Pete Evans
Super member
I had a mind to do just that a few years back, but it didn’t get off the ground.
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the Daily hi thread
Airgun World
- Thread starter Ganton Gunner
- Start date
Inca
Member Extraordinaire
I’ve never read an AirGun magazine, not sure my local WHSmiths stock them, but my first thought is:
Tread carefully.
Tread carefully.
Philthunder
Member Extraordinaire
I would have thought that AGF can help AGW and vice versa, after all we are not in competition with them. And to be fair the more coverage we get as shooters can only be to our benefit. If input from AGF members can improve content in AGW then it might also save another magazine from going phut.You sure you want to do this Pete?
This seems to be the airgunning equivalent of kissing your granny and she slips her tongue in!
Personally, I'd steer clear of the magazines... They're not a patch on this place which you've worked so hard to build. This IS THE PLACE that's the Holy Grail of airgun knowledge.
However, I'd be interested in knowing why manufacturers treat us with such disdain... Why are they releasing riflesI would have thought that costing thousands of pounds to the Great Airgun Buying Public, that are problematic at best?
I have found when reading AGW reviews of new rifles/pistol, one review will go into great detail about the gun, and another review will gloss over the detail. Things like where the safety is, can you reach it, can you apply or release it without resorting to your other hand, note Alpha/Delta Wolf. On the Ghost the length of the cocking lever stops your finger moving up the the safety button, you never see that in reviews. I think they could get a better format of reviews, at the moment they are very haphazard, and often peppered with photos that don't help in any way, just fill up the page with vague information.
So I would like to see smaller photos and more written content, more emphasis on maintenance and useful tips and more of a standard format on reviews so that it can be easier to compare different guns.
not2accurate
Keen member
I agree, I do own higher end rifles but my most accurate .22 is an ATA airborne I paid £300 for, my go to ratting gun due to high shot count...beautifully built too
In an ideal world.
The reality is that it is patently obvious to experienced members of our community, that unbiased, honest opinions are not in the magazines and they have in fact become advertorial's for the manufacturers.
That is why they are purchased by die hard fan's and the occasional inquisitive grazer.
Inca
Member Extraordinaire
That’s the issue I’m worried about. Will GG be able to give unbiased, honest opinions and call a-spade-a-spade no matter what stable the gun is from or will he be expected to tow the party line and keep the ‘sponsors’ happy? Credibility is hard won but easily lost.
spoon
Taz72
Super member
Not read one for a while, but as a starter for 10, I'd say...
An article on classic springers. What they were. Why they were/are classics.
An article on new GOOD budget guns. (No mazak and plastic twangtastic tat, only reasonably decent stuff - looking at you, Remy Express and Cometa, GX40 etc
) .
"HFT vs FT - which is best? : there's only one way to find out
" Head to head article.
A reprint of a past "classic" article - Venom interview from the 80's or something like that. Maybe a JD hunting article, if the modern audience are up to it. Praps a "George & Mildred" warning about how the article might reflect the opinions of the time and that we now all love squirrels etc (cheap recycling.)
Something on modern scopes. A review of a sensibly priced all rounder? HFT reticles for beginners maybe? Scope setup basics?
Something on pellets.
One of Jim T's articles. A reprint of an old one if need be, if with his permission.
Reader's Wives' (oops sorry, wrong mag... )
A bit of high end stuff to drool over.
A rifle competition giveaway!
Something on a shooting-adjacent subject. Dogs, shooting vehicle, nice game recipe.
Interview with a key shooting character.
Maybe a QR code link to a (decent) video article, be it a review, talking heads or whatever.
Cut anything that smells of BS or blatant sucking-up.
Condition of AGF membership that everyone buys a copy so it makes you look like you've rediscovered the Holy Grail
Realised a lot of the above simply reflects some of the threads on here, but then that's because that's what shooters want to know about which is why it's been asked in the first place...
An article on classic springers. What they were. Why they were/are classics.
An article on new GOOD budget guns. (No mazak and plastic twangtastic tat, only reasonably decent stuff - looking at you, Remy Express and Cometa, GX40 etc
) . "HFT vs FT - which is best? : there's only one way to find out
" Head to head article. A reprint of a past "classic" article - Venom interview from the 80's or something like that. Maybe a JD hunting article, if the modern audience are up to it. Praps a "George & Mildred" warning about how the article might reflect the opinions of the time and that we now all love squirrels etc (cheap recycling.)
Something on modern scopes. A review of a sensibly priced all rounder? HFT reticles for beginners maybe? Scope setup basics?
Something on pellets.
One of Jim T's articles. A reprint of an old one if need be, if with his permission.
Reader's Wives' (oops sorry, wrong mag... )
A bit of high end stuff to drool over.
A rifle competition giveaway!
Something on a shooting-adjacent subject. Dogs, shooting vehicle, nice game recipe.
Interview with a key shooting character.
Maybe a QR code link to a (decent) video article, be it a review, talking heads or whatever.
Cut anything that smells of BS or blatant sucking-up.
Condition of AGF membership that everyone buys a copy so it makes you look like you've rediscovered the Holy Grail
Realised a lot of the above simply reflects some of the threads on here, but then that's because that's what shooters want to know about which is why it's been asked in the first place...
Mad Andy
Super member
@Ganton Gunner how much control over the content will you have as a guest editor?
The cynic in me wonders if the Powers That Be have already decided on a list of articles that are safe to print, they may well have been written already, leaving the guest editor to choose between them.
There are some great suggestions on this thread.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Might even buy a copy.
The final nail in the mag's coffin for me was when Dave Barnham admitted on the AGF that he wasn't aware of the forum. It'll be nice to have you at the helm (even briefly)!
The cynic in me wonders if the Powers That Be have already decided on a list of articles that are safe to print, they may well have been written already, leaving the guest editor to choose between them.
There are some great suggestions on this thread.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Might even buy a copy.
The final nail in the mag's coffin for me was when Dave Barnham admitted on the AGF that he wasn't aware of the forum. It'll be nice to have you at the helm (even briefly)!
joe average
Member Extraordinaire
@Ganton Gunner do you have any ideas of your own that haven’t so far been mentioned, I would be interested to know just what sort of input they allow from a guest editor
In your position, Pete, I'd start commissioning articles from AGF members with particular areas of expertise.
Ballisticboy on BC, Cloverleaf on PCPs, Pete Evans on classic springers Vs modern ones, and so on.
That's what editors do, after all.
Ballisticboy on BC, Cloverleaf on PCPs, Pete Evans on classic springers Vs modern ones, and so on.
That's what editors do, after all.
Trumpetier
Member Extraordinaire
Can you not write the whole thing Jim, with a few of Prof. M’ike’s technical articles thrown in for good measure?
Maybe change the name to…er, let me ponder…I know! “Sporting Air Rifle”.
Now that might sell!
Good luck.
Please remember and bare in mind the next time any of the mags get a slating on here there's probably a perfectly good reason and just one of the reasons that forums like this are so popular is because of there failure past OTE]
CSM online seems to be attracting alot of interest.
terrierforce
Super member
Yep as well as idiots and fool's.
Tosh
Super member
What???
And forums aren’t!
Forums, regardless of what your hobby is are incredibly powerful marketing tools.
Unlike mags where sumptuous full page bleeds and gushing reviews were once enough to tempt us….. we are now way more savvy
Forums, the interaction of complete strangers brought together because of a passion they share. We know mags and brochures are just spiel..
but my online mate Gary (who I’ve never actually met) he’s a sound bloke, he’s dead normal, he’s just grabbed that latest pcp and swears it’s better than last years model… I’m definitely intendingto check it out. Pete and Baz are also reading Gary’s write up and they too intend to pop over and try it themselves….
Blah blah blah
This is a daily never ending interaction across all forums, they are ruthless marketing tools aimed specifically at their core audience.
If you can’t see that then you are unbelievably naive.
Mad Andy
Super member
What???
And forums aren’t!
Forums, regardless of what your hobby is are incredibly powerful marketing tools.
Unlike mags where sumptuous full page bleeds and gushing reviews were once enough to tempt us….. we are now way more savvy
Forums, the interaction of complete strangers brought together because of a passion they share. We know mags and brochures are just spiel..
but my online mate Gary (who I’ve never actually met) he’s a sound bloke, he’s dead normal, he’s just grabbed that latest pcp and swears it’s better than last years model… I’m definitely intendingto check it out. Pete and Baz are also reading Gary’s write up and they too intend to pop over and try it themselves….
Blah blah blah
This is a daily never ending interaction across all forums, they are ruthless marketing tools aimed specifically at their core audience.
If you can’t see that then you are unbelievably naive.
Psyops. Russian troll factories. Bots.
The www x twitter FB are the new hypnotic voter influencing screen machines.
Naive?What???
And forums aren’t!
Forums, regardless of what your hobby is are incredibly powerful marketing tools.
Unlike mags where sumptuous full page bleeds and gushing reviews were once enough to tempt us….. we are now way more savvy
Forums, the interaction of complete strangers brought together because of a passion they share. We know mags and brochures are just spiel..
but my online mate Gary (who I’ve never actually met) he’s a sound bloke, he’s dead normal, he’s just grabbed that latest pcp and swears it’s better than last years model… I’m definitely intendingto check it out. Pete and Baz are also reading Gary’s write up and they too intend to pop over and try it themselves….
Blah blah blah
This is a daily never ending interaction across all forums, they are ruthless marketing tools aimed specifically at their core audience.
If you can’t see that then you are unbelievably naive.
The obvious differences between a magazine review (Airgun mag) and an open and frank discussion online discussion (AGF):
1) In the magazine, you are getting the opinion, as is the case in say Airgun World, of a single reviewer, as opposed to possibly hundreds/thousands of contributions from a huge cross section of users the AGF. The potential purchaser is going to get a more balanced cross section of real user experiences as well as heresay, on the forum. Would it be more naive to take the opinion of a solitary reviewer or hundreds?
2) They are never critical. When your revenue comes from the manufacturer of the product you are earning your living from reviewing and promoting, how could they be-that could be suicidal for the magazine. On here there is a far more balanced level of opinions.
3) When the managing editor of the Airgun magazines is also the Chairman of AMTA (Airgun Manufacturers Trades Association), as was the case for many years, there is an obvious and huge conflict of interests, where bias in any review is concerned. If you believe otherwise then you are indeed naive
.Now we all know our Pete is a good friend of Air Arms and Claire in particular, yet I have never seen him shut down any criticism of an AA product and that is bloody well how it should be. Open and Honest.
4) Of course there will be people on forums who have an axe to grind with a particular manufacturer-possibly based on a bad past experience. They probably can make a valid contribution to any discussion based on that experience, often they will receive a counter from another member on here. Open and Honest debate.
Give my best to Pete, Baz and Gary
Ok everyone coming soon I have been asked if I would like to be a guest editor for Airgun World
I said yes
So my question to you all is
Is there any questions you would like answering about the magazine?
If you want to put any questions you may have about the magazine any myths etc you want clarification on etc please suggest them in this thread.
Please note I’m taking this seriously so request that you do the same.
Congrats on the new assignment!
As a content idea, could we explore things like interviews with homegrown shed project gurus and tinkerers alike. If willing to take part, there’s plenty on here that I’d love to hear more from.
ATB
Frankie
Inca
Member Extraordinaire
There’s a competitor in the monthly 6yd pistol contest who, I think I’m right in saying, won’t see his 80th birthday again that is currently showing all us youngsters how 6yd single-hand standing should be done. I’d love to read an interview with him. (Sorry @mickson.)
Add to that a comparison between the current range of high-end target pistols although I realise that might have limited interest (and limited affordability).
Add to that a comparison between the current range of high-end target pistols although I realise that might have limited interest (and limited affordability).