True West & USFA. Bad Blood?????

[Frank Dalton]

I just received my True West Sourcebook for 2008, and for the second year running (at least that I am aware of), USFA is not mentioned as a firearms manufacturer.

We got Uberti, Colt, Ruger, America Remembers, AWA, Ballard, Taurus (who is supposedly quitting the cowboy line) and on and on, but no USFA.

Does anybody know why?

[Deadeye Don]

Maybe those other companies pay to be listed but USFA doesnt??  Just a guess.

[Frank Dalton]

There is a form on the last page of the source book that allows you to "to be considered for next year's Source Book or to correct an entry..." which does not seem to require any payment for this.

Perhaps I should just send this form in to TW on USFA's behalf.

[RRio]

Beats me. Especially in light of this:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,5210.0.html

That mag always seemed kinda "trendy" to me, anyhow.

[Doc Sunrise]

I always wondered why some gun magazines' annual buyer's guide doesn't mention USFA, and some do?  And in the same magazine they are listed as an advertiser.  A question to marketing perhaps?

[Frank Dalton]

Well,

I emailed the information to TW as shown on the form, and included a cc to USFA at the email address on their site. Hopefully the USFA Marketing people will be o.k. with the free advertising next year, and that TW will actually include the information in their Source Book.

[J.D. Yellowhammer]

That's a pretty bad omission. 

TW is supposed to more-or-less target folks like us: cas shooters, students of the 18th century west, etc.  When TW includes big manufacturers like Colt, Ruger, Taurus, etc., they're giving free advertising to companies whose main income comes from modern firearms, govt. contracts, etc.  Their cowboy guns are a small specialty niche.

Then you have USFA, a small, high quality company that depends entirely on folks like us, and doesn't have guns like the M 16 to carry the weight.  USFA IS cowboy guns.  You'd think USFA would be pretty prominent in a magazine that calls itself "true" west.