[SoCalGeek]

I've noticed that gun rags tend to have a pretty bad reputation among most of the members here-- hell, most people i've talked to. I buy G&A occasionally and it doesn't seem that inaccurate. But then, like some other magazines, nobody really reads the articles ;) Anyways, i was wondering. Are there any gun rags worth reading?

[JackDRipper]

They have pretty pictures.
JR

[whm1974]

I use to read G&A when I was living with my stepfather around 8 years ago. I don't if they are still any good or not. Magazines have to make money, therefore they have to have articles people will read. And to show advatisers how many people read said magazine to get ads placed.

Take a few grains of salt when you read anything.

-Bill

[George Hill]

Makes for good potty break reading.

[Das Pferd]

I cant stand a magzine that has an article on two pages, then you must flip to the very back of the magazine to get the rest. It seems like every gun magazine does that. Thats why I will never buy one again.

Its soooooooooooooooooo anoying.

[Skunkabilly]

SWAT Mag is pretty good for the Louis Awerbuck and Pat Rogers columns.

[ClonaKilty]

OK I'll take a stab at answering your Qs.

I never buy G&A for the reasons mentioned, and it seems every gunschool that advertises with them winds up with wonderful reviews...those that don't, don't exist.

The best magazine I believe is American Rifleman, also On Target (for women). Other ones I find readable include SWAT (good reports on rifles, handguns, a lot of report outs from TR and GS classes, always favorable) and Combat Handguns (Ayoob has good case studies, also some "real life" CCW situations are analyzed).

Surefire recently published a very slick one-time magazine ... I forget the name but as you might imagine it heavily reported on the integration of light with weapons. Nonetheless it did have good content. It said they were planning to make it a periodical but I haven't seen it on the newsstands yet.

[Skunkabilly]

SureFire Combat Tactics, published, AFAIK, by Guns & Ammo.

Comes out every November-ish. Hopefully this November should be their third.

[Schuey2002]

Are there any gun rags worth reading?
Three words: Small Arms Review.;)

[RobW]

I had a subscription with G&A for 4 years. In the last 2 years, it wasn't "Guns & Ammo" anymore, but "Hunting, ATV's, SUV's, Knives & Accessories". A letter to the Editor from another reader was just smashed down, saying "we'll continue with that". Then, renewing my subscription for the next 12 months, marking the box with "bill me later" I've got a letter, saying I wasn't responding 4 times to their bill and, if I don't pay IMMIDIATELY, they'll cancel my subscription. I NEVER, EVER GOT 4 INVOICES, and they played that trick for the previos 3 years on me!

I cancelled my subscription and told them that I am p....d with their tricks. I've never got an answer to my complaint that I sent about 4 months ago.

As far as I know, their subscribers leave the publication in serious numbers.

No wonder with this "politics".

[Eskimo Jim]

I subscribe to American Handgunner and a couple outdoors magazines.

You're right about starting an article and then having to flip all over the place to find the continuation of the article. The publishers split the articles up so that you see all the advertisements in my opinion. Maybe splitting up the articles is a question of layout options however I'd wager that it is mainly an advertisement situation.

If a magazine is well written, a reader will read the magazine from cover to cover and therefore see all the ads as well as read all the articles.

I pick up a couple other magazines from time to time like Handloader, Guns of the West, Rifle and a couple others if they have an interesting article.

-Jim

[Fed168]

Second vote for SAR. Most seem to have writers that are full of themselves or found that all products are wonderful.

[kernal_panic]

a month or so back i almost bought Handloader.

guess what stopped me?


i thumbed through and read an articale on the hornady lock n load ap. oppositte the final page of the articale was a full page add for the Hornday lock n load ap. i slammed the magazine closed in disgust and threw it back into the magazine rack.

how i am supposed to beileve the articale was fair and factual with a pid for advertizement right next to it.

[George Hill]

http://www.concealedcarrymag.com/

[Rabbi]

I occasionally buy "Guns" and "Combat Handguns" and occasioanally means about once each per year.

The rest seem to be hype and ads, no real reviews or substance.

If you can ever find one in a used book store or garage sale, pick up any and all copies of "Pistolero" magazine from the early eighties. It was a no advertisement magazines that bought their review guns off the rack like you and me. They ripped on the junk and praised the excellent. They were also irreverent as hell and hated P.C. of any kind. They even went so far as to go down to Mexico (where it was legal) in order to show pictures of guys shooting cattle (on death row at a packing house) in the brain with a .45 at close range to see which hollow point ammo did the most damage. They also killed a big boar with a tanto to explore penetration and heart damage. I think jealous hacks in the publishing business put them under.

Most of today's gun rags are just that.

Rabbi

[Standing Wolf]

Thehighroad.org is much more informative than the gun magazines; unfortunately—or fortunately, as the case may be—we don't have the advertisements they do.

[0luke1]

Precision Shooting and its sister pub, Accurate Rifle.

[snug]

SWAT, American Handgunner(rifle version too),Combat Handguns. In that
order are all fairly good! Guns and Ammo is a loser= Road and Track of
firearms mags.

[carp killer]

Pistolero was a great mag! Those guys were cool.


When gun mags start writing about AK's, FAL's and other non "PC" guns, I'll start subscribing again.

I'm bored silly with storys comparing ".308 vs. 30-06", "Stopping power of the .44 mag" or "Great home defence guns". Or some tale about the new fad caliber.

[stevelyn]

Most gun mags I see nowadays get thinner and thinner while prices increase. A thin magazine is also thin on information. There are only two that I buy regularly and they are "RIFLE" and its sister publication "HANDLOADER". I find the writing and information contained therein entertaining and informative.
I will on occassion buy "GUNS" when I find articles that are particularly interesting to me. I enjoy reading both John Taffin and Clint Smith. Clint for his humor and well rounded expertise from self defense to hunting applications of firearms. What can I say about John Taffin? He's one of the most down to earth and informative writers when it comes to sixguns and lever actions. I've even learned some history and a little about life from reading his articles.
Although not necessarily a gun mag, I also read Soldier of Fortune pretty regularly. They've evolved from a rag full of the publisher's photo ops with various players involved in brush fire conflicts, to a publication with an outstanding investigative reporting track record. They continue to do excellent investigative reports on unresolved events like Waco, Ruby Ridge, OKC bombing and the hemorrage on the southern border.

[DDGator]

As mentioned above, take a look at Concealed Carry Magazine.

This is a great new grass roots type publication aimed at lawfully armed civilians, with practical articles, reviews, 2d Amendment stuff, etc.

If you e-mail them, they will send you a free evaluation issue.

www.concealedcarrymag.com

The magazine is run by very nice people who think like us and are not slaves to the firearms industry.

[Gordy Wesen]

I've enjoyed AH for some time. It is begining to lose its appeal to me now as it has come under new editorial leadership. Good throne room material indeed. I used to read it cover to cover but find I pick my way through it now. Some good ideas here though.

[Warhawk]

GUNS
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER
VARMINT HUNTER

[Warren]

Ahh, no more free issue; now they give a reduced rate on the sub.

[sm]

SWAT is not a "gun rag". It is a medium that gives accurate honest reviews , by honest to goodness folks that have BTDT.

I have no subscriptions to "gun rags"- I don't do that. I sometimes have given to me old "gun rags" to peruse. I do like the pictures in AH.

I get more of what I want from THR and TFL like Standing Wolf pointed out.

I do have some 1955 Field & Stream magazines. I liked the old magazines like these. Robert Ruark, Cory Ford...Tapley's Tips...I still get these '55 F&S out and read them...

Did we ever get a final answer on .243 vs 6mm ? :D Just wondering - more things change the more they remain the same...Even in 1955 folks were using white paint to make front sights easier to see...:p

[DMK]

American Rifleman is my favorite. It doesn't include a lot of GSC/Mall Ninja garbage and I really enjoy the monthly self defense stories.

The rest are pretty much only good for the excellent photography.

[dadman]

Small Arms Review
SWAT
Surefire specials
Shotgun News Treasury issues

[mec]

There's probably a gunrag enthusiasm curve. Pretty neat for a while, then you start reading the same stuff over and over again and eventually they are no longer interesting.

I believe people are a little jeolous of the gun magazines/writers believing that they are having all the fun without knowing any more than - or as much as the reader. It's probably true.

I suspect the gun magazines mainly appeal to the shooter who likes the new stuff- semi-auto pistols and state of the art, tactical, combat ninja ,extremely large penis technophelia scene. That's what sells the magazines and the advertising.