Does a consumer reports of Shooting equipment exist?

[Snowgun]

So a friend just recently got a job at a shooting magazine, and it got me thinking...

I subscribe to a couple "gun mags" and they have lots of adds for equipment, and even do these "reviews".

The problem I see, is that in every review the product in question comes out looking great. Every once in a while they will scarcely mention some sort of attribute they didn't really prefer (buried in the text somewhere) but they will soften it like it's a personal preference thing.

I have never seen a publication (except personal blogs) totally pan a product or firearm (at least not when they have come out, many talk smack about guns that are discontinued). Even when they do some sort of "head to head" competition, they really just give relative rankings and still don't really pan the gun that comes in last.

So does a non biased consumer reports exist for shooting equipment? And if no, why not? Is there significant monetary benefit going to these mags to do reviews, essentually causing a conflict of interest?

Does anyone want to start a real publication with me that takes a no holds barred approach to the shooting sports?

[Squib Joe]

Gun tests is about the most impartial one that I know of. They don't accept advertising or free guns. Most of the reviews are of firearms, however, not gear.

http://www.gun-tests.com/

[ijosef]

Could you see Consumer Reports doing a "best hunting rifles" article? I don't think enough of their audience uses firearms for them to ever consider it. Besides, they're too left-leaning fpr that (I've been a subscriber for several years and you can get a hint of it once in awhile).

Even though Old Painless at The Box O' Truth gets a lot of flak, I really like his site. He doesn't review nearly enough products to make any sort of comparison in any category. Gunblast is okay, but his reviews always seem to lack that critical edge.

I would love to see a picture of a bunch of guys in white lab coats shooting a variety of hunting rifles from benchrests! "Our staffers found that the new Marlin XL7 bested its competitors for ease of use and accuracy at half the price!"

[Snowgun]

Gun tests is about the most impartial one that I know of. They don't accept advertising or free guns. Most of the reviews are of firearms, however, not gear.

http://www.gun-tests.com/

Pretty cool, thanks for the link!

I would love to see a picture of a bunch of guys in white lab coats shooting a variety of hunting rifles from benchrests! "Our staffers found that the new Marlin XL7 bested its competitors for ease of use and accuracy at half the price!"

Hell, I have lab coats and everything. Who wants to step up and produce this thing?

[TH3180]

First thing you could do is what's better a 1911 or a GLOCK.

[JJ]

First thing you could do is what's better a 1911 or a GLOCK.

9 or 45

[Snowgun]

First thing you could do is what's better a 1911 or a GLOCK.

9 or 45

Oh I could solve the 9 vs 45 debate...it's just gonna be expensive and some groups might get a little squeamish at the testing methodology...

[DeanC]

I let my subscription to Gun Tests lapse. They just never seemed to make apples to apples comparisons enough to justify the expense of the subscription. And the writing, which is normally pretty bad in all gun magazines, was even worse than the mean.

[DeanC]

If you do decided to subscribe, doing it through Amazon.com seemed to be the cheapest way.

[rugersol]

I let my subscription to Gun Tests lapse. They just never seemed to make apples to apples comparisons enough to justify the expense of the subscription. And the writing, which is normally pretty bad in all gun magazines, was even worse than the mean.

My buddy got this fer a while ... he'd always hand it to me and point out something ... so I'd read it ... my impression (and this was several years ago) was they were "behind the curve" ... a lotta the stuff ya see parroted on interlinks forums, from other interlinks forums.

... at the very least, nothing "insightful".

I like the popular gun rags ... usually some really nice pictures ... I like pictures! Ya take what they write, with a grain of salt. Ayoob never met a gun he didn't like. It's kinda neat to see some of the better writers take jabs at the manufacturers about series-80 safeties 'er front slide serrations ... once in a blue moon, they even take a jab at the infernal-lock! Ultimately, I don't know of anything that'll ever compare to MidwayUSA's reviews. If it's only ever one guy ... 'er even a few ... yer always gonna get SOME bias.