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part-time shooter
05-11-2011, 07:18 PM
I was digging my way across the gun section at the local B&N bitching to myself about the lack of anything actually worth reading in every journal I picked up. I've never been much of a gun magazine reader but it looks pretty hard to find good information in any of them.

Which journals do you read and why? are the subscription only?

Thanks.

JV_
05-11-2011, 07:24 PM
Only the Internet Protocol Journal ... I don't read firearms related journals or magazines.

ACP230
05-11-2011, 07:26 PM
I read Small Arms Review, Shotgun News,American Handgunner and Guns.
Used to get a couple more.

F-Trooper05
05-11-2011, 07:53 PM
The only one I ever read is Surefire's "Combat Tactics." I haven't seen a new issue in a while though; I'm not even sure if they still publish it.

Argus
05-11-2011, 07:56 PM
SWAT is pretty much the only gun magazine I ever read anymore.

Bratch
05-11-2011, 08:02 PM
SWAT is the only that I pay for, also get American Rifleman from the NRA.

orionz06
05-11-2011, 08:30 PM
Zero. Too much of that BS had to be flushed from my mind as it is.

3-7-77
05-11-2011, 09:28 PM
The only one I ever read is Surefire's "Combat Tactics." I haven't seen a new issue in a while though; I'm not even sure if they still publish it.

Ditto

SecondsCount
05-11-2011, 10:44 PM
I get American Rifleman from the NRA and the Blue Press from Dillon Precision.

Both are interesting but there are a few articles that make you wonder where the writer gets his info.

YVK
05-11-2011, 11:49 PM
Used to subscribe to SWAT - stopped. Once in a while they have some interesting stuff published, but by and large, little informational value.
AR, but just because I get through NRA.

gtmtnbiker98
05-12-2011, 06:39 AM
Between here and a couple of other forums, I get all of the True firearms scoop I even need. I don't waste my money of gun rags.

VolGrad
05-12-2011, 07:10 AM
SWAT is pretty much the only gun magazine I ever read anymore.

This.

Mitchell, Esq.
05-12-2011, 07:25 AM
Combat Handguns. Especially the September 2010 issue that mentions me...:cool:

I like reading the Ayoob articles in whatever publication he's in, and SWAT for the editorials.

What I don't like is the blow-job reviews for the weapons they feature. 100 rounds without trouble through the gun? Really? Impressive. :rolleyes:

Tamara
05-12-2011, 07:28 AM
SWAT Magazine and Concealed Carry Magazine. Both of which I'd read even if I didn't get checks. Because they have more articles on training than they do on "The New Blastomatic 2000!" And when they do review a Blastomatic, and it blows goats, they say so.

It was an unreal experience reading Awerbuck's review of the Benelli M4 and actually seeing a gun flat-out panned in a gun mag review.

VolGrad
05-12-2011, 08:35 AM
Combat Handguns. Especially the September 2010 issue that mentions me...:cool:
My pic was in the Nov 2010 issue. :cool:

Al T.
05-12-2011, 05:31 PM
SWAT for the reasons Tamara mentions.

SWAT's first kick in the nuts was to a Wilson Nighthawk if memory is correct. :D

Tamara
05-12-2011, 05:56 PM
SWAT's first kick in the nuts was to a Wilson Nighthawk if memory is correct. :D

Naw, that can't be. That was since I moved to Indy. Louis' Benelli review was back in, like, '03 or so.

(Denny Hansen's sentence about knowing he'd reached a certain age when he realized he was more likely to have a spare 1911 extractor in his wallet than a prophylactic was one of the Great Moments Of Firearms Journalism, if you ask me. ;) )

jetfire
05-12-2011, 09:25 PM
To be perfectly honest? I only read the magazines that I have articles in. I'll usually read the whole thing when I get a copy from the publisher, and then promptly forget about it. I'm pretty sure that makes me a bad, bad gunwriter.

Tamara
05-12-2011, 09:36 PM
I'm pretty sure that makes me a bad, bad gunwriter.

Bad gunwriter! No wheelbarrows of cash and free guns! ;)

YVK
05-12-2011, 09:45 PM
I don't remember when SWAT published a negative firearm review last time. I remember the Nighthawk one, and Ed Brown pistol coming in with a broken disconnector, and maybe something unflattering about some small gun, don't remember exactly - this is over last 5 years.
I don't remember a negative gear review - ever.

Kyle Reese
05-12-2011, 09:48 PM
I don't remember when SWAT published a negative firearm review last time. I remember the Nighthawk one, and Ed Brown pistol coming in with a broken disconnector, and maybe something unflattering about some small gun, don't remember exactly - this is over last 5 years.
I don't remember a negative gear review - ever.

I'm getting a bit jaded with SWAT, and won't be renewing my subscription when it expires. It seems like the same material, recycled over and over. The other ones seem to extol the virtues of DPMS, the XD and whatever 1911 happens the flavor of the month.

jetfire
05-12-2011, 09:52 PM
Bad gunwriter! No wheelbarrows of cash and free guns! ;)

You know, they'll probably take away my Official Gunwriter's Card for this, but those wheelbarrows of cash are sure small and an awful lot of work to get.

:D

Tamara
05-12-2011, 09:55 PM
I don't remember when SWAT published a negative firearm review last time.

In the last year I can remember Brent Wheat giving the Guncrafter Industries .50GI Glock conversion kit a "don't buy", a scathing review of the Taurus Judge (which is like beating up a midget, granted), and an article saying that maybe the Holy M-14 wasn't actually all that and a bag of chips...

YVK
05-12-2011, 10:13 PM
All of which are no-brainers, Tam, not only the Judge. If somebody is dumb enough to buy a 50 cal Glock...Honestly, if the publication is targeting serious users, do you really need to review that?
The M-14 article I can give or take, although I don't think anybody should need a magazine article to understand that safety inside the trigger guard is not really a good thing.
SWAT - in my admittedly unsolicited opinion - needs an infusion of fresh writing staff. Give Pat and Louie a break from writing an article for each and every edition. There are some other recurrent authors whose articles I simply ignore. I am sure there are many eloquent writers who can bring new content that will enrich the publication. Until then, I am not renewing.

willowofwisp
05-12-2011, 10:15 PM
Ditto

word.

Mjolnir
05-13-2011, 04:38 AM
I don't subscribe to any of them. I only purchase the ones that review something I'm interested in and the Special Weapons, Combat Tactics, Sniper, Black Guns, Book of the 1911 and AR-15 specials. It's difficult for a magazine to remain "current" and please keep in mind the business of business is business. If that were not true then we'd all still be subscribing to Tactical Shooter magazine, no?

orionz06
05-13-2011, 06:18 AM
an article saying that maybe the Holy M-14 wasn't actually all that and a bag of chips...

You know I facepalmed 2 days ago at the grocery store in the magazine aisle when I saw 2 different new magazines with M14's on them... One had an EBR and one had some other clusterfuck of a new stock/chassis that made the gun the "next new thing"...

Josh Runkle
05-13-2011, 09:50 AM
I was digging my way across the gun section at the local B&N bitching to myself about the lack of anything actually worth reading in every journal I picked up. I've never been much of a gun magazine reader but it looks pretty hard to find good information in any of them.


I do read gun magazines, but purely for entertainment value. Occasionally I pick up a nugget of information here or there, but I go into the magazine with the full purpose of killing some time.

Magazines share a certain similarity to newspapers. Thomas Jefferson said something to the effect that "The man who reads nothing at all is smarter than the man who reads nothing but the newspapers."

I would forget about going to gun magazines as a "source" for information. If, however, you are looking for a good way to kill some time and do something fun, then that's a different story.

You have to consider that magazines review things like the chiappa rhino, not because they agree with using it, but because it's something readers want to read about. It's the same reason that the only thing that might be important in a newspaper is a small article buried on page 5, but you buy the paper because of whatever grisly murder, manhunt, injustice or scandal is on the front. Gun magazines are in the business to get you to buy gun magazines, not to provide a community service to help you with your tactics or gun buying decisions. If they can "help" you spend your dollars on your next purchase, they will "help" you buy their sister magazine or something from one of their sponsors, not something that would actually help you.

Slavex
05-13-2011, 10:20 PM
I tried to find the issue with Todd in it, but SWAT is hard to find in Canada. Other than that I stopped reading gun magazines about 4 years ago. I've got a shitload of them in boxes sitting in my garage and basement, looking for new homes. Some I bought others are ones a friend who recently moved gave me. No one will take them off me, maybe the Library will take them?

Ed L
05-13-2011, 10:30 PM
Obviously I subscribe to SWAT and sometimes buy other magazines on magazine stand if they have items that interest me. I have to say, I have found out where some bodies are buried so to speak, with other gun magazines that had issues with guns that they never mentioned in print.


In the last year I can remember Brent Wheat giving the Guncrafter Industries .50GI Glock conversion kit a "don't buy", a scathing review of the Taurus Judge (which is like beating up a midget, granted), and an article saying that maybe the Holy M-14 wasn't actually all that and a bag of chips...

Not to mention my articles pointing out that both American AUG clones--the TPD and MSAR did not function reliably as they were received by me from the factory and had to be sent back; the FS2000 was known to doublefeed when you jammed a magazine in hard with the bolt locked back (the bolt does not lock back after the last shot so you would have to manually lock the bolt back).

Pat Rogers mentioned reliability problems with the LWRC piston ARs that resulted in several of them getting sent back to the factory when he was running them in classes.

An LMT piston AR that had issues functioning--I don't have the magazine handy so I don't remember if it had to be sent back to the factory.

Also I think it was mentioned upthread that Denny highlighted issues with a Nighthawk 1911 that he received for an article.

Hell, even Leroy Thompson mentioned multiple malfunctions with the DSA semiauuto RPD in the June 2011 issue.

JodyH
05-13-2011, 10:32 PM
Is Penthouse a gun magazine?
:confused:

I stopped wasting my money on gun magazines (and porn magazines) once they invented the Internet.
Unless the magazine has cool dudes like Todd in it, then I'll pick it up for bird cage liner.
:cool:

YVK
05-14-2011, 12:21 AM
Ed:

Yeah, I remember Pat's LWRCI article. Many words were said in its aftermath, and, to tell you honestly, I am still unsure how to interpret that data.

I remember your article, but not in detail; not an AUG aficionado. What was the conclusion?

I've already stopped getting it so I won't be able to comment on June 2011 Leroy Thompson DSA RPD write-up. Admittedly, I couldn't comment on any of his write-ups during last five years of being SWAT subscriber...

Ed L
05-14-2011, 01:10 AM
I remember your article, but not in detail; not an AUG aficionado. What was the conclusion?

Both the TPD clone and the MSAR did not exhibit the level of quality control and reliability of the original Steyrs or the new and now discontinued Steyr made under license in the US by the now defunct and repurchased Sabre arms. I have heard lots of reports on all of the brands involved but I only based my articles on the samples sent to me. Oddly enough I have a friend who has a MSAR version that has had no issues--so they seem to have inconsistant quality control.

LittleLebowski
05-14-2011, 06:41 AM
I wish I'd found last month's SWAT with Todd in it.....

If I never see another article by Leroy, it won't be too soon.

This article (http://www.tactical-life.com/online/guns-and-weapons/sig-sauer-sig-556-556mm/) sums up a lot of the problems we have with many gun writers.

agent-smith
05-14-2011, 01:18 PM
This article (http://www.tactical-life.com/online/guns-and-weapons/sig-sauer-sig-556-556mm/) sums up a lot of the problems we have with many gun writers.

That's a sweet light on that AR.

900-DRIVER
05-14-2011, 07:34 PM
Gun-tests is a good one. they don't take advertising and seem to do a good evaluation of what they have, they point out the dogs they come across. sort of like consumer reports for guns

F-Trooper05
05-14-2011, 08:00 PM
Gun-tests is a good one. they don't take advertising and seem to do a good evaluation of what they have, they point out the dogs they come across. sort of like consumer reports for guns

Last one I saw gave the P30 an A- and the XDm an A. Thanks, but no thanks.

LittleLebowski
05-15-2011, 10:12 AM
That's a sweet light on that AR.


Not an AK nor an AR but a Fighting Rifle MASTERPIECE!

jslaker
05-15-2011, 10:35 AM
the FS2000 was known to doublefeed when you jammed a magazine in hard with the bolt locked back (the bolt does not lock back after the last shot so you would have to manually lock the bolt back).
If I understand the FS2000's design correctly (and it's admittedly only a passing understanding) you don't can't see into the chamber while the rifle is assembled due to the forward ejection, right? How do you go about clearing that malfunction?

Tamara
05-15-2011, 11:07 AM
It's got this kinda little toilet-lid flip-up hatch on the ass end of the rifle that allows you to physically observe the chamber. I can't imagine that trying to reduce a malf through that thing would be a whole lotta fun.

I would like to watch the engineers from that project take a really high round-count three day carbine course with it.

I wonder, does the mag well ever loosen up to the point where you don't actually have to wrestle the empty mag out of the gun?

Kyle Reese
05-15-2011, 11:30 AM
No, because it's designed that way. In theory, the rubber gaskets keep dirt and debris out of the working parts of the carbine, but the "toilet seat" cover features no such seal, and sand/etc can enter the weapon that way.

I bought the carbine because it was (at the time) the very latest offering by FN Herstal in the military small arms department. After spending some time with it on the range, I'm going to post it for sale and never look back.


It's got this kinda little toilet-lid flip-up hatch on the ass end of the rifle that allows you to physically observe the chamber. I can't imagine that trying to reduce a malf through that thing would be a whole lotta fun.

I would like to watch the engineers from that project take a really high round-count three day carbine course with it.

I wonder, does the mag well ever loosen up to the point where you don't actually have to wrestle the empty mag out of the gun?

Ed L
05-15-2011, 11:35 AM
If I understand the FS2000's design correctly (and it's admittedly only a passing understanding) you don't can't see into the chamber while the rifle is assembled due to the forward ejection, right? How do you go about clearing that malfunction?

Going off topic. I addressed this in my article. The lid is only to see if there is a round in the chamber.

The FS2000 is prone to doublefeeds if a mag is inserted when the bolt is locked back. When this happens sometimes a bump or a jolt to the gun will result in the bolt jumping free and trying to slam shut. But because the the bolt often does not get a good release or encounters additional drag, the bolt does not close all the way and it doesn't fully chamber a round. If you try to resolve the situation by pulling the charging handle back and chambering another round, you will wind up getting a doublefeed with two rounds trying to enter the chamber. The workaround for this is to not insert loaded magazines when the bolt is open.

Since the FS2000 does not employ a bolt hold open, this is not an issue when reloading after firing the last round of a mag has been fired. It is more of a range issue when you leave the gun with the bolt locked back for a ceasefire and then insert a magazine when it is time to fire again.

If one should happen to encounter this after inserting a magazine with the bolt open, the correct response is to drop the magazine and rack the charging handle until the round is ejected or falls out.

The workaround for this is to try not to insert a mag when the bolt is back.

The bottom line is in developing and testing the gun they obviously did not factor in loading a magazine in with the bolt locked back since it does not do so after the last round. If they did test it, they would have implemented a deeper notch to hold the charging handle in place when the bolt was locked back.

Ed L
05-15-2011, 11:41 AM
I would like to watch the engineers from that project take a really high round-count three day carbine course with it.

As I mentioned, they did not consider typical range or class procedures into account, or they would have given it a deeper bolt holdback notch.

I ran it through Pat Rogers 3 day Carbine class with a whopping 2 malfunctions--one of which I caused myself by riding the charging handle home. On the whole it had less problems than the average AR in that class.

Here is a picture of a select fire one with a grenade launcher that was bought by Libya:

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ll1u29dOBQ1qd74g2.jpg

Al T.
05-16-2011, 10:00 AM
One other thing to remember about gun mags and writers is editors. :(

Buddy of mine was enjoying himself by writing for a very large magazine. New editor came along and started changing his data. To my buddies credit, that was the end of his relationship with that bunch.