FAILURE TO CONSIDER THE Q.D.U. EFFECT

I like to crab about most gun writers. The reason is simple enough; they do a lousy job. Instead of "gun" writing, they do "me myself" writing. To test a mid-powered rifle, there is typically a deer hunting story and a picture of the deer. There may be some conversation about how the rifle performed from the bench, but it usually falls far short of leaving the reader with a hands-on impression. The bulk of the articles are failures, so the overall grade I give them averages a "D."

Look at it from another angle... The movie "Quigley Down Under" spent some time focusing on a rifle and its capabilities. I believe, as a result, the movie was far more popular than it would have been without that focus. The viewer was able to put himself in Quigley's place. More than a few Quigley-type and other similar Sharps Rifles have been sold to admirers since the movie came out in 1990.

Jack O'Conner continued to report on the 270 Winchester over the years, and never let off. Consequently, today the 270 is incomparably more popular than the 280 Remington. Granted, the 280 came along much later than the 270, but the nearly 60 years that have passed since it was introduced is plenty enough time to have gotten the point across; the 280 Remington is a better all-around cartridge than the 270 Winchester. Remington has continued to fail to get that simple and obvious point across to almost three full generations of hunters. I think two things are at fault here; gun writers who were not competent enough to discern and report on the performance, and Remington's apparent inability to properly describe and promote the cartridge and the rifles for which it was chambered. They did not see the need to educate the shooter.

I don't want my comments to drift into the direction of singling out specific cartridges or rifles. Rather, they are intended to give hunters and shooters a "heads up" when it comes to making decisions on shooting equipment. Classic hunting rifles usually outlast several cars or pickup trucks for the owner, are are among the most handed down possessions within a family. When it comes time for you to make an educated decision on your next rifle, don't hesitate to invite Northwest Magnum in on the conversation.

JDC