Lilred's Rant of the Week-Field & Stream

[Lilred]

Had to take my Mama to a back specialist yesterday and I was in the waitin room all total 3 1/2 hours:eek:
So I was sittin there readin the magazines..they all sucked..ya know..them girlie magazines w/ nuthin but pictures of high dollar outfits and all that happy crap. Dug thru the basket..lo and hehold by the grace of god there was a brand new issue of Field & Stream. I was grinnin like a mule eatin briars...still I started readin.

They had an article in there..where the writer bought a Fox Sterlinwerth double..a beautiful gun. What does he do with it???
He restores it! I dont mean restore as in mechanical restorin..which to me is perfectly acceptable. Nawww..uh-uh..he gits him some fancy new stock..even had a different shape! Said the old one "wouldnt fit the shooter's of today." I bet you my ugly stick would fit a "shooter of today"....

Then he gits it reblued...and he puts new chokes in it..the before and after pics was a sin among all sins. Now..I can understand fixin somethin that's broke. But the gun looked to be in fine shape and well taken care of. It looked used..which was the gun's intended purpose. Ripped all the character right off that gun..to "fit the shooter of today."

Well let me tell him..and I think I might..that "the shooter of today" was originally the shooter of yesterday and that's the way it should remain. Not only that...but iffin he wanted a new Fox..then he shoulda bought a new one.

Well..needless to say..I put that magazine down and dug fer another half an hour to find a Outdoor Life..but iffin ya'll are near a magazine rack at the store..er git that magazine...take a peek at that article.
I'll shar my ugly stick..I aint greedy :D

[GoodOlBoy]

My subscription to field and stream ran out as of this month, and I am just gonna let it die for that very reason. They have done that to fine old firearms more times than I can count. Makes me sick.

GoodOlBoy

[DaMadman]

Originally posted by GoodOlBoy
My subscription to field and stream ran out as of this month, and I am just gonna let it die for that very reason. They have done that to fine old firearms more times than I can count. Makes me sick.

GoodOlBoy

I got my subscription to Field and Stream for free from a link someone posted on this board quite some time ago and it just keeps coming. Never have paid for anything. knock on wood it just keeps coming. been well over a year now probably closer to two....:confused:

[GoodOlBoy]

Thats how I got mine, but my free subscription ran out, and I aint gonna pay for it.

GoodOlBoy

[Swift]

Hey Red, F&S aint for REAL outdoorsmen/women. It belonged in the botttom of the basket with the other crap rags you described.

[PJgunner]

If you can find a copy of the January 2006 GUN WORLD, I took on one of their authors and they printed it. You can find it, if interested on page 4 under the title HOT LOADING.
I'm at the point in my shooting life where lawyer proof loads, and lying "egg-spurts" hear from me pretty darn quick.
I may not have writing talent to do an article, but I have been dinking with rifles and handguns for 56 years and I hope I have learned a thing or two. If the Good Lord allows me more time, I hope I learn even more.
Paul B.

[M.T. Pockets]

Field & Stream lost me a few years ago when they started to get combative & down right sarcastic in their question & answer section. David Petzel tried to be Don Rickles and lost my respect as a writer.

They're an awful long ways away from the likes of Gene Hill.

[drummer]

M.T. pockets, you have F&S nailed.
David Petzel got real aggressive and George Reiger always was.
They try to sensationalize everything and print the most inflammatory letters to the editor and the snide replies.There were also some derogatory remarks made about one of their best writers, the late Corey Ford. And they gave off some serious misinformation about CWD a few years ago (article called "Deadly Venison").
What sucks is Sports Afield was a good rag, and it went belly-up, but F&S still persists.
IMO look for Fur Fish and Game if you want a serious no frills magagzine.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Now Red you know how hard it would be to please everyone?..I think it would be hard to fill those pages every month on a deadline without stepping on someones toes.

[Steverino]

I did read that article Red in F&S and honestly thought, like alot of the rest of the other posters had noted, that the original Fox didn't look too bad as it was. I believe that the author was Phillip Bourjailey(sp?) that writes the monthly shotgun articles. I do not recalloffhand all of the specifics added or redone to the shotgun other than what you noted but thought that the finished product didn't look all that bad either.(Don't think that I would have personally shelled out a couple of grand for the "upgrades") As Skeeter pointed out, something for everyone.

I do miss the old F&S authors like Gene Hill and Corey Ford too that I grew up reading and enjoyed very much (btw-their collective writings as well as other F&S authors of past years was offered in a hard-bound book a couple of years ago-great reading and memories!;) ) but I also enjoy some of the current authors like John Merwin and Mark Hicks on fishing and Bill Heavy can usually cajole a few laughs or smiles.

I agree that Petzal can be very caustic but I think that he usually offers pretty good information in his articles and does occassionally feature rifle articles on shootin irons that your regular everyday Joe Slob can afford.

There's still some good yarns told and features of some backwoods bait and tackleshops, catfish fry joints, and game recipes (there's a good venison chili recipie in this months issue that I'm itchin' to try) that keeps me coming back.

I still find F&S to be among the few monthly rags that you can get hunting, fishing, shooting, conservation, humor, and product reviews, along with practical tips. (BTW-Outdoor Life regularly gets contributions from the same authors-articles from F&S)

Everyone is entitled to their opinion I spose!;)

Now on to more important issues...how's that darling daughter of yours Lil Red? She fixin for Santa to come?:D

[skeet]

Well the Ol Sports Afield got into mountain bikin and other artsy fartsy crap and they needed to go under. I got out of most of the hunting rags just becasue they have gone a little fruity in some respects. As far as doing the gun over...well it was his gun...and he gets to write off the cost of doing it because it was a subject of a magazine article(ask Rocky...but I don't think he can write it all off). I don't mess too much with older guns..but I love to buy 'em. Just bought me an old Remington 31 pump....neat gun..even with the factory cutts. Solid rib gun, too!

Just an observation LR but it seems as though most of the shooters of today..never learned how to shoot anyway(Don't y'all fire at me now...I said most). I have a friend that has a penchant for buying guns(he bought a Bushmaster Varminter yesterday...Neat gun). The only thing I can't understand... he will only buy new guns(at new prices). He said he doesn't want "used" guns. Now this is a shooter of today. My reply to him??? Every gun he has is a used gun..so what's the big deal? Really shut him up, too:D Oh...and I also bought me a nice shiny new Ruger 77/22 Hornet. I know it is new...but I couldn't find a decent Winchester 43.

Hope that young'un has a really great Christmas as well as you too Lilred

[drummer]

That's true.It's his gun and he can do whatever he wants to with it.:D

[GoodOlBoy]

Yup very true, it is his gun. . . . he just didn't deserve to have a gun that decent to do something to.

Anyway. It is also the reason I finally dropped my subscription to Guns of the Old West. Every time I turned around they were showing you how to turn a $3000 antique Colt Peacemaker into a engraved, nickled, shortened barrel, target crowned, ivory birdshead gripped masterpiece (With genuine 4000 year old fossilized ivory tusk grips) for only another $15000 . . . . . . . One if thats ALL they can write about they aint aimin the articles at me. Two if I HAD that kinda scratch I wouldn't kill an antique Peacemaker, I would buy 5 more to go with it :D

My plug nickle

GoodOlBoy

[skeet]

Heck GOB, Now lets not be elitist..like a lot of others. There are lots more guns than that double that are getting"fixed up". Anyway...I really like your way of thinkin Quote..

Two if I HAD that kinda scratch I wouldn't kill an antique Peacemaker, I would buy 5 more to go with it unquote. More guns is better!

I might take an old beat up gun and make it useable though. I'd just like to find another ol peacemaker in that condition to fix up.

Actually there really isn't anything wrong with fixing up an old gun. If it is a really nice antique or unique firearm it IS a sin to make it like new. With older shotguns...many were used heavily and the stock is beat up or it's not mechanically sound. These are fine to fix up...especially to factory condition. And make 'em like new...not like a new style gun.

[BILLY D.]

gee lired i know people who do the same type thing customizing vehicles, hint, hint.;)

it's the american dream to take something, a vehicle or gun or our homes and apply our artiistic presonal touches.

like "sweet" i'm still giggling about that one, i mean skeet, i'm wondering how that little youngin is getting ready for santa claus. i'll bet she is all a titter. they get so excited. i remember all my little ones when they were at that age. their excitement made me feel good. i guess that made us parents better people.

that reminds me of a little story. i was in the supermarket one day before christmas a few years ago and a mom and her little one were in there shopping. the little one was probably tired and hungry and was screaming and grousing. i noticed this for a complete aisle and mom was really getting frustrated. i walked up to them and rasied my hand put it over the little ones ear and whispered into it in a grandfatherly manner. the little kid was silent and looked at me with the biggest blue eyes i've ever seen and quieted right down. a couple of aisles later the mom asked me what i told the little one. i said i simply whispered "santa claus is watching you".
i never seen such a more gracious and relieved smile in my life, and she told me thank you, and it made my day.

[skeet]

Hells bells Billy.. I didn't think anyone would catch that sweet thingie that gal used...but I figure if anybody did it hadda be you. BTW that was a slick thing to say to the young'un...wish I had thought of that in the past.
C'mon Lil...tell us whats happenin to home with the young'un

[BILLY D.]

Originally posted by skeet
Hells bells Billy.. I didn't think anyone would catch that sweet thingie that gal used...but I figure if anybody did it hadda be you. BTW that was a slick thing to say to the young'un...wish I had thought of that in the past.
C'mon Lil...tell us whats happenin to home with the young'un

i have very strong powers of observation. it was the only thing that kept me alive sometimes.

fabs saw the sweet thingie to. he even made a wry comment about it. i figured ater fabs got done you didn't need any more razzing.:D

[Lilred]

Dont git me wrong folks..tis his gun and he can do whatever he pleases..iffin that flips his skirt..than so be it. But I still can fuss over it ;)

As fer as the lilone..she is close to 2 now..Lord help us all. I even thought bout turnin the wild child loose in Iraq..whoop em all in one fell swoop lol..:rolleyes:

She is perty excited bout Christmas tho. She has managed to just bout kill the tree. Have to watch her like a hawk tho...every one of the bulbs on that tree is old as dirt..some were hand blown...family heirlooms.
She talks alot..tryin to teach her to say yeller right..er..yellow.
She picked up some bad habits from the babysitter..talkin correct English and all :eek: LOL

Sometimes she gits mezmorized by the tree, the lights and the singin Santa Claus I got..I will have to post Christmas pictures..she sure is somethin. She loves music..and her colorin books and crayons. Dont really play with no toys..and she hates baby dolls. Now ya'll lookie here..it wont me..honest. I even bought her a baby doll. Threw it down in the floor..I think she even cussed at it a time er 2..
Loves the outdoors..screams like a madman when you take her inside without lettin her git her feet in the dirt. And of course we had snow...so that was the best thing ever to her. All you hear from her "schnow! schnow!" (That's how she says it anyways.)

And I have offically learnt every blue clues song imaginable..by heart..husband caught himself singin em in the shop a time er 2..I reckon the other mechanics thinks he's on somethin.
Caint wait to git all them poics on Christmas mornin..I'll have to post some :D

[Lilred]

Oh and by the way Billy..that was a good story..I like thatun.
And yer right..I tore that truck of mine up perty good...lol
Tit fer tat I say..but I tell you what..iffin that was a 60's musclecar sittin out there insteada that truck..things would be alot different.
I dont think that truck'll hit pavement fer a while..huntin season is here..not that it really does me any good.
I did git to hunt the Sat. after Thanksgivin tho. Aint kill nuthin but the dogs ran good (which is all I really did anyways was run dogs) and the hubby did see some does but aint git a shot.
We had one of the best afternoon runs I've seen in a few years..was funny as all git out..was great.

And..I sure do hope everybody has a good Christmas..well..iffin we're all breathin...I reckon it is a good Christmas