Best Gun Magazine

[TechBrute]

What's your favorite gun magazine? Only a couple months ago, I was reading mine "in the office" and I ran across the editor's name. It rang a bell but I couldn't place where I'd heard it. Lo and behold, he's a moderator on our forum. Anyway, I was wondering what everyone's fav gun rag is.

Edited: I was going to add a poll, but clicked the wrong button. Oh well, sound off!!

Mine is SWAT.

 

[Jim K]

I would not have said this a few years ago, but now my No. 1 overall is the American Rifleman. Some mags do a good job in their own specialties, but some are inclined to cater to the more juvenile sorts with a lot of nonsense about "combat" shooting and "tactical" underwear.

Jim

 

[TechBrute]

Yes, clearly, if you are interested in combat shooting you must be juvenile. If you don't hunt or like lever-action rifles, you just aren't mature.

 

[Schuey2002]

Small Arms Review.

SWAT is excellent, as well..

 

[Jim K]

Sorry if I offended you, TechBrute, but I have read so much C*R*A*P in some of those magazines that I get a bit ill thinking of how kiddies are being misled into thinking real combat is some sort of game and winning depends only on what gun you have or how you stand or what gun guru you worship. And telling them stuff that makes them think a CCW license makes them some kind of super cop, like in the movies or video games.

I carried a badge for a while, and I upheld the law to the best of my ability. But I have never been in a gunfight, and let me tell you I don't want to be. I can get along very nicely without being killed or losing an arm or being paralyzed. I am not going to go out looking for trouble because some halfbaked gunzine writer tells me a bunch of BS about how some kind of magic gun or caliber or grip or sight will let me slay dragons and rescue fair maidens.

Ask some of the guys back from the sandbox if they stood in the middle of the street and challenged those BGs to draw.

Get real.

Jim

 

[TechBrute]

Jim, apology not needed, reply was tounge-in-cheek. Thought I had clicked on this smiley----->

To take it a step further, can you tell me what mag you are referring to? I've heard similar alegations, but I don't read enough mags to have run across that. I read America's First Freedom, the NRA's political rag that you get free with a membership, and SWAT, because I found out Pat Rogers is a regular contributer. Of course, it's nice that the editor is our mod, too.

Anyway, since I don't read many gun mags, I haven't come across that. The closest are the Blackhawk ads featuring mall-ninjas wearing so much gear you wonder how they move.

 

[Jim K]

Hi, TechBrute,

I'd rather not name them, even though one is out of business. Actually several at one time or another have come out with garbage of that sort. The fact is they get their money from advertising guns and accessories, so they play along with the advertiser's nonsense about "tactical" this and "combat" that. If they told the whole story, the advertisers would lose sales and the gunzine would go broke.

Just as an example, how many magazines have you ever seen address the real aftermath of a self-defense shooting? The only one who even mentions it is Ayoob and he soft pedals it all the way, plus he is a cop, not a poor slob with a CCW license.

No one ever mentions that if you shoot and kill a BG outside your home (and maybe even in your home in some circumstances), you, who think you are the GG, will almost certainly be arrested. You will find out that stainless steel toilets are cold. You will have to put up bond to get out, and you will find out that the ten percent you pay a bail bondsman is his; you don't get it back, ever.

You will need a lawyer and have to pay him. The police may search your home and seize your guns "for your family's protection"; good luck in getting them back. Even if the decision is not to prosecute, you have an arrest record that you will have to explain to employers. If you are prosecuted for murder or manslaughter and the judge or jury decides you didn't have a good enough reason to kill, you will be convicted.

Since either crime is a felony, you get a lot more cold toilets, maybe meet some nice guys in a way you won't like, plus you can't ever own a gun again. If the police didn't seize your guns before, they will do so now, unless you put them in someone else's name. Even if you get off on the criminal charge, the BG's family can sue you for wrongful death, even though they know better than anyone that the guy was a scumbag.

These are just some of the things that can follow if a gun carrier can run away from trouble or avoid bad areas and decides instead to be macho, just like those guys in the gunzines. And believe me, it won't matter to anyone if you used a Weaver stance or an isosceles stance, or if you were wearing a "tactical combat" jockstrap.

I am not holding my breath waiting for an article like that. It won't get written in my lifetime.

Jim

 

[jeff-10]

I subscribe to and very much like Guns and Ammo. I know many people feel it doesn't give good reviews or its just a big advertisment but I have a broad interest in firearms and it has a broad array of articles. I also get American Rifleman with my NRA membership but I do not enjoy it as much as G&A usually.

 

[thumbtack]

I read SOF on a regular basis but it is not a normal gun mag. I also like Guns and Ammo, I read Bart Skelton to my son.

 

[Ed Straker]

There was a Chuck Norris movie once upon a time, where he played a sheriff, and Combat Handguns was prominently displayed on his desk. That got me buying and subscribing to Combat Handguns. Nowdays, they're all pretty much nothing but advertisements.
There is still good stuff out there, such as Chuck Taylor and Jeff Cooper, but these days most is avaiable online.
Having said that, Ichiro Nagata's photos in GUNS and American Handgunner are works of art.

 

[MP5]

The closest are the Blackhawk ads featuring mall-ninjas wearing so much gear you wonder how they move.

If you want a good laugh, check out the Extreme Shock ammo ad in the latest American Handgunner. Three mall ninjas with the caption: "You shall rise up on the wings of eagles...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you!" I can't read that without cracking up. Too bad some folks take that stuff seriously.

BTW, http://www.mallninja.com/about.htm

I wonder, too, where some folks around here get their info on combat tactics, recommended calibers for firefights, etc. Have a lot of people here been in combat in the military or firefights as an LEO? Do they genuinely know what they're talking about? I don't mean that facetiously or disrespectfully, but am seriously curious.

 

[Newguy1]

I read and subscribe to Rifle, Handloader, Successful Hunter, The Accurate Rifle. I also get The Cowboy Chronicle, wich is the worst gun rag ever. Poorly written, edited and the content stinks. I also got Shoot magazine for a while... the lay out is ok, but it panders to the advertisers worse than any other "rag" I have ever read.

I am not a "Black Gun" fan. I don't hate them but I like to have different guns than the average gun nut.

 

[BerettaNut92]

SWAT.

A pretty 1/2 Vietnamese lady whom most of us know became the art director so I thought I'd check it out. Been subscribin' ever since

 

[XLMiguel]

I like "American Handgunner". I like the broad coverage from competitve handgun shootoing sports (IDPA, CAS, etc.), self-defense, vintage guns, handgun hunting, hand loading - something for everyone who's into handguns. The production values are very high (great photography), and a subscriptions all of $16/yr.

I sometimes pick up "Combat Handguns" if they're reviewing (can't really call it 'testing') a pistol I'm interested in, and some of the "It Happened to Me" stuff is entertaining, but is best taken with a grain of salt.

NRA's AFF is OK, but I rarely see anything there that I haven't heard about or read here first

 

[grislyatoms]

American Rifleman is the only one I "subscribe" to, and it's also my favorite.

I will occasionally pick up a copy of The Shotgun News, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, or American Handgunner. John Connor's articles alone are worth the price.

 

[Blue]

"QUOTE by Jim Keenan"... Just as an example, how many magazines have you ever seen address the real aftermath of a self-defense shooting? The only one who even mentions it is Ayoob and he soft pedals it all the way, plus he is a cop, not a poor slob with a CCW license.

No one ever mentions that if you shoot and kill a BG outside your home (and maybe even in your home in some circumstances), you, who think you are the GG, will almost certainly be arrested. You will find out that stainless steel toilets are cold. You will have to put up bond to get out, and you will find out that the ten percent you pay a bail bondsman is his; you don't get it back, ever.

You will need a lawyer and have to pay him. The police may search your home and seize your guns "for your family's protection"; good luck in getting them back. Even if the decision is not to prosecute, you have an arrest record that you will have to explain to employers. If you are prosecuted for murder or manslaughter and the judge or jury decides you didn't have a good enough reason to kill, you will be convicted.

Since either crime is a felony, you get a lot more cold toilets, maybe meet some nice guys in a way you won't like, plus you can't ever own a gun again. If the police didn't seize your guns before, they will do so now, unless you put them in someone else's name. Even if you get off on the criminal charge, the BG's family can sue you for wrongful death, even though they know better than anyone that the guy was a scumbag.

These are just some of the things that can follow if a gun carrier can run away from trouble or avoid bad areas and decides instead to be macho, just like those guys in the gunzines. And believe me, it won't matter to anyone if you used a Weaver stance or an isosceles stance, or if you were wearing a "tactical combat" jockstrap.

I am not holding my breath waiting for an article like that. It won't get written in my lifetime.

Jim


That statement is "so correct"...read it again... the grief that the system can bring down on you, and your family is beyond comprehension to most people.

 

[FPrice]

I think that SWAT and American Handgunner are the best, especially for total and overall content.

I will pick up other magazines from time-to-time for specific articles.

 

[FPrice]

Blue...

"The only one who even mentions it is Ayoob and he soft pedals it all the way, plus he is a cop, not a poor slob with a CCW license.

No one ever mentions that if you shoot and kill a BG outside your home..."

I don't think that you give Ayoob enough credit. If you read his articles, especially The Ayoob Files he is pretty clear about the problems that civilian shooters can face after a shooting. At least in the cases he is close enough to to write about.

 

[Soap]

SWAT all the way.

 

[shep854]

Agree with FPrice. In the articles I've read, Ayood has been very detailed about the problems that people have had in the aftermath of a shooting, including mental problems, bankruptcy and the legal bludgeoning they had to face as a result of using force to protect innocent life.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

I don't have any subcriptions except Shotgun News. I don't count American Rifleman as it's part of the membership.

For the rest, I go to the rack once a month and pick the ones who have articles I may have interest in. I look for my favorite writers. I like Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cooper, John Taffin, Jim Wilson, and a few others.

Lots of garbage, but lots of good stuff too.

 

[goste]

Gun magazines

About the only one I read anymore, is Shooting Times. Mainly due to Sheriff Wilson, And Mike Venturino.

 

[mec]

It would be interesting to know the size of the paid circulation of Combat Handguns, Rifle and Handloader as well as Gun World. They do not subscribe to the audit Circulation Bureau and the numbers are either hard or impossible to find. The major magazines listed there are:
The American Rifleman and the other NRA Publications,Guns and Ammo, Shooting Times, Handguns American Handgunner and Guns in that order of circulation numbers.

They can all be interesting if you haven't reached the Gun Magazine Lifetime Dose level. At that point, not buying them is a good way to save money.

The recuring theme on these threads is Advertising- amount of advertising and catering to advertisers in reviews. Just for the heck of it, I check out an American Handgunner and found only a handfull of pages that weren't at least partly dedicated to advertisements. It occured to me though, that the advertising was as slick and eye catching as the articles and serve several of the same purposes about as well. The adds give you an overview of what's current on the market, what it looks like and where to get it.

 

[Majic]

Handloader is about the only magazine with any articles worth reading to me. I just wish it came out monthly instead of quarterly, but then I guess it too would drop in quality as articles probably will be rushed.

 

[Chewie]

I'm suprised nobody's mentioned Gun Tests. They are like the Consumer Reports of the gun rags. I don't always agree with their reviews but at least their honest. I can only think of a couple guns getting a bad review in a commercial gun magazine over the years. I makes sense if you think about it. Piss off Remington or Winchester and suddenly you've lost advertising revenue, maybe your job.

PS: In this months American Rifelman they did have qustions about the Kel Tec 380 reliablity just out of the box. That's also one of the few reviews that said the responce by a manufacturer was exellent in fixing the problem.