disappointed

Alchemist2

Hi all,
I think this may have cropped up before, but i have just bought this months edition of the irish shooters digest and to be honest i think it will be the last time.Here we are with only weeks to go to the duck season and no related articles, lots of material on target sports if thats what you're into, maybe its taken me alot longer to pick up on this than most but is this mag trying to be all things to all men?(and women too:D) i know that it may never be in the same lane as sporting gun et al for obvious reasons(SALES) but heck at 4.25 euro a pop id be expecting alot more for my hard earned cash.Does anyone agree? I have noticed over time that alot of the game shooting articles are infact related to driven shoots or syndicate based shoots, maybe its time for an overhaul for the mag, i know i do enjoy the different stories i read on here from you guys and i feel i relate to them better as i am just a plain ol rough shooter..anyhoo what is the concensus out there??

seoirse1980

Agree with you a hundred percent. I think the Irish readers are hungry for another shooting magazine in the Irish market. But I'm not sure wheather the advertising or the subscription would be large enough to make a decent monthly mag. I and most of the shooters I know would buy or swap four or five mags a month. Most are from accross the pond. I'd love to buy Irish but I just don't enjoy the read as much. I also get target shooter magazine sent to my email free of charge, can be good if you dont get it already.

EastTyrone

im in the same boat as yourselves. All they seem to talk about is a driven shoot in co. down or else field trial championships and as im just a regular shooter like most people on this site, and country a dog that will put up a bird and take it back with out any hassle will do me grand and the driven shooting doesnt interest me wan bit.

they need to focus more on rough shooting and wildfowling which the majority of irish shooters do.

deerhunter1

Alchemist2 wrote: »

Hi all,
I think this may have cropped up before, but i have just bought this months edition of the irish shooters digest and to be honest i think it will be the last time.Here we are with only weeks to go to the duck season and no related articles, lots of material on target sports if thats what you're into, maybe its taken me alot longer to pick up on this than most but is this mag trying to be all things to all men?(and women too:D) i know that it may never be in the same lane as sporting gun et al for obvious reasons(SALES) but heck at 4.25 euro a pop id be expecting alot more for my hard earned cash.Does anyone agree? I have noticed over time that alot of the game shooting articles are infact related to driven shoots or syndicate based shoots, maybe its time for an overhaul for the mag, i know i do enjoy the different stories i read on here from you guys and i feel i relate to them better as i am just a plain ol rough shooter..anyhoo what is the concensus out there??

I agree, my subscription is up this month I will not be renewing it.

Grizzly 45

It's what sells guys.It's the longest surviving shooting mag too here in the ROI so it must be doing somthing right.

Sparks

TBH, I'm more and more coming to think of the Digest as being a much smaller version of here, with far harsher moderating (as much as we differ in here, there are four mods and an appeals process to keep everything honest; you don't find that anywhere else), far more commercial pressure and therefore a commercial bias, and frankly, shoutiness sells ad space. The problem is, shoutiness generally hurts the community in the medium and long terms - so the Digest is pressured by commercial reality to hurt the community it serves.

deeksofdoom

Shooters digest is fairly boring alright, but I'ld say they would accept an article from anyone. Cal Ward has a 6 or 7 pages of pure dribble on there every month.
So if you want to spice it up put in your own article.

But to be fair in any of the English magazines the topics constantly repeat themselves so they are just as boring.

johngalway

deeksofdoom wrote: »

Shooters digest is fairly boring alright, but I'ld say they would accept an article from anyone. Cal Ward has a 6 or 7 pages of pure dribble on there every month.
So if you want to spice it up put in your own article.

But to be fair in any of the English magazines the topics constantly repeat themselves so they are just as boring.

Nope, I tried

Sparks

deeksofdoom wrote: »

So if you want to spice it up put in your own article.

Used to, once upon a time. Came to the conclusion that if they kept publishing shouty stuff then I was just doing more harm than good putting stuff in there.

deerhunter1

deeksofdoom wrote: »

Shooters digest is fairly boring alright, but I'ld say they would accept an article from anyone. Cal Ward has a 6 or 7 pages of pure dribble on there every month.
So if you want to spice it up put in your own article.

But to be fair in any of the English magazines the topics constantly repeat themselves so they are just as boring.

Yep thats for sure and any dribble will be better than that:P

landkeeper

any magazine is the same the trouble is there are only so many ways to write about the same thing time and time again the same can be said about the farmers journal or land rover monthly once you have read the thing monthly for a couple of years then its repetition time
unless there are articles about particular models of gun or lads write their own accounts of a days sport then its more of the same
maybe some of the rough shooters in the country should offer to take the article writers out for a day or two and lets see what happens then , i'd imagine the driven shoots are glad of the publicity and 1 extra body on a busy shoot day is no inconvienience and there are garanteed pic oppertunities to beat the band

Tackleberrywho

Little birdie tells me there could be a rival Mag on the go shortly

Alchemist2

i do hope so:D

Grizzly 45

johngalway wrote: »

Nope, I tried

What happened JG??

johngalway

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

What happened JG??

Not much actually, emailed to see if they'd be interested in any bits of foxing. They asked for samples, sent three which got the most thanks on here Heard nothing back, which if nothing else was kinda rude :rolleyes:

Vegeta

Jesus, while none of us are professional writers I always enjoy your accounts John. Even if they linked a months outings together it would make a great little article.

Tackleberrywho

Vegeta wrote: »

Jesus, while none of us are professional writers I always enjoy your accounts John. Even if they linked a months outings together it would make a great little article.

I think we are gone beyond a monthly mag.

More Info and better pics on boards!!!

Grizzly 45

johngalway wrote: »

Not much actually, emailed to see if they'd be interested in any bits of foxing. They asked for samples, sent three which got the most thanks on here Heard nothing back, which if nothing else was kinda rude :rolleyes:

:)Well,you have learned the first lesson in freelance writing.Not everything goes smoothly the first time round ,and the second lesson is try,try.try again.Pick up the phone and ring them and find out the story as to what is going on.It could be work pressure,it being held over for a later date,on the spike on the Ed desk,or rejected.
You will only find out if you get in contact with them.Find out exactly whats wrong with the copy,too long,short,context?Could be many things.Ask if you rewrite the article to their specs would they print it or re consider it?

Tip for you.The ISD is a miniscule operation ,so you cant expect a prompt reply or payment if say you were writing for Guns'n Ammo or Hunting.
Eric is doing this mostly himself,and doesnt have a big staff.

We just dont have the market,ability to do gun reviews,or product reviews like Europe or the US.Hence it is up to us to try and change it.But the other problem is then persistence in keeping up a monthly flow of articles too.
Cal Ward 's articles either loved, or hated have one thing ,they are there every month and that is what counts to a small magazine.That you have advertising sold and somone to fill the pages.It is a busisness first,a shooting mag second. IF you want to be a sucess in this you have to be able to thump out an article every month for 12 months on fox shooting.Thats quite a job when you have near enough said it all by March.It's like how many dishes can you make with Spam?

So keep trying,it isnt an easy way to make a small crust here and a very limited market too,so I would even suggest you try the NI mags and the UK mags as well for the pig iron.I know one other sucessful Irish writer who writes for The Countryside weekly,who has gone the gamut of the Irish shooting mags and has even published a small book from it too.So there is potential there,you just have to stick with it.

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Cal Ward 's articles either loved, or hated have one thing ,they are there every month and that is what counts to a small magazine.

Yes, but whether or not that's a good thing is a different question. Having content for Eric to sell ad space with is important to Eric; having a magazine published and read by every DoJ and Garda member in the country which looks as dodgy as some of Cal's stuff... that's not so important to us I think.

Grizzly 45

Indeed,and it is a visous circle.Thing is;it has been there 30 odd years now so it must be doing somthing right.I can count at least five mags that opened and folded after one issue in that time or never got off the ground.Not to mind it is somones livlyhood,and they arent going to risk it either by falling out with their main contributor either.

Tackleberrywho

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Indeed,and it is a visous circle.Thing is;it has been there 30 odd years now so it must be doing somthing right.I can count at least five mags that opened and folded after one issue in that time or never got off the ground.Not to mind it is somones livlyhood,and they arent going to risk it either by falling out with their main contributor either.

They could get a newer one!

I reckon Ezri or JG could do a good fist of it!!

Grizzly 45

I'm sure they could Tac,but the point is will they deliver12 months worth of articles on a somwhat specialised subject?I know we have the same oul "ducks&pheasents" and "when I were a lad" articles,and then Cals contribution along with Des Croftons.Thing is Cal,does wether you agree or disagree does diversfy his content.That is what keeps him going in the ISD.Ok rants&raves aside,is there many articles or colums on test reviews
on bits and pieces from ROI shooters?Not really,cos our law dont allow it.Cal in NI can do a certain amount of this.So until we can come up with quantity and quality we are kind of stuck with whats there.

What we actually need here is two seperate mags.One a hunting mag,which ISD covers fairly well,and a target shooting,gun review ,bayonet collecting, etc, mag.Trouble is our laws on all of the above will make it a very short magin size and longevity.:(

Alchemist2

got to disagree there grizzly the reason i started the thread was because ISD doesn't cover enough hunting ie rough shooting, lamping et al;)

Antoennis

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Indeed,and it is a visous circle.Thing is;it has been there 30 odd years now so it must be doing somthing right.I can count at least five mags that opened and folded after one issue in that time or never got off the ground.Not to mind it is somones livlyhood,and they arent going to risk it either by falling out with their main contributor either.

Just because something has been around for 30 years doesn't mean it is going to be for another 30. The market is changing and i don't think ISD is keeping up with the times. Listen to the readers without delivering what they want ISD has no future. I for one stopped buying it a long time ago.

Half-cocked

I've written a few clay shooting articles for ISD and know Eric reasonably well. He only has a circulation of about 7,000 both North and South, and often has trouble filling his pages - hence the presence of Cal Wards overlong column and the likes of falconry etc. There are some very good articles written by people who know what they are talking about, but quite often these can get a bit overly technical - methodology for measuring shot size for example (being an engineering geek I did find that interesting, but I can imagine most readers eyes glazing over). I think what ISD really needs is more 'how to' articles - decoy pigeons, build a high seat, lamp foxes, rear poults, even sight a rifle. There have been articles like that over the years, but too few and far between. Eric does pay for pieces, not a lot, but it'll buy a few boxes of ammo. Lots of pictures makes for a more interesting piece too. From reading various threads in the shooting forum, there is a lot of knowledge out there, so why not try writing a piece for ISD? If we want an Irish shooting mag we should try and make it worth buying.

For a start, I want to learn more about trapping mink. Anyone want to write a piece?:D

dicky82

the thread title is 'disappointed' and the last comment was by 'half~cocked' :rolleyes:
just thought it was funny:D

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Thing is Cal,does wether you agree or disagree does diversfy his content.That is what keeps him going in the ISD.Ok rants&raves aside,is there many articles or colums on test reviews
on bits and pieces from ROI shooters?Not really,cos our law dont allow it.Cal in NI can do a certain amount of this.So until we can come up with quantity and quality we are kind of stuck with whats there.

No, we're not, and Antoennis touched on it:

Antoennis wrote: »

Just because something has been around for 30 years doesn't mean it is going to be for another 30. The market is changing and i don't think ISD is keeping up with the times.

This is what print media in all sectors worldwide is now in a blind panic about. The simple fact is that the internet is killing off newspapers and magazines at a rapid pace because their primary customer demographic is sufficiently affluent to be able to afford internet access. Look at your magazine rack in your local newsagent and ask how many old titles have fallen in the last few years? The fact is, they were in decline and then the credit crunch pushed a lot over the edge; but even the big names are seeing the writing on the wall. That's why Murdock has a paywall on his internet news sites, but it's not working because other sites (both 'official' like the BBC and 'unofficial' like the huffington post and other sites) undercut him with free content.

But more than just the cost issue, there's the fundamental change that the internet represents to print media. It's as big as the invention of the printing press, which put books within the budget range of ordinary people; the internet has put the actual printing press within the budget range of ordinary people.

Look at johngalway's articles on fox hunting. The Digest wouldn't publish them, but they're up here for anyone to read, and will remain so effectively forever. He doesn't have to go through hoops to publish them, he just has to write them. And we get to talk to him about them, ask questions, and learn more. Print media can't even approach this. You can't look at a newspaper article and ask questions or point out obvious errors or anything else. It's just not possible.

The immediate future is more likely to look like magazines like the Digest going the way of Flying Funeral Directors (no, not kidding, it was an actual magazine) while online versions like Target Shooter and more web-based formats like, well, this place, becoming the norm.

Grizzly 45

Alchemist2 wrote: »

got to disagree there grizzly the reason i started the thread was because ISD doesn't cover enough hunting ie rough shooting, lamping et al;)

It's one reason I gave up on it..I found it had too much on hunting ducks and pheasents,with the odd bit on deer hunting,and alot of more of same.I'll buy it now IF there is somthing worth holding onto "article specific".But I wouldnt be botherd having it on subscription.

Just because something has been around for 30 years doesn't mean it is going to be for another 30. The market is changing and i don't think ISD is keeping up with the times. Listen to the readers without delivering what they want ISD has no future. I for one stopped buying it a long time ago.

Agree 100% with you.
BUT you have to ask who exactly are the "readers " of ISD nowadays?? Are they still the majority of the 90% of Irish gunowners,who are farmers with a double barrel who take the odd flake at a pheasent now and then?

is it the "boards.ie" type gunowner who is as diverse now as anything?
Think you will find the ISD is more the former and in an older age group who isnt very computor literate either[Sweeping generalisations here]
And the boards.ie user is younger and more computor savvy.

Personally,I think any new Irish shooting mag will be better off being an Ezine.Why bother having to produce a glossy mag that is expensive on paper to produce.When electronic bytes are easier to move around and delete or add onto at a moments notice,rather than having to stop a printing press?Thats been one of the killers of of paper mags here in Ireland .Not to mind you now get worldwide coverage with an Emagazine,how far does a paper mag go?Same as why bother paying thru the snout for a yellow pages ad in an 0? book,when you can have a webpage for almost the same money and a worldwide coverage?

Grizzly 45

[

QUOTE=Sparks;67271485]No, we're not, and Antoennis touched on it:

I meant more on the fact that he is living in NI and under different firearms legislation,and therefore he can do alot easier more tests on firearms,scopes,etc than we can down here in the ROI.
I cant see anyway under our legislation that you could borrow a gun from a dealer and go and testfire it and play around with it to be able to write an article about it.Unless you were a gundealer yourself,and who is going to shoot their own new stock and then have to flog it as 2nd hand?? In the UK there is a specific category of dealers for people who write about firearms.

Look at johngalway's articles on fox hunting. The Digest wouldn't publish them, but they're up here for anyone to read, and will remain so effectively forever. He doesn't have to go through hoops to publish them, he just has to write them. And we get to talk to him about them, ask questions, and learn more. Print media can't even approach this. You can't look at a newspaper article and ask questions or point out obvious errors or anything else. It's just not possible.

And this is the other side of the blade. JG ,as most writers and authors are doing this to make some cash!So how do you get paid for your artistic work,without having everyman and his dog reading it,copying it,and passing it on to their mates and doing this adinfiteum??

Deerspotter

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

And this is the other side of the blade. JG ,as most writers and authors are doing this to make some cash!So how do you get paid for your artistic work,without having everyman and his dog reading it,copying it,and passing it on to their mates and doing this adinfiteum??

He never seemed to be in it for the money, more for the enjoyment of the creation!

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

I cant see anyway under our legislation that you could borrow a gun from a dealer and go and testfire it and play around with it to be able to write an article about it.

Firearms Act, Section 2(4)(a):

(a) the possession, use or carriage of a firearm or ammunition by an employee of a registered firearms dealer in the ordinary course of business of the dealer as a firearms dealer,

Test-firing a firearm is the normal course of business for an ethical firearms dealer who does not wish to sell on a firearm without being sure that it is in working order, or who wishes to test it in order to write advertising copy for his business. If someone was to be employed as a consultant on a casual basis for that purpose, 2(4)(a) should allow them to do what you're talking about.

And it was ever thus.

I meant more on the fact that he is living in NI and under different firearms legislation,and therefore he can do alot easier more tests on firearms,scopes,etc than we can down here in the ROI.

Not really true. It's not so much legal impediment as economic and expertise impediments and there are just as many of those on either side of the border as on the other side.

And this is the other side of the blade. JG ,as most writers and authors are doing this to make some cash!So how do you get paid for your artistic work,without having everyman and his dog reading it,copying it,and passing it on to their mates and doing this adinfiteum??

You don't.

On the other hand, the Digest used to pay less than the price of entry to a rifle match for a full article (and I know whatever I was paid went into the NTSA to help pay for printing our own newsletter), so it's not like you're giving up a lotto win.

Simple fact is, if you do write this sort of thing, it's not really for financial reward because there's no way to earn enough of a reward to make it worthwhile, no matter who you write for (and that's not just for writing shooting magazine articles - writing books, unless you're Terry Pratchett or JK Rowling, will not pay the bills, nor will most kinds of writing unless you're one of the top three or four names in a particular sector).

Most people who write like this do it because they love to. It satisfies something in their makeup to do so - and they get far more out of seeing thousands of people reading what they write than they do from getting a (very) few quid into their hands. I know I get far more of a buzz from looking at the readership stats from my blogs than I ever got from getting paid thirty or forty quid for an article that then got edited to fit in someone else's magazine.



Far more fun to see stuff like that, or to note that something you've written has been read by a hundred thousand people since you wrote it.

And it's not like magazines have a financial advantage here btw; how many people here have read the Digest or the Shooting Times or whatever from the club copy or just flicking through it off the shelf in Easons without buying it? When that's how people read it, there's no money to go around to begin with. And when it's a commercial company to start with, there's a strong incentive to pay as little as possible for articles and copy; which is another reason why writers were paid so little.

Tackleberrywho

Sparks wrote: »

Firearms Act, Section 2(4)(a):


Test-firing a firearm is the normal course of business for an ethical firearms dealer who does not wish to sell on a firearm without being sure that it is in working order, or who wishes to test it in order to write advertising copy for his business. If someone was to be employed as a consultant on a casual basis for that purpose, 2(4)(a) should allow them to do what you're talking about.

And it was ever thus.


Not really true. It's not so much legal impediment as economic and expertise impediments and there are just as many of those on either side of the border as on the other side.


You don't.

On the other hand, the Digest used to pay less than the price of entry to a rifle match for a full article (and I know whatever I was paid went into the NTSA to help pay for printing our own newsletter), so it's not like you're giving up a lotto win.

Simple fact is, if you do write this sort of thing, it's not really for financial reward because there's no way to earn enough of a reward to make it worthwhile, no matter who you write for (and that's not just for writing shooting magazine articles - writing books, unless you're Terry Pratchett or JK Rowling, will not pay the bills, nor will most kinds of writing unless you're one of the top three or four names in a particular sector).

Most people who write like this do it because they love to. It satisfies something in their makeup to do so - and they get far more out of seeing thousands of people reading what they write than they do from getting a (very) few quid into their hands. I know I get far more of a buzz from looking at the readership stats from my blogs than I ever got from getting paid thirty or forty quid for an article that then got edited to fit in someone else's magazine.



Far more fun to see stuff like that, or to note that something you've written has been read by a hundred thousand people since you wrote it.

And it's not like magazines have a financial advantage here btw; how many people here have read the Digest or the Shooting Times or whatever from the club copy or just flicking through it off the shelf in Easons without buying it? When that's how people read it, there's no money to go around to begin with. And when it's a commercial company to start with, there's a strong incentive to pay as little as possible for articles and copy; which is another reason why writers were paid so little.

I find the Digest Drab and boring.
Did you ever notice the ampunt of views on certain threads, .223, Foxing, .204, Deer, Customizing rifles etc

All these threads get thousands of views in a matter of days of posting.

If one was a Business person they would realize that sections on , How to rebed a rifle, or Zero, or fix something that was broken, recondition an old firearm etc would grab peoples attention.

Photo's of fellas holding medals? Boooooring.

Explaining who to win a medal, INTERESTING ;)

dCorbus

Firstly, the ISD pretty much ignores rifle Target Shooting (certainly other than LRRAI shoots which are covered very well, no other target shooting -of the rifled kind that is - is covered at all).

Whether this is intentional or not, who knows - but it does seem to be ignoring a sizeable chunk of the shooting public.

Secondly, magazines do not make money by selling magazines these days. They make money by selling advertising. Not the same thing. So whether you stop into to Eason's to buy the Digest or to use the Eason's Magazine Browsing Library (as I did yesterday), you are still viewing the advertising content. OK, not to the extent that a purchaser is - but certainly you are influenced by the ads. And that's what the advertisers are buying into.

The ISD certainly seems to go out of its way to portray shooters in some sort of weird light as sparks alludes to. For example, what's wrong with this picture on a recent ISD cover? (Clue: At least three things! And possibly one or three of a more technical nature (sort of) )

Photo's of fellas holding medals? Boooooring

V True.

Sparks

dCorbus wrote: »

Firstly, the ISD pretty much ignores rifle Target Shooting (certainly other than LRRAI shoots which are covered very well, no other target shooting -of the rifled kind that is - is covered at all).
Whether this is intentional or not, who knows - but it does seem to be ignoring a sizeable chunk of the shooting public.

That's because Cal Ward is heavily involved in the LRRAI (and there's a dose of politics in there that would bore even me, but suffice to say that you're unlikely to ever see NRAI stuff in there, or ISSF stuff, at least in a positive light).

Secondly, magazines do not make money by selling magazines these days. They make money by selling advertising. Not the same thing.

Too true
And the Digest is pretty much at the complete mercy of its advertisers as a result - and that's not good for the community, as I mentioned above.

dCorbus

All and any magazine or information forum is at the mercy of it's advertisers TBH. e.g. Have you ever read a bad review in the GunMart or Shooting Sports magazine(s)?

That's a given - but it still doesn't explain why the ISD is still so goddamn boring, parochial, and full of men holding medals for something done with a shotgun - interspersed with birdfeeder and dog-run advertisements. No offence intended to those with an interest in such things - but hey, that's only one particular area of shooting.

What would be nice is an Irish version of something like Targetshooter. How viable that would be is anyones guess - probably not very viable would be my rough estimate unfortunately - but we can but dream!:)

That's because Cal Ward is heavily involved in the LRRAI

You don't say?!;):D

suffice to say that you're unlikely to ever see NRAI stuff in there, or ISSF stuff, at least in a positive light.

And that's a real pity - but you will see the odd NRAI and ISSF shooter mentioned in there though!

Why would a magazine (i.e. a commercial enterprise) not publish articles provided by other organisations? That's nonsense - I can appreciate that Cal Ward may not write about ISSF nor NRAI stuff for whatever reasons, but for the magazine publishers not to cater for this market, makes no business sense. If you want to reach your entire target market (no pun intended), why ignore it?

Sparks

dCorbus wrote: »

All and any magazine or information forum is at the mercy of it's advertisers TBH. e.g. Have you ever read a bad review in the GunMart or Shooting Sports magazine(s)?

Nope. Read a few here, mind you

That's a given - but it still doesn't explain why the ISD is still so goddamn boring, parochial, and full of men holding medals for something done with a shotgun - interspersed with birdfeeder and dog-run advertisements. No offence intended to those with an interest in such things - but hey, that's only one particular area of shooting.

Yeah, but it's the largest demographic they have. Farmers won't buy the Digest, so it's down to hunters, wildfowlers and clay pigeon shooters - and pretty much only DTL shooters at that.

Anyone who shoots rifles or pistols and who doesn't collect bayonets and tomahawks or who doesn't feel like reading yet another rant against the powers that be from someone who's not really interested in a real solution to the problem, is pretty much out in the cold.

What would be nice is an Irish version of something like Targetshooter. How viable that would be is anyones guess - probably not very viable would be my rough estimate unfortunately - but we can but dream!:)

*looks about*
I dunno dCorbus, I always figured this was the Irish version of Targetshooter, albiet more interactive and a bit more fun...

You don't say?!;):D

Does rather shock you, doesn't it?

Why would a magazine (i.e. a commercial enterprise) not publish articles provided by other organisations? That's nonsense - I can appreciate that Cal Ward may not write about ISSF nor NRAI stuff for whatever reasons, but for the magazine publishers not to cater for this market, makes no business sense. If you want to reach your entire target market (no pun intended), why ignore it?

The NTSA used to submit stuff (I used to write it). After a year or so, we started noticing that having our stuff associated with Cal's was... well, let's just say it became clear that that wasn't in the best long-term, medium-term or short-term interests of our members.

The NRAI has submitted articles, and I understand it took a while before anything got published (I don't know if they're being published at the moment).

The ICPSA started submitting stuff a while back from what I heard, I think they're still writing stuff for the Digest?

Not sure about the others, but I'm sure they can comment for themselves!

dCorbus

WTF, should you not be on honeymoon or something?;):D

Just checked the ISD "website", apparently they're a fieldsports magazine - not a shooting sports magazine.
So, there ya go now.

Some items in from the NASRPC on gallery etc. AFAIK.

Sparks

dCorbus wrote: »

WTF, should you not be on honeymoon or something?;):D

No, the honeymoon's deferred to next year I'm afraid. Claire's mom's not well at the moment and I start the new job on Monday. Just bad timing.
But next year, we take the train to northern Italy and eat our way across europe

Just checked the ISD "website", apparently they're a fieldsports magazine - not a shooting sports magazine.

Yeah, fieldsports is the new black

Some items in from the NASRPC on gallery etc. AFAIK.

Grand so.

cavan shooter

cant we just accept its one of those rags you love to hate.........yet stil buy:D

i am now reading e zine target sports??? i must say its interesting and informative

Sparks

I just don't like it and don't buy it :pac:

Target Sports is getting better every month. I do wish they'd change the format from a straight PDF sort of thing, but I expect that'll happen eventually. And there are a few other websites as well, from ISSF to the ESC to the NTSA to club websites and others.

Tackleberrywho

Sparks wrote: »

I just don't like it and don't buy it :pac:

Target Sports is getting better every month. I do wish they'd change the format from a straight PDF sort of thing, but I expect that'll happen eventually. And there are a few other websites as well, from ISSF to the ESC to the NTSA to club websites and others.

TBH I would love a mag with a target section in it, to explain the rules, give tips etc
Same could be said for all aspects of hunting.
A Tips section where readers can write in and submit tip of the month or something.

I do believe if they changed some of there writers they may get a broader readership:eek::eek:

shedd7

Does anyone know how many people are involved in rifle target shooting here?Maybe we could get the information on the numbers and send it to the magazine,then they would know that it is worth the effort to change to more rifle target shooting coverage. Judging by the people on here regularly there must be a couple of thousand at least and that is probably near half what the magazine is selling now, so they could probably increase their readers by about 50%. I think we should do a poll here and send the results to them so they will give more space to rifle shooters.

Sparks

Last I checked, there were close to 80,000 rifles licenced in Ireland, and unlike the 160,000 shotguns, most aren't old single-barrel jobs used for farming. It's hard to believe that the tens of thousands of rifle owners would have no interest in target shooting at all...

jwshooter

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I think we are gone beyond a monthly mag.

More Info and better pics on boards!!!

i think you are cal ward ?

Sparks

jwshooter wrote: »

i think you are cal ward ?

We make a point of not asking...

Tackleberrywho

jwshooter wrote: »

i think you are cal ward ?

Read my Infractions, and you will know i am not !;)

Tackleberrywho

Sparks wrote: »

We make a point of not asking...

Now Sparkie, that could be taken up in two forms.

Can that CW and this post be deleted please?

last i want is to be sued for impersonation

jwshooter

i like eric he is dead sound and he is a businessman .

if his mag does not sell ,it will go wallop .like it did years ago .the problem back then it got repetitive .

i reported on the sporting for a while , its bloody hard to make it sound interesting as the same few were winning .

i would love to see a page on game to cook ,in season . i said this to eric at the time it went no where .

my idea was to ask known shooters /chiefs for recipes .follow a hunt right through to the meal .

its grand to give out about the mag ,maybe we should try to make it better .

dCorbus

Oh, tackleberrywho is most certainly not c. ward.
That I can vouch for. Not sure whether that's a slur on cw's or tac's character TBH!!:D:D:D:rolleyes:

Sparks

jwshooter wrote: »

i would love to see a page on game to cook ,in season . i said this to eric at the time it went no where .
my idea was to ask known shooters /chiefs for recipes .follow a hunt right through to the meal .
its grand to give out about the mag ,maybe we should try to make it better .

We do it better here already. Here are your game recipes, for example. With video. And the original authors answering questions from people looking to cook their recipes.

Grizzly 45

Guys,
I cant understand why you would want to force your ideas and type of shooting on a mag that is really catering to a totally different audience than the majority of us here ???It would be like taking an old boys club bar ,and having the place re modernised into a ultra cool wine bar!!
You lose the custom that is established longtime and you might get in new clientle,for as long as the place is trendy.

Forget it!! and if somone is enturprinal enough ,start up an ezine here,where people will write for the "joy " of it for free!! So they can see their hit counts go up:rolleyes:..Maybe I'm rather old fashioned but I would rather have a 50 quid note in my wallet to buy some ammo ,rather than a gazillion hits or whatever on some personal website or twatter or mugbook..
There are quite afew people who do make quite a good living out of writing for shooting periodicals and books in the US and Europe,but they are technical manuals rather than actual story books.And they really are not going to write for free either.And this is what you will need to stand out,somone who is writing somthing professional and intresting,otherwise
this then ends up as the ISD in ezine format with the same old toss just on a computor.

Test-firing a firearm is the normal course of business for an ethical firearms dealer who does not wish to sell on a firearm without being sure that it is in working order, or who wishes to test it in order to write advertising copy for his business. If someone was to be employed as a consultant on a casual basis for that purpose, 2(4)(a) should allow them to do what you're talking about.

"Ethical" firearms dealers...In Ireland???Like "Ethical "used car salesmen??
Where are these legendary creatures of which you speak???

You do realise that once said gun is fired it is 2nd hand and has to be priced as such??What dealer will do this,not to mind an honest report on a total POS that he has bought in by the van load.How will he get rid of them then?Or keep a supply from a company that he has just slated??Very much a tightrope if you were in that job and trying to wear a second hat as well.Best kept seperate IMHO

Anyone who shoots rifles or pistols and who doesn't collect bayonets and tomahawks or who doesn't feel like reading yet another rant against the powers that be from someone who's not really interested in a real solution to the problem, is pretty much out in the cold.

Hmmm,or belongs to somthing weird and wonderful category and has the audacity to get one page published of their heresey in the ISD,so that the "trad" mob can rip them apart and cast them into outer darkness as well.
The IPSC practical pistol/shotgun article springs to mind.