I'm almost embarrassed to say that I once started a thread like this one on Shooters.com over a year ago. I was particularly incensed at the moment about yet another article Craig Boddington wrote about yet another "greatest rifle for this species" and didn't even come close to fulfilling the headline. After some hindsight and some help from Ken Howell on 24hourcampfire, I've come to understand much of the insights of the writer and also understand a certain lack of control over articles at times after they are submitted.
This of course, brings up another whole host of questions that could be asked, but not by me.
I must say, I gained some respect for him when he actually responded to a couple of questions on the other board until things got a little nasty and he hasn't been back. However, I believe he sometimes lurks on several of these boards.
A couple of things that have changed my opinions slightly.
First, I've never heard a bad word said about him from anyone who has met him personally or had personal dealings with him.
I don't think I've ever known 2 or 3 people in my entire life that could claim this. However, I have to wonder how this serves him in his role as a Marine General.
Second, I've noticed in many of his recent articles that he has dropped the use of his rank in his articles. I assume that is the result of his lurking on these boards and responding to how distasteful some of us find this- no matter how much respect we have for the fact that he earned it.
I have found that his hunting articles are usually very readable and don't talk down to the reader like several current writers.
However, I've only noticed a slight improvement in his product reviews. I assume, possibly incorrectly, that this is due to editorial pressures being funneled from the advertisers/manufacturers.
I believe hatred of Craig Boddington is overstating the case by a good bit. The most overwhelming feeling I get from these kind of threads is more of disappointment than downright disdain. More in the light of-"how could a guy with his experience pen such middle of the road articles and with such an absence of conviction?"
The answer to this question seems to have been included in one of his answers to questions in his brief participation in our thread. He related that he writes so prolifically that he usually doesn't even remember a particular article after it is submitted because by that time several others have been written, proofed, and on to other things. The main reason for this, as I understood it, is that each article by itself pays very little and quantity over quality is how a writer increases his earning potential.
None of this changes the original intent of this thread, however, it might explain the mechanisms behind what we read in print. Ken Howell on 24hourcampfire.com has been instrumental in explaining these aspects of magazine writings- it is definitely worthwhile having such an experienced scribe participate in some of these threads. It might be worth a read to check it out- to be sure, he doesn't necessarily support what is being done in these articles by most writers and editors. In fact, his favorite writer also seems to be Finn Aagard.- Sheister

I didn't intend to start the dump on Craig thread(s), just concurring to what others have said.

Actually I think there are many writers who are far worse then Craig, Lame (Layne) Simpson tops my list, followed closely by Dick Metcalf. I've heard Shooting Times closed there doors, so I guess we might not be hearing from them as much anymore.

Perhaps what these threads really show is that most of us our utterly sick of mediocre shooting/hunting mags. Craig has taken the brunt of our disgust.

I did finally get a copy of A-Squares Any Shot You Want, and after reading many of Craig's cartridge descriptions, I'd say that he certainly has the ability to write good stuff.

I'm also sure I'd enjoy sharing a hunting camp with Craig. I'm sure he'd be much more enjoyable one on one, and he'd probably find that I'm not quite the a-hole my posts about his recent articles may lead him to believe I am

I enjoy Boddington's articles. I don't always agree with the conclusions but that does not detract from his work. I for one am proud of someone who would lay their life on the line for my country and acknowledge their rank, whether it be Colonel, General or private. Even though it is not full time. He has been doing it for I would imagine over 20 years.

I enjoy Barsness's writings also and find him very informative. He is a seat of the pants type of hunter. I also enjoy Jim Carmichel's work very much and wish he did more of it. Ross Seyfried makes the list too. After that it gets a bit thin with the current crop.

I just wish I had more time to read.

[This message has been edited by Customstox (edited 12-27-2001).]

As a retired USAF officer who has dealt with the USMC on many, many occassions when things could get loud in the background, ie bullets flying, I can't imagine anyone getting promoted much past Major if they weren't someone you could rely on. Granted there are some who are hard on their men and some who might believe their troops are expendable assets but as a whole they are men who get the job done. I've never met a Marine that I haven't been proud to either salute or to return his/her salute and whether he uses his rank in his writings or not, the first time you ever talk to him you can see he is the kind of man who will get the job done.

If someone really wants to read CTB at his best, buy one of his books. He is an immensely skilled writer and this comes through much better when he isn't hawking someone's product in a rag. His book on rifles and cartridges for African hunting is a classic and one I have read many times. It far overshadows Taylor's work on the same subject, IMO.

Boddingtons 1986 book on North american rifles is a good read also. Will agree with the poster who stated that he is at his best without the many commercial bytes as in the mag articles.
there are worse writers out there..."ol 7mm Jon Sundra" being one...you wouldthink that he got a lifetime supply of 7mm bullets and thats all he can shoot. Sundra cant carry Clair Rees or Boddingtons typewriter case. Sundra was there and did it all first.
He is in the arrogance class with Jeff Cooper. Nuff said. regards swede

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WyomingSwede

I'll be damn! A thread on Boddington where I believe the pro's outnumber the con's. For once I feel that I can offer my 2 cents (I LIKE HIS WRITTING!)on a CB thread without first putting on my steel toed boots, shin guards, bullet proof vest, and hard hat!

I'll put my weight behind the pro Boddingtons. Maybe it is because there is a very smooth type of English beer named Boddingtons this may have some thing to do with it!

And if he chooses to use his title more power to him. There is a protocol in this country (for those who get excited about these things) that it is perfectly acceptable to use you military rank as your everyday "handle" if you made it to Major and higher. Some folks do, most don't unless they made it to Colonel. Either way to knock him for using his TWO STAR rank smacks of sour grapes.

He would be welcome here anytime. I'm sure he could teach most of us a great deal.

Major (Retired)! Deerdogs

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Regards

Richard

But me down as another Brit who enjoys craigs work. I think the secret here is that he is probablt not so over exposed in the UK.
And his book on African Safari rifles is a classic.

Now I've browsed through Barness book on optics and was very unimpressed..Would not even buy it and that says something when it comes to hunting books!

Keith is another writter I just don't like..
Comes across as a braggart and BS artist to me...but hey, you buy the books and the mags, so read what ever cranks your lever! *G*

Peter

After reading all the latest posts on Boddington for the second time in the last few months, you can only conclude that a few hunters or shooters are not too excited by his writing or style. His use of rank aside, as that is his prerogative, his writing is not over stated or pernicious in any way. For the product marketing articles you don't need much of a screen to filter out the chaff. But someone has to pay the freight on all these safaris and I am jealous too. However, in some of his articles and in his hunting books there is a lot of experience and good advice. Maybe on this forum, the field hunter and tech shooters will never be thrilled by the same writer or article.
As an example, his advice on the 2 or 3 gun african safaris is excellent. It's not my way or the highway type of attitude, but different scenarios are presented for the reader to consider. Wish I could join him on the many safaris, but in the meantime will read about them in his articles.

I only want to comment on the Boddington Rank issue. I was a commissioned US Army office that serve most of my time in the Amry National Guard. I enlisted and as a private was a machine gunner in the Infantry. I did not want to wait to Ranger school, and the shortest route there was through Officer Candidate School, where I graduated #1 in my class. On the researve side of the military the units are almost entirely Combat Service Support (css). The National Guard has a mix of CSS and Combat Arms; Infantry, armory, artilery, attack helicopters.

Any honest field grade office will tell you many (maybe 1/2 to 3/4) of field grades find a fast moving friend that pulls them up the ranks with them. The Marine Corp is good about not having a lot political appointment, which is very good. The Guard and Researves officers that move up are the one that gain rank by attrition. The General has chosen to stay in the researve will many of his peer can't or dont wish to put in all the extra time.

Teachers, public employees, or people that work for very large big business tend to out last the self employed, small employer soldiers and marines.

As for his writtings and others I take them for what they are. People trying to make a living the best they know how. If they are sell outs I can see it, so can all of you. So just dont buy the latest and greatest wiz bang whatever.

I try not to trash gunrags, the majority are fine people. I have met and chatted with Craig Boddington a time or two, he's a nice guy, no big ego or arrogance. Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves for trashing Craig and others on their personalities. Craig has contributed nothing but good to the hunting and shooting world and he is a fellow B&C associate to boot! sure-shot

Craig Boddington's non-use of his rank in his byline is very a recent development, appearing to coincide with his promotion to General. It is probable that he was told by those in authority to cease and desist at about the time he was promoted.

Some have defended his misuse of rank, or at least not taken umbrage at it as not being a big deal. I believe to be quite improper. I don't have a copy of the UCMJ handy, but as I recall, there are several regs which deal with the general topic of using rank or the accoutrements of military service while on active duty (and reserve duty) for commercial purposes or advancement.

Even if it were not strictly forbidden by actual regulation or protocol, it would still be improper for this reason: Boddington's rank has nothing to do with his expertise on the topics about which he rights. It is irrelevant, therefore gratuitous and if nothing else, suggests a remarkable insecurity. It reminds me of those sometime writers in some gun mags who have to include their profession in their by-line (Dr. Joe Blow, DDS). If "Blow" were writing on dentistry, I would want to see his credential's but when he is reviewing a binocular or rifle, his status as a dentist is utterly irrelevant to the topic because his training or profession does not add one iota to his ability to review the product.

We see this all the time in the gun mags, especially Varmint Hunter and a few of the big trophy magazines. "Dr. Ignatio Pistachio (whatever the name of that pistolero/gun defense expert) uses the same ploy. Pistachio is a chiropractor. I have nothing against chiropractic medicine at all, but being a "doctor" of chiropractic is utterly irrelevant to Pistachio's qualifications to teach defensive of use of firearms.

For the same reason, Boddington's use of his rank in his byline offends my sensibilities. It is a sign of insecurity and shows an unseemly willingness to trade on his military career.

That said, I appreciate the fact that Boddington no longer trades on his rank
and certainly give him credit for the change. He would have even more credit from me had he never done so in the first instance.

I have not paid enough attention to his writing to form an opinion as to his skills in this area. Regardless, to have attained the rank of general in the USMC undoubtedly requires tremendous talent and dedication.

I also agree with the post above to the effect that persons in large businesses, teachers and those employed in government tend to be those selected for higher rank in the reserves. As commented above, this is because it is mostly people in these professions which have the necessary time to devote. Really, it is quite unfortunate since in reality, it amounts to the reserves selecting for mediocrity. The real go-getters---the self-employed, small business owners, or those in high demand professions and businesses simply do not have the time to devote. The result is a less capable officer and senior NCO corps than we might otherwise have, IMHO.

Regards,

Jordan

Gentlemen,

I think we tend to be a little to harsh on passing judgement on gun writers of our present time.

Some of my friends here might argue this point, but I think this is due to the general knowledge we as readers have today.

I have a large libray of huting and shooting books, I have read them all. And I enjoy picking one up every now and then and read it again.

In a lot of those books, I can poke holes through many arguments presented in them.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

Give me a fucking brake guys! what magazine
do all you wize guys write for???
I think you should be prowd to have such
a guy like Craig in your country also, i think he has a lot of experience.
Regarding that he uses his title so what
wouldnt you if u had one?????

Ahh, come on. It's no fun if the gun writers can't talk back...
I at least abuse them in places they can talk back;-)
Jurras, Paco, etc.

I like all these guys, including Seyfried, Corbett, Bell,O'Connor, etc.

gs

OK:
The biggest Match Boat tail hollow point on the Speer site is 308.
They make larger spire point boat tails.
Do you think these might be hunting rounds???????

Saeed:
My Guess is you cut apart a 375
375-270 GR. Spitzer Soft Point Boat Tail
Am I right?

From Speers' site:
"

Frequently Asked Questions
I am hunting white tail deer. Why do you recommend the use of the expensive Grand Slam bullets rather than the less expensive Hot-Cor? point to develop a load for this lighter bullet.

Q. I am hunting white tail deer. Why do you recommend the use of the expensive Grand Slam bullets rather than the less expensive Hot-Cor?

A. The Grand Slam design builds upon the experience of the earlier bullets, such as the standard Hot-Cor. It combines features, such as a hard lead alloy in the base to facilitate penetration and softer lead in the front to facilitate expansion. These features allow the Grand Slam to perform under a more varied set of conditions than the standard bullets. This enhances the chances of anchoring a deer while hunting, especially when less than optimal shots are presented.
This does not suggest the standard Hot-Cor bullets cannot do the job. Placement is still the most important aspect in hunting and standard bullets may display better accuracy in your gun. Only your gun can reveal that aspect. "

Damn. You don't think they want you to use more EXPENSIVE BULLETS, DO YOU?????

GS

[This message has been edited by Socrates (edited 12-30-2001).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lorenzo:
Hi Lorenzo,
Safari Rifles is a great book and I've just about worn out my copy. No matter what anyone says about his articles his books are "Generally" very good.I tend to buy books rather than magazines. The magazines have too much advertising with very little information. There are a couple of good ones but one every six months is good enough for me. 470 Mbogo

Petersen Publishing (the new corporate entity, not the same as it was years ago) has attempted to take over the car mag industry recently. The real cutting edge, no-holds-barred, outspoken rags were shut down almost as quickly as the name on the office changed. Those who got to stay underwent a noticeable change, while some who didn't went to McMullen-Argus. You can see the huge difference between car mags from the two.

Hunting and gun-rag writers generally have other jobs and write on contract or other arrangement, so the similarity is not complete, but I would bet that much of the gun rags, just like the car rags, suffer because of the editors and publishers.

My gripe with most gun rags is they don't offer anything. And I am not nearly as knowledgeable as any of you, so I would be pleased with less. I am sick of the magical 40 S&W, the magical 480 Ruger, the magical polymer frame, the endless articles about junk I will never be able to afford or legally own (antiques and full auto swat stuff comes to mind). And all of this I see as an editorial/publishing lapse, not a writer's lapse. Although I usually can't call BS on the technical aspects of most in-depth articles, so I may be missing something.

Jordan,

I fully agree with your carefully-written analysis of why it is improper or affected to use a title in an irrelevant context, and that is exactly why I don't use mine. However, note that for some odd reason, it is customary in the U.S. to refer to a physician as Dr. even outside his area. Some sort of recognition, like a knighthood or something, I suppose. I believe that at one time, similar respect was paid to military officers, particularly by the cultures from which many on this board descend.

All,

Having read all the discussion, and why it applies to Boddington instead of to those worse than he, it seems to me that most of the animus against him, where it exists, is because Boddington is a general, and the complainers aren't.

Guess what? He's STILL a general, even after the complaining, because he worked for it, and still does. But before long, he'll retire, and then everyone who is complaining can rest easy knowing that he or she will be PAYING TAXES to support Boddington's hunting habit!

[This is a paid commercial written at the request of BGEN C. Boddington, USMC.]

"Col. Townsend Whelan" - I wonder if he got any heat ... I somehow doubt it. Craig Boddington is highly respectable as a writer, as a hunter, as a firearm authority and, quite apparently, as a man. I'll wager he can "out fact" any 17 guys on this Forum without looking down.

Most of the visitors here have the experieince to write their own articles.It's no wonder reading someone else's no longer gives the same stimulation as when they first started hunting, and leads to frustration at gunwriters etc.
I think treating them as occasional light reading is where they belong once you reach a certain level, as Saeed said above.

General once signified the force commanders(of a warrior caste) directly below the King or Supreme power during a large scale military conflict, and apllied to them only during the conflict.

Someone who writes stories for a living and turns up for military service on weekends, should get the respect he deserves if he wants to use his honorific in day to day life.

Karl

I agree that the general deserves to use his title. He earned it. It is relevent. You don't get out of boot camp in the marines without knowing which end of a rifle to point downrange. His books are good solid experience based work. His magazine articles leave something to be desired at least to my level of knowledge at where I am now. One must consider the audience they are writing for when they put a piece of writing together. The things I need from an article now are not the same as when I was a novice. There was a time when I needed the "What is the best whitetail cartridge" article. Now I can skip that one and go straight to more tecnical or reloading articles. Overall he gets a thumbs up from me. Good hunting. "D"

I like to put the heat on General Craig B. because in his articles he does not take a definitive position and defend it. He likes to be Mr. Nice Guy to everyone about everything, and consequently his articles are not informative.

If O'Connor were alive, I would ride him too, but let the departed rest in peace.

Geez, nobody bitched this mutch about "Col." Saunders. LOL - Dan

I mostly read Gen. Boddington's books. He expresses his opinions, but is open-minded to see others' point of view. His writing is that of someone smart enough to know there is more than one way to skin a cat. He clearly states reasons why he does or doesn't like something. I personally like his writing. (...even though he bashes the .378 Weatherby.)