Letters To Guns

Thanks for a great article on some great knives. ("Hunting Knives," GUNS, Nov. '00) There are very few gun owners who don't appreciate the form and function of a good hunting knife, and your treatment of the subject was a real breath of fresh air compared to most of the un-helpful articles I've read in the other gun magazines that are little more than re-written company catalogs.

I also appreciated Ed Fowler's advice on how to pick a good hunting knife in the same article. Clearly Fowler has used his share of knives, and he had some very good tips to offer, all based on good old common sense -- which we seem to be seeing less and less of in these times of marketing hype. I had never heard of his company, Willow Bow, before, but I'm sure going to do a bit of investigation into his knife-making work.

Thanks again and keep up the good work -- for both guns and knives!

Jon A. Gwynn

Hartford, Conn.

Everyone's A Comedian

I don't know who is writing the captions for your photos, but it is refreshing to see a touch of humor for a change ("Hunting Downloads," GUNS, Oct. '00). I am sure you will receive a mess of flack from the narrow-minded who fail to see humor anywhere.

With regard to improving my intake of brass, I think brass is a copper/zinc alloy. Both minerals are good for the eyes and other parts of the body. When I feel I need a small charge, I will munch on a .38, a medium charge will be a .45 Colt and when I am really down, it will be a .45-70 -- all of the above after tumbling, of course.

John Wetjen

coljohn@sum.net

No Waiting On Weekends

Here in West Palm Beach, Fla. there is a five-day waiting period. On August 26th, I bought a Ruger M-II 50th Anniversary Special. It turned out that weekends don't count as "days" (they always did when I went to school, but then that's the stupid politicians for you), so I had to wait two "days" then five days, then the next weekend to pick up the gun on September 4. But wait -- That was Labor Day! So wait another day!

I wound up waiting 11 days to get my gun. I was infuriated at the stupidity of waiting periods. Background checks are OK -- they do a little good, but waiting periods are a complete waste of time.

Gilbert R. Eggertson

West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Straight Story: Ruger's Pro Gun!

You recently ran a letter, which falsely stated that "Ruger advocated the import ban on assault weapons" and further described a nonexistent "photo-op with Clinton and Ruger" ("S&W Down The Roger Road," Oct. '00).

As you must know, Ruger has never advocated a ban on any firearm, foreign or domestic. In 1989, the entire point of the magazine capacity restriction, jointly endorsed by all 13 members of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, was to prevent such gun bans. Law-abiding shooters could continue to purchase and own all firearms of their choice, while addressing mass shootings in a logical and responsible way. The assault weapons bans were imposed despite this proposal, not because of it.

As for some alleged photograph, Clinton and Bill Roger have never spoken, nor even been in the same room; thus, it would be impossible for any photographs to exist unless they are total fakes, Some other gun companies went to the Rose Garden to be photographed with President Clinton in 1998, but no Ruger employee, let alone Bill Ruger attended. We voluntarily began shipping our pistols in lockable boxes with padlocks years before President Clinton claimed this idea as his own at that ceremony.

Stephen L. Sanetti

Vice President, General Counsel

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

Write To Your Senator, Not GUNS

This is for all the people who are "tired of reading about the 1911." Find a product that has had as great an impact, for as long, in just about any industry the way the 1911 has and I'm sure this fine publication will be more than willing to stop writing about the Browning-designed gun. However, since the industry is still churning them out by the thousands every year, and people are still buying them by the thousands every year, I suggest you get over it.

If you don't like these articles, skip over them. Nobody says you have to read them. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the August 2000 issue ("America's Fighting .45"). What we, as shooters, need to do is not write letters complaining about the number of articles about a particular gun we may not like and spend more time writing to our congressmen and senators about their need to not cave in to Slick Willie and his cronies. That would be time better spent.

Bill Carmickle

btruck@mail.usa.com

The Rest Is Silence

I was very impressed with the stated performance of the OPS silencers, however, I was even more impressed with Phil Seberger who owns OPS ("Silencer 101," GUNS, July '00). It is always inspiring to hear of someone who is principled and as generous as Seberger (giving the Marines all the silencers they needed, regardless of their limited budget).

Cole P. Thompson

Ft. Collins, Colo.

Rocking The Rolling Block

John Taffin's article "Frontier Single Shot Rifles" (GUNS, Oct. '00) strays a bit from the mechanical facts about how the Remington Rolling Block rifle locks up.