Double Gun Journal
- Thread starter canvasback
- Start date
I must confess the last 5 years or so it failed to hold my interest much. After reading 25 years of issues compulsively I found it was getting both a bit repetitive (often a problem for special interest magazines) and too much focus on double rifles and American shotguns. I don’t need a magazine that has three articles of Fox in the same issue when there are so many interesting English or Continental guns that could the focus of attention. Their roster of writers seemed to shrink as the years went on.
I have the complete set in hard slip covers for each year starting in 1989 through to around 2017. It was my masters course in vintage guns.
I have the complete set in hard slip covers for each year starting in 1989 through to around 2017. It was my masters course in vintage guns.
Well poo. Just renewed a couple of months ago too. I’m still missing a couple from the first year or two, better start looking. These magazines hold a masters course of information on fine doubles but yes, recent years have seen more and more regurgitation of stale information about the half dozen or so notable American makers but hey - it’s an American publication.
Most former magazine stores here in Ottawa no longer sell any magazines at all, and of supermarkets, etc that still have racks of them, well near the start of the 'Reign Of Turd' a lot of those, notably for instance Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart, pledged to not sell any material about guns. That's when I became a very loyal Costco guy and found a pharmacy that wasn't SDM but yeah, it is too bad about DGJ. I also miss Grey's Sporting Journal, which is of course another quality publication. Until checking just now, I thought they were long gone but apparently that's only from Ontario shelves.
Bluebulldog
Regular
- Location
- Constance Bay ON
There's a little spot on Rideau near Friel called "Magazines of the World" they have a lot of titles. They also have a decent little cafe that serves excellent Cuban coffee.
As far as Grays Sporting Journal, I have a subscription...if you're Ottawa area, I'll happily share.
Bluebulldog
Regular
- Location
- Constance Bay ON
Sad to see. I have a bunch that I found at a gun show a few years ago.
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
After several years worth of subscriptions it slowly and sadly failed to hold my interest as well and I canceled a couple of years ago still, I hate to see it ending. It was a great run!
Like Canvasback, I have a complete set from the third year onwards and a few issues from the first year. DGJ will remain a good reference work for anyone interested in fine guns, and American double guns in particular.
I can't help but stop and think about periodicals that pertain to our shared interests. A number of magazines have come and gone, though few have touched on fine guns and gunmaking. It just goes to show that it is a niche subject, with fervent but limited appeal. As businesses, publishers must cater to a wide public to survive, and the DGJ audience has been ageing and getting smaller, I suppose. To remain viable, a magazine has to move with the times, and apparently, there is more interest in anything with plastic stocks, picatinny rails, camo, 3 1/2" chambers, mag extensions, and warranties to cover the shoddy parts that inevitably break in the first week of use. Over the years, I've subscribed to DGJ, Shooting Sportsman, and in Europe, to Classic Arms & Militaria, Guns Review, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Times. My interest in these was linked to specific writers and columnists, and when these left or passed on, my subscriptions ended, with the exception of the DGJ. The subject matter that evolved with the times in the other publications did not suit my interests. Like others have said, in recent years, the DGJ subject matter was a bit hit or miss, though I was happy to maintain my subscription for the occasional gem of an article (and, like Ashcroft, I recently extended my subscription).
I suppose the overall change in our society with respect to information availability is a factor. With social media, it is difficult to keep anyone's attention span beyond a few seconds and a click of the 'like' icon. It used to be that specialist knowledge was found in books, and keeping a library was part of a shooter's hobby. It appears that for many, a Google search now satisfies most curiosity. Like with the DGJ, I expect the market for new books on gunmaking and gunmakers is also diminishing. The amount of work and research required to write on the subject is rather daunting, even for a magazine piece. In line with the paucity of new books, I don't see many emerging writers engaging readers with their prose. Again, the social media format works against this; a captionless picture will generate as much if not more interest as a carefully researched and written text, so why would anyone bother? Am I just getting crotchety in my old age, or am I seeing a gradual lack of curiosity within the gun community? Is thirst for knowledge a generational thing, or has our addiction to the Internet changed how we interact with and value information? Or is it just that no one bothers with books anymore, as so much is found online with a click? I'm sure someone is studying this somewhere.
On the subject of periodicals, I'm currently going through past issues of The Field (aka Field: The Country Gentleman's Newspaper) for my research. It is still in print (and online) as a monthly magazine, but in its early years, it was a weekly newspaper (each issue was 16-32 pages), first appearing in January 1853. In the 169 years and 7 months it has been in print, there have only been 14 editors. Most interesting to me was that from 1857–1888 John Henry Walsh was the second editor, an author who wrote books under the pseudonym 'Stonehenge' and who had a particular interest in the new breech-loader. In The Field letters column raged the flame wars between fanboys and detractors, each side taunting and trolling the other, documenting the would-be influencers and the butt-hurt. Good reading, by Jove! This was the social media of the Victorian era; I suppose things don't change much after all.
Fun Fact: The Shooting Times magazine in the UK is a weekly publication which started in September 1882, and has never missed an issue (despite several world wars and other annoyances).
I can't help but stop and think about periodicals that pertain to our shared interests. A number of magazines have come and gone, though few have touched on fine guns and gunmaking. It just goes to show that it is a niche subject, with fervent but limited appeal. As businesses, publishers must cater to a wide public to survive, and the DGJ audience has been ageing and getting smaller, I suppose. To remain viable, a magazine has to move with the times, and apparently, there is more interest in anything with plastic stocks, picatinny rails, camo, 3 1/2" chambers, mag extensions, and warranties to cover the shoddy parts that inevitably break in the first week of use. Over the years, I've subscribed to DGJ, Shooting Sportsman, and in Europe, to Classic Arms & Militaria, Guns Review, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Times. My interest in these was linked to specific writers and columnists, and when these left or passed on, my subscriptions ended, with the exception of the DGJ. The subject matter that evolved with the times in the other publications did not suit my interests. Like others have said, in recent years, the DGJ subject matter was a bit hit or miss, though I was happy to maintain my subscription for the occasional gem of an article (and, like Ashcroft, I recently extended my subscription).
I suppose the overall change in our society with respect to information availability is a factor. With social media, it is difficult to keep anyone's attention span beyond a few seconds and a click of the 'like' icon. It used to be that specialist knowledge was found in books, and keeping a library was part of a shooter's hobby. It appears that for many, a Google search now satisfies most curiosity. Like with the DGJ, I expect the market for new books on gunmaking and gunmakers is also diminishing. The amount of work and research required to write on the subject is rather daunting, even for a magazine piece. In line with the paucity of new books, I don't see many emerging writers engaging readers with their prose. Again, the social media format works against this; a captionless picture will generate as much if not more interest as a carefully researched and written text, so why would anyone bother? Am I just getting crotchety in my old age, or am I seeing a gradual lack of curiosity within the gun community? Is thirst for knowledge a generational thing, or has our addiction to the Internet changed how we interact with and value information? Or is it just that no one bothers with books anymore, as so much is found online with a click? I'm sure someone is studying this somewhere.
On the subject of periodicals, I'm currently going through past issues of The Field (aka Field: The Country Gentleman's Newspaper) for my research. It is still in print (and online) as a monthly magazine, but in its early years, it was a weekly newspaper (each issue was 16-32 pages), first appearing in January 1853. In the 169 years and 7 months it has been in print, there have only been 14 editors. Most interesting to me was that from 1857–1888 John Henry Walsh was the second editor, an author who wrote books under the pseudonym 'Stonehenge' and who had a particular interest in the new breech-loader. In The Field letters column raged the flame wars between fanboys and detractors, each side taunting and trolling the other, documenting the would-be influencers and the butt-hurt. Good reading, by Jove! This was the social media of the Victorian era; I suppose things don't change much after all.
Fun Fact: The Shooting Times magazine in the UK is a weekly publication which started in September 1882, and has never missed an issue (despite several world wars and other annoyances).
I used to buy copies of The Field... on paydays. Shooting Sportsman was a great mag while I was subscribing to it, and then after I gave up subscribing but was going to the USA often enough to catch most issues, but it's been a while since I've even laid eyes on one. One thing I remember about that mag is that in their first few issues they were seemingly too snooty to support or even mention the NRA or similar orgs but subscriber angry quickly caught up with them and all of a sudden they had a regular column extolling American gun rights, lol.
Steve, as you know I’m a member of a few FB groups dedicated to SxS. I think I’m a throw back. I was just saying to a friend who is a moderator on the SxS Society group, that posts of pretty pictures with no info are starting to piss me off. Occasionally it fine but the FB groups are almost uniform in their lack of information and context. And you are right……the pretty pics get the likes. I find myself less interested each time I visit now.
Are those groups ones you can appropriately share the names of?
Yeah sure BB. There is the SxS Shotgun Society, Vintage Hunting Guns, Best Gun Makers Only, A.H. Fox Collectors, 16 Gauge Traditions Society and The Double Gun Journal Group.
Best Gun Makers Only is kinda interesting because a lot of the members are actual staff, active and retired, from the London high end trade. One of my favorites on there is Peter Nelson, who for many years was producing what are often called the finest guns in the world under his own name. He talks a lot about different guns he's made over his career. But they all talk about their work experiences so it's a bit of a little window into that world.
So what are you saying Chris......the world is made up primarily of shallow #ssholes?
Bwahahaha!
Thanks CB!
