New Low in Gun Reviews

[Chuck Perry]

Anyone read Metcalf's SW1911 review in the latest issue of Handguns? The suggested retail is $932.00. Metcalf ends the article by proclaiming the pistol a must have. He liked the factory gun so much that he sent it to Heinie and 1) changed the trigger, plus a 2.5# trigger job 2) changed the sights 3) changed the thumb safety 4) added a magwell and new grips. But other than these minor points he really liked the gun and highly reccomends it. Lessee, $932 for base pistol. Checking Heinie's website we find these prices:
1) Install trigger $51.25
2) Tune trigger $98.00
3) Straight 8 night sights $122.80
4) Install sights $57.00
5) Install Ed Brown Ambi thumb safety $153.25
6) Magwell/grips/installation $309.00
Total custom work: $791.30
Total for completed pistol: $1723.30
Oops, almost forgot $20.00 for crack cocaine. I've no doubt the SW1911 is a quality weapon, but c'mon. What kind of review is this?

 

[3 gun]

Sounds like a few of those items are just personal preference. Still $900+ for a S&W 1911, they have to be kidding.

 

[10-Ring]

1st off, I thought the new S&W 1911 was going to be in the $700 range...$900? No thanks!
Now, if this guy really liked the gun, why change out sights, trigger & trigger work etal? Isn't it now a different feeling gun compared to the one he reviewed?

 

[rebbryan]

it's a 1911. that's it, it's the same as the rest. everyone's acting like it's gold plated, never malfunctions, and gets 1" groups at 100 yards. i hate gun mags b/c they never seem to tell the gritty parts about pistols, just as long as they get one w/ their name engraved on it they say it's great. i did like one of the back pages of american handgunner though which said basically the same thing

 

[MK11]

Send that exact same note as a letter to the editor. Handguns is unreadable these days.

 

[Sean Smith]

The street price is usually a good bit less than the MSRP, so the price might not be out of line in real life. I dunno about those mods, though... a 2.5lb trigger?!? Maybe he's going to shoot it in USPSA Limited-10 or something, otherwise that's the part that makes me think he's smoking dope.

 

[bountyhunter]

Please, this isn't even in the top ten for worst gun reviews. I saw one in Handguns on a Kimber Whatever model which awas basically a standard 1911 with some fancy scroll work selling for about $1200. The pig couldn't hold a 4" group and had a lousy trigger and the author proclaimed it was a perfect platform to build a 1911 on. For $1200, I'll go to STI and buy a 1911 that doesn't need to be rebuilt.

And HG is so in Para's pocket that 90% of their covers have a giant picture of a Para pistol... and the "Gun of the Year" award is actually the "Which Para Haven't We Given the Award to Yet" award.

 

[9x19]

What kind of review is this?

Typcial... all too typical for most printed gun magazines these days.

 

[rblack]

The street price for this gun is around $700

 

[Schuey2002]

I'll pass, on the both the gun and the review/reviewer..

 

[Blackhawk]

An example of one of the reasons I don't subscribe to, buy, or even pick up Handguns at the newstand.

 

[BevrFevr]

Amen

There are few mags with value but most blow. I stopped reading Handguns when I was a teenager.

American Rifleman is ok. But they rarely say anything bad.

Gun Tests is ok. But sometimes these guys drop the one brain they are sharing. They seem to get stumped by things my niece could get passed.

Shotgun News is fairly good.

What do you all read that has merit?
not to hijack the thread but curious.

-bevr

 

[The Mighty Beagle]

I don't even buy 'em any more, I just read them while standing at the magazine rack at Wal-Mart.

Anybody else wonder why reviewers don’t benchrest a pistol at 25 yds. any more? I’m starting to see groups fired at 10 yds. now, which is a pathetic standard.

Or worse yet, I plunked my money down for some “Guns Annual†catalog-type publication to find out how this .38 Spec. SAA clone and .38 Spec. lever rifle shot. THE AUTHOR DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO SHOOT THEM FOR GROUPS. Instead, he just messed around with some cowboy action silhouettes at 15 feet or something ... what a joke.

My favorite is when they get a super-custom-high-dollar 1911 that can't even make it through a clip of ball, and the conclusion labels it a "near perfect gun for self-defense". Yeah, sure.

 

[M58]

Hardly a magazine worth buying anymore!:banghead:

 

[Soap]

Buy S.W.A.T.!!!

 

[bad_dad_brad]

I stick with Small Arms Review and Soldier of Fortune. The current SOF reviewed the S&W 1911 and if you read between the lines, the review was mixed. Shotgun News is often good as well.

Gun mags, car mags, they are pretty much the same. All about editorial preference bribed by money or products. What do you expect?

Forums like this often provide more honest input. Many of my firearm purchases have been decided upon by searching or posting on the TFL/THR web sites.

 

[ojibweindian]

I stopped buying any gun mags after joining TFL. I let all my subscriptions run out.

Some of the best reviews, advice, etc one can find is on TFL and THL.

 

[Tecolote]

I find Mr Camp's reviews a lot more informative and unbiased than anything in the rags.

 

[J Scott]

I agree. Stephen Camp's reviews are the best ones going.

J Scott

 

[seeker_two]

SHOOTING TIMES is honest on their reviews (have yet to see them give a good review--or ANY review-- to a junk gun). AMERICAN HANDGUNNER & GUNS are good too.

The rest I can just skip...

 

[2xTap]

I'll put a third in here, Mr. Camp's reviews/range reports are leeps and bounds ahead of any gunrag. And with Stephen, you can be sure he won't pull his punches................you'll get an honest review of whatever piece he's shooting.

2xTap

 

[EJ]

Free at Border's

I read ALL the gun rags at Border's in the cofffee shop--

SWEET--

 

[BevrFevr]

CAMP is the MAN!

for sure. I thought I would throw in in case he's reading.

It would be cool if he could put a code word in his reviews that would make them easy to do search on so that we could retrieve only the reviews. maybe Hassenfeffer...

I would subscribe to his reviews but like them better free.

-bevr

 

[care-less]

Don't expect honesty from the gun whores. They always add some drivel about "having to be tweaked here or there". thats gun expert ( whore) language for ... they haven't got it right yet. If they print the truth, they will not get any more free guns to review; I mean sell.

 

[mattk]

Twerent nothing wrong with mine. Trigger was 4.5 out of the box. Plus trigger jobs go for about 40 bucks here as long as new parts arent need and trust me there is nothing wrong with the parts Smith put into this gun.