Wonder how many opinion posts are pure B.S.?

[christcorp]

There's so many posts with noob's asking: "I'm thinking of this gun" or "I just bought this gun", "WHAT DO YOU THINK?" I read so many of the responses, and wonder how much B.S. some of these people are full of.

You'll read 8 people in a row say how a particular gun in question is good, reliable, a good value, etc... Then, you'll have one person say how he bought 3 of these brands (Different models), and that they are all "UNRELIABLE". Sorry, but a) I think they are full of B.S. for making such a claim; and b) If the brand was Sooooo bad, why did they buy up to 3 of them???

If I am about to write a review or give an opinion on a particular gun; and I've seen an overwhelming amount of POSITIVE feedback; and I think my experience has been negative; the first thing I need to do is "QUESTION MY SITUATION". Chances are, it isn't the gun, if I appear to be the only one or one of very few with an issue. I saw a guy buy 3 of the SAME MODEL gun, and return all 3, because they didn't feed right. He was so mad by the 3rd one, he didn't want to return it. He sold ME the $350 gun for $100. Once I explained to him was limp-wristing was, and about breaking in a pistol properly, he got even angrier. Not because he felt stupid, but because he actually thought I was B.S.ing him to rationalize now owning a POS. Well, I took him to the range, and made him fire the gun. He had 3 of 12 round fail to eject or feed properly. He shot 3 magazines, and had 3, then 1, then 2 fail in each magazine. I fired 3 magazines (Same magazines), without 1 fail to eject or fail to feed.

Point is, there's a lot of people who give opinions, and speak/write on the forums like they are authorities and know what they are talking about. Especially when they mention: "I've had 3 of these" or "I've shot them many times". And yet, it's obvious from the overwhelming positive reports, that this person doesn't know what they are talking about. They should at least humble themselves a little and say something like: "I see a lot of positive opinions, but honestly, I've had problems with that brand. Maybe it's me and that gun, or maybe I bought from a bad batch". Stop telling people to RUN away from such a gun, or that you wouldn't trust your family's life on one.

Basically, this post is for all the new viewers, posters, lurkers.... Take the opinions of posters with a grain of salt. Wait til you have a large sampling of opinions before making a decision. Just because you read it on the internet, doesn't make it true. Buying a gun is a very important decision. Especially if it's going to be used for self/family defense. Don't be swayed towards or away from a gun without getting a lot of opinions and read reviews.

 

[supham]

A) 78% of the reviews / opinions are made up based on what they have read

B) I'm correct because I'm first

 

[hardworker]

Opinions are worth exactly what you pay for them

 

[slimdude]

Well I am very new here. This is my second post.
Promise to you'all that I won't do the above. I'll only
post on what I shoot first hand at the range

 

[Action_Can_Do]

Those are just some of the problems you encounter by taking part in forums. I'm one of those people who has seen a lot of problems in a popular gun (Some people swear by them, but I've seen nothing but trouble from Springfield 1911s.)
It's just the price you pay for asking the opinions of others. Some will be informed, some will be uniformed, and some will just go with the popular opinion. You have to use some judgment and watch who you listen to.

 

[Action_Can_Do]

There are also dangers in answering posts. Sometimes you'll get snipped at by telling someone something they really don't want to hear. It doesn't really pay to complain about it though. Anyone here has obviously decided that it's worth the pain.

 

[Justin]

Most people base their opinions about a particular gun on things that ultimately have very little to do with the actual functionality of the gun. Also, most people don't honestly put enough rounds through a particular model to really get a good grasp on how said guns function.

 

[writerinmo]

Then there are the ones who did have the firearm in question, but they are dumb as a rock and couldn't figure out a slingshot... their opinion means little to anyone but themselves as far as being relative. People who can't stand to do a little tweaking to a magazine or a little polish here or there and expect every gun to function 100% first time every time and rant on about what a terrible firearm it is... then you ask them, did you send it in so the factory guys could take a look at it? It is a machine you know... This usually just sets them off again about how it oughta work perfect!

 

[Mudinyeri]

I generally try to back up my opinions with my "qualifications" and/or how I developed that opinion. Of course, those could also be BS.

 

[Robert]

most people don't honestly put enough rounds through a particular model to really get a good grasp on how said guns function.

This!
Most people shoot far too little to actually know what they are talking about.

 

[330d]

Basically, this post is for all the new viewers, posters, lurkers.... Take the opinions of posters with a grain of salt. Wait til you have a large sampling of opinions before making a decision. Just because you read it on the internet, doesn't make it true. Buying a gun is a very important decision. Especially if it's going to be used for self/family defense. Don't be swayed towards or away from a gun without getting a lot of opinions and read reviews.

Nice post, and while I'm not new to forums, I'm new to this one and sometimes since I am definitely not an expert around here it is nice to be reassured that an individual's post must be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[M2 Carbine]

If a post doesn't start out something like,
"I have/or had that gun and......." or "I don't have that gun but I have a good bit of experience shooting one and........."
then I don't pay much attention to the poster's opinion.


Quoting what some magazine writer says usually makes my eyes glaze over.

 

[Sky]

Yes I agree with much of the above. It seems there is some serious feelings about a cost performance break down.

Mine cost $2100 and yours cost $700 so mine is three times better than yours!

There are differences in weapons and some have a little better rep than others, but this type of forum is where you can gather info on brands; the good, bad and the not worth having POS....The problem is how many good reviews does it take to wipe out one POS? An was the POS review due to the owner not knowing what they were doing or was it indeed a quality control issue? You buy and time will tell.

 

[loadedround]

Remember opinions are cheap and everyone owns one. If in doubt, just ask me.

 

[TNboy]

That's why I don't ask the opinions of others by starting a new thread, instead I research it myself, look for reviews and talk to people that have experience with that firearm.

 

[Guns and more]

Most people shoot far too little to actually know what they are talking about.

True.
I may give my opinion on guns I own, but it's usually "It's too big for pocket carry" Kind of answer. Not, "It's the most accurate pistol out there." since I'm a terrible shot.

Now, if asked for an opinion, I'm not shy about sharing mine.

Other answers I avoid:
1. Get a Glock.
2. XYZ's suck.
3. They taught us in the Army to do........so it must be right.
4. Cops do it this way.....so it must be right
5. I have $500. What pistol should I buy?
6. Who makes the "Best" CCW firearm?
and the ever popular:
7. "Did I get a good deal on my XYZ?" (The answer is always: "NO, I got one for half that.")

However, this forum is a lot of fun, and there isn't one with more knowledgeable experts, so if you want information, this is the place, enjoy and don't take it too seriously.

 

[Ky Larry]

You hear the same stuff from the gunshop commandos and the shooting range cowboys. I take what I hear with a grain of salt.

 

[Shadow 7D]

A huge issue, maybe even THE issue, is that no matter what everyone here says, in the end, it has little effect because, short of detailed and intense (lots of follow up) most advise is going to fall into two categories, general 'this usually works' or 'this is a know problem' and personal 'this works for me' and 'my gun had x problem'

So in the end most of my advise is
these guns have features you are looking for,
and
Go shoot them all and see which follows you home.


I try not to be a self proclaimed expert, but I do know from experience that the sear spring is a pain on the CZ-82, and the KT P40 is too much in a too small package FOR ME

And I try to correct stuff that is blatantly wrong, like "my guy ships me ammo in the mail, best deal going, you can fit X in a flatrate box..." ETC.

 

[hammerklavier]

Another thing to consider is that people have different standards. Some might accept an occasional failure to eject/feed and still think the gun is great while others would dump the gun as fast as possible. One might look at the fit and finish and think it's great while another thinks it's very poor.

 

[Sam1911]

The problem is how many good reviews does it take to wipe out one POS?

See, this presumes that all reviews are given the same merit -- and that just isn't so.

One review that is constructed well -- explains the test criteria, the goals of the shooter, the experience level of the shooter, the accuracy he/she was able to achieve vs. their accuracy with other guns, what exactly broke, jammed, or failed, and what the manufacturer said and did to fix it -- wipes out about a dozen contrary reviews.

Stuff like ...
"Danged gun is a piece of crap!"
"XYZ -R- deh GR8EST!"
"XYZs SUCK!"
"Me an my cuzint couldn't hit nuthin with it noways."
"A (insert common service arm) isn't anywhere NEAR as accurate or reliable as (insert other common service arm)!"
... and other brief, drive-by, fluff commentary might as well not even appear on the screen for as much credence as I can give them.

But a review that has some meat to it, uses proper grammar and more-or-less recognizable spelling, expresses cohesive thoughts, and doesn't run to absurd claims or emotional extremes will get my attention.

In other words, convince me you understand shooting and mechanical principles, that you had reasonable expectations of what the gun should and shouldn't do, that you were able to observe and describe clearly what was especially good or bad about the gun, and that you're not a hotheaded nut with an axe to grind, and I'll be about 10 times more likely to accept your review.

And two things I really do wish people would understand: 1) Honest, intelligent people can have contrary experiences with the same item. 2) Expressing an emotional adherence to the ultimate truth of your opinion makes your argument look weak and you look silly. The more viciously and bitterly you argue, the less likely others are to come around to your point of view.

 

[Old krow]

Point is, there's a lot of people who give opinions, and speak/write on the forums like they are authorities and know what they are talking about.

There's probably some key components to a discussion that are lost in translation on the internet as well. Body language and tones are completely non existent here. In here we're 100% dependent on our written communication skills to transpose our ideas, opinions, and experiences. In some cases, and I'm sure that THR isn't an isolated incident, the lack of non-verbal communication can cause things to be taken out of text or misinterpreted altogether. Not that this accounts for everything, but it probably accounts for some of it.

See, this presumes that all reviews are given the same merit -- and that just isn't so.

I'd agree with that. I have asked a couple questions on here and gotten some really good answers. There are definitely some good ones, and IMO they're generally accompanied by some quantifiable data of some sort. It's worth wading through some of others to get to them. Like one poster said, some judgement is needed to chose which to lend credence to and which to not.

This is just my opinion, and it's worth whatever you paid for it... but, I am leaning toward the XYZ is a POS type conversations are bordering counter-productivity.

 

[AKElroy]

In other words, convince me you understand shooting and mechanical principles, that you had reasonable expectations of what the gun should and shouldn't do, that you were able to observe and describe clearly what was especially good or bad about the gun, and that you're not a hotheaded nut with an axe to grind, and I'll be about 10 times more likely to accept your review.

+1!! In fact, I am more inclined to accept this type of review than even Magazine reviews colored with ad dollars; often on the pages adjacent to the review they are "objectively" providing.

I get the jist of the OP's rant, but this is a public, anonymous forum. People are eager in this setting to share what they think they know. I did it when I first signed up; I think many newbs do as well. I kind of dig the enthusiasm. What I don't get is being frustrated with it to the point of posting the rant, particularly when each of us has a choice regarding which posts to read.

 

[Zak Smith]

For everyone who thinks magazine reviews are tainted with advertising-- go write and get paid for some articles and get back to us.

The reality is that the vast majority of the writers have nothing to do with advertising-- they want to write good articles and get paid by their editor. There is more danger that a writer will write a pat review because he doesn't know how to critically review something in the first place than his editor will pressure him into writing something good about a bad gun.

That's actually one of the primary problems with reviews online: not knowing how to critically review something. Other typical deficiencies include: not actually an expert, faulty methods, etc.

 

[AKElroy]

For everyone who thinks magazine reviews are tainted with advertising-- go write and get paid for some articles and get back to us.

,

When I read a reveiw for a XYZ, and the facing page is a full page ad for that same XYZ, then it is clear they used the review to sell the page. I do not write for magazines, but I do buy a lot of advertising. No company is going to spend close to 6 figures to advertise adjacent to a review that has any possibility of panning their product.

 

[howlnmad]

This thread is one that makes me want to start another asking "What is the opinion of Hi-Point firearms?". That's when you get the best BS.