What Would You Like In a Youtube Gun Review?

[GunXpatriot]

So you see a gun you think you'll really like, whether online, a local shop or maybe the range. You want to watch a couple videos to see what it's like. You think you may be interested in buying one. Now, you may go search for a review on it. Pros, cons, and everything in-between. You want to make sure it's decent before you buy it, right?

Well I'm interested in doing some gun reviews on my youtube channel. My first review will probably be on the Marlin 795, which I happen to love... Anyway, what are some things you would like to have addressed in a review?

Don't get me wrong, I love Nutnfancy's reviews. He's thorough, honest and gives as much data as he can. The thing is, he's very long winded. His videos are often between 25-50 mins long. He often repeats many things. In his reviews, he has a list of "talking points". These talking points are great, but they really contribute to his long-windedness. I like them, but for me, I want to trim them down considerably.

Nutnfancy's talking points are as follows:

Philosophy Of Use (POU)
Size, Weight
Firepower
Accuracy
Ergonomics (Controls, trigger, sights, feel)
Field Strip and MX
Accessories, Versatility
Value
Durability and Reliability
Track Record

You might be able to understand why he's long-winded when you look at his talking points... Here are the main talking points I plan to use in my reviews. It will be similar to what he does, but refined, trimmed down for things that I like to hear.

1. (Read off specs) and first impressions
2. Build quality (prob. talk about trigger, stock. Does it feel sturdy?)
3. Accuracy (Give some groups w/ diff ammo, overall group size to expect, etc)*show a few shooting clips*
4. Durability (How well has it held up?)
5. Philosophy of Use (What can this be used for?)
6. Accessories
7. Final Thoughts / Things to note (briefly talk about value, additional things I like/dislike and wrap-up.

I pretty much cut down to 6 talking points, rather than 8. I also cut off things like "Versatility" because I feel the "POU" talks about that. There's no reason to go into it further. I feel the same way about firepower. I think it's a somewhat useless thing to talk about. We already know the caliber and how many the gun can hold, why keep talking about it?

So, what else would you like to see? Anything here that doesnt need to be included? Long post, but I just want to put out the best reviews I can within reason and I thought I'd get some guidance from possible viewers.

 

[Sarge]

I 'tube' for gun reviews on occasion and in most cases, I find it disappointing. Yammer-yammer blah-blah, 90% noise and 10% signal.

My list would go something like this-

• Type, caliber and logical application.
  
• Specs- material, size, weight, capacity, sighting and other equipment.
  
• Subjective- pros/cons of the package to include stock(s) sights and trigger.
  
• A short shooting review, hopefully by someone who doesn't fumble with the weapon and can actually shoot.

PS- please don't force your taste in music upon the rest of us. I can search youtube for music videos if I want them.

 

[CWKahrFan]

For me, the main reason I look at gun youtubes is to help me decide what guns I might want to BUY... So a very helpful factor for me, IF THE REVIEWER ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT HE/SHE IS TALKING ABOUT, is a comparison to other similar guns (size, weight, caliber, price range) which I'm also researching... There may be some really good ones I overlooked or haven't even taken into consideration.

i.e... Help me decide what to buy or maybe recommend to a friend by telling me what factors about THIS (X) gun YOU FEEL are better than in comparable (Y) or (Z) guns. I really WANT your opinion because I can get pictures and numbers and measurements quite easily from other net sources.

Or, if you happen to think a gun is a BAD DEAL relative to what else is available, I want to know that too.

Your fair balanced educated OPINIONS are what I really need... so tell them to me straight... Kinda like I'm the President and you're the Secretary of Defense.

 

[gaseousclay]

I look for objectivity and brevity. A 4-5 minute review should be sufficient. the reviewer doesn't have to do a side-by-side comparison with a different firearm but it would be nice just so you know what you're getting. I'm more interested in the construction of a firearm, how it shoots, its features and the pros/cons. I also don't want the reviewer injecting politics into his review or yammer on about how they think their rifle is really nice. i've seen too many videos of Bubba extolling the beauty of their gun without really telling me anything else.

 

[Sarge]

Brevity is indeed important. If I click into a youtube review and it's more than 5 minutes long, I click right back out of it.

 

[Micahweeks]

No more than 5 minutes.
No ramblings about philosophy.
No history.
Relevant specs (available calibers, capacity, rated for +p, etc.)
Size comparison to a universally known firearm.
Cost of mags.
Availability of accessories (indicating websites that carry holsters, for example).
Speak up!
Speak clearly!
Shoot it practically for us (not benchrested. 5-10 shots is fine).
Quickly demonstrate field strip.