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“Range Day is the Monday prior to the Show’s opening when manufacturers demonstrate their wares,” self-professed “Gun Nut” David E. Petzal writes at fieldandstream.com. “People like me are bussed out to handle the goodies. This year, Range Day sounded like the Battle of Dak To, or perhaps Fallujah, with the distinctive pop-pop-pop of full-auto fire, which was extremely popular amongst all the SEAL wannabes. Indeed, this was symbolic of the whole show, which has now become so heavily militarized that you have to look fairly hard for something designed to kill animals instead of people.” Really? First of all . . .

taking into account all the companies hawking hunting-specific knives, ammo, rifles, shotguns, clothing, gear, cases, trail cameras, vehicles and more, there were hundreds of outdoors-oriented companies representing at SHOT. Not to mention the thousands of ARs on display which, I’m reliably informed, are eminently suitable for hunting.

Speaking of which, what’s the distinction between a gun designed to kill animals and one designed to kill humans? As far as I’m aware, all guns are designed to sling lead downrange. It’s up to the gun owner to choose his or her target. Given that tens of millions of American gun owners don’t target people, methinks Mr. Petzal’s rhetorical flower is wilted. But his anti-gun snark is alive and well and pissing me off.

The forces acting upon the gun industry are Armageddon, for which we are all tooling up, and our Peerless Leader, who has sold more firearms than even Bubba Clinton, and The Horror That Is Hillary, who is lurking in our future like the Wicked Witch of the West. Everyone who makes guns is selling everything they can produce, which stifles the need for innovation and takes the emphasis off firearms that would not be useful during the Latter Days.

To revive an expression I left behind in third grade, does it hurt and have a temperature? I mean seriously Dave, quit your bitching.

Our gun rights are under attack. Accusing the firearms industry of stoking the fires of “Armageddon” thinking plays into the hands of gun control advocates, who ridicule gun owners as paranoid insurrectionists. It’s also an insult to those working to defend our firearms freedom.

And despite conjecture on the lack of fresh blood (so to speak) at the SHOT Show, the hunting industry has never been healthier and there are plenty of new and innovative products for sale, especially in the electronics area.

To his credit, Petzal ends his polemic by undercutting his own arguments. “But enough of my whining.” Copy that.

[h/t LC]

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144 COMMENTS

  1. Ah… Field and Stream. I remember reading that when I was in middle school, 30 years ago. Don’t remember seeing much of it sense. I guess now I know why.

    • Yep. Quit reading that decades ago.

      Now I read ‘Florida Sportsman’, where I can count on every issue having a pic of an attractive woman in a bikini proudly displaying a fish she caught.

      A few years back, they had a cover pic of a knockout in a bikini holding a fish and in bold type it said: “Snapper!’…

      • Yet they probably don’t bat an eye at a Mauser-action, or a nice Winchester lever 30-30. Anyone who doesn’t get my point has made my point.

        • Only if said Mauser action is in a MossyTree Montecarlo stock, with no iron sights, and a cheapo Chinese scope on top. Black plastic Montecarlos are okay, too, but as soon as they buy it they’ll wrap it up in camo duct tape.

    • And this is why I instructed my father to NOT renew the gift subscription that he purchased for me.

  3. I’m in the brainstorming phase of an AR build, and it’s probably going to be a nice evil black rifle built for hunting and target shooting. Will it be disqualified from hunting because it ‘looks’ militarized?

  4. I thought the only place you still see that magazine was at the Dentist’s office. Either way, weren’t they always the offical rag of FUDD since the publication’s inception?

    • As a fisherman, I was always more interested in the “Stream” part than their fuddery. Unfortunately it’s almost all “Field” (durr and occasionally ducks) all the time. State and regional fishing/hunting magazines tend to be better for everything, though.

  5. “Field & Stream Goes Full Fudd?”

    Really?

    Just sound to me like a man that works for Field & Stream stating his opinion (and it’s not even a anti gun one at that.) Heavens forbid a man that makes his living off writing about hunting, focuses on hunting arms. By the by I’m not sure, but I think he wrote something a while back about hunting with AR’s.

    • And honestly, if you are a fan of “fine” firearms or historical ones, AR’s hold no interest. It’s like if you are a fan of 50’s/60’s Italian sportscars you probably wouldn’t care too much about the new F150.

      • “And honestly, if you are a fan of “fine” firearms or historical ones, AR’s hold no interest.”

        An Armalite prototype Stoner AR has no historical value?

      • It’s one thing to not care about F150s…it’s another to bitch about how popular they are and how they are “ruining” driving.

        • True. I do bitch about trucks all the time though, mainly how hard it is to find 1/2 ton, 4×2, long bed regular cabs with a 6 cylinder and a stick.

        • Plenty of people do precisely that. I have had more than one conversation with old farmer/rancher types who bitch to no end about “who the hell needs King Ranch/Platinum/Denali/Limited trim packages, give me a regular cab with crank windows and vinyl seats!” or “trucks were made for work and you have no business owning one if you don’t pull a trailer or work in construction or own a ranch etc etc etc!” Plenty of hobbies (not just guns and cars) are rife with old timers who think the younger generation are ruining things for everyone.

        • “straight six, five speed, dual tanks.”

          Drove one of those for work for a few years.

          Kinda nice to only have to hit the gas station once a month…

      • I’m a fan of color case-hardened Winchesters and side-by-side shotguns. That does not mean I can’t also like a top-of-the-line Noveske or SCAR 17. I’m also a fan of European sportscars from the 1960s to the present, but I just got a 1500 Suburban. Some things have class, some things are more practical. You’ve got to decide where you draw the line, but you can’t force that line on others, and they can’t force their limits on you.

    • Where your point falls apart is that you don’t read articles in magazines that are geared toward military/LE firearms taking cheap/pot shots at hunters.

      • The current edition of Recoil magazine has a lengthy article on a group of wounded veterans going elk hunting, and have devoted plenty of page space to hunting in past issues (if not every issue).

        Recoil is strongly pro 2A, and has solid gun and gear reviews. Best gun lifestyle mag on the shelf right now, IMHO.

        Plus, the last page of every issue features a hot instagtam model holding a scary black rifle.

    • Yeah well his opinion is idiotic and he sounds like a democrat. Oh what do you NEED that for. Are you a wanna be SEAL? He sounds like the kind of guy at the range that cries about too much shooting.

      • It’s be a great place it weren’t for all these gun owners. GodDam* silencers and auto M16s and Glocks.

    • I agree. I completely understand his point. Shot has seen a huge upsurge in tactical/military gear, equipment and weapons over the last 5-10 years. That is great if you are in the military or law enforcement of some type.

      For the typical firearms hunter, ethical hunter, who will probably take a single shot a lot of that new stuff does not matter. Sure you can hunt deer with an 223/5.56. My sons used a single shot Rossi 223 to take their first deer. The did it in jeans or Carhartt overall’s and not in the latest cammo pattern used by Seal Team 6 made by Arcteryx costing $300 for the pants and $400 for a jacket (if you are lucky). Now older one uses a Marlin 30-30 his grandfather gave him and the other a Remington 700 in 308 and the both wear jeans. Amazingly the deer dont notice the lack of cammo 🙂

      I am not saying there is anything wrong with spending your hard earned money of lot’s of tactical stuff if that is your thing. Wether you ever get any use out of it or not it is your thing. Solider on! However I do understand the point that the FIELD AND STREAM guy is making. (Bold to point out where he is coming from).

    • Fair enough.

      I have a similar attitude re Glocks, Glocklings, Glockettes and SortaGlocks.

      But my attitude towards them doesn’t mean I think they shouldn’t be available, or that other people shouldn’t appreciate, enthuse over, or want them.

      • I hate glocks and most ARs. I just don’t get excited seeing that plain, ugly, boxy austrian model or any of its sycophantic look-a-likes out there and most ARs are overly tacticool to peak an interest.

        • Fair enough.

          The thing that really captures my attention about ARs, though, is the ability to put one together myself from a pile of parts.

          That’s something you just can’t do with most other guns, at least not nearly as easily. (Both in terms of physically doong it, and in terms of widespread availability and variety of parts.) And for me, there’s just something almost compelling about the understanding and appreciation of the underlying mechanism you get from doing so.

        • glocks don’t interest me either. but they’re cool. a great path to a handgun caliber carbine.
          and the only reason i’m spending towards an ar is that i can do so through the mail.
          the platform appeals solely due to this fact. machining is easier for me than scanning forms.

    • Yeah, count me in there too. I wonder if little girls go through the same thing in the “Barbie” aisle?

    • I’m pretty bored of AR stuff also. I don’t even read the ones TTAG has been posting. I skim the pictures, check tell price and click next. I have a feeling AKs will be next on the fatigue list. I’ve been building my own AKs lately which is more fun. I own a bunch of each type. I’ve been more interested in all of the bullpups coming out. I own three right now, and would like to add a few more.

    • Speak for yourself. I can’t even own one here in New York because they are outlawed. And they soon likely will be in California too.

  7. The sheer amount of AR’s and military guns this guy is talking about are what is driving the industry. Without the income from those dastardly semi-automatics, companies wouldn’t have the profit to experiment with new, traditional hunting oriented guns.

    I think Petzal has forgotten basic economics.

  8. This is a real problem I see With field and stream magazine. Gun people Or I should say people of the gun All fit together As one whole body whether you’re into militaristic firearms Or you’re into Bolt action rifle hunting we’re all in the same boat And I find it very nauseating that a magazine that promotes outdoor sporting events Would hang its head low at one particular branch Of the community. What a bunch of bullshit to write in a magazine That is Ben Promoting Second Amendment rights since the first page was turned. More bull crap From the media Looks like we lost one.

    • I’m into AR-15 style firearms, bolt-action firearms, lever action firearms, pump action firearms, breach loading firearms, muzzle loading firearms, if there were lasers that required batteries, I’d be into that too.

      • As a laser collector and hobbyist (built and bought — yes we exist) trust me that many of them require batteries.

        • I still have a phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range on order.

          (Kinda puny, it should be 40kW.)

        • Yes, I too got my Edmund Scientific catalog back in the ’70s…

          But seriously, it’s all govliq these days.

  9. “This pretty much sums up why I haven’t been back to SHOT since 2006. I really think they need to split off the LEO/military/Tacti-cool stuff into it’s own separate show.” this was a comment under the comment section of this article. Wow the readers are just as much fudds as the writers. This is disgusting what a wedge there is between the purely just hunting enthusiasts and those who realize their rights are under attack.

    • And there are many on “our side” who would get behind a new AWB.

      Two weeks ago at Big R an unkempt old man buying a revolver gave me a piece of his mind on how “Nobody who isn’t in the military needs….” the Sig 556xi I was picking up. (I know. MCX MCX… but I wanted something a little different.)

      They aren’t anecdotal or rare, and they’ll just as soon have you be deprived of what they don’t prefer just before the antis turn to them and say “And one more thing…” and ban their “sniper rifles”.

      Modern rifle fans don’t feel that “classic” designs should be banned.

      Many fudds on the other hand would gladly ban what I like.

      • Congrats on the new purchase. My most recent one was actually Fudd-compliant (finally got a revolver). But there might be a Bren 805 in my future….

    • It’s a legitimate request. The guy is not interested in tactical stuff, and that’s all he sees when he goes to SHOT, so he wants some show that’s dedicated to the stuff that he personally finds interesting. If there are enough of such people (and I’m sure they are), well, why not?

      • The issue isn’t that the only thing at SHOT is the AR/AK tacticool stuff. It’s that it’s impossible to walk through SHOT and NOT see all of the “traditional” hunting gear that’s there along with all the tacticool. He saw only what he wanted to see.

        Somehow he missed the Weatherby, Browning, Thompson/Center, Bergara, Blaser, Mossberg, Winchester, Savage, yadda, yadda, yadda booths. I don’t know where he was, but I saw all of those and a lot more.

      • Have you ever actually been to the show? there is a massive amount of hunting oriented firearms and gear.

  11. Any firearm will have a use and value if Armegeddon starts. Not that it’s very likely to start in the next hundred years or so.

  12. So do gun writers not learn from the downfall of other gun writers? Dick Metcalf, Jim Zumbo, now this guy

    • Unlikely. Enough of the “Well it was good enough for my gran’pappy ” types will rally for this guy. I think they’ve actually grown in number since the Zumbo incident.

  13. He’s frustrated because the high demand for firearms and ammo makes it harder for him to get what he wants at a competitive price. And his demand is real, while the rest of the demand emotionally fueled. We shouldn’t be allowed to dry up the supply pipeline until he has what he wants.

    I feel his pain. I get frustrated by the same thing. But I’m not a hunter so I don’t count.

    And I will acknowledge that being at a range where a bunch of people were using full-auto bullet hoses all day long probably wouldn’t be much fun for those who want to have an occasional conversation.

    • Well, if THAT’s the way you feel, let’s get to work and repeal NFA, so those full-auto bullet hoses will be silenced and everybody will be happy.

      • I’m all in favor of repealing NFA.
        It’ll be easier if we get a POTUS in the White House who takes his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution seriously.
        First things first.

        • first things first is to pack the state houses and congress with those same type of people. Then we will have a shot at the presidency while maintaining the and/or improving the judiciary.

    • Wow you really go to a range and bitch about too much shooting? Do you go to bars and bitch about loud music and drinking too? I bet you’re a democrat. Honestly, go join the temperance movement. America needs less weaklings like yourself.

  14. “gun control advocates, who ridicule gun owners as paranoid insurrectionists”

    No reservations stating for the record, when elected representives of the Republic continue to restrict and deny lawful citizens ownership of and lawful use of armaments, one day I’ll resemble that remark.

  15. *this* gets you butthurt? really?

    I mean for the love of god, I’m pro 2-A. You should absolutely be able to have full autos, suppressors, etc,. But I’m *bored*, to tears, with going to a gun store and 1/2 the rifles being AR-15s, all in the same basic configuration. I totally get the tactical fatigue. It’s simply not interesting. And 9/10ths or more of all the “operators” are just annoying as hell. I like my 2 AR’s, but I’m good. I don’t give a good flying damn about keymod vs MLOK or whatever. Can I see some neat new handguns? or a new rifle design? I don’t care if it’s good for TEOWAWKI. I just flat don’t care.

  17. Demand stifles innovation? Hmmm…somefuddy has it backwards. The recent profusion of military-looking firearms and paraphernalia is an innovation itself. It’s a relatively new turn for the gun market — and Elmer doesn’t like it.

    • Somebody should tell Elmer bolt actions were designed for the Military… Hey, wait – So were Levers!… wow… whatcha gonna do now?

    • He doesn’t see the keymod or m-lok as innovations and the only optical he is aware of is a Leupold Mark 4.

  19. I’m just about sure that the only “regestered” firearm users ARE hunters and there are a few of em’. I have several firearms that are nothing but “toys” and if you don’t use them for actual hunting THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE. Sorry guys. Overpriced toys that make loud noises or don’t make loud noises. Big Boys with big toys. Nothing wrong with that it’s our right. I believe in our right to defend ourselves and not depend on “somebody else” to do it for us.
    I consider most of mine Insurance against inflation. Some of them can be used for SD, but do I need 14 long guns for SD? No, but I like guns, and I’m getting to the point I’ve stopped buying them for any reason other than I can. I usually look at the newest proposed “gonna ban list” and go shopping. I’ll get a shoulder thingy that goes up someday!

  20. Wow. Petzal certainly is old, cranky and irascible, but he is no Fudd.

    He’s an expert authority on rifles, ammo and ballistics. Has put more rounds downrange than most of us ever will. Hunted big game all over the planet. If you read his blog, which accounts for a great deal of F&S web traffic, you’d know he’s also a staunch defender of our RTKBA.

    Forgive him if he thinks ARs and tacticool are silly and not interesting.

    • Petzal has forgotten more about shooting, hunting and gun culture than most in this comment section will ever learn. He’s supported the 2nd amendment since before RF was alife, and even a cursory overview of his blog posts would find that he’s critical of Bloomberg, Everytown, Moms Demand, Hillary, etc at every possible opportunity.

      He doesn’t happen to like tacticool commandos (and he has served so he has a bit of say in this), so let’s just, ignore the facts and call him a Fudd. It’s more fun to pile on anyway

      • Oh please. I don’t give two good flyin’s what this old man has done, the salient point is what he espouses right this very minute. And that’s a bunch of Fudd nonsense.

        I’ve been bored to tears of Stoner’s plastic-popgun mistake (one of many) for decades, yet I don’t care if you want to own one, shoot one, or display one. Or twenty. Your thing, up to you. Hell, you can even (now) hunt deer with a gun that’s suitable for 30# varmints. Good for you, it still matters zero to me, I will hunt with something that will drop 200+# reliably without a miracle shot. You are still free to bring the poodle-popper.

        This cranky old f-wit needs to shut up, and get out of the way. His generation blew it, so let the Gen-X babies clean up his mess.

      • He called for an AWB in the pages of Field & Stream a few months before it passed.
        He has repeatedly mocked and belittled people who prefer modern rifles.
        He’s called himself a Fudd.
        QED

    • He’s an expert authority yet speaks of guns for killing animals instead of humans? There is no such thing. Most all the guns you can buy are military designs or grounded in military designs. He also assumes people into the “tactical” stuff are wannabees and then denigrates those concerned about infringement on the RKBA. I guess he isn’t aware of the crap going down in California right now, or that went down in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, etc…recently?

  21. I understand AR fatigue (like Paul described, above)…but I also know it’s my own personal preference (and hey, if it will get more guns out there, and cause more D***n* F**nst**n tears, great!). So I don’t run around demanding my LGS stop carrying them and carry something else instead.

    Field and Stream can, basically, sod off.

    • Did Petzal make such a demand in his article?

      edit: oh look, Petzal just posted an article reviewing his first AR. Maybe we are allowed to like him again?

      • Maybe kiss his backside a little less and look what he wrote:

        “extremely popular amongst all the SEAL wannabes.

        become so heavily militarized

        something designed to kill animals instead of people.”

        From the outside looking in, that has a mighty similar look to the whole “anti” screed we see a lot, no?

        But, that’s not even the real kicker.

        As has been pointed out, the issue is not the presence of AR style rifles and tactical gear. No. The issue is that SHOT has plenty of what Mr. Petzal wanted to see, but he ignored it all in order to grandstand and go on a rant.

        Again, like the anti’s.

        If SHOT were as he described it, maybe he’d have a point. But, since his whole rant is based on a false premise, well…calling him a whining Fudd is the nicest thing I’ll say.

  22. I want a cheap garand/M1/ mini 14 style in 300 black that is easily scoped for hunting that is accurate, and light. AR’s just look bulky and hard to shoot off a rest and one hand carry at the balance point with that magazine and pistol grip sticking down.

    Everyone should be able to buy what ever type they want and not be criticized for their choice.

  23. This isn’t the typical FUDDism we’re used to, which is just thinly veiled anti-speak. What I see here is an author who’s simply uncomfortable with the market shifting away from what was once considered a settled status quo. I enjoy fine wood and blued steel myself, but sometimes you just want a gun that can stand up to use and abuse, and tactical guns with synthetic furniture inherently lend themselves to that perfectly. One guy said it best in the comments section, and he was hilariously rated one star for speaking the truth:

    “There will always be a market for the traditional hunting arms that are part of our history and heritage, but in the end, more people are getting involved ’cause they are realizing that the 2nd amendment has nothing to do with hunting. That’s what I love about our shooting heritage in this country. It cares not for race or creed, age or sex, but a love and respect of everything with a trigger that goes boom. In the end, is that really a bad thing?”

    • I submit to you that the reason this guy got a one star rating for his comment…is that many of the raters are Fudds.

      I could see a case for Petzal not being a Fudd so much as someone who has seen a lot of change the last few years, and maybe the paragraph was taken out of context. I could see it (someone will have to make the case though before I’ll agree that’s what actually happened here).

      But someone who actually disagrees with the statement that “the 2A is not about hunting” enough to downrate a comment…is a Fudd.

  24. In Illinois, the number of FOID card holders (lawful firearms owners) has skyrocketed during the Obama years while the number of hunting licenses sold has declined.

    I don’t know if that’s true in the rest of the country, but it wouldn’t surprise me. The face of the American gun owner is changing, his/her reasons for owning guns are different, and his/her need for equipment is definitely different.

    The times, they are a changing, whether Mr. Petzal likes it or not.

    • Of the firearms in my safe, the only ones that have names are evil black rifles.

      Hillary – is an Arsenal SAM-7
      Diane – is a .50 Beowulf upper on a home-brew lower
      Barry – is a PWS 7.62×39 upper on a home-brew lower.

      • You need a Chuck. And if you live in Colorado, you should have an Angela, a John, and an Evie as well.

        Don’t forget Shannon, Josh, and Mikey too, if you ever get away from officeholders.

        • Great. Now I have to go put together some more ARs. I thank you; my wife now hates you. 🙂

          And thank you for reminding me …

          My K&M M17s is named Mikey. I have to sit it on a spare ammo can to get the muzzle high enough to use a Rifle Rod.

  25. The market shifted, it’s that simple. More people are buying guns for protection, non-hunting sport (target, etc…), because they can, and also the usual reason that they fear a ban and want to get one just in case.

    And typically those guns are the “tactical” ones. Why? Marketing. They see them in the movies, video games, the news, and so on.

    They also see that the professionals, whether they be LE, military, competitors, and so on, all use equipment that could be considered “tactical”. And the advertising plays up on that. You don’t see Joe Blow on the range punching holes in paper, you see a tac’d out operator doing operational things while operating and if you act now and use promo code EBR you too can own that FN M4gery.

    Objectively though, the tactical-styled rifles and pistols tend to be more ergonomic and shooter-friendly. My ARs are way more user-friendly than my uncle’s Remington. Adjustable everything so it fits me, and I can adjust it again if I hand it off to my S/O or friend at the range. Comfort and all.

    If he’s that hopped up about SHOT catering to the tactical crowd, then he should use his influence to do something about it. Maybe evangelize the benefits and elegance of a traditionally-styled rifle.

  26. If F&S is so fixated on gun culture 1.0, in just over a week the Great American Outdoors Show opens in Harrisburg, PA. It’s full of Fudds, hunting stuff, and fishing.

    Don’t take it the wrong, way, it’s an awesome show but it’s gun culture 1.0 to the core.

    Also, PA being a state that once boasted selling 1,000,000/yr resident hunting licenses is seeing a massive hunting decline. Today, for every 100 licenses not renewed there are only 60 new hunters added. Maybe it’s time the Fudds drop their opposition to semi auto hunting in PA. Yeah, were one of two states that still doesn’t allow semi auto hunting across the state.

    • It’s so absurd to me because otherwise, the Commonwealth had very relaxed gun laws and there are a ton of TACTICAL gun enthusiasts here. I’m a supervisor at a natural gas utilities company in north central PA, and one of my union dudes built a 12-inch SBR before I even finished my legal-length side-charger. Now that he’s moved to another shop closer to his house, a bunch of the other guys are asking me to help them build ARs.

  27. F&S did not just go full Fudd on us. On the contrary, F&S is at the supercilious, condescending heart of Fudd Central and would sell out all of us in a New York minute. Or faster than that. How much faster? Like Petzal’s honeymoon, that’s how much faster.

  28. This would be the same variety of man who cringes at the range when I run Mozambique drills. He imagines himself painstackingly slaving away at his single stage press as I dump brass casually onto the range floor.

    • HEY!

      I have painstakingly slaved away at a single stage (er, well, a turret used in single stage mode) press and dumped brass casually on the ground.

      Was a time in the 90’s I was shooting about 1000 rnds a week. Some of that was factory shotgun, some .22 LR, but a good lot of it was handloaded during the week prior.

      {grin}

  29. What I’ll say is why is it that hunting always gets associated with “sporting purposes.” Go look at 2 gun, 3 gun etc. and that’s as valid of a sport as any as far as I can tell. They consider swinging brooms in front of a rock a sport so why wouldn’t they be?

  30. An AK/AR would be an absolutely great deer rifle. One round just behind the shoulder on the deer, then one round in the head if it’s still alive when you track it down. The other 28 in the magazine are for the bear/cougar that tries to maul you so it can take your deer(ask any Alaskans if they think this is a realistic worry).

    So why do almost all the states in America still have five round mag limits? And why do mags like Fudd and Stream keep pushing 19th century bolt actions? Why do we continue to act like we aren’t the dominant species on the planet? Why do we continue to put up with all the anti-gunners and fudds?

    • Deer hunting laws in Indiana does not let you even have real rifle rounds. Of course you can use a.300 Win Mag for squirrels. Go figure.

    • “ask any Alaskans if they think this is a realistic worry”

      Ask them if they would take AR/223/5.56 to fend off bears??

      I think you would be better off running. Sure the bear would probably eventually die from the 10-30 rounds you put into its body, but they would have to cut it open to find your body.

  31. Ah THIS old dude has a TV show on Outdoor(or Sportsman?) channel. Kinda’ Andy Rooneyesque. I don’t hunt,have no intention to ever hunt and generally give a rat’s azz what old fudds have to say. I’m also old but not a fudd(still a stud LOL). Haven’t ever bought F&S either. I certainly don’t put him in the dick “let’s talk limits” metcalf mold-YET. Yeah this minor diatribe was pretty annoying to those that pay the bills.

  32. Mr. Petzal never heard of anyone shooting hogs, coyotes, etc. with a .223? Never heard that some Army sniper rifles are ruggedized Remington bolt-actions? On a related note: any decently accurate bolt-action platform can become a “military-grade sniper rifle” at the drop of a Congressman’s fancy the first time some lunatic uses one to kill somebody–or at least a few somebodies. It damn near happened once before, it can happen again.

  33. self-professed “Gun Nut” David E. Petzal This year, Range Day sounded like the Battle of Dak To, with the distinctive pop-pop-pop of full-auto fire, this was symbolic of the whole show, which has now become so heavily militarized.
    Obviously the ” Gun Nut ” is not much of a gun nut at all.
    Personally, I think the market is oversaturated with ARs, 1911s, and Glock clones; but there is still a lot of other neat stuff out there. Still, I do like ARs, 1911s, and Glock clones for what they are, and I still think they are all good fun.

  34. So basically this guy goes to SHOT show and is surprised at so many guns being around. Wonderful. What a wasted ticket.

  35. “Stifled innovation” yet bitching about the rapidly evolving/booming firearms market. What a Fudd-ass. Probably pissed his pet little hobby is getting popular, and wants it all to himself (again, what a Fudd-hole)

    • Indeed. There has literally never been as much innovation in the firearms industry in this country as there is today.

  36. Let’s not beat him down to hard gentlemen. He’s just a traditionalist guy. I’m sure old Dave is just more so committed to the better with age guns. His preference for relics doesn’t end with the weaponry either. Why have a 2015 f150 when 1972 technology still rules the day, right Petzy? And a smart phone? That’s what a cb radio is for, huh Davey? I’ll bet he used a quill to pen that garbage article, as opposed to a computer. I hear you budd. I hate evolution as well…

  37. People complaining about the dirth of AR’s, them all being basically the same. Like all those bolt guns used for hunting, or those lever guns aren’t all basically the same gun to each other with a few minor differences.

  39. And this is exactly why I cancelled my subscriptions to the gun mags… Back in 1985! Because I finally figured out that they were WORSE than useless, they were stupid and dangerous. I can assume that Mr. David E. Petzal should be old enough to know better also, but apparently not.

  40. If anyone is stoking the fires of Armageddon it is the Liar in Chief and the bloated, over reaching and out of control Federal Government. If the populace felt safe and properly served by the government I don’t think there would be the rush to arm ourselves and store up emergency supplies of ammo that there presently is.

    We are not so stupid that history is over our heads. The attempt to circumnavigate 2A makes any sane person very nervous! We know what comes next after that. What with every governmental agency from Homeland Insecurity to Department of Education arming up like the end of the world is coming, makes a citizen just a bit nervous. It is a sad comment on the state of the country when the populace thinks that we might have to defend ourselves against terrorists, illegal aliens or even the government that is supposed to be protecting us but cannot even follow the Constitution they pledged to uphold and protect.

    So if we want to point any fingers, let’s point them in the proper direction. We have a government that is not operating by the rule of law (Fast and Furious, Benghazi, Hillarie’s email server, Etc) for years now and many of us are just plain worried about the future. Rightfully so!

  41. As a gun guy and hunter, this really bothers me. I just sent this to the F&S editor – I just can’t abide such stupidity.

    Dear Mr. Licata:

    After reading the comments regarding the SHOT Show made by borderline, clinically narcissistic and out of touch writer Dave Petzal, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t continue support of a publication that employs writers with zero objectivity on their supposed area of expertise.

    The current state of the firearms industry, as demonstrated at the SHOT show, is a reflection of consumer demand in response to changing trends and demographics in the shooting sports, genuine threats to constitutional freedoms and the realities of geopolitical conflict spilling over into everyday life.

    Mr. Petzal’s failure to arrive at the most rudimentary understanding of the current climate is demonstrable – he fails to gain even the most precarious grasp of the theme despite floundering about in an avalanche of evidence. His perspective is profoundly oblivious. After all that was available to experience at the SHOT show, his response is a gloomy depiction of Range Day as Fallujah or some fantasy camp for operator wanna be’s, an inference regarding a rough approximation of a military arms market? That’s what he got out of it? Consider having him use vacation days and pay his own way for visit #36 – if your organization funded it, trip #35 was a dubious return on investment, at best.

    But we know why: he rejects the edification available to him simply because it doesn’t suit the 1950’s Elmer Fudd bolt-gun narrative he couples with a proven record of bitter, clinical cynicism. So, please cancel my subscription – do not deliver another Field & Stream publication to my residence. I neither request or desire a refund on the remainder of my subscription, I simply ask that you refrain from defiling my mailbox from here forward.

    I must summarily reject any publication that promotes rebuffing the very people who prioritize defending the 2nd Amendment with both their time and resources. Rather than using the Field & Stream platform to support the 2nd Amendment, Mr. Petzal diligently chooses to be purposefully obtuse.

    It’s about time the Petzal-Fudd adherents of the world shed their comfortable blanket of self-imposed delusion and realized that their rights are under attack just as much as the black rifle crowd they so heartily revile, and there’s no room in that struggle for any more of their superficial vacillation or fallacious reasoning.

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