Best Gun Magazines

[CCantu357]

This is perhaps an age-old topic, but I figured I would bring it into 2014. While I do not read as many gun magazines as I used, I still enjoy some such as American Handgunner or First Freedom. And I just received one of those trial issue Gun Test magazines, which seems good but very "book report" like in style. What are some of yall's favorite ones to read?

 

[Cdog]

Full ones of course!

Oh, wrong type of magazine...

I used to take Gun Test and many others, I found myself piling up unread mags and finally taking them to the office for the "shop library."

Gun Test ain't bad for what it is. Entertainment, it ain't.

Handgunner and Shooting Times were two that I somewhat enjoyed. American Rifleman is the only one I get now.

 

[chief38]

Other than The American Rifleman that I get as an NRA member every month, I no longer bother with the 5 or 6 magazines I use to get many years ago. If you are into this hobby for any length of time, after a while they just start to re-hash the same old thing over and over with an occasional new topic, gun or caliber when available.

At the time (when I did get them) IIRC I liked American Handgunner and Shooting Times the best.

 

[lawandorder]

"American Handgunner" is the only gun magazine I buy on a regular basis, (well NRA Mag.) it is a good one but, there is a lot of content in AH that is not really of interest to me.

It would only probably be marketable as long as us OFs are around but sure would like to see a gun rag dedicated exclusively to vintage stuff.

 

[federali]

Unloaded Magazines

I used to read Combat Handguns but I recall that at the start of the wholesale police transition to autoloaders, each month they would feature yet another handgun on the cover and claim it to be the best thing since sliced bread. This was the period where S&W was trying to be all things to all people and police departments and they were issuing a model a month or so it seemed. There was also SIG, Beretta, Colt, Browning and Glock, to name a few.

I've also long-since stopped Guns and Ammo, a magazine I liked until even legitimate hunting arms started to look like they came from Mars.

I get American Rifleman with my life membership. That's it.

 

[mg357]

I read guns magazine, american handgunner, and guns & ammo.

 

[Triathloncoach]

Gun Test is a very good, non biased source. But for $50ish per year it provides nothing you can't get with a Google Search, and its typically a sample size of one gun and maybe a couple of evaluators taking the gun to the range once. And the other magazines are nothing more than firearm manufacturer advertorial love fests. I'd rather hear the opinions of people who long term own the products.

I was buying a gun at a LGS about 5 years ago and I commented that the magazine's said very good things about this gun. The salesperson responded "When have you read a bad comment in a gun magazine". More true than not.

 

[Protected One]

I read (3) regularly:
Concealed Carry Magazine is the best - informative and usefull and well presented.
Combat Handguns has some good reading, but tends to have too many ads.
American Rifleman is last.

All three have short "It happened to me" stories of people using their gun for defending themselves (or others). I really look forward to those.

 

[CatSnipah]

I get Guns and Ammo and American Rifleman (NRA) on my ipad. And Concealed Carry in print from my USCCA membership.

 

[8th SPS USAF]

mags

Combat Handguns Gun Test

 

[cowart]

I don't know if its actually considered to be a magazine, but I like the "Shotgun News".

 

[madmikeb]

It's been quite a few years since I've read anything but American Handgunner, and Playboy! No guns but great pics!

 

[Erich]

I get many of them, and my favorites are Handloader and Rifle. I have to say that Guns & Ammo really stepped up its game this spring: if you haven't seen it in a while, it might be worth taking a gander.

 

[just jim]

Just American Handgunner. Best pictures ever.

 

[shouldazagged]

I used to subscribe to several, the last being Gun Tests, which I haven't seen for a long time. I liked their policies of anonymously buying guns off the shelf--no tuned and slickified samples from the manufacturer--and not accepting advertising. Not sparkling reading, but seemed pretty objective. If a gun sucked or appeared unreliable they would say so.

The others? I will occasionally flip through one on the news stand at Kroger, but that's it. They all appear to have become mere advertising circulars, pushing the latest product of the manufacturer who buys the most ad space. I like Massad Ayoob's columns and an occasional classic-gun-history piece, but that's about all.

 

[Arik]

I'll flip through one if I'm in line at the grocery store but that's about it

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

Currently, I like Guns and American Handgunner the best.

Guns and Ammo used to be my favorite for years but it is not the same. I miss Jan Libourel.

I don't subscribe to any gun magazine unfortunately; I have to flip through them in the store and if there is a lot of good stuff, I'll buy it. It depends on each issue. That ends up being every other issue to every second issue, depending on the amount of articles on SKS's, Glocks, Punisher grips, bargain laser sights, weirdo knives and the illiterate rants by John Connor.

 

[Salty RI]

Years ago I used to get Guns & Ammo, I liked the last page, Gene Hills Parting Shot.

 

[Shootbrownelk]

I subscribe to, Hunting/Shooting times/rifleshooter/Guns/American Handgunner/ Guns & Ammo/American Hunter (NRA)/Handguns...wheew, that's all I can think of.

 

[mc5aw]

Tapco gun mags have a spotty reputation.