I didn't renew SGN.

[DaveIam]

They do put out another version of the rag. It has a lot more articles and can be found at most bookstores. Its still not great, but its better. Just look for the one with the glossy cover page, not the one that looks like a newspaper.

[GunLawyer001]

That blunderbuss hit both the pubs -and- the readers. . . .

There are a couple of categories of people who can be safely insulted on the Internet without risk of directly offending them, including the old geezers who bid $400 for used Ruger 10/22's at the local gun auction, illiterates, and Mennonites.

[nfafan]

They do put out another version of the rag. It has a lot more articles and can be found at most bookstores. Its still not great, but its better. Just look for the one with the glossy cover page, not the one that looks like a newspaper.

True that. Still, ad copy is way out of date by the time you read it.