Down Range

I met Mike Venturino in the early 1990s at the SHOT Show back when I was in advertising sales. I walked away with the impression that he was one of the nicest gun writers I had ever met. Fast forward to 2007 when I purchased Wolfe Publishing Company and I was impressed that he took the time to personally congratulate me. Later, we spent a week with him at his home in Montana to film our World War II series on our Handloader TV channel. During the filming Mike was a gracious host. All of us had so much fun filming that series. The untimely death of Mike took us all by surprise. I lost a friend that day. He will be missed by all of us. I hope you enjoy this tribute to Mike.

– Don Polacek, Publisher

Many people know Mike “Duke” Venturino through his writing about various firearms, handloading and bullet casting that has become nothing short of legendary. Like many others, I first “met” Mike through his writing. I was merely a young boy at the time and I was impressed with his knowledge of various propellants and properties of specific bullets. As I grew and gained knowledge and understanding about firearms and handloading, those same articles from Mike seemed to grow with me. I began to have a better understanding of the principles that Mike so often wrote about. There is no doubt that Mike has forgotten more about firearms than most folks will ever know. He also made a career of writing about handloading and firearms.

Over the course of many years, Mike and I became close friends and we would talk regularly and every time he was in our neck of the woods for a match or shoot, he would make time to visit. I cherish those conversations over mediocre coffee and breakfast as the knowledge that was gleaned from such conversations was invaluable. In these simple acts of kindness, where he freely shared his knowledge and information, he fulfilled a duty that each of us should strive to achieve. He provided knowledge and wisdom to the next generation in a way that was not only fun but fascinating. He passed on a passion that burns within each of us to one degree or another or in one aspect or another. While my interests are broad when it comes to firearms and handloading, Mike was always happy to help by offering what he knew and if he didn’t know, he would be the first to tell you. Pride never got in the way of his work or his advice.

I can recall one particular instance where I got my first 1874 Sharps rifle, from Pedersoli, the Q Down Under model, along with a Soule-style sight. The first person I called was Mike to get his advice on shooting and loading the rifle. No doubt the movie helped inspire this purchase and what better person to learn from than Mike. The same person who taught Tom Selleck how to shoot and operate an 1874 Sharps for the feature film “Quigley Down Under.” To me, “Duke” was even kind enough to cast some bullets and send them my way so I could test the rifle. Those same bullets were used in a video on our YouTube Channel, Handloader TV. I shot the best group of my life with iron sights with those bullets. It gave me a great boost in confidence in my own shooting and handloading ability and encouraged me to continue down the path of bullet casting and historical firearms.

As my gun writing career grew and the videos for Handloader TV gained popularity, an opportunity to visit Mike in his home state of Montana arose, to film a series on World War II small arms. The time spent up there is something I will never forget as it was a joy to talk with him about firearms and loading for them. Once again, I was amazed at the knowledge and information he was reciting for the videos – all unscripted and off the top of his head. By that trip’s end, Mike and I were inspired to write more and dive deeper into our shared passion for firearms and handloading.

There is no doubt we have big shoes to fill, and I often worry about who will fill the shoes of so many great gun writers who are no longer with us. “Duke” will be greatly missed and his contributions from his books and his countless magazine articles serve as a testament to the man. His knowledge, kindness, passion and eagerness to share them with others is what made him not only a pleasure to be around but an outstanding writer and a dear friend.

– Jeremiah Polacek, Editor in Chief