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Irfan
03-10-2011, 11:26 AM
I find myself wasting too much time visiting many gun-forums and gun-related sites each day, more than 10 maybe. I mostly read and rarely post something. On most of these forums you find guys who have no or very little experience with firearms, some of them are only hobbyist shooters. What I need is 3-4 gun-forums where you can find real life instructors, members of elite law enforcement agencies whose lives depend on their firearms. Are there forums on which you can find Larry Vickers for example, Chris Costa and “the other guy” from Magpul Dynamics (those are great!), Todd Louis Green, Clint Smith etc.etc. What forums do you guys recommend? :)

JV_
03-10-2011, 11:44 AM
I'm interested as well. I've severely pruned back the list of message boards that I read.

Make sure we keep this a positive thread. I don't want to see it turn in to an opportunity to throw cheap shots at other forums or instructors.

Frank D.
03-10-2011, 11:50 AM
The only ones I can think of are this one, Arfcom (though theres alot more chafe), m4carbine, the Lightfighter forums and Southnarc's forum (Total Protection Interactive).

Oh and Louderthanwords for 1911 gunsmith-related stuff - alot of the big custom guys post over there.

jar
03-10-2011, 11:55 AM
This forum, TPI, and the BrianEnos forums for the competition side.

dookie1481
03-10-2011, 11:57 AM
Here, M4C, LF, TPI, and 10-8 is good, though there isn't much traffic.

jetfire
03-10-2011, 12:24 PM
This and Brian Enos are pretty much the only forums I read with any regularity. For pretty much the same reason, it's where I'm most likely to find a positive signal to noise ratio.

dirt_diver
03-10-2011, 12:25 PM
I used to be a big GT fan. But about 2 years ago I found M4C and then PT.com and have been better for it , IMHO.
I still like to read the CopTalk section of GT, but pretty much everything else is seems to be hobbyist opinion. As for ARFCOM, I never have seen it's as a valuable source of credible info, though in fairness I never really sunk my teeth into the site.

John Ralston
03-10-2011, 12:48 PM
and Southnarc's forum (Total Protection Interactive).

Oh and Louderthanwords for 1911 gunsmith-related stuff - alot of the big custom guys post over there.

Thanks for the info...did not realize that TPI was Southnarc's baby.

Also, don't forget about the world renown holster gods that frequent Louderthanwords ;)

Frank D.
03-10-2011, 01:11 PM
Oh, I hardly forgot, was just trying to keep things pertinent to the OP.

I'm gonna have to give you a call about a belt in a few years when I get back to the states.

Suffice it to say I'm a fan ;).

nar472
03-10-2011, 01:36 PM
This, and m4c.

LittleLebowski
03-10-2011, 03:34 PM
Here, M4C, Firearms Training and Tactics, and just signed up for TPI. Though too injured to train with Southnarc, I dig the ambiance there.

dookie1481
03-10-2011, 06:28 PM
Here, M4C, Firearms Training and Tactics, and just signed up for TPI. Though too injured to train with Southnarc, I dig the ambiance there.

It's awesome, there are some real intellectuals that post there.

jar
03-10-2011, 08:45 PM
It's awesome, there are some real intellectuals that post there.

TPI is the only forum where I regularly start to reply, stop to think about whether my post will really add to the disussion, and decide not to.

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

dookie1481
03-10-2011, 10:03 PM
TPI is the only forum where I regularly start to reply, stop to think about whether my post will really add to the disussion, and decide not to.

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

Haha yeah, I've done that quite a few times.

YVK
03-10-2011, 11:39 PM
It's awesome, there are some real intellectuals that post there.

I thought of signing up, but now I know I won't fit in over there :).

To OP: I replied to this same post you started on M4C, and while I think I understand what you're asking for, presence of many large names on a "roster" may not mean significant difference in signal-to-noise ratio.

Firearm instructor SMEs don't have to and, depending on how one looks at it, maybe even shouldn't discuss too much of technical aspects of how to run whatever they teach how to run.

Members of alphabetized units absolutely shouldn't and won't discuss anything important.

Industry pros are most likely bound by NDAs.

It doesn't matter to me anymore how one site or another tries to present itself. I go there, read, learn, leave if not interested any longer. If it takes too much time - don't spend it, you're unlikely to miss much and it'll all be repeated sooner or later somewhere else.

dookie1481
03-11-2011, 12:19 AM
I thought of signing up, but now I know I won't fit in over there :).

To OP: I replied to this same post you started on M4C, and while I think I understand what you're asking for, presence of many large names on a "roster" may not mean significant difference in signal-to-noise ratio.

Firearm instructor SMEs don't have to and, depending on how one looks at it, maybe even shouldn't discuss too much of technical aspects of how to run whatever they teach how to run.

Members of alphabetized units absolutely shouldn't and won't discuss anything important.

Industry pros are most likely bound by NDAs.

It doesn't matter to me anymore how one site or another tries to present itself. I go there, read, learn, leave if not interested any longer. If it takes too much time - don't spend it, you're unlikely to miss much and it'll all be repeated sooner or later somewhere else.

Well, they may not be heart surgeons, but...;)

YVK
03-11-2011, 12:36 AM
That's a good one, dookie, a beer or drink of choice is on me:). Surgeons' intellect is overrated though, they lose half of a brain doing 100 hour workweeks for five years of postgrad training.
Sorry for a thread drift, everybody, back to SME discussion.

F-Trooper05
03-11-2011, 03:13 AM
The High Road (I kid, I kid). M4C and HKpro.

gtmtnbiker98
03-11-2011, 07:16 AM
The High Road (I kid, I kid). M4C and HKpro.HKPro has a few good posters with a lot of knowledge, but the signal to noise ratio is extremely high.

John Ralston
03-11-2011, 10:00 AM
In regards to finding "Professionals" on a forum, I would just like to make an observation in regards to many of the forums where I used to frequent, which are obviously NOT listed above (F-Trooper05's post made me think of it).

The General Population has more to do with the OVERALL Quality of a forum, and if you can attract the right Demographic and keep them active, then the Forum as a whole will be that much better. You can only have so many SME's on any forum, and their participation will be dictated by their schedules. Having a bunch of armchair commandos posting really turns a forum into a POS quickly. We must remember that most of the threads started, and the posts made, are done by the Members, not the Staff and SME's.

I used to participate heavily in many forums that showed promise for getting some exposure for my leather work, but I have since limited my participation greatly. Although I would get good feedback, it became evident that they would have been just as happy with something I made while blindfolded (based on some of the pictures and rave reviews they posted of their gear). These same guys would talk about the new Hi-Point or RIA that they picked up, and ask quesitions along the lines of - "Where can I get the cheapest Dremel, Magazines, Holsters, Belts, etc?"

I am all for helping out beginners, but it gets old when the majority of the forum population is more interested in saving a few bucks, as opposed to actually learning what those with more experience are trying to teach them (in regards to quality gear, tactics, drills, mindset, etc.).

The SME's and general population of this forum are what make it and others like TPI & M4C stand out from the sea of others on the net.

KentF
03-11-2011, 10:40 AM
About how long does it take to get an account activated at TPI? I registered yesterday, after reading this thread, and can log in, but I can't post or access certain areas.

TCinVA
03-11-2011, 11:40 AM
The General Population has more to do with the OVERALL Quality of a forum, and if you can attract the right Demographic and keep them active, then the Forum as a whole will be that much better.


This.

I value the input of genuine SMEs (like the fine SME's we have here at PF.com) but they don't define a forum if for no other reason than there are generally relatively few of them compared to the general membership. We use the SME title as a way of letting the general membership know that these individuals are great resources and should be listened to carefully and treated with respect. It gives the members the ability to know instantly that they are hearing from someone who knows what they are talking about and it gives the SME's the protection of not having to endure boorish behavior from someone who didn't learn any manners in kindergarten.

...but there are plenty of people on this board and on others who are still magnificent resources of information even though they may not have a formal SME title.

At PF.com we're trying to be the place where those individuals can contribute and have a discussion without some of the nonsense you can see by visiting any number of forums. To that end, we've tried to make strategic choices in the rules of the site and the people selected to enforce them (which hasn't really been necessary so far...a testament to the quality of our membership). Ultimately, however, it's you, the membership, who will make this place the kind of resource we're all hoping it will be. You will form the foundation of the board's culture. As part of the staff I can do my best to try and steer things in the right direction, but you guys are where the rubber meets the road on that.

The kind of environment where knowledge is respected and disagreements are handled in a respectful, adult manner is the kind of environment that will draw everybody, including even more SMEs.

...so don't judge a forum solely by the participation of SMEs. A board that actively recruits and seeks input from genuine SME's is certainly a good sign, but there are other metrics to consider as well. :)

SouthNarc
03-11-2011, 11:56 AM
About how long does it take to get an account activated at TPI? I registered yesterday, after reading this thread, and can log in, but I can't post or access certain areas.

I authenticated you just a minute ago. Should be GTG.

KentF
03-11-2011, 12:17 PM
Thanks, greatly appreciated!

F-Trooper05
03-11-2011, 02:57 PM
HKPro has a few good posters with a lot of knowledge, but the signal to noise ratio is extremely high.

Yeah, I think Chuck S. is annoying too ;)

DocGKR
03-14-2011, 02:00 AM
I have found that 10-8 and Lightfighter generally have good information for military, LE, and other serious end-users. M4C also has useful information, but SME participation is less consistent.

willowofwisp
03-14-2011, 05:30 AM
I have found that 10-8 and Lightfighter generally have good information for military, LE, and other serious end-users. M4C also has useful information, but SME participation is less consistent.

Doc, I am glad to see you on this forum, your info on m4c has influenced some of my purchases and training aspects.

Pistol Shooter
03-14-2011, 08:15 AM
This forum is quickly shaping up as the best handgun forum I've seen so far.
(And I've been to quite a few over the years.)

It has quality members with considerable knowledge, who write well and communicate their thoughts clearly and in an adult manner.

It's a very welcome respite from those forums where many members are obsessed with inexpensive, unreliable handguns in less than service calibers. ;)

cdunn
03-14-2011, 07:19 PM
I just deleted m4c from my favorites, I feel I can find out all I want/need to know here + a little more that I didn't want or need to know.