Honest Gun Reviews

D

DocRDS

Head Maffs Monkey
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 21, 2012
4,144
7,915
The Great Beyond
#1
In keeping with my "Handguns are hard" theme:

Is it posssible to find a "real" accurate gun review or just a bunch o shills promoting some B.S?

Its ok, I know the answer--I'm just stalling before I mow the lawn.

(Yes I know there are some good hard reviews, I'm being an ass on purpose--the fact that I have to write this just pisses me off more).
 
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#2
No. Years ago I queried a review in a rag called Small Arms Review. I knew the writer and I knew the gun since I'd worked with the builder on firing pin issues.

He acknowledged that most of the reliability part was utter lies. He then said that if they don't lie, companies won't send product for them to review.

Writers get to keep the gun for free or at a very deep discount if they shill for the maker. They all lie.
 
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#3
Youtubers I think are “real reviews”
Ron Spomer
Paul Harrell (RIP) and his brother.
C&Rsenal (more of the history channel we need)
Forgotten weapons (more of show and tell)
Focustripp
Honest outlaw
Small arm solutions

Youtubers i used to think did “real” reviews but are now (if not always) shills
Garand thumb
Inrangetv
Military Arms Channel
Iraq veteran 8888
List goes on
 
#4
Colt Gold Cup Trophy

Just don't. Mine was so bad I sold it. for the same money buy a Dan Wesson.

GOLD-CUP-TROPHY-45ACP.jpg
 
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#5
I think the only way to glean any real review information from youtubers these days, whether in guns or most other fields, is to plan to look at a dozen different reviewers of the same item and compare what they nitpick about to try to determine who is sugarcoating which elements. Then try to find another handful of small channels with videos on the same thing and see how the gripes stack up. It’s exhausting.
 
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#8
corsairpilot62 said:
Youtubers I think are “real reviews”
Ron Spomer
Paul Harrell (RIP) and his brother.
C&Rsenal (more of the history channel we need)
Forgotten weapons (more of show and tell)
Focustripp
Honest outlaw
Small arm solutions
Click to expand...

Hickok45?


corsairpilot62 said:
Youtubers i used to think did “real” reviews but are now (if not always) shills
Garand thumb
Inrangetv
Military Arms Channel
Iraq veteran 8888
List goes on
Click to expand...
 
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#16
I don’t watch any reviews. I strictly take the advice of the bear pit for my gun purchases😂. I was just looking at buying the smith & Wesson m&p competitor and I went on the boob tube to see what the tattooed experts said. Some said it was the best thing they had ever shot and others said it was an overpriced m&p 2.0 so I just skipped all that. Other than that I don’t look for reviews on you tube. Opinions are like armpits-we all have them and most of them stink.
 
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#18
I think Jon Patton from the Gun Collective on Youtube does a pretty fair review. He did a review of a Taurus revolver a year or so ago where a screw, or screws, from the side plate loosened enough on firing they came off never to be found again. All caught on video. That was pretty far from a shill review. But as most guns reviewed seem to be pre-production models, a gun which doesn't work well for one reason or another just gets sent back to the manufacturer for repair or modifications to the design. I think it's only fair to give the manufacturer the opportunity to fix what's broke before the review is published. I also think it's only fair to the reader the review should reflect the prior deficiencies and how they were addressed.
 
#22
Most of the guntubers are shills. When you have to take 10 minutes and thank your sponsors before even getting to the "review" you are a shill. MulletMountainandMerica, Texas Plinking and a bunch of the other guntubers do that. So annoying. Then you get some of other stupid guntubers that just pimp out a product and don't even tell you they are being paid by X company to pimp out said products.
 
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#23
mosin46 said:
i think "other" companies also do neg reviews to trash competition. the get a free gun for review is a game ender for me. was same back in the day with the gun magazine rags. all you can do is look,think,hope and go by your own past experience.
Click to expand...
I read as many reviews as I can. both professionals and individuals on sites like this, If they all pretty much agree its a good indicator. I've seen a few reviews that the reviewer didn't pan the gun, but you could tell from his overall tone he didn't like it. Then there's the company itself. Do they have good customer service or is it "We got your money, fuck off."
 
#29
I remember a pretty good gun review by, I think, Skeeter Skelton back in the ‘80’s.

He didn’t name the brand, but it was obvious it was Taurus.

I remember him saying stuff like he saw harder springs on clothes pins. And that it looked like the grips had been carved by beavers.

He was sort of making fun of reviews… not just the gun… and he was “The Man” so could get away with it.

Loved Skeeter and covet his Roper grips to this day!

Skeeter Skelton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org


Sirhr
 
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#30
sirhrmechanic said:
I remember a pretty good gun review by, I think, Skeeter Skelton back in the ‘80’s.

He didn’t name the brand, but it was obvious it was Taurus.

I remember him saying stuff like he saw harder springs on clothes pins. And that it looked like the grips had been carved by beavers.

He was sort of making fun of reviews… not just the gun… and he was “The Man” so could get away with it.

Loved Skeeter and covet his Roper grips to this day!

Skeeter Skelton - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org


Sirhr
Click to expand...
Yeah I been looking for roper grips for the k frame. They fit your hands great when speed counts.
 
#32
MO Fugga said:
The one gun I have that I never heard of, recommended by a friend, is my Howa. Hard to beat for the money, zero issues, shoots better than me.
Click to expand...

Japanese made guns never got any respect. But Howa and Miroku were absolutely off the charts build quality.

They were like a 1980’s Honda Accord. Ran forever. Not pricey. Crazy good build quality. And utterly lacking heritage or soul. So no one wanted them at any price. Didn’t help that the Japanese were killing blue collar jobs in America all through the ‘70’s and 80’s… so showing up at a Pennsylvania deer camp with a Howa might you a beating. And not just figuratively.

But Miroku/Browning Citori’s (except for the damn salt wood) were great shooters. Some of the Howa Weatherby’s were also amazing. All the Vanguards were Howa. But got no respect and unfortunately sort of killed the Weatherby name.

Looking for a bargain hunting rifle that will shoot straight, look expensive and last a lifetime? Howa is one of them and there is a really short list! These days folks who know look at a Howa and say… good choice!

Sirhr
 
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#33
Big Phish said:
Yeah I been looking for roper grips for the k frame. They fit your hands great when speed counts.
Click to expand...

Look on the Smith and Wesson forum. Sets come up there a lot. You will spend more on the Ropers than the revolver… but never regret it!

I had a set made for my Python by @Bigfatcock . here on SH and they are magnificent! We somewhat worked together on them, shipping back and forth a couple of times. But he did all the real work. They are the best grips I own and totally love them!!! He is master-level Jedi grip maker!!!

Sirhr
 
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#36
sirhrmechanic said:
Look on the Smith and Wesson forum. Sets come up there a lot. You will spend more on the Ropers than the revolver… but never regret it!

I had a set made for my Python by @Bigfatcock . here on SH and they are magnificent! We somewhat worked together on them, shipping back and forth a couple of times. But he did all the real work. They are the best grips I own and totally love them!!! He is master-level Jedi grip maker!!!

Sirhr
Click to expand...
That was a fun project. I learned a lot! Mr. Roper knew what he was talking about when it came to his grips. He really did need a hand tracing for each set so his woodworker could cut them to the individual.
 
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#37
Even if you find a reviewer you can “trust”, it’s hard if not impossible for them to value the same things you do exactly. Sure you want to know if the fit and finish is nice…but is it nice enough FOR YOU while having a nice enough trigger FOR YOU while…you get the point. With that understanding, you can see they are all simply offering entertainment. The best review is buying it and using it.
 
#38
@C_Does is good.
But I don’t think he did many gun reviews, mostly excellent optic reviews.
Crowdfund it and send him guns for honest reviews?


m.youtube.com

C_DOES

I'm C, and welcome to my channel. Originally a mish mosh of multiple project's; I have decided to dedicate it to my First Person Optic review's. I privately fund the channel. I am not monetized at all thru YouTube. If you enjoy what you see please Like, and Subscribe. If you would like to help...
m.youtube.com m.youtube.com
 
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#39
Makinchips208 said:
Pretty much any YouTuber that works for leviathan is a shill.

It’s a lot of em.

General 3 — Leviathan Group

www.leviathangroupllc.com www.leviathangroupllc.com
Click to expand...
Damn ,was hoping Mrgunsngear wasn't on that list, I've enjoyed his reviews of products, not always guns but lots of gear , especially his reviews of body armor, but now I'll keep the fact he's a shill in the back of my mind , when watching anything he says. Also like the daily posting of good deals , one of the few emails I always open ,instead of automatically deleting.
 
#40
I thought I'd try my hand writing for big gun magazines. Savage sent me a 338 Lapua Magnum, Hornady sent me a few boxes of ammunition.

The combination was awful. The rifle wouldn't shoot my handloads proven in a number of name-brand rifles.

Sent them back. The soft brass was trash and I doubt reloadable. I told the editor my results.

What the single best 10-shot target looked like off sandbags at 200 yards, working way harder than I thought necessary. The X-ring is three inches across.

Maybe I'm too picky. I wouldn't buy or keep it.

239.JPG
 
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#42
MO Fugga said:
The one gun I have that I never heard of, recommended by a friend, is my Howa. Hard to beat for the money, zero issues, shoots better than me.
Click to expand...
absolutely a way under appreciated brand. had several no issues. sometimes reviews diss things that are low end but perfectly serviceable and work above price point. Savage being a good example. not AIs or Vudoos and the rich boys whine about them. but have always been functional,accurate for $s and CS,the 1 time i used it,excellent. the importers of Tikka,Howa,Sako are a bit of a down side and pretty unresponsive in my experience.
sometimes you get less than you pay for and sometimes you get more.
 
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#44
So, a reviewer who has an affiliate code with company is getting compensated. It's not just a discount code, they get a few beans back. Which means what they are saying is a paid advertisement. And we see well-known actors do ads all the time. It's a job, acting like this or that item or service is important.

So, then, we can rightly suspect that the person giving the gun or gear review is acting. Maybe even following a script.

I also understand that sponsors help foot the bill. Just about every gun tuber out there has a live read for Sonoran Desert Institute. I have never minded that. Mentioning they are a sponsor is disclosing the fact that this live read is a paid ad.

Overton Windex, however, has stated that he is not going to uphold brands that don't give him a discount code to send out or some kind of affiliation. For example, Arken hands out affiliation and discount codes right and left.

Cyclops (Joe Rhea) discloses he is an affiliate of Arken and has even been on tour of their facility. Long branded a hater of Vortex, it is only fair to note that he gives positive reviews of some Vortex optics, just not the Venom 5-25X56 or the Strike Eagle. Essentially, he feels they are overpriced versus the performance.

IIRC, Military Arms Channel has some affiliation with Primary Arms. I could be wrong but he was using their optics for a while.

Others are not afraid of bragging on brands. Pieter Malan at Impact shooting displays Vortex and MDT gear. I don't think he gets codes for that and I have never had a code to enter when I bought stuff from MDT.
 
#45
mosin46 said:
absolutely a way under appreciated brand. had several no issues. sometimes reviews diss things that are low end but perfectly serviceable and work above price point. Savage being a good example. not AIs or Vudoos and the rich boys whine about them. but have always been functional,accurate for $s and CS,the 1 time i used it,excellent. the importers of Tikka,Howa,Sako are a bit of a down side and pretty unresponsive in my experience.
sometimes you get less than you pay for and sometimes you get more.
Click to expand...

Ruger precision Rifle…. Is ^^^ this.

Ferrari performance… corvette price. Which is how Ruger intended.

Sirhr
 
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#47
Bobalos said:
The humble marksman on YouTube seems to be straight up.

Ben Stoeger doesn't seem to give a crap about any hurting feelings, but can you put up with his drama. LOL
Click to expand...
I like Ben's gun reviews, even though I'm unlikely to buy any gun he reviews, for a few reasons.

1, he doesn't act like he actually knows anything about guns from an engineering or gunsmithing perspective. He's a shooter, a good one, and stays in his lane.

2a, his reviews involve real, actual use, and he's not afraid to do things most people would never. The vast majority of other reviewers shoot maybe 500, or in the extreme, 1000 rounds. Ben shoots 10k rounds before giving his final review. That's boss shit because 95% of people will never put 10k rounds through all their sidearms combined, let alone a safe full of them.

2b, Ben bought a brand new Staccato XC and immediately went out to his garage and dropped it barrel first from head height onto the concrete 🤣🤣🤣🤣 to see if it was drop safe (it wasn't). He did it with a P as well.

3, He scales his conclusion to the gun he's reviewing. For example, his Atlas reviews. Most reviewers absolutely jizz themselves about how amazing the gun is and they're the 8th wonder of the world. Ben's review was like, "yea, it's good." His rationale is that it's a $6000+ custom gun, it should absolutely fuck for that price, and that should be your expectation.

Bonus: he publicly called Stacatto "cocksuckers" for charging $75 for laser engraving and that they wouldn't engrave whatever retarded shit he wanted. And then at SHOT Show he went to their booth and was like, "yea idk they weren't too happy to see me".

Ben may live for stupid drama, but I get the impression he's not the guy to compromise his integrity for some free trinkets.

Man I'm a fucking nerd what am I even doing with my life.
 
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#49
DocRDS said:
In keeping with my "Handguns are hard" theme:

Is it posssible to find a "real" accurate gun review or just a bunch o shills promoting some B.S?

Its ok, I know the answer--I'm just stalling before I mow the lawn.

(Yes I know there are some good hard reviews, I'm being an ass on purpose--the fact that I have to write this just pisses me off more).
Click to expand...

Just ask for thoughts here. You'll get all sorts of responses.

The real trick is remembering who to ignore, such as those who seem to have problems with every single product they buy (and they can't find the common denominator). And then there's some that will praise anything they've spent money on.

But, for the most part, there's a vast knowledge group here to give you an idea.
 
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#50
Ronws said:
Overton Windex, however, has stated that he is not going to uphold brands that don't give him a discount code to send out or some kind of affiliation. For example, Arken hands out affiliation and discount codes right and left.
Click to expand...

This guy is somewhat local to me. He's truly off his rocker and is at some level of autism.

He would fight you to the death that IOR is a great scope company... Need I say more?

He's great example of that guy that thinks he is the only person who's ever thought about anything he talks about. And that his personal thoughts should be gospel because anyone who disagree with him is blessed with a sub 50 point IQ simply because they might have some different views or experience.
 
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