I started blogging because I was disappointed with the content that I saw on the internet. It took me a while, but I think I’m pretty good at putting out a quality product now, whether it’s in written or video form. I think this in part because some people tell me I’m good at it (no, I’m not fishing for compliments here), and in part because other people pay me to write articles and make videos for them – these things don’t appear on my blog or on the YouTube channel, but I maintain the same standards for all of my work.
The work I do is enjoyable to me because whether I’m writing a review for my website, making a video for my blog, or getting paid to do something for someone else, I maintain the core value which which I started – to tell the truth about what I found. That is the real value of my work, aesthetics and prose aside. I may not always do so in the most kind manner, but this is quite often because I don’t have the time or the inclination to do so.
I have honestly been bothered by some of the content I have been seeing in the last six to eight months. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t pay much attention to other work once I started my own blog, but there seems to be a ton of ho-hum, halfhearted stuff out there. The excuse seems to be that their target audience is “regular people,” as if regular people don’t deserve the best content. To me, as well as a few other media folks I’ve spoken with, it seems as if that’s just a way of saying that they don’t really know how to properly test something or write a technical article. Yep – I’m a jerk.
Maybe I’ve become one of the old guard that I despised just a few short years ago. But if I put out an article on a technical subject, it’s because I’ve been studying the matter for months, if not years. If I review a piece of gear, I’ve used it in a setting that is as close to operational use as I can find in North America – and perhaps I’ve used it operationally on one or more other continents.
I’m not interested in trying something a few times at home, then at a square range, and calling it good. It doesn’t matter if you’re the most high speed guy on the planet or what a friend of mine refers to as a “warrior dentist,” that sort of review is not going to do you any favors in the long run. That piece of gear might not disappoint while it sits unused in your closet, but when you end up needing it and it fails to do what you need it to do, you will know the meaning of disappointment.
The worst thing I can do as a blogger is waste your time and your money. If I start a project with a predetermined conclusion and ignore all findings which contradict that conclusion, just so I can feel better about a purchase I’ve already made, then I’m going to end up wasting everyone’s time, and a good bit of your money as well. I was disappointed with the content I saw years ago because I wasted a good bit of money – on the order of tens of thousands of dollars – on the advice of people who were too lazy or incompetent to do things the right way, and were perfectly content to pass on gun store or internet forum “wisdom” as the gospel or their own findings.
The silver lining to that waste of money is that it was a postgraduate education of sorts; along with other experiences, it showed me how products and gear can fail and not live up to expectations. This experience makes me even more contemptuous of the fact that this same subpar content is still being generated and passed around as if it is deserving of respect.
I’ve never made it a goal to be the biggest name in this industry, and I thoroughly enjoy being a nobody at trade shows, because it gives me more of a chance to see what companies are trying to pull on consumers and members of the media. It’s of little concern to me personally that I remain a nobody while others whom I have little professional respect for gain lots of popularity.
It does bother me that somewhere out there is a guy or girl just like I was 5 or 10 years ago, trying to make decisions on what he or she thinks is the right info, when that info is just plain bad.
This is exactly the reason I read your blog! Trust. Keep being a “jerk”.
Andrew, there is a bunch of douchers out there and your just getting known enough for them to start comming around to bother you. Keep up the good work bro.
Like Tim, I read for the no-BS reviews. Keep up the work.
because of you being a jerk, I believe you helped me, in purchasing better quality equipment. Keep them on their toes.
Thank you.
This is why I read. I’m a square range shooter. But I greatly appreciate your honesty an unbiased style.
You genuinely seem to be motivated by the truth and not the dollar. And for that, thank you again.
How’s it feel being the HK of gun blogs?
You do a fine job, Andrew. Please keep up the good work. Also, utmost respect for Corpsmen. Semper Fi!
Bad advice is a horrible thing. I found a good deal on a pink diamondback and I told a female friend about it. She lives with her two sons and she has had somebody try to break in to her house a couple of times, so she’s looking for a way to have a little home defense and possibly a carry gun…
She’s not very strong and she’s new to shooting, so I warned her that a small gun shooting 9mm would be very “snappy” in terms of recoil, but other than that she shouldn’t have any major issues. She was pretty excited to be getting the gun for less than $300. Since she’s a smart girl, she got a 2nd opinion… unfortunately she got the opinion of a local cop who is clearly full of himself.
The schmuck told her that she shouldn’t get it unless she only wanted it to show it off, and no criminal would ever take her seriously if she had to put it in to use.
Think about that… How often do you “show off” your concealed pistol? If you ever have to draw your pistol and aim it at somebody, do you expect that the color of the grip is something a criminal will really take in to account, or will they focus on the barrel of the gun pointed at them instead? Andrew, you’ll probably know this better than I do, but I’ve had a few unfortunate opportunities to learn that when a gun gets pulled out, the situation suddenly gets taken seriously whether you happen to be in front of, behind, or beside the gun.
So she didn’t get the gun.
But I did. If she changes her mind she can have it, but I’m a man who is very secure of my heterosexuality – I am not afraid to keep a pink gun hidden inside my waistband where nobody can see it until they force me to show them.
Get her an M&P Pro and a couple good handgun classes, at least one basic and one defensive, have her put at least 1,000 rounds down range then let her pick out her own carry gun.
Otherwise you’ve just exacerbated an already prolific problem of people who have guns and don’t know how to use them and women who have guns and are afraid to use them.
Her safety is worth more than $300.
Agreed, but my little keltec that only cost me $250 has not had a single failure of any type in the hundreds of rounds it has spit out (i must be the lucky one, right?). It lives in my pocket and I trust it way more than most other guns. I keep bigger and better things on my nightstand, but only once they’ve shown themselves to be just as reliable.
Yeah, she’s starting by practicing with friends, looking at available classes, weighing all the options, and understands that a home gun and a carry guy may or may not be two entirely different things. BTW, she WANTED something like a DB9 because of the easy concealability, so I kept my eyes peeled on her behalf. If she decides she really doesn’t want it and I decide I don’t want to carry it… Well, I often teach people basic safety/pistol/how to shoot (no charge, even though I have taught paid classes before – “just come along to the range some time and buy your own ammo”), so at the very worst the cute tiny pink 9mm can go in the box with the guns I wouldn’t personally be using but still serve as options that other people might want to try out. Honestly, I find that most of the guns I buy fall in to that category anyway.
Are you a troll?
I don’t think so… was there a specific part that were you questioning?
Nope, just had to make sure. Cheers! 🙂
I was tempted to stop reading when you mentioned a pink handgun for a girl. I was REALLY tempted when you mentioned it was $300. Temptation gave way after you mentioned that you own a Kel-Tec.
You’re either a troll or an idiot. Regardless, please quit giving people advice about firearms until you learn a little yourself.
Believe it or not, there are girls that like pink. I actually know some.
As for a $300 gun, The Ruger LCP can go for about that price, and the author of this site said this about the LCP… “…it’s something that I have carried in the past and would carry again.”
He also said this of KelTec “I am actually a fan of the Kel-Tec P3AT, having purchased 4 and given 3 to friends and relatives as carry handguns. Of those four, with about 800 rounds downrange between them, I observed 1 malfunction”
Oh, and about the DiamondBack that I was talking about… he said this… “I understand that they have a 9mm version in the works – I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it. If you’re in the market for a concealable and reliable .380 handgun, I strongly suggest you check out the Diamondback DB380.”
So do you think he’s an idiot too? How bad is his advice? I actually hadn’t looked this stuff up before now, so I guess Andrew and I just share similar “bad” advice about pocket pistols…
Glad to know that at least somebody else out there shares a lot of my stupid opinions though.
Dan
Now that I have more rounds through the keltecs, I find that they malfunction a tad more than I would like.
Also, the db9 is one of the last handguns I would recommend to a new shooter.
I do like the LCP but it’s not ideal either.
I await your apology, or at least your retraction.
I would say, carry what YOU are comfortable with, willing and able to pull out and use if a bad situation arises.
You’re going to be waiting a long time.
Your blog is the only one I read that regularly tells me how useful something might be for various applications. Most of the others just tell us something is available without telling us how well it really works.
I have a feeling that if you keep going in this direction, we’re all going to be able to say, legitimately, “Yea dude, I was reading that guy’s blog before anyone.”
Yep. I recently found this blog by accident – lucky accident. I’m very much impressed.
Been watching nutnfancy reviews, have we?
I enjoy your blog great deal. Not necessarily for the “fact-based firearms resource” aspect, although I do like like that angle. But more because you’re a down to earth normal guy with your own opinion.
Too many blogs out there are just “Vickers says X” or “Hackathorn says Y”. That’s fine I guess, but it gets old hearing the same crap parroted over and over. If I want to know what Vickers and Hackathorn are saying, I can go find out for myself. When I come here though, I want to know what Tuohy is saying. 😉
And I can’t even relate to those guys besides. What the hell do I know about being an operator? Pfff.
You however I think are much more relatable. You have an opinion of your own and you don’t just parrot what the ‘industry icons’ are saying and proclaim that as gospel. I love that about this blog. 🙂
Keep up the good work Andrew.
Firearms rags turned every new product into the best ever and it was almost impossible to find a negative review in any of them. Then came the bloggers and they started pointing out flaws that the magazines overlooked/ignored. Now it seems that people get their name out there and get a revenue stream from it and suddenly they’re as bad as the magazines they use to make fun of. I want to hate your video format because I’ve seen where it can lead but yours so far have answered my questions very effectively without being excessively long. I appreciate what you have created here.
This is one of the few blogs I check in with on a regular basis. I like getting reviews instead of rehashed advertising. I like that you actually mention things having negative attributes, you don’t get that in a whole lot of gun reviews these days.
If telling you the truth, and maybe even hurting someones feelings, makes you a jerk, then be a jerk and be proud that you take some pride in your work.
Keep it up.
Your doing it right, don’t change a thing. Your blog is one of the first I read looking for technical info or a review of a product I am interested in knowing about. Keep up the good work.
I also have a Kel-Tec .380 that has never failed in any way. I trust it completely.
Please keep doing what you’re doing. That’s what sets you apart from the rest and we, your audience, appreciate it.
Though I’m rather curious what prompted this post to begin with.
I don’t follow many gun blogs but I follow this one because it’s refreshingly honest, keep on posting!
Andrew, I read your blog due to the fact that you give the honest truth. Keep it up sir.
Hopeful feedback:
1) Be more prolific. The internet needs more you. A happy day is when there is fresh fodder on vuurwapenblog.
2) Getting paid changes things. If you’re going to get paid to do a review, sell yourself a little bit and give the readership what we want. I’m betting most of us would be *thrilled* to visit a website you’ve contributed an article too. You should be able to measure that following to make your product a little more valuable to the guy or gal signing your check.
That being said , “Never go full retard” Look at what happened to thefirearmblog since it’s gotten bought by GFS. kudos to everybody who got paid in that deal, but the vibe in the content/style/choice of the articles has changed and the comments are slightly more informed/worthwhile than those anywhere else on the internet.
I don’t think you’re a jerk. If you were a jerk you wouldn’t trouble yourself with things like thorough testing and experience, you would just offer your opinions based on personal bias and then flame those who disagreed with you. Plenty of people do that but I have never seen you do it. You seem particularly level-headed, and in the world of gun blogs/forums, etc. that is very unusual. Definitely not jerky.
Like your blog. Keep up the good work.
Keep being who you are and saying what you believe. It’s why we’re here. Your point of view is refreshing, matter-of-fact, and honest. You don’t come across like a factory-paid spokesperson. You apparently call it like you see it and we, your ‘followers’, :), apprecaite that.
Some gun writers seem a bit like the gun store employees that we love to hate: in it for the ego boost. Others seem to be in it for the free stuff. Others still may have just sold out to corporate media interests as they have come along.
It does seem like an arduous task, though. Just how appealing and flawless can you make EVERY gun that gets shoved onto your desk seem?
Hey buddy, I would appreciate it if you continue being a jerk. I do not need another puff piece about how great everything is, if everything is great how do I keep from buying a piece of shit.
Never apologize for being honest. Speak with the certainty and the absolute rectitude of knowing that your words are a recognition of reality; the only standard of truth.