Old Dog
Member
So, we all know (if we’ve been participating in internet discussion forums for even a minute) that, on occasion, folks will start a thread asking a question or questions about particular firearm. Often, a thread will start with someone asking whether they should buy this gun or that gun (X vs. Y) and inevitably, someone will chime in, disclosing they have no experience with either gun, but still go ahead and suggest a completely different gun (usually their favorite brand/model).
Quite often, a poster will recommend a gun that doesn’t even meet the OP’s parameters (a recent thread had someone suggesting a five-shot J-frame when the poster was looking for folks experienced with either the Colt Cobra (six shot) or Kimber K6 (six shot). While alternative suggestions can sometimes be helpful, usually what happens is that the thread then devolves into every poster touting their personal favorite.
My example was -- "Should I buy a SA Hellcat or SIG P365" with a responder stating, "No, buy a Glock" ... ("Buy a Glock," for some reason seems to be such a common refrain; perhaps too many people on the internet believe the movie U.S. Marshals with Tommy Lee Jones contained the ultimate in firearms advice.)
Another comment we see is along the lines of, “I have never owned either of these, but have you thought about buying a XXXXX?” (completely different firearm, often not even similar in size, capacity, weight or action)
Are we all such experts on everything, or do we all have such oversize egos that we all need to come across as The Expert on Everything, regardless of whether or not we have an experience with a particular firearm?
In these times, with all the new folks joining our community, it’s just my opinion, but let’s try and give credible advice. To me, that means not indulging in the common hyperbole, not perpetuating internet myths, not constantly regurgitating the same old crapping on products from years ago (their QC sucks/their frames break/the cops keep having NDs with this pistol/the guns will fire without the trigger being pulled/the company’s CEO is an idiot/there were reports of the gun malfunctioning during Desert Storm/I was put on hold for four hours when I called customer service/MIM is a bad, bad thing/that caliber is useless for (pick one: self-defense/hunting). I could go on and on … but I won’t.
Just seems to me that credibility is now more important than ever. We should quit repeating internet myths, quite referring to third-hand reports, quit spouting anecdotal criticisms with no documentation, and quit making recommendations about things we ourselves have never actually used.
Let's just talk about what we know.
Quite often, a poster will recommend a gun that doesn’t even meet the OP’s parameters (a recent thread had someone suggesting a five-shot J-frame when the poster was looking for folks experienced with either the Colt Cobra (six shot) or Kimber K6 (six shot). While alternative suggestions can sometimes be helpful, usually what happens is that the thread then devolves into every poster touting their personal favorite.
My example was -- "Should I buy a SA Hellcat or SIG P365" with a responder stating, "No, buy a Glock" ... ("Buy a Glock," for some reason seems to be such a common refrain; perhaps too many people on the internet believe the movie U.S. Marshals with Tommy Lee Jones contained the ultimate in firearms advice.)
Another comment we see is along the lines of, “I have never owned either of these, but have you thought about buying a XXXXX?” (completely different firearm, often not even similar in size, capacity, weight or action)
Are we all such experts on everything, or do we all have such oversize egos that we all need to come across as The Expert on Everything, regardless of whether or not we have an experience with a particular firearm?
In these times, with all the new folks joining our community, it’s just my opinion, but let’s try and give credible advice. To me, that means not indulging in the common hyperbole, not perpetuating internet myths, not constantly regurgitating the same old crapping on products from years ago (their QC sucks/their frames break/the cops keep having NDs with this pistol/the guns will fire without the trigger being pulled/the company’s CEO is an idiot/there were reports of the gun malfunctioning during Desert Storm/I was put on hold for four hours when I called customer service/MIM is a bad, bad thing/that caliber is useless for (pick one: self-defense/hunting). I could go on and on … but I won’t.
Just seems to me that credibility is now more important than ever. We should quit repeating internet myths, quite referring to third-hand reports, quit spouting anecdotal criticisms with no documentation, and quit making recommendations about things we ourselves have never actually used.
Let's just talk about what we know.
. I take the point about new, possibly impressionable viewers/members to heart because, for the most part, I am one. I read A LOT on here, but post little. It took me years to join. If there is something that I've had firsthand experience with, I'm glad to share it. It's perfectly normal that I may be into an aspect of the hobby another poster isn't. So what? The important thing is that there are new owners (maybe even shooters) joining the ranks every day. I think we all bear some responsibility to be good stewards of the knowledge and wisdom that we've gained. A lot of young people view what they read online as gospel, we shouldn't be filling their heads with crap. With all due respect: If we intend to keep this passion/hobby/pastime alive, we can't just be a bunch of gray haired old farts sitting around swapping BS at the gun counter.
See my Sig line.
