This has been an interesting thread. As a magazine editor and writer, I can't say i agree with everything here, but there are some valid points.

I think it should get more coverage than it does.

We're pretty open and thick-skinned here, Steve, if you want to elaborate more on what you agree with and don't.

Well, I think the sport is far underrated. But I know why; it

Steve, very insightful response. I agree that the internet is not as good as the written word. Especially when I am on the computer looking at stuff and not in bed with my wife reading it. She much prefers that. It also allows for keeping a good reference around.

By the way what rimfire publication are you writing for. I would very much enjoy a publication that touched on Silhouette, Benchrest, hunting, and can shooting as long as there were interesting articles and the flavor of the magazine didnt focus highly on one particular aspect of rimfire shooting.

I agree that advertising is what makes all media successful and that might be a good start. Anschutz, Eley, etc. The problem is what advertising cuts would have to take place to make those funds available.

I think that a quarterly publication would be awsome with some top shooter profiles, equipment tests, large shoot coverage.

I am not a writer just a shooter that likes to talk about it and loves to read about it. Especially when I am in the science library. (thrown)

Kevin

I like print media and would subscribe immediately to anything with silhouette coverage just on general principles, but I'm not holding my breath.

Alston dont forget to breath, dont want you passing out on the line.

I guess I'm no different than anyone else and I have an opinion too. I've been involved with several hobbies, some related to shooting and some not.
With a base of 5000 shooters it would be very very diffficult to get something going and to make any money doing it. There is a US airgun magazine that publishes quarterly and they struggle to stay afloat and in fact there have been 3 or 4 different magazines in the last twenty years. It's just not a big moneymaker and to tell the truth I subscribed for a year and now do not. There are some very good articles and many I care nothing about which seems to be the case with all gun lierature these days. The American Rifleman used to take me almost the entire month to get thru. Now I read it in an hour. The other gun magazines are the same..

For a short time there was a silhouette publication in PA but it only lasted a short time. The American Airgun Field Target Assoc. (AAFTA)has a quarterly newsletter and that struggles. It's mostly match reports and schedules for upcoming matches. Once in awhile there might be a good article. I don't subscribe to that anymore either.

I'm not trying to rain on the parade but it's just a real "tough row to hoe". The other serious problem is that there are not enough guys that are willing to write articles. You'll end up with a lot of match reports.

The upside here is that we do have the internet and thanks to a few(that's always the way it is) we have steel chickens. We don't have enough participation to support a serious publication. This forum is great and probably will be our main point of contact for some time to come.

For my magazine, Small Caliber News, I'm lucky to be a part of it. The managing editor, Todd Kindler, has poured his heart into that publication, and it shows. I feel it's the very best printing out there.

As for articles, I write 5 to 6 a quarter and run the Rimfire Department. They are all rimfire related. This last edition we had: Editorial, Intervire with Allan Hall, Product review on Ivy rods and TM solvent, Book review on Eley's book, Ammo review on the Federal AM-22.

I have a silhouette based edition on the crafting table, but it's a matter or working it in among other items.

I went to the web site for Small Caliber News, and thought it looked like a very interesting magazine. And then I realized the vast majority of my rifles and shooting do involve calibers of 6.5mm and under. I think I will subscribe.

As in most things, support should be a two way street. Maybe if enough silhouette shooters subscribe, the magazine will run more articles on our sport.

Thanks Steve for letting us know about Small Caliber News.

I am a recent subscriber to Small Caliber News and have read Steve's work. Besides being a magazine that I really enjoy, it is also very well turned out. My wife, who is an artist and not really interested in shooting, picked it up and was very impressed with the layout and photography. I used to subscribe to alot of the general hunting/shooting magazines but have found myself spending my money recently on more targeted publications like this one. I recommend it highly.

I just perused the website a bit for Small Caliber News. Despite what I've read in this thread, I didn't see anything in the front pages or by clicking on a few of the links that mentioned rimfire or silhouette shooting anywhere on any of the pages I went to.

Not sure from my quick visit whether those front pages are incomplete in that respect or whether the publication really doesn't treat rimfire and silhouette. Was I at the wrong site? Is there another SCN out there? Maybe someone who subscribes can let me know if this is an inaccurate first impression. But on first blush it looks like it is focused more on varmint shooting and a little on small caliber center fire cartridge target shooting, and not on rimfire and silhouette at all.

I checked out the links page and didn't see any links to sites that we smallbore silhouette shooters frequent. No links to Steel Chickens or Rimfire Central, for example. As a silhouette and target shooter who no longer hunts varmints, the publication didn't seem very well suited to my particular interests. Not that that is bad in any way, just thought I'd mention that if SCN is looking to attract smallbore silhouette shooters as subscribers, the web master might want to modify those front pages to include at least a passing mention of rimfire calibers and the silhouette disciplines.

Also, the "subscribe online" link isn't working on my computer, so I couldn't access a subscription application. Maybe my AOL account is blocking that page. I think what I'll do is order a single back issue and then have a look to decide whether the magazine is one I'd benefit by subscribing to.

Thanks for any info you can provide regarding the content of the publication. It sounded really intruguing at first, but after my visit to the site, it just looked like it was a publication treating a different set of interests than rimfire target shooting and silhouette. Can someone post a link to the home page so I can make sure I had the right site? Thanks.

To all for their support - many thanks! I appreciate the words and it does help keep the machine running.

JW - The website for SCN is not really good. It's basic, and does not deal with the rimfire department that I run. That's up to the webmaster to deal with and outta my control level.

I will say that if you had a chance to look at the last few editions, half the magazine is rimfire. Yes, the core of the magazine is small caliber varmint hunting, something that i love as well, but Todd Kindler - the managing editor, has given me as much space as possible to run with the rimfire side. He's a big supporter, but he's busy with the centerfire side. He sorta left the RF side to me to develop, and lemme tell you it's a ton of work to produce that much text - but i love rimfire.

Tell ya what, You, Kevin, and a few others on this thread who have not seen the magazine, e-mail me with your mailing address and I'll send you a copy. But, if you like it, please sign up and tell them you support rimfire shooting. Mail in your payment with the slip in the magazine and you should be set. I only have a few extra copies from the run, so the rest need to order from the website, or call the number if it's not working, or heck, send me your payment and i'll send it it.

This rimfire department won't work if I don't have any dedicated readers. I will be getting to silhouette, but remember we are quarterly and there is alot to cover, so you gotta be patient. I promise that Steel Chickens will get good coverage. It's simple to me, if my readers demand silhouette coverage, I'll get it in there.

here is my e-mail ([email protected]).

Steve, email sent. and thanks.

Ok, out of magazines.

s.

Check you mail over the next few days. you should be getting them.

thanks.