![\"Cooper\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Cooper-202x300.jpg?resize=202%2C300\")
There was a time, not all that long ago because I can remember it, when the profession of writing about guns and the outdoors was looked at in an entirely different light. There were men who penned words and there were readers who anxiously awaited their publication. Pulling a gun or hunting magazine from a mailbox was as exciting as a first kiss from a new girl.<\/p>\n
There were writers who excited readers. There were writers who inspired readers. And, there were writers\u00a0readers respected. Keith<\/a> captured us with his rough-cut honesty, O\u2019Connor<\/a> soothed us with his easy flowing sentences and Ruark<\/a> reminded us that Grandpa was indeed a special man.<\/p>\n These men of the last century crafted a nation of hunters and shooters. In a round about way, they assembled their flock of followers and those who were good students still pass on their lessons. I learned things from these men; worthy lessons that still guide me along as a shooter, hunter and even as a person.<\/p>\n Four men were responsible for my early and never ending desire to write about guns and hunting. The first was Jeff Cooper<\/a>. His matter of fact, practical approach made sense when a lot of what I read seemed contradictory to reason. The next was Gary Sitto<\/a>n. I\u2019ve yet to read the works of any writer who could make me feel more<\/em>, with only 1000 words, than he could.<\/p>\n Later on, as I became more able to just barely grasp the art of communicating about guns and hunting, it was Finn Aagaard<\/a> who kept my attention. Finn wrote about things he knew about and when he didn\u2019t know about something he tested and experimented until he did. My final inspirations as a writer come from John Barsness<\/a>. John has a way of making something as boring as turning case necks an enjoyable, entertaining and educational read.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not original, I\u2019m just a shallow reminder of the greats who created the venue I use to, in a way, stay close to their memory. Cooper keeps me practical, Sitton keeps me real, Aagaard keeps me honest and Barsness’ lessons remind me that writing about guns is half education and half entertainment. If you’re not entertaining, no one will read a damn thing you write.<\/p>\n The good thing is that now, no matter how you believe or what you think, you can find a writer who reflects your\u00a0sentiments. That bad thing is that, no matter how you believe or what you think, you can find a writer that reflects your sentiments. With the modern world of outdoor communication its no longer about the message it\u2019s more about the character the communicator plays. Good actors always seem to draw a crowd which is why no one is standing in line at my front gate. I guess I could blame that on the dog.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s my point and why am I even bothering with this? A Facebook post by Nosler reminded me that last night I was re-reading some articles from some of the names I\u2019ve mentioned. That’s when it hit me that 50 years from now, when all my current associates and I are pushing up daises, folks will still be reading the works of these same men. Why? Partly because they were first and partly becasue they were just damned good at what they did. All that we are doing now is telling the same stories in a different voice. Fortunately for us, there are some folks out there who never heard it the first time or who don\u2019t get tired of hearing it over and over.<\/p>\n Do yourself a favor and read what some of the great gun writers had to say. You may have to go to a library, you may have to visit a friend who has old magazines or you may have to do some serious Googling on the Internet. But, trust me, your time will be well spent.<\/p>\n Where have all the great gun writers gone? I believe they’re sitting around a campfire on the back 40 of Gunsite<\/a>, drinking whiskey, smoking cigars and talking to John Wayne. They’ve saved a seat for Sheriff Jim Wilson<\/a> (The Sheriff told me in no uncertain terms that them fellows are going to be waiting for a damn long while.)<\/em> and they\u2019re probably arguing about which is better, the .270 or the .30-06. Not because it matters but because that’s what gun writers do…Even the great ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There was a time, not all that long ago because I can remember it, when the profession of writing about guns and the outdoors was looked at in an entirely different light. There were men who penned words and there were readers who anxiously awaited their publication. Pulling a gun or hunting magazine from a mailbox was as exciting as a first …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2522],"tags":[61,502,503,62,63],"class_list":["post-8458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hunt","tag-finn-aagaard","tag-gary-sitton","tag-great-gunwriters","tag-jeff-cooper","tag-john-barsness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-2cq","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12925,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/its-not-just-about-likes-and-shares\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":0},"title":"Its not just about LIKES and SHARES","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re in the middle of a transition between Gun Culture 1.0 and 2.0. Unfortunately, the transition is not as simple as updating the operating system on your iPhone. The old farts that new shooters think are antiquated don\u2019t just go away when some whippersnapper posts on their blog or Facebook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screen Shot 2016-01-28 at 2.50.04 PM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Screen-Shot-2016-01-28-at-2.50.04-PM.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11806,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-gun-writer-explained\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":1},"title":"The Gun Writer Explained","author":"gunwriter","date":"July 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"All men are created equal. At least that\u2019s what the Declaration of Independence tells us. This was obviously before the advent of the firearms press and the occupation of a gun writer because; all gun writers are not created equal. I have studied this occupation for most of my life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"GW-4","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/GW-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/GW-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/GW-4.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/GW-4.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11680,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/are-there-too-many-firearms-instructors-gun-writers-and-experts\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":2},"title":"Experts, Firearms Instructors, and Gun Writers","author":"gunwriter","date":"May 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Are there too many firearms instructors, weapon experts, and gun writers? Or, are there are just too many of all three who don\u2019t know what they\u2019re talking about? This topic came up during a training break at a\u00a0Gunsite Academy class where several complained about the abundance of poor firearms training\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12822,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/nothing-everything-has-changed\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":3},"title":"Nothing \/ Everything Has Changed","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the last of great old gun writers gave me a gift. I\u2019m not sure why; we are not close. Maybe he was just looking for someone who would appreciate it and knew I would.\u00a0What was it? It was a collection of Gun Digest Annuals from 1952 through 2000\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FullSizeRender 33","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/FullSizeRender-33-234x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14331,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-problem-with-gun-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":4},"title":"The Problem with Gun World","author":"gunwriter","date":"May 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 In 1973 the movie Westworld depicted\u00a0an android populated world where want-to-be cowboys or gunslingers could live out their wild west fantasies. The price of admission was high but the potential satisfaction of being John Wayne for a week was alluring. Like all apparent perfect worlds, there were problems and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/VVVV.jpg?fit=1000%2C466&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/VVVV.jpg?fit=1000%2C466&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/VVVV.jpg?fit=1000%2C466&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/VVVV.jpg?fit=1000%2C466&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7949,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/gunwriters-are-idiots\/","url_meta":{"origin":8458,"position":5},"title":"Gunwriters are Idiots","author":"gunwriter","date":"January 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The wonderful thing about the Internet is that one tactard can take the position of an expert and claim another one an idiot and since no one can walk up to him and slap the narcissistic smile off his face, no harm no foul. Well, not so fast. A post\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Active Response Training\"","block_context":{"text":"Active Response Training","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/tag\/active-response-training\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Your resident, idiot gun writer.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/RAM-XS-1-copy-290x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8458"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12771,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8458\/revisions\/12771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"FINN\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/FINN-300x286.jpg?resize=210%2C200\")
So it is that the days of the great gun writers are gone. There will never be another Cooper, Keith, O\u2019Connor, Aagaard, Sitton, Skelton or Jordon. The world of communication has changed. The Internet and the plethora of gun blogs, gun magazines, gun television, gun DVDs and those who write about guns (including me) have, in a way, polluted the water.<\/p>\n![\"If](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/JB-300x225.jpg?resize=300%2C225\")