NRA & Shooting Illustrated Magazine

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  • Last Post 24 August 2020
mashburn posted this 22 August 2020

Several months ago I renewed  my membership to the NRA and after being so disgusted with the American Rifleman magazine for several years, I changed to Shooting Illustrated. I looked through the first issue and trashed it. The next two or three issues I deposited in the trash can at the post office. I got the most recent one today and brought it home. After looking at it a few minutes ago I decided the only good use for it would be find someone who still has a outhouse and use it for wiping material even though all of the pages are slick pages. I discovered at an early age that the slick pages in the Sears and Montgomery catalogues are not very good toilet paper.

I wish the NRA could figure out that Military style stuff isn't every gun owners cup of tea. I am still trying to figure out how it was possible to take a bolt action rifle and turn it into such a ugly duckling. When my  NRA membership is up for renewal in 5 years, I won't take a magazine. Perhaps there won't even be a NRA organization in 5 years. That is possible.

Mashburn

 

David a. Cogburn

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JeffinNZ posted this 22 August 2020

They pitch to what the thick end of the shooting population are interesting in.  Right now it is black guns.  Guns 'n Ammo almost always have a handgun on the cover because they know that's what sells magazines.  You have to remember folk like you and I are very much the minority.

Cheers from New Zealand

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RicinYakima posted this 22 August 2020

With knowledge and experience comes wisdom. Don't think to highly of your neighbors.

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mashburn posted this 22 August 2020

Hello JeffinNZ,

I like handguns also. I think I'm down to 20 not counting Contender barrels. I had a weak moment years ago and sold a few of my collection. The difference in my handguns, mostly revolvers, is you can tell by weight on your belt that you are carrying a real handgun. The first handgun that I ever had any experience with was a 1911 .45 that was issued to me by the U.S. Army. I was also closely involved with a Model 70 Winchester with a fixed power steel tube Redfield scope that also belonged to the U.S. Army. I still like my 1911 and carry my own now practically every day.

Another interesting thing to me is that most of these black gun people have never served a day in the military. Perhaps if they had, they might have other interests. This is one reason that I was so fascinated with this association when I first heard of it. Perhaps if the U.S reinstated the draft they could face the real world of what these weapons are for.

Thanks for your response,

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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mashburn posted this 22 August 2020

Hello Ricin,

Glad to hear your response. We haven't been involved in any discussions on the forum in quite a while .Interesting to know where your quote came from.

Thanks,

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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David Reiss posted this 22 August 2020

I don't like seeing all the black gun articles also and the constant mention of tactical this & tactical that , however if that is what the younger generation likes and that is what gets them interested in shooting or hunting, then I am all for it. 

Also we need to keep in mind that we joined the NRA as an organization to protect our gun rights, the magazines good or bad are just a bonus and their quality or lack there of and contact should not affect our membership. They could do without all their magazines if they would just do a better job of protecting our 2nd amendment right, but that is not the discussion here and is on another thread on the forum. 

Lastly I love all those ugly bolt action military rifles you call ugly ducklings. I call them interesting. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
- Also deal in: Land, Banjos, Nails, Firearms, Manure, Fly Swatters, Used Cars, Whisky, Racing Forms, Rare Antiquities, Lead, Used Keyboard Keys, Good Dogs, Pith Helmets & Zulu Headdresses. .

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mashburn posted this 22 August 2020

Hello David,

I think you didn't understand part of my post. In earlier posts I have stated that the NRA is all we have and I will be a member as long as I am alive. It is their magazines that I have no use for, they should try to reach the interests of all the shooting public.

Also, I was not referring to military bolt actions as being ugly ducklings. I love all of the military bolt action rifles and single shot military rifles, it's what they have done to sporting arms, they have turned them into para military type stuff. I know that to survive we must unite and that is what upsets me with the NRA's magazines, they are all aimed at one group.

Years ago, when I was much younger, I lived in Fannin Co. Texas. We had a bird hunters association, a coon hunters association a rabbit hunters association(Beagles) and a wolf hunters association. We finally united and formed the Fannin Count Hunters Association, Hired our own lawyer and turned in to a forceful group. That is what the NRA needs to do; unite and recognize all types of gun owners-shooters and hunters.

Mashburn 

David a. Cogburn

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RicinYakima posted this 23 August 2020

Yes! Here, the shotguns guys don't talk to the pistol guys who don't talk to the precision rifle guys who don't talk to the benchrest guys who don't talk to anybody. If you cast your own bullets, they hold up their crosses and run away.

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mashburn posted this 23 August 2020

Hello Ricin,

You hit the nail square on the head again. My gripe against NRA publications is: they have quit covering anything for shooters other than the black para military group. This will cause some people(not me) to drop their NRA  membership. I have just quit reading their magazines.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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John Alexander posted this 23 August 2020

Holding up a cross may be the best defense.  I have been saying we are infected with zombies, vampires, and such.  But how did they find out?

John

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admiral posted this 23 August 2020

mashburn,

I too was never interested in AR15's having been in the service. In fact I avoided them because of the "pretender" crowd that are  drawn to them. I'm a walnut/blued steel guy at heart. I finally put together an AR15 coyote/match rifle last year because I disliked coyotes getting away when i called in a pair or a triple. It's funny though as I think the American Rifleman has gotten somewhat better over the last few years. 20 years ago I threw them away they were so bad. I wish they would leave their political stuff to that non shooting mag they publish. Their favorite political topics are: 1) this election (no matter the year) is the most important of our lifetime. 2) Democrat bad

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RicinYakima posted this 23 August 2020

I had not touched an M16/AR15 from 1969 through 2018. But I built a "freedom" AR in 2018 to have a project with my son (82nd Airborne, 1990-1992) for a father / son thing. He shoots his a lot, and I have one 20 round magazine thru mine.

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mashburn posted this 23 August 2020

Hello John,

That is a good one.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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mashburn posted this 24 August 2020

Hello Admiral,

Thanks for your response and view points. The only way that I would purchase an AR type rifle would be to just carry it around and tick the anti-gunners off. I like your description of the pretenders crowd. I really believe that TV shows and movies are one of the biggest reasons for the popularity of para military stuff.

I have a complete collection of American  Rifleman magazines from 1949 through the 80's and will be receiving the real early ones in the near future. They date back to the time before it was called The American Rifleman and runs up to where my 1949 through 80's start. I have these filed away in a big cabinet with each year bundled together and labeled. I love to take these things out and read. I'll pull a certain year out at a time and enjoy. Times have certainly changed, haven't they.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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mashburn posted this 24 August 2020

Hello again Ricin,

A bit of humor here. I can't remember for sure, I think it was in 1965 or 1966. That is the first time that I ever saw a M16. Our unit got a few of these things in and I can remember how tickled we got when we first saw them, especially the country boys suited up in OD. That was the era that the Mattel Toy Company had the TV commercial that said "you can tell it's a Mattel because it's swell."  So every time we would pick up one of the M16's we would always say; You can tell it's Mattel because it's swell. It took a long time before we got tired of saying it. It still comes out of my mouth once in a while, but most people aren't old enough to get the Mattel joke.

Just think, the first ones that went to Viet Nam had no cleaning kits. They thought they were self cleaning, can you imagine that. Think about rifles with no cleaning kits in the Viet Nam wet, hot jungle. They also did not have the forward assist to shove a round in to a dirty rusty chamber. Well they were smart enough to chrome line the bore, supply a cleaning kit and put the forward assist on the later rifles. There were a lot of GI's that would still be alive if the early rifles had these later additions

.Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

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max503 posted this 24 August 2020

I take the digital issue and delete it without reading it.

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alphabrass posted this 24 August 2020

Good idea to just take the digital edition.

Another example of "them versus us" is muzzleloaders: traditional versus in-lines, even though almost all load from the muzzle?  
A big topic at the NMLRA, which seems like a good organization.  I look at my fellow muzzleloaders and see that I am often the youngest, and I have grey sprinkles in my hair my wife tells me.  Counterproductive to alienate the next generation.

alphabrass

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