Requirements for a good Gun Review

[Broken11b]

So recently I've decided to put one of my plastic fantastics through a torture test. My biases against plastic aside, I've decided to share the results after I complete the tests and post the results (with pics).

Here's what I need help with.

It seems like almost all reviews I've seen consist of a gun guru holding the weapon, commenting on its feel, then firing enough rounds through it to zero. then they say they'd recommend the purchase of said firearm.

Torture tests of some weapons almost seems like the same deal. Wow, you didn't clean it and it still fires. Ohh, you threw dirt on it and it didnt explode.

What constitutes a good quality review? What makes it a real torture test?

 

[taliv]

personally, i put zero stock in 'torture tests'. mostly, as you implied, the tests tell you that the tester is a writer, not a shooter.

i mostly listen to people who are involved with hundreds of samples of a gun and hundreds of thousands of rounds in the same circumstances i'd be shooting in. any less and you really are hard-pressed to detect trends that are really significant first-hand. (as opposed to reading 100 opinions about a gun on the internet to form your own opinion).

when someone says a gun is "reliable" that usually tells me they a) don't understand reliability and b) don't know anything about the gun in question.

when people have sufficient experience, (to answer your question) their reviews start to include things like:
what parts are prone to breaking, what to look for before they break
what other gear is complimentary/exclusive (slings, sights, mag carriers, etc)
how to use the item; tips, techniques

i.e. the item itself is no longer really the focus.



edit: if i really wanted to test a pistol, i'd do the following:
1. set it outside (not your freezer) in freezing weather at night, bring it in to room temp during the day, every day for a few weeks.
2. get someone who has sweaty, oily hands to do the handling every day
3. using a shot-timer, practice drawing from holster, dry firing, doing a mag change, (rack the slide if SA-only) and dry firing again at least 50 times / day for the duration of the test.
4. get steel targets and the shot timer, and shoot an entire magazine as fast as you can pull the trigger. take a picture of your target then paint it. do this at least 20 times. report the average group size, not the best. (and how long it took you to shoot it, average split times)
5. shoot at least 100 rnds each: with both hands, strong only, weak only, from prone, while moving, at night. that's 600 rnds, plus 200-350 from #4.

then report on what you think of the sights, the controls, the grip, etc. be sure to report on where you get blisters, what the finish looks like, what parts you can't seem to get clean. report on how many rounds you went before the gun started feeling 'sluggish' (and what ammo you were using). THEN clean it and keep going.

i'm not terribly impressed with people who drive vehicles over their guns. (or drop them)

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Do you have a popular metal gun (1911, Sig, browning HP, etc) you'd be willing to put through the same test alongside it? That would give a good frame of reference as to where one fails and the other keeps ticking.

 

[orbitup]

Example of a good review.


http://www.sportsfirings.com/?p=836

 

[Broken11b]

I was planning on having a "standard" to test along side the model in question(possibly more than one).
And Taliv, good input and I do agree with it. I still wanna try posting somthing about the tests though, (the test is for my own purposes, I don't like using somthing that hasn't proven itself to me). I just figured that some here would appreciate the info I can get from the tests.

 

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

+1 orbitup

 

[taliv]

I just figured that some here would appreciate the info I can get from the tests.

any first-hand experience is appreciated. looking forward to seeing your results

 

[Broken11b]

Oh, and I feel I should mention, its a rifle thats going to be tested. I never trusted plastic rifles and want to see what it can handle.

 

[Fremmer]

Take the gun to a one or two day training class, one where you shoot a thousand (or more) rounds in a short period of time. Let us know how it does, and what condition it is in after.

 

[MarkDozier]

I should mention. I have tremors so consider that as you laugh at my gruping.

I did test firing of my XD 40.and wearing it under nomal summer conidtions IWB carry.
First Saturday 200 rds, 90 minutes.
Then 12 rds of self defense ammo. I got about 2 1/2 inches rapid fire at 30 feet. strong hand. Had buddy shoot another clip and the gun shot about 1 1/2 with bulk reloads. BTW the reloads were crappy. Not my own loads.

Two weeks later - Same gun without cleaning. 350 round in 45 minutes just trying to make the gub fail in some way. ran great. Afterwars had really good shooter shoot for accuracy. BINGO. great shots.
I tested the slide several times to see if it was gumming from residue during my test.
While not elaborate or in depth it suited waht I needed from the gun for my simple testing.
I highly recommend the XD-40

 

[gunnutery]

Taliv gave great advise, as well as everyone else. The only other things I can think to mention are:

Don't go into internal workings. All major gun magazines do this, and unless it has some very unique or new way of operating, I personally don't care to read about it.

Test and/or challenge the effective range (if you have such range to work with). So far I've never been able to shoot farther than 200 yards. But just because I can't currently shoot a longer ranges doesn't mean I don't want to know what a certain gun is capable of. The major gun magazines reviews don't post any groups beyond the standard 100 yard line unless it's really built as a long range only gun. This drives me crazy that they do reviews of guns that are most likely capable of 400+ yards, yet they don't review anything past 100 yards.

Okay, I'm done with my rant. Have fun and stay safe.

 

[NinjaFeint]

It depends what your are looking for. They don't really "publish" gun reviews I would enjoy so I read peoples experiences on forums such as this to get a feel for real world applications. I would like something like a "Long Term Road Test" ala Car+Driver. Every day use for an extended period. Throw some weekend shooting fun in there and see how it holds up for a year. Regular maintenance performed and any additional maintenance documented. Also, a cost of ownership including regular and part breakage costs. This would be the perfect review for a carry gun.

 

[CJ]

How about recording and reporting over long-term use? Most reviews, out of necessity to make deadlines, take a gun out of a box, shoot it, and report. Doesn't help nearly as much as the rare instance where, for example, a police armorer can report that out of 50 firearms in continuous use, 2 cracked a slide, or sheared a pin, or some such.

 

[DPris]

Most of what you want would lose substantial amounts of money for any professional gunwriter. You forget that gunwriters are there to make money, just like you do at your job, and living with a gun for several months, taking it to a school, and blowing off a thousand rounds of ammunition goes far into the red.

Denis

 

[nitetrane98]

Always remember that if you say the slightest thing bad about a gun, you will be forever removed from the list of writers that will receive guns from the factory for testing, by any manufacturer. I think the worst I have ever read is a mention that a certain gun didn't like a certain brand/size ammo. That was probably the brand that didn't send him a case of ammo for the test. The brand that sent the most magically grouped the best.

Sceptical? Moi?

 

[GunsAmerica Fan]

Taliv's post is very good.

I would add that any proper review should have.

1. What type of firearm this is - not just pistol revolver etc., but the action type itself, like single action, double single, one pull etc. Also plastic vs. steel, hammer vs. striker, etc.
2. Buying this gun as your first gun - what you need to make a purchasing decision if you are thinking of this as your first gun.
3. Safety devices both present and absent. - I know people who have bought a glock 26 to carry in their pocket not realizing that it had no flip safety.

 

[StealthyBlagga]

Start by asking yourself what this gun is supposed to be used for. Self-defense ? Shooting competition (type ?) ? Plinking ? Hunting ? Once you have this answer, the design your testing to cover aspects important to that application.

I like the way American Rifleman does their reviews... concise, consistent and with an eye to real-world use of the weapon in question.

Oh, and UNBIASED please - I quit buying gun magazines a decade ago because I just could not trust anything they wrote. American Rifleman and USPSA's Front Sight are notable exceptions.