I didn't know where this would fit in the best, but this forum seems to get a lot of action. So who reads Gun Test Magazine? I read a posting where there was a lot of criticism of other magazines. Gun Test is the gun equivalent of Consumer Reports in that they do not accept advertizing, so they are not afraid of offending advertizers. They also buy their guns privately, so that they know that they haven't got one that was specially gone over. They often give sharp criticizm of expensive guns and spell out exactly the reasons why; that way if you do not agree with their rating, you have specific reasons for doing so.

Of course they usually have a sample size of one for a particular firearm, so they cannot give any statistical evaluation of a particular model, but they do print a lot of letters from readers that give their inputs, positive or negative.

I do have an ulterior motive for this posting . If more of you subscribe, it will improve their bottom line and help ensure that they stay in business, and also I will be able to read your reactions here to their articles.

Looking forward to your comments. Thanks, Brady

FWIW--I used to subscribe to them. I picked up some decent info from time to time but....didn't always agree with some of the ways they tested and reported on accuracy etc. They also test alot of guns that I just wasn't interested in so it seemed like I gradually lost interest. I think their concept was good and thought they were pretty competant but the "steak just didn't sizzle" enough for me. Wife says I get way to many "rags" and this is one I just didn't renew.

Haven�t read it yet how can I get one. It�s always good to know if a firearm is worth buying first.

I read Gun Test magazine on an occasional basis. I have found some of their reviews to be spot-on. For example, Gun Test recently gave the current 1911 Colt XSE Lightweight Commander in .45 ACP very, very high marks, and based on my own experience with that pistol and over thirty years of shooting 1911s, those high marks were completely justified in my opinion.

Other reviews I don't agree with at all, and I think one of the reasons is that Gun Test magazine often puts entirely too much emphasis on price, instead of quality. They've give some great reviews to guns that are pretty marginal in my opinion, and often the high marks come from some sort of arbitrary prorata price basis that doesn't always mean the money is well spent..........

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I get the free ones they send once in a while. Way too many "1911 Colt/clones" tests for me.......Check out what they had to say in the most recent one about the new CZ Safari rifle......not only did it rate extremely poor they suggested it dangerous.

I've been subscribing for about a year and will continue. True, they only sample one firearm, but the gunrags do that also...and with a firearm handpicked for that review by the manufacturer. I've not read an article in Guns & Ammo, Rifle, etc. where the writer claims to have tested several rifles or handguns of the same model.

More and more in other rags we see a full page ad for a product immediately following a review on it. Doesn't do much to impress me of the objectivity.

And yes, Gun Test does weigh the price in on their recommendations : a $1000 rifle had ought to shoot significantly better than a $400 piece. If it doesn't they won't recommend it as a first choice. Sounds fair enough to me.

My father has a subscription to Gun Test Magazine. I have found that some articles are interesting, and they really do put those guns through hell when they test them. I remember an article done on a Rossi .38 Special 5 shot snub-nose. Rossi has a cross-bar in the gun that falls downward when the trigger is pulled, letting the hammer strike. Rossi said that if the trigger is not pulled the bar keeps the hammer from accidently setting the gun off if the hammer is struck when it is not cocked. Well they loaded the gun and put it in a vise and beat on the hammer and it did not go off. Needless to say it got a good rating. Anyway they do reviews of guns like that. I remember also reading on article about the Luger P-08. It really was not a testing of the gun, just pros and cons.

I tries it for a year or two then lost interest. The only test low-end products for the most part. The straw that broke the camels back is when they tested 375 H&Hs and proceeded to install an "Artemis" scope on the rifles that lasted about 5 rounds. What the hell is an artemis scope anyway? jorge

For the price, would have to rate as fair, or slightly worse. Probably 10-15% of the guns reviewed were firearms I was actually interested in reading about (which is the point of the publication). Seems like they reviewed a lot of heavy machine guns and other special interest items and their reviews were "predictable" after you had read a few of them. Like another poster mentioned, price was a heavy factor, and while I agree it may be considered on the consumer end, probably should not be part of an objective review process which answers "how does the firearm work". I think the consumer can decide if the product is worth the price for him/herself.

On the positive side, I do like the lack of sponsorship, because one would think that would lend itself to impartiality but I got the impression that these guys sell subscriptions by telling you XYZ guns are overpriced, unsafe, or inaccurate. Like many other gun magazines of late, I let my subscription go and have not looked back.