Sorry, that was a little rude, but let me explain my point of view. From day one I have looked at the magazine as an investment in an activity I deeply enjoy. Like all investments, some pay off, some don't. I don't mind putting out my measly $15.00 in an attempt to help this succeed.

I have only met one person from this forum, by chance, when I met him at the gun range we both happen to be members at. However, I do feel a friendship with many people on this forum. I worry about them when they have medical issues and wonder what is going on when they have not come around in a while (anybody heard from Vance in AK?).

It is with that mindset that I have paid for the magazine. I know this is a business and I understand some peoples frustration, but I look at it in a different way. When I loan a friend or a family member money (especially such a small amount), I do it knowing that whether I see the money again or not, I am not going to let that come between us. I had no idea the cost involved with publishing the magazine, knowing that now, I am amazed that it ever came to be in the first place. I may come across as being a little naive to some, but that is just the way I see it.

Subscriber, I think the only reason you got any heat from anyone is because of the way you worded your post.

A simple------- Gary, I would like a refund. Let me know if I need to do anything to receive it.

Thanks,
Subscriber

No one would have even commented.

No one is happy about the situation with the magazine, but for me $15.00 is just to small of an amount to loose any sleep over.

As for Bootlickers

Most of us have been on this sight for many years and consider him a friend. We appreciate all the hard work he has done for our sport. Yes,Gary should have kept us better informed, but in my opinion he has earned a lot of leeway in such matters.

Jeff

I guess I,m in for the digital magazine too !!

Only because you are afraid of getting grilled like subscriber! hehehe!!

You coming to the shoot in April??

Hhmm....being listed as a Mod should make me refrain from such childish banter......but I did get a chuckle out of that!!



I guess I should be called the A#1 Bootlicker then. I was looking at this site before it even became public!! Why you ask?? I moved to VA for my first job. I was in a strange land full of really strange people (I was close to D.C so that should explain). I met Gary through another shooting website and he offered to take me shooting and hunting. He did not know me from an axe murder!! After some talking he gave the web address I was a "member" from before you had to register! Just b/c I liked his idea I started writing articles for the site. Why does he publish my stuff? Don't really know...may he just felt bad for me!!

I called Gary the other day and said that he better tell you guys something about the mag status. Why did he answer my call? Don't know...maybe cuz he kows my number. I don't answer calls from strange numbers either....and the FACT that he had no online access to address anyone's orders may have been a contributing factor to him not answering your calls. Did my call make him post? Doubt it...maybe the FACT of just getting internet access returned to his house helped!!!

Ok guys please lets not turn this into a flame war. If anyone wants their money back that's fine; I'm more than happy to comply. I just have to be able to track who is asking for the money. I'll have something in place tomorrow evening so you can make a request.

Damit...is being a "bootlicker" a bad thing????

Shoot.......... and here I tho't we were all just good ol' boys that enjoyed the same hobby...hmmmm. And besides...nobody says that to my face anyway....You figger it out...We're like a family at times, you like 'em and you don't but you don't talk bad to or about each other. So I'm with Gary, I'll stick up for him, back him up or whatever else we need or should do, mostly because that's the right thing to do..... And I'm a new member, only been here over a year or so.

katcher

Can we still subscribe for #3.

I prefer print but since my first magazine fell apart, (from use), wouldn't mind trying digital.

Use to really like the articles on this site when they were done.

Gary, thanks for the email. i too am on board for the digital version or a dvd version. the website is very high quality, and i could only imagine what a dvd version would be like!

My fellow hunters, I am sorry if I went too far. Electricians, plumbers (no offence James), cable providers, etc… have screwed me! It was a lot more than 15 dollars and there was nothing I could do about it. At least with this web sit I was getting some retribution for my return!

I have some other thoughts and commits, but I see it best to keep them to my self for once.

Duane

My goodness. I've been mute on this subject although I have opinions. I'm just happy to have been able share with this family for going on 5 years now. I have gained an untold wealth in education from the real experience of the membership, and hope I have been able to return some of that in kind. I would gladly subscribe even if only to continue the experience I have enjoyed all this time for FREE. If a few dollars invested therein goes beyond into new frontiers, by all means count me in. Some things could have been handled differently, no question, but we all have been down that road in our lives a time or two. Good to have you back Gary, and thank you for all you have done. What began as a search for info on the 445 SMAG all that long ago has become a daily presence in my life and I am truly grateful.

Ohhh well, there'll always be that 1 in every crowd, and the funniest part about is that they never know they r the 1. I mean think about it--have u ever met one of them that ever admitted they were 1?

I'm with ya' Gary. U've paid for this forum, and never asked for a penny. That's class enuf for me.

Gary, I'm for whatever gets the info to us at the most cost efficient way.

Glad to hear from you again!

How long do you think it would take you to get the digital version up and running? I only ask because I am hungry for some more reading material.

Well I can have a sample up in maybe 10 days or so but the full version is going to take a little bit of time.

If you are interested in seeing what might be available in a digital format I will have a sample up in another week or so and you can decide at that time. It will take a bit of time to get a full digital version up because the entire layout has to be redone. Magazines are vertical and computer screens are horizontal; believe me I wish there was another way.

Hello Gary. Nice to finally see you back. Like others I was worried more about not getting your fine magazine then about losing my money. I had purchased a second copy of Volume III for my dad. I have received two separate emails so I know you have both orders. Since I am online alot (more then I should be) I have no problem with the digital version for me. My father on the other hand is not exactly savvy when it comes to computers. Is the magazine format saved in any program that could be printed from even if it was a simple ink jet? My idea is that if it was made in page maker for example, that you could offer that file as a download for people who have that program to print it out with. I don't mind using our copier at work to print out my dad's copy. Just a thought. I have almost every program known to man so for me (and others I am sure) it would be easy to do. Otherwise, can you make sure that the digital version is printable too? Keep my money and continue with your venture. I sure do miss the great articles and the quality magazine.

Robb Feldhege

Rob - the option I'm about 90% sure I'm going to go with allows the download of a pdf version. pdf's print great but they don't have a very good user experience for online viewing.

That is Great News Gary!!

Damn nice magazines and I am sure the Digital version will be of the same high quality.

Stay healthy bud and Happy New Year,
Mike Sirois

All 384 of you would have to cough up an additional $65.00 and I would really have a hard time trying to sell that notion personally. It costs about $30K to produce the magazine and distribute it.

Gary, i don't know anything about publishing, but had u considered trying to contact Krause Publications, or maybe Harris Publications to keep the hard copy going??

Gary count me in i don't want a refund for volume III. I will be happy with a digital version. I can't donate 30000 dollars but would be happy to donate more to our sport.Please let me know if money sent to you would be welcomed to get the digital magazine up and running or help contribute to other areas of the website.It is a exciting time to be a handgun hunter with all the new calibers that gun makers are coming out with for the short gun. However i know more than ever that i need to be proactive in keeping the handgun hunting sport alive by contacting my lawmakers and helping communties like this one on the web.
Neil

I'm all for digital. Count me in.

Gary,

I'll gladly take the digital version, and if $65 is what it takes to get a print version you can count me in too! I would consider it the fee for getting to use your fine website on a daily basis. For that matter, if you need $65 to repay several of the whiners on this site just email me the address to send it to as I had a subscription to a professional journal that folded that cost me $500, and it wasn't near the quality of your work.

Jarod Hanson

Glad to see ya back Gary iam good with on-line or printed dont matter to me .

There you have it from a recent study by the University of So. Cal.

Web users are even more satisfied with the sites they frequent, with 83% saying most or all of the information on such sites is reliable; that's the same proportion as in 2006 and up from 81% in 2005.

In fact, some mainstream media news sites are viewed as so good that Web users no longer see a need for hard copies. One in five, 21%, have canceled subscriptions to newspapers or magazines because they're accessing the content online, while 27% said they wouldn't miss hard copies if they were no longer available.

Happy having the digital version, BUT I still prefer in print. I have trouble reading, concentrating, and focusing when it is on a screen. I really enjoy a good book or magazine over the internet pages. I also enjoy my library of coffee table style books. BUT, I will be happy with the digital version of the magazine to not having a magazine at all.

Honestly Spencer I prefer print for some things and web for others. I think the difference lies in information or a magazine/book that I would want to keep vs. things that are throw aways. For me so many of the hunting magazines are now throw aways when they used to have something in them that was worth reading and that I wanted to keep. I still have a few magazines and annuals from the early 80's onward that were related to handgun hunting but I rarely keep a copy of a magazine these days. I'm working on a couple of ideas that if I can get some industry support for maybe we can have print back again one of these days. For now though the support just isn't there to justify the cost.

Count me in...$65 bucks for a mag/book that I can read over and over....priceless!

John

I feel the same way. I use to subscribe to 6 or 7 hunting and gun mags. I subscribe to only two now. If I see something that catches my eye on the news stand I will buy it for that article alone. Read the article if it's a good one, tare it out and put it in a file and throw the rest of the mag away.

I've been reading all of this with a lot of interest, and now would like to put my two cents in, and it's probably not even worth that much. On one side of the coin, I've been in business for myself all of my working life. Whenever I've committed to provide a product or service, I've done it. Lost some money, made some money. If I sign a contract with a customer for a $$ amount, then see where I've messed up and not charged enough, it's my tough luck. Bite the bullet, do what you said you'd do, and try to do better next time. I'd like to see Gary take the hit on this mag. that he promised us, then keep it going, raise the price to what it takes, we would all stick with him.
On the other side of the coin, this is not a big hit for each of us, but is for Gary, so I'll go with the flow, whatever I get will be fine. After all, I've enjoyed this web site for a while now and it hasn't cost a dime. The two mags I did get are great, certainly not throw-a-ways. I credit Gary with getting a great thing started, and hope he can figure out a way to keep it going. I know what he's up against, handgun hunting is a very very small piece of the gunworld pie. I applaude him for what he's done. I've never met him and probably never will. But Gary, I appreciate the e-mail, and whatever you do, I'm fine. Thanks, Steve

I see where you are coming from, but IMO $24,500 is way too big a hit to expect anyone to take with only around $5,500 coming in.

Hi everyone--I havent been around to much since i moved down here to the Lonestar State and when I looked in on the forum and saw that we could get to read our next issue soon I was thrilled. I dont care if I get a paper print mag, digital mag or have to read it on a roll of camo toilet paper--I am just lookin forward to reading about real hunting again. Sittin in a heated blind with an easychair, TV, microwave, etc and watching a feeder all day with a sniper rifle aint huntin--but you cant tell these yahoos down here that. Matter of fact--I gave up the whole 07-08 season cause I couldnt afford the "mortgage" of a deer lease here. So, here I sit with magazine in hand and the hunting channel dryfiring at game and wondering what Im doing here.
Gary--whatever you have to do with the mag is fine by me. Be it paper, digital, morse code (or the toilet paper idea) my money is yours. Just glad to hear your in good health and back in the saddle.
Good luck with whatever outcome you have with this and Im lookin forward to another good read. And Thanks for the hard work and effort you put into this job.
John