Shooter endorsed firearms?

I think the reality of these celebrity-named models is all over the map. Some are just a name slapped on based on a financial arrangement, while others have desirable features reflecting the input of the person involved.

My "other" hobby has some parallels. You can buy a "Joe Strummer Model" Fender Telecaster, which is just a pre-trashed guitar with finish wear and stickers meant to replicate the one that he played when he was alive. IMO, you should buy a basic model and trash it yourself if that's what you want. Then there's the Music Man "Albert Lee Model," which was made to Mr. Lee's exact specifications. Buying that guitar will not automatically enable you to play like him, but if you do your homework and make sure that those are the specs you want, then go for it.

toivo said:

I think the reality of these celebrity-named models is all over the map. Some are just a name slapped on based on a financial arrangement, while others have desirable features reflecting the input of the person involved.

My "other" hobby has some parallels. You can buy a "Joe Strummer Model" Fender Telecaster, which is just a pre-trashed guitar with finish wear and stickers meant to replicate the one that he played when he was alive. IMO, you should buy a basic model and trash it yourself if that's what you want. Then there's the Music Man "Albert Lee Model," which was made to Mr. Lee's exact specifications. Buying that guitar will not automatically enable you to play like him, but if you do your homework and make sure that those are the specs you want, then go for it.

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Is that why I can't play Eruption on my EVH Frankenstrat?
Trouble is that it's hard to see where a <enter name of famous shooter here> endorsed firearm is any better than a regular one off the assembly line. It's easy to get someone to lend their name to some product when you throw money at them. Some endorsers have more integrity than others. I really admire JM and I would think (hope) that someone of his stature would have more integrity than a lot of other people who would just cash the check and not care about his name being on an inferior product. The trick is to see if the extra cash for the endorsed model is worth it.

Endorsing:
Too many times it falls into a situation where the only place you see the person using the product is on an ad or show. The question is are they using it away from the cameras?
Personalities way too often are just sucker bait. Do it for the $$$ but don't particularly care if they use a Mossberg or Remington ect....
All sales work on the Barnum principle. There is suckers born every day. Plenty out there that indorse but wouldn't care if they used it or not.
Another question in this situation is. How much modification for the use has been done making it not as right out of the box? And, can another be purchased at reasonable cost that doesn't require added cost for overhaul?

For a competitive shooter like JM to endorse something, to me, does carry some weight behind his decision that makes me consider it to. For a celebrity like DD choosing Mossberg, or Chuck Norris choosing Glock holds no appeal to me. HOWEVER if Clint Eastwood ever endorsed a special run of Colt SAAs and Model 29s from Smith I would make it the goal of my life to acquire them.

I have trouble buying Nikon Buckmaster scopes just because of Jackie Bushman and My Gamo Buckmaster pellet rifle is a piece of junk. I'll steer clear of endorsed stuff from now on, although my Nitro Rick Clunn Edition bass boat is 24 years old and still runs fine.

I tend to steer clear on endorsed products with a “name” attached. I would buy an endorsed Jerry Miculek S&W 327 If I had the money and there weren’t other things I want. Not because it was endorsed by Miculek but because it’s a darn nice revolver with a nice design.

My opinion and couple of bucks will get you a small black coffee at Starbucks but I feel that many endorsed firearms are all about the endorser and the manufacturer making a buck and not because the endorser adds anything in regards to quality. I am sure Mr. Miculek made some money from S&W but I think that product wouldn’t have JM’s name on it if it wasn’t a quality product, therefore making it an exception to the rule...or my opinion.

I can think of a couple of Cowboy Action Shooters whose names ended up on products that I am sure they had no influence on in regards to the manufacture of the guns/accessories.

Every endorsement for any product is a marketing scheme. The manufactures are expecting a return on their endorsement fees or they wouldn't spend the money. I don't pay any attention at all to endorsements.

I also pay very little attention to reviews. I admit I have seen some by what I would call a creditable reviewer, Paul Harrell for example, but most run the gamut from kind of inept to just dumb.

Ever notice on "Swamp People" Troy and all the Landry's still have the "Savage" stickers on their guns? same goes for when Jacob is on one of the other Hunting shows in Canada hunting whitetail instead of gators....

It's all about the money, freebies or a combination of both. Doubt very much in there is much in pre-design input from most.....just allowing their name or picture to be associated.

The only "shooter endorsement" that would influence me would be use by the U.S. armed forces. All other endorsements are suspect because they are probably made in exchange for money.

I endorse Finnish Mosins.




Com'on go ahead...…. ask me...…..

It is marketing, IMO, but what is wrong with that?

I doubt if many of us buy a firearm with a shooter's name on it, simply because of the name. Now, if Kylie Jenner would put her name on a gun, think of the sales! lol

sparkyfender said:

It is marketing, IMO, but what is wrong with that?

I doubt if many of us buy a firearm with a shooter's name on it, simply because of the name. Now, if Kylie Jenner would put her name on a gun, think of the sales! lol

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Kim Rhodes or Ginny Thrasher

P5 Guy said:

I had a Ted Williams .410 single shot gun.

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...and those lines of hunting, fishing, camping and other equipment took over in the 1960s, from another well worn Sear's endorsed name.....J.C. Higgins. John Higgins was a bean counter for Sears and his name was suggested for a new sporting goods line introduced in 1908, even tho he was not a celebrity, nor an avid outdoorsman/athlete. John did not have a middle name or initial.....Sears added the "C" to make it more marketable. As a kid, I had both J.C. Higgins and Ted Williams stuff. Guns, baseball gloves, Fishing combos, etc. Heck, we even had a Ted William's 7.5 outboard motor on our 12' Alumacraft fishing boat. Came down not to the Ted Williams name, but the fact that it was sold by Sears, which at that time had a reputation for quality stuff. It also came down to Sears was one of a very few places at that time that gave the average person access to such a wide selection of sporting goods in one place. I remember going to the local Sears store and my dad and I would go directly to the basement where the sporting goods were and would stay there and drool while mom and my sisters shopped for clothes and housewares in the two floors above. Then I would go home and study the latest edition of their catalog to see what I missed and what I needed to look at next time we went to town..............

I have a 930 JM PRO that I used in 3 gun. It was a great shotgun for the price and performance- much more forgiving on the wallet than the Benelli or FN that I would have gotten at a reduced "friend" price. Whether JM actually uses it or not, it worked fine for me, and based on the performance of that 930 JM, I later bought a "plain Jane" 930 with both 28" and 22" barrels, which I successfully use for doves, duck, and turkey, with my 870 and Ithaca 37 languishing in the gun cabinet.

Funny I saw this, I was driving I-10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge about three hours ago and the CCI “Troy Landry” bullets kept going through my mind. I was wondering to myself if he gets a cut of each 300 round mini mag box sold, or was it a fixed endorsement sum...

“Choot ‘em, choot ‘em!”

Riomouse911 said:

Funny I saw this, I was driving I-10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge about three hours ago and the CCI “Troy Landry” bullets kept going through my mind. I was wondering to myself if he gets a cut of each 300 round mini mag box sold, or was it a fixed endorsement sum...

“Choot ‘em, choot ‘em!”

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I'm getting a mental image of some guy walking into a gun store and asking "What's the best round for alligators?" Or better yet, starting that as a thread on a forum like this one ...

I've always been suspicious of Daisy Red Ryder

I want the Joe Biden Signature double Barrel Shotgun. aka "The Crazy Joe"

And then there is Ruger. Which the LCP was probably the most advertised gun in History. My guess is millions spent in advertisements for these cheap little guns.. And they sold them by the truck load. Ruger would use just about anything From Zombies to Texans. I use to wonder how many Texans actually thought the LCP was a Varmint gun? (besides Rick Perry)

Some say Ruger was going to have Martha Stewart endorse the LCP, that is before she went to jail'
And Paula Dean, that is before she went South.

Terri Clark sure looked hot in those Winchester ads back in the 90s.
I may or may not have purchased Winchester products due to those ads.

How about Dick Chaneys line of all headshot shotguns?