Shooter endorsed firearms?

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Axis II

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I am sitting here watching Shooting USA on Outdoor channel and stuff like the Jerry Miculek Mossberg shotgun shows up. I began doing some searching on it and found he has several guns that have his name on them. This got me wondering... When Duck Dynasty was big Mossberg had the Duck Commander editions and I wondered if those guys actually used those guns to hunt with or was this something Mossberg thought up to make $$? Same thing with S&W is the JM edition guns really designed and used by Jerry or is it a marketing scheme? I would bet there would be some up in arms if they found out they bought a Mossberg Duck Commander shotgun thinking its a good shotgun because Duck Commander endorses/uses them when they really don't.

Yeah, I know I have too much time on my hands!! lol.
 
I am sitting here watching Shooting USA on Outdoor channel and stuff like the Jerry Miculek Mossberg shotgun shows up. I began doing some searching on it and found he has several guns that have his name on them. This got me wondering... When Duck Dynasty was big Mossberg had the Duck Commander editions and I wondered if those guys actually used those guns to hunt with or was this something Mossberg thought up to make $$? Same thing with S&W is the JM edition guns really designed and used by Jerry or is it a marketing scheme? I would bet there would be some up in arms if they found out they bought a Mossberg Duck Commander shotgun thinking its a good shotgun because Duck Commander endorses/uses them when they really don't.

Yeah, I know I have too much time on my hands!! lol.

The S&W JM Edition guns are used by Jerry and he has some design input. I have watched several editions of his Youtube channel discussing them. I have a JM 327. That said, I'm sure his are modified and not necessarily 100% like what you can purchase.







 
Same thing with S&W is the JM edition guns really designed and used by Jerry or is it a marketing scheme?

I suppose so, depending on what “detail” means to you.

“Designed: planned or conceived in detail or for a specific purpose.”

Just because an architect “designs” a building doesn’t mean he can make it or tell you infinite internal design details.

It’s obviously a marketing strategy to utilize the name of a fantastic shooter like Jerry Miculek, who is also one of the nicest professional shooters you will ever meet.

The idea that one can just go out and buy a “JM” edition gun and shoot like him is a pipe dream, I think I shot competitively for about a decade before I ever beat him on a stage.

I am pretty certain I still have A “JM” 625 but then again I am a JM. :)
 
I am more apt to avoid celebrity endorsed or branded firearms. I like particular firearms because I like them. Not because some famous person throws their name on or near it.
Actually, my natural response is to avoid such products figuring that it is almost certainly a mere marketing ploy ... and in some cases, to my eye, the special added marking/branding degrades the appearance & appeal of the product.
 
I suppose so, depending on what “detail” means to you.

“Designed: planned or conceived in detail or for a specific purpose.”

Just because an architect “designs” a building doesn’t mean he can make it or tell you infinite internal design details.

It’s obviously a marketing strategy to utilize the name of a fantastic shooter like Jerry Miculek, who is also one of the nicest professional shooters you will ever meet.

The idea that one can just go out and buy a “JM” edition gun and shoot like him is a pipe dream, I think I shot competitively for about a decade before I ever beat him on a stage.

I am pretty certain I still have A “JM” 625 but then again I am a JM. :)
Wait, you beat Jerry Miculek on a stage? :eek::eek::eek:
 
If the Duck Dynasty crew use Mossberg shotguns, then maybe they are smarter than they appear to be on TV.

As a workhorse beat around shotgun that can stand the rigors of swampland duck hunting, relatively inexpensive, cheap and easy to repair, you can’t beat it.

You can buy two or three of them for every over rated Benelli and shoot just as well and have a spare or two if one breaks or ends up deep sixed.
 
I typically avoid the overpriced and over hyped versions of guns simply because they put so much marketing and endorsement money into the guns that it bloats the price tag. The single exception that rule is the S&W JM revolvers. I don’t own one, but I intend to. The main thing I want is the unique grip. I know where I can get some but I want it to be “right”.
 
If the Duck Dynasty crew use Mossberg shotguns, then maybe they are smarter than they appear to be on TV.

As a workhorse beat around shotgun that can stand the rigors of swampland duck hunting, relatively inexpensive, cheap and easy to repair, you can’t beat it.

You can buy two or three of them for every over rated Benelli and shoot just as well and have a spare or two if one breaks or ends up deep sixed.
I have heard a lot of stuff about the Mossberg autoloaders breaking, jamming, etc. I shot a Mossberg and Benelli side by side last year on the dove fields and the Benelli was lighter and swung a lot better. I like Mossberg because they are build like tanks but man are they heavy and tend to not swing/point very well at least for me.
 
I typically avoid the overpriced and over hyped versions of guns simply because they put so much marketing and endorsement money into the guns that it bloats the price tag. The single exception that rule is the S&W JM revolvers. I don’t own one, but I intend to. The main thing I want is the unique grip. I know where I can get some but I want it to be “right”.
Yeah, I hated that too. Take a Mossberg shotgun, dip in some crazy looking camo and stick a stupid bandana on it and jack the price up $200. Same for the Savage Mark II Swamp people edition.
 
I can understand the concept of guns endorsed (or designed with input, from one degree to another) by competitive shooters or other people who shoot for a living. So the Miculek stuff makes sense to me. It's just like golf equipment companies putting out club models that are named after/signed by/designed to replicate the clubs of top players on their staff. Absolutely ubiquitous in other sporting goods, so why not guns, too?

But endorsements by famous people who just have guns as part of their lifestyle? No sense to me. If a famous musician happens to play golf, making a set of golf clubs with that person's name on it seems asinine.

But lots of marketing strategies that work on some markets make zero sense to me.
 
I have heard a lot of stuff about the Mossberg autoloaders breaking, jamming, etc.

You know, I sometimes forget Mossberg makes autos since I don’t pay attention to them. I was mainly referring to their pumps like the 500 and 835.

With Duck Dynasty money they could afford anything so using cheapy Mossbergs may have only been a ploy at royalties from higher sales volume.
 
If there is a copyright name involved you can bet money has crossed hands. That's business.
Your business should be to attain and maintain competency with the firearms you already own.
No endorsement is going to do that for you.
 
I doubt Jerry M. is going to desert S&W, but a lot of the pro shooters endorse a make and model only until a better deal comes along from the competing manufacturer.

And what about the companies building guns named after well known gunsmiths?
How much did Richard Heinie and Bob Marvel really do to get their names on Nighthawk guns?
 
When the Duck Dynasty boys were selling decoys and producing hunting shows they hunted with Benelli's IIRC. They didn't hunt with Mossbergs until they were paid to hunt with them.

And when they were making calls by hand, and making the earliest videos, Phil shot a “Sweet Sixteen” Browning A5.

Wyman
 
I doubt Jerry M. is going to desert S&W, but a lot of the pro shooters endorse a make and model only until a better deal comes along...

I don’t think it’s a matter of a better firearm, watch his videos and he goes through some of the modifications he would do to a firearm, even one that has his name on it.
 
Manufacturers pay shooters to use their equipment and then put their name on it. Happens in every TV hunting show. Two people instantly come to mind. Brian “Pig Man” Quaca and Tim Wells. Brian used to shoot Howa, then Ruger. He shot Taurus and now shoots S&W. Tim used to shoot Matthews and now shoots Oneida.

The DC guys shot Mossberg when they were paid to. But their gun of choice is Benelli. It also helps Benelli now endorses them. At least they did last I heard.

Celebrities, whether it’s shooters like JM or hunters like Tim and Brian get paid to talk up a product. But they also have to prove it works. Your biggest names in the industry won’t put their reputation on the line for a sub-par product. The more famous, the better the product they endorse.

It’s why no one has sent me a Barret 50 or Kimber to put my name on yet. Hell, HiPoint and Jennings hasn’t sent me a gun either. Oh well. Maybe someday.
 
Seems to be a business thing, but I was thinking about the 995 and 1095 hi points as I read this. One huge 10mm fan is Ted Nugent. I don’t like the guy but he’s there and he has shown just how wonderful a 10mm can be for hunting. His sidearm of choice seems to be Glock, but it would not surprise me at all to hear that he is using a 10mm carbine a bit and the most marketable of those so far are the TNW wilhich is somewhat obscure, and the Hipoint. Now, both of those companies sell pistols, so I bet they would want any sidearms on screen alongside their carbine to be their products as well. I don’t think he would go for a hi point, and the TNW pistol is one of those “legally a pistol” guns. Sooo.... his option realistically would be a mechtech 10mm “upper” which I would LOVE to see him do just to show us what it will do on meat.

Back to the point... a hi point is $150 so if they jack it up and make a “special edition” with somebody’s name on it, and charge the premiums, would it realistically sell? I doubt it. TNW or similar companies could stand some publicity to get their names more mainstream, but the funding may be low. Not my business... not my circus, not my monkeys.
 
Actually, my natural response is to avoid such products figuring that it is almost certainly a mere marketing ploy ... and in some cases, to my eye, the special added marking/branding degrades the appearance & appeal of the product.
I agree it's mostly marketing and I think the extra price for the JM gun or the EVH guitar, whatever, may or may not be worth it. I'm not anywhere near JM's abilities and, besides, for my shooting purposes the extra touch he may add to the gun is unnecessary, and I hate paying for unnecessary things.
 
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Early in the DC show, maybe the first year, there was a clip online about making a commercial for Bennelli. Phil actually did a commercial where he stated that his shotguns had to go "Boom Boom Boom". Maybe Mossberg would pay more money to sponsor the show. Or maybe Mossberg is perceived to be more American than Benelli?
 
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