Which "handguns only" magazines are best?

I'm interested in handguns and was wondering, what are the "best" handgun only magazines?

I no longer subscribe to any of them, too much cr@p gets written by guys who seem to know little about what they are saying and reviews seem to be swayed by the advertisers. If I do buy a handguns only magazine, and it is rare, I look for a copy of American Handgunner .

I love reading gun mags. Although soon you will come to realize that these authors have yet to find a gun that they don't like. You get a lot of fluff. To answer your question I like Handguns. I think it is the one that is put out by Guns & Ammo .

At one time, I subscribed to most of the gun mags out there. One of the best was Shooting Times. Skeeter Skelton's articles were awesome.

American Handgunner used to be a great mag. But for me, there's too much competition coverage and race gun stuff. I still like Massad Ayoob.

There is so little in these mags for me today, that I just read them at the store while my wife is shopping.

I only buy SWAT anymore. It's not all pistols, but it does have many pistol articles and many, many good articles about tactics, gear, strategy and mindset.


Combat Handguns is reasonably decent, but keep your BS meter on as they are paid to write good stuff. SWAT magazine buys all their test guns from gunshops usually so they don't HAVE to write good stuff if the gun isn't good.

One of the best was Shooting Times. Skeeter Skelton's articles were awesome.
Unfortunately, Skeeter Skelton has been dead twenty years.

Unfortunately, Skeeter Skelton has been dead twenty years.


LOL. I don't think it's been twenty years, has it? It can't be. Cause that would mean that I'm ............

damn.


But. I just happen to have a box full of Shooting Times inthe garage with his articles. ;)

LOL. I don't think it's been twenty years, has it? It can't be. Cause that would mean that I'm ............

damn.


But. I just happen to have a box full of Shooting Times inthe garage with his articles.
Probably not quite twenty years--mid to late 80s though. (I remember I had just got back to the land of the big BX.) I've have copies of both his books (actually reprints of his old Hipshots columns mostly I still pull out and read occassionally. He did make the old Shooting Times was buying.

Thanks for the suggestions. The ones mentioned most I do look at, but have found (so it seems) the same brands are reviewed, i.e., Kimber, Glock, Les Baer, Springfield, etc. I did subsribe to a publication that simply rated ALL guns. For examble S&W vs. Ruger, Remington vs. Savage. Can't remember the name. As mentioned before, I too notice that every gun shown is great. Seems alittle fishy at times. I guess I prefer a good/bad explanation for each.

Mid to late 80s= 20 years.


That was probably Gun Tests magazine.


As to the good/bad, SWAT has downchecked a couple guns that didn't pass muster and not recommended them for use.

I refuse to read American Handgunner these days.

Too many stupid, goonish cartoon illustrations up front, and too much pure gun porn and mutual stroking for custom pistolsmiths.


Amen. That mag is 98% fluff. Their "reviews" sound like re-written press releases from the gun companies. No serious review fails to detail the negatives of a product, but their writers never find any problems with anything. Most of the columns spend a lot of verbiage saying absolutely nothing of any depth or interest. Save the money you'd spend on a subscription and go buy more ammo :)

Handgun Tests by Phat Phil Engledrum. Unfortunately out of business for almost twenty years.

http://www.thegunzone.com/

"Engeldrum Revisited
The covers of some of Phat Phil's finest efforts, Pistolero, Handgun Tests, etc., circa 1980-85, at bucking the timeless gunzine drivel which is generally accepted as critical product reviews. He was tasteless in the extreme, offensively crude, and sometimes unreadable, but you always knew where he stood. "

Per the infamous Dean Speir, formerly famous gunwriter.

Geoff
Who notes Mr. Speir will probably complain that I spelled his name right this time. <Mumble> I before E, except after C.</Mumble>
:cool:

I have & love all of Phil's old mags:DEFINATELY a different read!
BYW Phil's listed as being on the staff of 'Combat Handguns';don't recall
seeing his name on an article tho.