M14 Forum

rose725751

I am Kinda glad I ran across this,

joshcote

I agree 100%. Love my Brown. So he didn't want to do an interview. Big deal.

XXIV Corps

I'm game still.

GeneCo

Yeah, I have to side with mitigating circumstances. IMO, we can't let one interaction destroy a whole career, much less let one interviewer do the destroying.

Some of our greatest inventors and producers refused any publicity and interviews, that shouldn't take away from their accomplishments or work.

Imagine this guy reviewing Thomas Edison, AG Bell, Albert Einstein, Dr Gatling, John Browning or Mr Gerand. et al. Very few brilliant inventors were schmoozers.

Jackalope1911

Yes, yes and yes! Doing the "come hither fingers" is absolutely direspectful and tactless, reserved for undisciplined PVTs and children. You don't do that to a grown-a$$ man, you just don't...

mkd357

I know you can't take this guy's opinion as absolute fact. But if I were the owner of a custom firearms company I would appreciate all forms of positive media coverage. Period. It helps you sell your products. It gives you a positive look to your potential customer base. Hell it may motivate someone to save the extra money to buy your ridiculously expensive pistol (just my opinion). But to decline an interview because you would rather chat with a friend. Come on dude. Media coverage, particularly positive media coverage should not be something you snub. I don't care if you are sold out for the next 5 years of your production. Maybe if he had a positive attitude towards new media he could help guarantee more sold out years easier. Also in my opinion if you are maxed out on production, but demand is even greater maybe you should consider expanding your production capabilities. Only if you can maintain your product quality of course, but more sales means more money. & the last time I checked making money was the reason to have a business.

I don't really intend on buying either a Les Baer or an Ed Brown 1911. Too much money for a pistol that, though I respect the design, just doesn't do it for me personally. However IF I were to buy one of the two. Les Baer would get my money. Mainly because he is in IA about an hour and a half from me. Something about buying "local" just suits me.

Bison

Love my Ed Brown. Didn't deal with him personally, but an employee by the name of Justin. He was great.
I would like to comment on the first video by Tom (?), but in my line of work one shouldn't make assumptions about right and wrong.

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Rojkoh

I've known about Les for years. Fine weapons and his ARs are the best out to the box. His .45's are exceptional. Next time I need a new 45, it'll be a Baer. I haven't touched a new Colt since they came out with the 80 series. I carried one on duty, but the monkey motion cow flop was yanked out of the weapon for a clean 4lb trigger. His CnC set up is superb. Beware not just Ed Brown, but Slide and Cylinder shop (or I may have that backwards). Funny, I finally replaced a Swenson Ambi safety on one because it finally broke. I knew Armond. Lousy triggers, but he did some fine work. Then there's Jim Hoag. I've been trying to talk a Master Grade out of a friend for years. he cleaned up Jim's TJ (Hoag also had the TJ problem, they were notorious about catching the safety notch). But I haven't seen a new Hoag in 20 years. Whew, I can remember Wilson when he used to shoot IPSC. Yep, I'm an old fart!

CAVman

What was Samuel Colt really like?



CAVman in WYoming

Gus Fisher

I'm not quite as senior as Ed Brown, but I'm just a half generation from him at most. I learned a LOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG time ago not to trust ANY media and that includes the print and photo versions only.

I knew the guy that a Gun Magazine sent to shoot the Division Matches in CA the first year we shot the M16A2's in the early/mid 80's. I knew him as a competitor long before I knew he was a gun writer. GOOD man. He let us (the Division Match NM MOS 2112 Armorers) read his article he was going to submit on the rifle to see if he had written something even slightly incorrect. I thought he did a GREAT job spelling out the good and the bad. HOWEVER, when I read the article in the Gun RAG, it looked almost nothing like the writer had written. The Gun RAG changed it to make it seem like the M16A2 was the best thing since sliced bread. I did not bother ever buying that Gun RAG again.

A few years later at a gun show, another writer came along who had written a ridiculously fawning article on a Hammer Mechanic(HM) from the LA area and yes, I knew of his junk work. They described the HM's glass job as "flawless" and right in the magazine photograph, there was a large void where there should have been glass bedding. A month after the article came out the HM came to a buddy's gun shop trying to figure out why the NM Garands he built didn't work. My buddy was not an Armorer, but pulled out his Timing Block and checked and told him the M1's didn't time. The HM's reply while looking at the Timing Gage, "What is that?" My buddy said, "You have GOT to be JOKING!! You are supposedly a NM Garand Armorer and you don't even know what a Timing Gage is??!!" Sorry for going off tangent, and now back to the story.

OK, it was funny I finally found a copy of the article and was actually reading it at the show before the writer walked up and I did not know him from Adam. I just happened to be delivering a NM semi auto M14 at that show and he watched me. (He told me he had never heard of me, not unusual and in his case, and NOT a bad thing for me. Grin.) He talked about the article and said he might like to do an article on me. I pulled out the Gun RAG with the article in it and asked the owner if he minded I took the stock off the rifle I had just delivered. He grinned and said sure. I then asked the writer, "What is better than a FLAWLESS glass bedding job?" He looked perplexed and then I pointed to the picture of the void in the bedding in the article and the EXACT same area on my stock that had no such voids. I told him I would have been EMBARRASSED to give anyone such a glass job he called "flawless." I told him I would NEVER allow a FLUNKY HACK writer like him to do any article on me!!!!! Folks around my tables knew me and they were all laughing and jeering at the guy who walked off with his tail between his legs.

BOTH of these examples were from 'Gun Friendly" sources.

Also had a run in with an Anti Gun Zealot in Mogadishu, Somalia. However, I and my Division Ordnance Officer made him look like the fool he was, so they taped over the interview.

One lunch hour in the PX at Quantico during my last couple years on active duty, I was buying another pair of running shoes. The shoe clerk was great and brought my size out for me to try. After I tied one shoestring, I look up and there is a camera lens about a foot from me and a Lt. asking me to have them publish a picture of me shopping in the PX. He commented they usually don't get a chance to photograph a Master Gunnery Sergeant. I thanked him politely and said I would prefer not to be in an article nor my picture published. The Lt. kept trying to get me to agree and after the third polite rejection on my part, I finally said in a low voice only he could hear, "Sir, I have tried to be polite and you just won't take no for an answer. What do I have to do to get you off my back?!!" He also mumbled something about me being "rude" and I let him go on his Merry way without saying anything else only because there were too many other Marines around. I did report the incident to my OIC and the Bn XO who had to keep from laughing while I told him about it. He told me, "Top, that fine young "Gentleman" probably will never realize how close he came to the Wrath of God coming down on him." He called me "Master Gunnery Sergeant Matlock" for the way I dealt with a Liberal Congressman a few months earlier.

Personally, I don't like my photograph taken and do not "do" any kind of interviews on film, video or even articles AND ESPECIALLY NOT WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION AND BACKGROUND CHECK OF THE INTERVIEWER. The above examples are just SOME of the ones I've seen over the years.

Here's my take on what "Tom" did.

First, if you would like to do a video interview, then for God's sake have the common decency to ask permission PRIOR to coming around with a camera crew!!! He SHOULD have contacted Ed Brown prior to the SHOT SHOW to ask permission to do it. THAT would have given Ed the chance to have someone check him out and you had better believe that is necessary in this day and age. I have seen WAY too many times "interviewers" talk nice and sweet and do a hatchet job later.

OK, maybe it is a generational thing or an old fashioned thing, but I don't respect ANYONE who says their name is "Tom" with no last name. That sort of thing sets off alarm bells in my head from the get go. If I were Ed Brown at that point and I did not know who the guy was and he came around with a camera crew, WHILE CONCEALING HIS LAST NAME - that would have gotten a more "rude" response from me than Ed Brown gave. (REAL and authentic Interviewers GIVE their last names, folks.) I would have demanded to have seen his credentials and especially his "pass" to video in the Show. THEN I would have reported the guy and done my best to have the guy's credentials PULLED and hiim thrown out of the show. You all have to remember Ed Brown did not know this guy from Adam.

Yes, Ed Brown could have handled it better, but if I were in Ed Brown's shoes and after "Tom" LAST NAME CONCEALED threatened me, I do not know if I would have handled it as well as Ed Brown did. Actually, THAT would have signaled the Alarm bells about "Tom" LAST NAME CONCEALED were absolutely correct.

GeneCo

No offense Top and I mean this in the most respectful way, but I bet a dollar to a donut, spending a day with you in your shop would be no picnic.....LOL

I don't expect someone who has forgotten more than I'll ever know about guns to drop everything and schmooz me, or even give me the time of day. I'm old school myself, but my Grandpa was one who forgot more about agriculture than most folks knew and had ZERO tolerance for rude, contrary, disrespectful "know it alls", at any age, but especailly youngsters.

I wouldn't blame Mr Brown ,et al, to refuse any more interviews and only do them by appointment, in the most positive light, with professional handlers and only to certain folks( who know about respect).

Gus Fisher

LOL. No offense taken at all and the few guys who have spent time with me in the shop know I'm usually a pussycat. I LOVE talking to people and so much that I only talk to folks at the gun shows or I would never get any work done in the shop.

The only time I growled at a guy at a gun show was after the THIRD time I politely asked if he would come back later and I would be happy to answer his questions, but I HAD to concentrate as I was cutting a rifle chamber. He found out the FOURTH time was no charm. Grin.

TheTinMan

Gus' stories remind me of the first time I talked to a "reporter". I work with municipalities, and he had been in the public meeting taking notes. He introduced himself, handed me his card and asked for mine. After a couple of questions, he said "Thanks" and let me leave.

An engineer buddy of mine involved in the project sent me the article and called me on the phone laughing a few days later. The only things the reporter got right in his story were my name and the name of my company. G-r-r-r-r-e-a-t ! ! !

My last encounter with the press involved a radio reporter who shoved a microphone in my face as I was leaving a Board of Supervisors meeting. IRRC he didn't give me his full name and I had to ask who he worked for. Not a good start from my perspective. I was marginally more polite than Mr. Brown, but not by much. In my experience, "sound bites" usually come out of your tender fleshy parts...

Gus Fisher

BTW, Old Sarge and a few other posters here know I enjoy meeting forum posters at Camp Perry during the Nationals. I don't always have a lot of time to talk, but I try always to at least show them my appreciation for them stopping by and talk with them when I can.

Gus Fisher

ROTFLMAO!! THAT was GREAT !!