FS1040
.45 acp
Too much digital ink has been spilled trumpeting the demise of print magazines. Riiiiight, as if they are going anywhere. I still love to read them especially online.
Mark Kakkuri, who is just at home writing about cars as he is about guns, has an article over at American Handgunner on the RIA .22 TCM. This thread isn't about his review necessarily--it's about the mechanics of writing a review.
Consider first this review from American Rifleman on RIA and Armscor. It's well put together, thorough, and provides a nice historical context. (It lacks, however, a good exiting last paragraph.)
Or, consider this Gun Guy Radio interview with RIA CEO Martin Tuason. Jake Challand may not be Joe Rogan, but you leave with a positive feeling about RIA and their 1911's. This is a company that stands behind their products and is dedicated to the American market.
Perhaps the best review I've ever read on the .22 TCM was James Tarr's March 13, 2018 piece from Handgun Magazine.
A good review should have some historical context around the caliber and/or company, but you have to be careful as too much non-relevant information can easily creep in. If I were writing about a RIA 1911 and comparing it to various manufacturers, information on how Bill Wilson first worked at a retail store and was originally trained as a watchmaker would be superfluous (unless I was being paid by the word and needed filler material). If in in the same article I compared Bill Wilson's religious views with the other Bill Wilson from Alcoholics Anonymous, you might make a tautological connection--Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson, 'Higher Power', Hi-Power, John Moses Browning, 1911, 1911 9MM, .22 TCM--but I would have delved too far from the subject I had originally intended to review.
Likewise, an 'ok' review makes hyperbolic claims and focuses on how a gun makes you feel. If a review were to say that the ".22 TCM rules the range", the author should have proof that the number of RIA TCM 1911's sold far outnumber any other platform of guns. Mark makes the claim, "Empty cases eject about six feet to the right and two feet behind the gun. Watch your step; you’ll have a pile of them before too long." TCM ammo is around $.29 a round; 9MM ammo hovers around $.13 a round. Wouldn't it be more likely you'd need to watch your step with a 9MM that a .22 TCM? Instead, Mark's review focuses on how the gun makes you smile and laugh and then he abruptly ends his review. I have a million other ways a review can be made 'ok', but this should suffice.
This brings me back to the gun itself. I like RIA, the gun, and the .22 TCM caliber. I even like Mark's review and the fact he took an effort to write about what he enjoyed. Mark actually nailed what shooting is all about. At the end of the day, it's not about writing the tightest prose, having the wittiest one-liners, or alliterating your points. It's about shooting and having fun. It's about building a community of new and old shooters that share the same passion. It's about being able to look back at all the memories you made and laughing out loud. Literally.
Mark Kakkuri, who is just at home writing about cars as he is about guns, has an article over at American Handgunner on the RIA .22 TCM. This thread isn't about his review necessarily--it's about the mechanics of writing a review.
Consider first this review from American Rifleman on RIA and Armscor. It's well put together, thorough, and provides a nice historical context. (It lacks, however, a good exiting last paragraph.)
Or, consider this Gun Guy Radio interview with RIA CEO Martin Tuason. Jake Challand may not be Joe Rogan, but you leave with a positive feeling about RIA and their 1911's. This is a company that stands behind their products and is dedicated to the American market.
Perhaps the best review I've ever read on the .22 TCM was James Tarr's March 13, 2018 piece from Handgun Magazine.
A good review should have some historical context around the caliber and/or company, but you have to be careful as too much non-relevant information can easily creep in. If I were writing about a RIA 1911 and comparing it to various manufacturers, information on how Bill Wilson first worked at a retail store and was originally trained as a watchmaker would be superfluous (unless I was being paid by the word and needed filler material). If in in the same article I compared Bill Wilson's religious views with the other Bill Wilson from Alcoholics Anonymous, you might make a tautological connection--Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson, 'Higher Power', Hi-Power, John Moses Browning, 1911, 1911 9MM, .22 TCM--but I would have delved too far from the subject I had originally intended to review.
Likewise, an 'ok' review makes hyperbolic claims and focuses on how a gun makes you feel. If a review were to say that the ".22 TCM rules the range", the author should have proof that the number of RIA TCM 1911's sold far outnumber any other platform of guns. Mark makes the claim, "Empty cases eject about six feet to the right and two feet behind the gun. Watch your step; you’ll have a pile of them before too long." TCM ammo is around $.29 a round; 9MM ammo hovers around $.13 a round. Wouldn't it be more likely you'd need to watch your step with a 9MM that a .22 TCM? Instead, Mark's review focuses on how the gun makes you smile and laugh and then he abruptly ends his review. I have a million other ways a review can be made 'ok', but this should suffice.
This brings me back to the gun itself. I like RIA, the gun, and the .22 TCM caliber. I even like Mark's review and the fact he took an effort to write about what he enjoyed. Mark actually nailed what shooting is all about. At the end of the day, it's not about writing the tightest prose, having the wittiest one-liners, or alliterating your points. It's about shooting and having fun. It's about building a community of new and old shooters that share the same passion. It's about being able to look back at all the memories you made and laughing out loud. Literally.