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American Rifleman magazine has become a corrupt joke.


PNWguy
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I'm a lifetime member of the NRA. I do think lately they are getting soft and, unfortunately, I think The American Rifleman is a corrupt propaganda piece and used to mostly generate advertising revenue at the expense of the truth and honest firearms evaluations.

They mostly test guns for manufacturers that pay them to run full-page ads in their magazines.

When is the last time you've seen a full-page Glock ad in the magazine? Now when's the last time you saw an article on Glocks in the magazine? Hmmm... When's the last time you saw an article on a Ruger in the magazine? Every damn month. Or a 1911... It's so blatantly obvious that it's pathetic. Now, their online edition did indeed run a few articles on Glocks. But I don't recall ever seeing a review of the Gen 5 Glocks, or the new 19x, or the G45, or the MOS Gen 5s; all very significant events in the self-defense and law-enforcement world.

And the biased accuracy testing is getting old.

The most recent blatant attempt to hide a gun's poor performance is in the latest issue. 

AR is a long-time shill for Wilson Combat. They can print nothing negative about the company or it's products. In turn, Wilson Combat pays a lot of money for monthly ads in the magazine.

On page 78 of the January 2019 issue, they tested the new Wilson Combat EDC X9. Of course it got a glowing review complete with absolute lies...

"On the range, the EDC X9 proved to be every bit as accurate and reliable as any pistol we've tested - performance we have come to expect from Wilson Combat. As the accompanying table shows, this gun is a shooter with excellent sights a light, smooth trigger. More impressive than the groups from the bench, though, was how well the gun..."

Yeah... All lies. Because, if you actually look at the accompanying table, and see the 1.77" group, you would be impressed.

Unfortunately, that's at 15yds and not at the normal, standard 25yd distance that most of their reviews are at. A $2800 9mm pistol should be getting sub-2" groups at 25yds and 1" groups at 15yds. Nearly 2" at 15yds is what every single one of my Glocks will get. As well as my $200 Taurus. What a joke.

Why did they choose to intentionally mislead their members? It's all about the money and their personal biases.

I fear The American Rifleman has been corrupted for years now. And the NRA is becoming just another group of the rich and powerful elites in Washington DC that have little regard for the common American.

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Gun rags have been that way for atleast 20 years now. Not sure how you didn’t notice before now  

 

Though I will admit, I got a pretty good laugh out of gen 5 glocks, the 19x, and MOS gen 5’s being “a very serious event in self defense and law enforcement”. 

 

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Every gun magazine features and tests firearms from manufacturers that buy advertising space.  It's the nature of the business (and it is a business).  How many times are you reading a review when you see that there's an ad from that company right on the facing page?  Or, an ad from a competitor right on the facing page?  Take every review with a grain of salt.  I like to read about firearms I'll never buy, or historical pieces, or self-defense advice, or other things like that.  Perhaps the only magazine that is different is Gun Tests.  Hey, look at that.  There's an article about GLOCK right in the January issue.  Enjoy!

9mm Striker Gun Shoot-out: Beretta, Glock, and SIG Sauer

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They have always been carefully disguised "Infomercials" and they always will be infomercials .  No different that every Hunting, Fishing show on TV.  Guns and Ammo is the worst, followed by anything F&S and Outdoor Life.

They are a business and their number one objective is to make money, information and product testing in secondary and simply one of the avenues they use to "make Money".

I applaud the NRA for doing whatever they can to "Make Money" even if it means their magazine is just another money making infomercial.

Make The NRA Great Again. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Valmet said:

I stopped reading gun mags years ago...esp American Rifleman. Gun boards are excellent ways to gain insight into various models, etc...and if you can put up with what sometimes comes with forums, it’s free. 

Yep.  Before Glocktalk (the first firearm forum I had ever seen) I had to rely on my dad, magazines on the grocery store shelves or the local gun shop employees for info on specific firearms.  Now, my dad was a professional big game hunter, owned a chain of gun shops, wrote for Field & Stream, and had a column in the Outdoors section of the local paper.  He knew a lot.

But, he hated Glocks, hated most pistols, actually.  He was a former member of the USMC pistol team and only owns 1911s, a Ruger Mark II, and a couple single-actions.  He also hated ARs, and has never owned one or shot one.  His rifle in Vietnam was a Winchester Model 70.

So, he hated the two types of firearms I was most eager to learn about.  Logged into my computer one day and did an internet search for something on the Glock pistol and found GT.

I can now find out just about anything about any firearm I want within a few clicks.  

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I used to get Shotgun News.  I like that better than the Rifleman.  I used to like the Rifleman.  I have been an NRA member for most of my adult life.  I have noticed the change myself.  It went from an "everyman" perspective to a look at this toy no average person can afford, you need this don't you?  Not necessarily, if I can find another weapon that is just as good, for a fraction of the price of what they are showing me.  Perhaps, they have become so wealthy at the top (The President makes over one million per year), and the expensive weapons on display that they have become a caviar and champagne company, and cannot understand a beer culture.  When a new Riflemen comes in I may peruse the who shot who section, scan what nonsense they are peddling that day and toss it to my son, who likes looking at firearms, as most normal boys who are raised in a home with firearms, and are taught how to use them, do.

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On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 9:25 AM, Historian said:

Like most magazines: They are driven by their advertisers.  You can't expect Beretta or Rolex to drop $50,000 for a full page add (or whatever they charge) and you tell the the world in the same issue, the same gun, is turd.

 

 

 

And that is my problem with much of today's capitalism; there is no honor or integrity among companies.  Every day there is another example of a company that puts customers lives in jeopardy simply for the sake of profit.  I'm sure it's been that way forever.  But it seemed like in the past, if a company got caught doing something shady, they were publicly shamed and you went somewhere else.  Now, there is so much more conglomeration and monopolizing that the threat of customers going elsewhere is not that big of a concern.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/6/2019 at 10:46 PM, Vikingsoftpaw said:

I only read my AR for the historical pieces they do.  I may skim over anything that is newly produced.

I was about to post the same thing. I kept several really nice issues that covered WWI nicely.

It's one area they do really well in. The problem is they have only a hand full of writers they rotate through for such stories.   You get a story on Vietnam it will be written by John Plaster.

Not saying it's not good stuff.  It is.  Just saying that i've had my rejection letters. :)

Thank  you for the article you submitted.  However, due to space and limited production times...please try again sometime..blah blah blah.

If i had a buck for everything i ever wrote that was rejected i'd be rich.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I have the NRA, the GOA, the USCCA, and the Texas Gun Owners Association.  I liked GOA, because they were willing to take on Trump over the destroy your bump stock issue.  I personally don't want one, but it is B.S. to tell people who to destroy theirs and turn it in.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Gun rags have been that way for atleast 20 years now. Not sure how you didn’t notice before now  
 
Though I will admit, I got a pretty good laugh out of gen 5 glocks, the 19x, and MOS gen 5’s being “a very serious event in self defense and law enforcement”. 
 

Taurus guns got little to no editorial commentary in any magazines - and what they got was neutral to unfavorable - until they started advertising. Likewise High Point.


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On 1/5/2019 at 1:06 AM, PNWguy said:

And that is my problem with much of today's capitalism; there is no honor or integrity among companies.  Every day there is another example of a company that puts customers lives in jeopardy simply for the sake of profit.  I'm sure it's been that way forever.  But it seemed like in the past, if a company got caught doing something shady, they were publicly shamed and you went somewhere else.  Now, there is so much more conglomeration and monopolizing that the threat of customers going elsewhere is not that big of a concern.

I don't believe it is so much today's capitalism as a sign of todays simple disregard for everyone, weather they be customers, another company or just anyone who may not agree.  There is also the apparent feeling of those in the federal government that they are somehow on a higher level than all the rest of the country.  The same problems certainly exist under Communism, Socialism and Fascism but in the cases of these "isms", the problem always begins with the government and filters on down.  Capitalism should NOT work that way, and it never did until we reached the point where half the population and their representatives started believing in and directing their efforts toward hatred and total power rather than working toward a better nation.  Capitalist competition should produce better products, services and government, but it seems we have reached a whole new level never envisioned by out founders.

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In almost every magazine the reviews are pretty positive. On the other hand, If the magazine tells Huggybear Arms that they are publishing an article on one of Huggybear's guns, Huggybear is much more likely to take out a big ad.

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My problem with the American Rifleman, is it seems like sponsors pay them to review their firearms positively, and usually the MSRP is out of most average person's price range.  I give then magazines to my son, so he can enjoy the "gun porn," so-to-speak.  I remember, as I have been a member longer than I have been married (20 years), that they used to review firearms for the average Joe.  Not so much anymore.

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