Is there any gun Jeff Quinn (GunBlast) DOESN'T like?

The assumption that the gun forum is automatically either more cast-iron reliable than a gunwriter, or that you get anywhere near as complete a picture of a given gun, is delusional.
There are competent & reliable gunwriters, there are competent & reliable forum posters.
You can find erroneous info in both, and I've seen infinitely more of the latter on the various forums than I have in print.

The problem (or perception of same) is not so much that the writers are doing poor evaluations, as it is what the publications are willing print.

Yes, there is always the chance that a poster is a poser, regurgitator or person with a grudge against a certain company. If you have a decent BS filter, the forums can be a good source of unadulterated end-user reports. If you believe everything you see in print, you will be hopelessly adrift regardless of the material you're reading.
 
Little late to the party...

but I've read just about all his reviews.

I take what he says with a grain of salt, and frankly prefer to read actual buyers' experiences on here.

I find negative evaluations more informative as I like to hear about common problems people experience with a gun model and situations in which that gun does not perform well.

I find it curious that so many people on here seem prone to pat Jeff Quinn on the back with an "attaboy" as if they know him or something. He and his reviews strike me as ok, sometimes inadequate.

It would be great if he could actually accuracy-test ALL the handguns and not throw out the old canard, "this is not meant to be a target gun" while proceeding to shoot groups at 15 feet. That's just nonsense. Also, he likes Buffalo Bore ammunition often to the exclusion of other more readily-available standard fare that people will actually shoot. It's almost like they gave him a lifetime supply of their ammo or something. I just don't find that helpful as I don't ever plan on using it.
 
Some of us may be prone to pat Jeff on the back as if we "know him or something" because we...do know him. :)
Others do the back-patting because they find he provides useful info on the guns he covers.

Otherwise, can't please everybody.
If he stopped including BB, somebody'd start griping about "Why don't you show the outside-the-box stuff anymore?"

It's an imperfect system, and it can never be a perfect one.
If you can't get anything useful out of Jeff's site, or the gunmags, I cordially invite you to avoid looking at both. :)

Round up your own guns, start up your own site or mag, do your own write-ups, and let us all know where to find 'em.
Denis
 
I just read into this thread a couple of pages and then I realized I'm reading about reading about guns…how lame is that.
 
Denis,

Over-react much?

You seem like you can't stand to hear an opposing view. Maybe forum usage isn't for you if you take things personally.

I'm not going anywhere.
 
Mr,
Nope, don't overreact at all.

Just get tired of the same ill-informed gripes over & over & over again.
Honestly, if you don't like the mags, don't read 'em. :)
I encourage you to never pick up one again.


And if you believe all you get from Internet forums is solid gold, by all means run with it.

In the meantime, I acquire information from a number of sources, including gunmags and the Internet.
I filter from both sources, and use what applies to my own situation from both.

I'll tell you quite frankly if I restricted myself to forums only I'd be missing out on a hell of a lot of good info.
I can get clear photos of features in mags that I won't get here, along with in-depth commentary about a particular gun that goes well beyond "Gee, I surely do like mine!" Or "I bought a new Model X & it blew up with my reloads! Obviously a junker gun!"
And so on.

On the other hand, I'd be missing out on good feedback from those who actually do post something more useful if I didn't sift through the threads on the forums.

There are deficiencies in both, you just have to use your head & not expect too much of either.

Denis
 
100 reviewers get Kel Tec PF-9s. All 100 of them opt to publish only what they enjoy testing. 50 of them experience multiple failures to extract. None of that group publish reviews. The other 50 don't experience the issue. All 50 of those guys publish glowing reviews.

The result is 100% positive review, despite the frequency with which the product line runs into QC issues.

If all 100 reviewers publish their reviews, with each relating only their own experiences, the consumer becomes better equipped to make an informed decision.


This is why I do not, and can not, support the practice of only publishing positive reviews.
 
Then don't.
I said it was an imperfect system & if you can get nothing useful from it, ignore it.
Nobody in the biz has the time or the space to cover every gun out there, much less in equal coverage, good & POS, just so you can make up your mind what to buy.

Denis
 
I do ignore reviewers who I realize only publish positive reviews.

Call it what you want. That practice is two pom-poms and a skirt away from cheerleading.


I have also never said that I expect any reviewer to test every product on the market. What I want is for a real report on each product that went through testing. There is a painfully obvious difference.

Car & Driver vs American Cheerleader.
 
Again, if you get nothing you can use from the gunmags, don't waste your time with 'em.
Live long & prosper on the Internet. :)
Denis
 
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