I stopped buying gun magazines years ago. There was a time when I had most of them coming in the mail. I have to say, when I first started out shooting, I learned an awful lot from them. Once you get to a level of knowledge though, the huge majority of articles in gun mags are redundant.
Some rules about gun magazines:
9mm vs. .45: Constant subject in each one, covered at least once a year. The conclusion: There is no right answer. Some say 9mm, some say .45, but no one agrees. Makes for a space filling article for novices to read and get info from.
Auto vs. Revolver: Again, good for novices, but no right answer.
Double action vs. Single Action: See above.
Testing of new models of firearms (or in slow news months, testing the new OD Green Glock, which is somehow supposed to be different from the black Glock in function?): You can't trust these "tests", because no matter how much it turns out that a given model of firearm might suck, the writer will either not mention problems at all, or gloss them over as meaningless. This is where being a novice is bad. When I first got into shooting, I thought that these magazines were telling me the real scoop. I read a lot of car magazines too, and those would tell you when I car didn't live up to its manufactures claims, I thought gun rags would be the same.
Handgun stopping power/one-shot stops: Sometimes makes for some interesting reading, but not really very useful information in reality. And, of course, no one agrees on what makes a good handgun round.
Cooper's Corner: Meaningless, worthless drivel from a self-important blowhard. I suppose he is offering to be shot with a 9mm?
It Happened to Me: Stories sent in by gunshop commandos who seem to be proud of the fact that they made every wrong decision possible and somehow managed to survive anyway. Most of them are probably fabrication anyway. Anything for that $75.
The Ayoob Files: Usually pretty interesting stories, I still pick up the new issue of American Handgunner at 7-11 and read the Ayoob Files. Then I put it back. Most of the rest of the magazine is pretty worthless, but it has pretty pictures.
So, my total experience with gun rags is this:
Guns and Ammo and Handguns are the bottom of the barrel. Great if you have no knowledge what so ever, but the worst offenders in the redundency and "testing" areas.
American Handgunner and Guns have nice photography and sometimes a interesting article, but they both spend too much time writing about obscure race guns that no one wants or can afford. Worth reading in 7-11, but not something I would purchase 99% of the time.
Combat Handguns has some interesting articles, but they are by far the worst offenders when it comes to testing a "new" model of an existing product because of some cosmetic change, like the "new" OD Green Glock 27 on this months issue. Guess what guys, its a Glock 27, and it shoots the same way all other Glock 27s do. "It Happened to Me" is at best bad fiction and at worst a guidebook for novices who will either get killed or arrested if they follow the examples of the idiots who send stories in. They need to ditch that section completely.
Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement is my personal favorite, mostly because I am in LE, and they have some LE articles of interest that are not nearly as redundant as most gun rag fare. Still, they overblow a lot of stuff and write up a lot of weapons that real cops just don't have access to. I find it the most interesting, but I still just read it in 7-11, I don't buy.
I learned a lot from gun rags, but it has been a long time since I have learned anything useful from them. For the most part, I find forums like this much more interesting and educational, not to mention free.
And yes, I am really sick of seeing a "new" 1911 every month when I check out the magazines in the 7-11 stand.
