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What Gun Article Would You Write?

What I would write, given the opportunity, is stories about real hunters (not the writers or celebrities on some all-expense-paid romp) in the real woods, how they have bonded with their firearm (of whatever caliber or make), and how the sport of hunting has improved their human character.

I think far too much is made of products and what this caliber can do versus that other caliber, etc. The truth is that with so many choices available to hunters, the real story is not what gun they choose, but how the gun they have works for them and enhances their hunting experience. Grandpa stalking with his 30-30 in LA, because it is the first and last deer gun he has ever owned. Junior learning to shoot his handed-down .243 and killing his first doe in TX. Joe making a beautiful shot on a trophy mulie with his custom rifle in CO. Jenny not killing a thing but enjoying the time she spent in the GA woods with her milsurp .303 she bought for $100.

I think we need stories that we can all relate to as ordinary hunters. We need stories that affirm why we hunt, how it makes us better people, and why hunting is a spiritual experience for those who enjoy it.

What Gun Article Would You Write?

Hmmmm,
Maybe about one of my sheep hunts in the Wrangell's, Brooks or Chugach Mountains. Toting one of my No.1's of course.

What I really have come to dislike is the innate description of equipment used. Especially when it is right at the shot. "I stalked within 100 yards of heavy beamed bull and leveled the crosshairs of my Swarovski Habicht 2.2-9x Austrian made scope with the 30mm tube and 50mm objective lens sitting in Conetrol deluxe mounts on Leupold bases, sitting atop my Brown Precision Mauser actioned, Shilen barrel 6.72 lb Alpine Light rifle capable of .58" groups at 1000 yards in a MacMillan Alaskan kevlar-graphite 1lb 2oz classic styled stock with shadow line checkpiece. The bullet was the extraordinary 150 grain Barnes moly-coated XLC boattail driven by 74.387429 grains of H-4831 to an amazing velocity of 3,019 fps, generating 2,000 foot-pounds of kinetic energy and a Taylor Knock-out value of 27. The Timney trigger's 1.87lb pull broke clean as glass and the Federal 215 Magnum Primer ignited all 74.387429 grains of H-4831 that was held securely in the once fired Winchester brass. The brass was trimmed to 2.02531578" using my RCBS auto-electric trimmer. The load was developed on my Dillion Precision 440 Celebrity special, inline seating CH4D whatchacallit dies with a neck tension of 25lbs/mm. Shoot, I missed...."

I don't mind them giving the rifle description or load somewhere in the article, but most of 'em just get too carried away with it. I am ready Jack Atcheson's book right now, and it is as good a hunting book as has ever been written. Check it out.