Guns Of The Old West Gone

[DPris]

Just FYI if anybody was reading it, Harris Pubs announced this morning they're closing the company doors tomorrow.
GOTOW is dead.
Denis

[rbertalotto]

WHAT!!!! I just paid for a two year subscription

[DPris]

Don't shoot the messenger.
I'm not real happy about it myself.
Denis

[Chuck 100 yd]

Several GOOD magazines have gone under in the last several years. Precision Shooting is one I used to read. Several more are only half as thick as they were.

[Sixgun]

Who cares about the stupid magazine....I have the guns.----6

[wecsoger]

Shame, that.

I liked the mag, subscribed for awhile, picked up copies at the grocery store other times when it caught my eye.

They were a 'formula' mag, always a gun article, old western movie/tv show article, etc.

As far as the latter, my wife always enjoyed reading those parts.

*All* print magazines, newspapers, etc., are suffering. All these young whipper-snappers don't care unless they can read content on their magic elf-boxes.

[Blaine]

Shame, that.

I liked the mag, subscribed for awhile, picked up copies at the grocery store other times when it caught my eye.

They were a 'formula' mag, always a gun article, old western movie/tv show article, etc.

As far as the latter, my wife always enjoyed reading those parts.

*All* print magazines, newspapers, etc., are suffering. All these young whipper-snappers don't care unless they can read content on their magic elf-boxes.

Some of us Old Whippersnappers, too.
I could read thru a Guns and Ammo in a couple hours. And, you will be reading stuff that their advertisers want you to read for the most part.
If I Google, say, Mike Venturino articles, I doubt you could get through them all in a entire week of nightly reading.
Besides, I'd rather BS with my buddies on this forum. There are more, and better sources of info on this site than any dozen magazines.....

[Sixgun]

On thinking of magazines, I have at one time or another subscribed to most of them all.

This is where the problem comes in.......if I ain't learned something in 40 years of gobbling up everything in the gun world, I must be half Italian.. (Hey wait, I am) ....so......I just don't learn anything anymore from the gun mags....except...........Handloader and Rifle.....it's all I get. (American Rifleman excepted) ------6

[DPris]

Guys,
Might it be possible, just this once, with Herculean effort, to resist the inevitable temptation to open up four pages of running criticism of gunmags & gunwriters?

Merely passing on news that one or two people might actually be interested to hear.

Yeah- All praise the Gods Jordan & Skelton.
Yeah- Times ain't what they used to was.
Yeah. The Internet holds ANY & ALL useful info anybody could ever hope to need.

Got it.
Nuff?
Denis

[Ysabel Kid]

WHAT!!!! I just paid for a two year subscription

Me too!

This was my favorite magazine. I read each issue, pretty much cover-to-cover. ARGH!!!

[jdad]

There is no need for print any longer. That's why they call this the "digital age". As Microsoft would say, "resistance is futile."

Look at what firearms the under 40 group is buying, it ain't leverguns. Reality bites. You can adapt or be left behind grumbling about the "good ole days".

[DPris]

Last issue will be out on May 3, I'm hearing.
Dunno if worth trying for a refund on subscriptions.
Denis

[Malamute]

Its not just younger people using digital rather than print. I was slow getting on board with computers, but had slowed down reading print before that. Not really a writer issue I don't think, but after reading many of them cover to cover for 20 years, it gets hard to find new material. Some forums can be that way at times, though its a bit more active, and reactive than print, and even some of us curmudgeonly guys have adapted fairly well to digital media. Its just the reality of the day.

I hadn't heard of the magazine in question, but think I would have liked it. The ones mentioned (Rifle, Handloader, American Rifleman) have been pretty good when I come across them, though in the case of the latter, when I saw them regularly, I could catch up on a years worth in a fairly short time.

[Griff]

I for one, will be picking up the last issue when I see it. Advertising pays for magazines, not subscriptions. And what keeps their doors open. And, Denis, I'll only speak ill of one gunwriter... as he's a cad, so full of himself that there's no room for him to learn anything... and he certainly needs to learn a little humility... When one asks a favor of a shooter, then belittles that shooter because what he got was not to his liking... he exposes himself for his true self. And I'll put my criticism where it counts, with his editor... which I've done numerous times.

[Old No7]

Who cares about the stupid magazine....I have the guns.----6

I do! I don't have them all -- yet -- and probably won't ever get "all of them", but I sure did enjoy reading about all those Guns Of The Old West.

All of those guns have:
* History
* Soul
* Style
* Character
* Stories
* Blued Steel & Walnut

The plasticized-AR-AK-louden-boomers that the "kids" shoot at the local range have NONE of those attributes...

Which really makes me happy when my iron-sighted leverguns outshoot them at 50 yards offhand -- while they shoot with elbows resting on a bench!!

Dang it............................................

I really liked that magazine -- it was one of my favorites...

I think I even sent a copy over to Gamekeeper once too.

Old No7

[Rusty]

I hate other that. Makes me want to sit down n watch Monte Walsh.

[gamekeeper]

When I was a kid, gun magazines were my only source of information, even in those far off days the UK was not exactly bustling with firearms and hunters, except for a privileged few.
Nowadays I surf the net for details of rare or unusual firearms but I still prefer to sit back and relax with a gun mag, full of articles written by different authors and detailed photographs of firearms I'm not likely to ever get my hands on.
Guns of the Old West was an excellent example of such a magazine, thanks Old No7 for sending me a copy
It is sad that the magazine has folded but like the TV westerns it probably had a diminishing audience, the younger generation seem more interested in brand new plastic stuff than history and steel and walnut.

[J Miller]

I guess I'll have to be the curmudgeon here. I prefer printed books and magazines when I read things. They are permanent, in 10 years that book will still be there.
IF something digital is still there in 10 years .... will you be able to find it?
I wouldn't, I'd need to borrow somebodies 8 year old to do a search for me.
Electronic things run on batteries or house electricity. Been way to many times in my life when the juice goes out. What do you do with your electronic thingies then?

Sad to see GOTOW going away. I'll miss it.

And it's not Microsoft that says resistance is futile, it's the Borg.

Joe

[Malamute]

Who cares about the stupid magazine....I have the guns.----6

I do! I don't have them all -- yet -- and probably won't ever get "all of them", but I sure did enjoy reading about all those Guns Of The Old West.

All of those guns have:
* History
* Soul
* Style
* Character
* Stories
* Blued Steel & Walnut

The plasticized-AR-AK-louden-boomers that the "kids" shoot at the local range have NONE of those attributes...

Which really makes me happy when my iron-sighted leverguns outshoot them at 50 yards offhand -- while they shoot with elbows resting on a bench!!

Dang it............................................

I really liked that magazine -- it was one of my favorites...

I think I even sent a copy over to Gamekeeper once too.

Old No7

Interesting comment about the difference between what we think of as Old West guns and the middle 1900s guns. Id suggest that theres quite a lot of history, stories, soul, style and character built up over 60-some years of worldwide use of those mid-1900s guns, just not what one may be interested in if you like Old West type things.

Recall a number of images of M16s and M4s with the finish heavily worn from use in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's quite a lot of character, soul, and stories involved I'm sure. The number of Kalashnikovs that have been in use for 50 years or more and are still being put to use is also surprising.

What we enjoy was Old West guns were new, basically state of the art newfangled hot rods of the world when they were used in the period we think of them being used most. Some old timers disparagingly called Winchesters "machine guns". Guns that were mass produced shooting machines, not having the character and soul of a muzzle loading caplock rifle, a REAL gun. We get selective in what we choose to say has character, soul, stories or whatever. I like to look at the larger picture, many old guns have character, including those heavily used M16s, M4s, and Kalashnikovs. I prefer the stuff we think of as "Old West" period guns, but also appreciate many others.

[Bill in Oregon]

I always thought it was a rather expensive magazine for what it contained, and rarely bought it. It could be a sign that the cowboy action fad has seen its peak. With each passing day, there are fewer and fewer aging baby boomers who want to dress up in Gus hats and spotted chaps on Saturday mornings.

[DPris]

CAS peaked years ago.
The closing of the Roy Rogers Museum was a major death knell.
Denis

[MrMurphy]

Thank you, Malamute........


And yes, the CAS thing peaked many years ago. 3 -Gun is the "new in thing". And aside from dressing up, it involves guys with a rifle, pistol, shotgun, shooting fast, from odd positions or moving....sound familiar?

Newer guns, same idea. And some older guns too (I've seen a guy shoot a Garand in a 3-gun match, with a 1911 and an 870).

While I certainly appreciate and like old guns, my old M240 with all it's dings and scratches could certainly tell some (mostly classified) stories. My AR i carry for work could tell even more.

[Sixgun]

One thing I have learned since playing on discussion forums....you can't see the "face" of the person doing the typing..........words are overanalyzed and taken to heart. I most always am laughing.

Yea, "Gun of the old West" was/is a good magazine...it's just that I cannot see getting uptight about its demise.....after living 61 years and seeing people I care about die, I have learned to take life in stride and could care less about a gun magazine....whatever happens is gonna happen.

As for guns, I believe it's what we knew when we were little...for me it's Winchesters and single action Colts.....for you younguns, it's most likely AR-s.

See? That's why I just spent 4 big ones on a BAR....make sense? Heck no....life don't either...sometimes.-----6

[horsesoldier03]

The Magazine will likely just file for bankruptcy, CEOs will get their big bonuses, and they will open another Magazine and get a whole new subscription base of subscribers to rip off. This has become the new American Business Model.

[DPris]

Nope, not here.
Employees gone, as of this afternoon.
This is no bankruptcy.
No re-org.

Harris is closed.
Period.
Denis

[Carlsen Highway]

Whats that guy Mike Bellveau going to do now?

[Ysabel Kid]

Whats that guy Mike Bellveau going to do now?

He writes for other firearms periodicals, and has a channel on YouTube (with many very interesting posts/videos). He's recovering from a fall this winter, but hopefully will be back at it soon.

[Ysabel Kid]

Nope, not here.
Employees gone, as of this afternoon.
This is no bankruptcy.
No re-org.

Harris is closed.
Period.
Denis

That would explain why I couldn't get through to anyone and no one has returned my call...

[DPris]

In doing damage control trying to advise various people & companies about the dozen or so articles they'd provided products or services for that obviously will not run now, along with several other articles in various stages of production currently, one holstermaker tells me he called & got through to a gal in Accounting, apparently the only employee left during the wind-down phase in the Harris New York offices.

Mike B has other income sources, he's mostly retired anyway & the Harris freelance work was dwindling.
He's a good man, he'll be fine.

In my case, transferring full-bore into Kindles.
Among others, watch for the results of 150 pounds of .22LR dropped off last week, and the 20,000-round Henry Golden Boy endurance run later this summer.

And, we start shopping for a cardboard box to live in next week.
Kinda looking forward to that, no yard upkeep....
Denis

[harry]

In doing damage control trying to advise various people & companies about the dozen or so articles they'd provided products or services for that obviously will not run now, along with several other articles in various stages of production currently, one holstermaker tells me he called & got through to a gal in Accounting, apparently the only employee left during the wind-down phase in the Harris New York offices.

Mike B has other income sources, he's mostly retired anyway & the Harris freelance work was dwindling.
He's a good man, he'll be fine.

In my case, transferring full-bore into Kindles.
Among others, watch for the results of 150 pounds of .22LR dropped off last week, and the 20,000-round Henry Golden Boy endurance run later this summer.

And, we start shopping for a cardboard box to live in next week.
Kinda looking forward to that, no yard upkeep....
Denis

If you can swing it be sure to get the double wall box.

[DPris]

Yeah, with so many options available, we're hoping for a two-level with space for the reloading set-up & gun vault.
Gotta keep local building codes in mind, but considering our Northern Utah winters, the double-wall idea is pretty much a must.
Denis

[DPris]

For those affected, got a thick packet of legal papers dropped off by FedEx today re court filings in the Harris Pubs shutdown.

They're estimating 50,000 subscription-holders & apparently planning refunds.
Denis

[Ysabel Kid]

For those affected, got a thick packet of legal papers dropped off by FedEx today re court filings in the Harris Pubs shutdown.

They're estimating 50,000 subscription-holders & apparently planning refunds.
Denis

I'll take my refund in back issues!

[JohndeFresno]

...All these young whipper-snappers don't care unless they can read content on their magic elf-boxes.

[donw]

it's also worth noting that "Shotgun news" has changed it's title; its now "Firearms News".

how much longer will it be around?