stubblejumper

Does anyone here actually belive that Chuckhawks opinions are credible just because he makes money for giving them?After reading some of his opinions on firearms,and on motorcycles,I see him as someone that likes to copy specifications and give opinions,but in actuality he doesn't know that much about many of the products that he writes about.When I was doing some research before buying a new motorcycle,I came across an article where he was trying to convince people that the BMW k1200s is a sport touring bike,whereas BMW insists that it is a sport bike.Some of his opinions on rifles and cartridges seem even more misguided.Do you think that being paid for your opinion makes you an expert on the topic.As for myself,I certainly don't consider myself an expert,but then I don't charge for my opinions either.

salukipv1

discrediting him for saying a bmw bike is a sport tourer vs a sport bike, doesn't seem to make sense. As well that's open for discussion, its like car makers now saying a crossover is an SUV, some of them are just a station wagon, don't BS me, its not an SUV, and bmw saying its a sport bike, well almost all of their bikes are sport tourers, and if one model is more sporty, they may claim its their sport bike, doesn't mean it is, or isn't.

But as to his opinions on rifles, from what I've read certainly seems like he's knowledgeable, just how much so, I do not know, but I wouldn't use a motorcycle commet to discredit his firearm opinions, especially when slicing hairs about sport bike vs sport tourer, especially when talking about a bmw.

Opinions are just that, opinions. And many experts may be wanting things that the avg consumer could care less about, or that is a big deal to an expert isn't much of an issue to the avg person. Ultimately the decision comes down to what you like/want and decide is best. Occasionally something stands above the rest but often times its just personal preference.

stubblejumper

Perhaps you should look at the BMW line for yourself.
http://www.bmw-motorrad.ca/En/flash_content/index.html
Once you do,it will soon be apparent that the small minority are listed as sport tourers,and in fact only a small minority would be suitable as sport tourers.Of the twenty BMW models,only four are listed as tourers.Look at fuel range,luggage capacity,and the other things that make a bike suitable as a sport tourer.I read his article as I was in the process of buying a sport tourer,and once I looked at the specifications for the K1200S,it became quite obvious that it did not have the fuel range or luggage capacity, that makes a bike suitable for sport touring.

I did read one article on lever action rifles where he made the comment as to how the lever actions had such good triggers.I have fired savage 99s,winchester 88s,winchester 94s,marlin 336s and browning BLRs,and the triggers were certainly not what I would call good.In fact all were quite heave,vague,and had plenty of creep,compared to the better quality triggers on bolt actions.

There was also a recoil chart of his posted by a forum member supposedly to help people compare the recoils of various cartridges.Since he listed rifles that varied greatly in weight,and listed the heaviest loads for some cartridges,and the lightest loads for others,a comparison from cartridge to cartridge was meaningless.

Absolutely,but some people get the impression that just because someone posts their opinions on a site,that their opinions somehow become more credible than other people opinions.They get the misguided impression that just because a person makes money for posting his opinion that he must be an expert on the topic.

bugsNbows

Chuck is o.k. I do believe that you often have to separate the wheat from the chaff so-to-speak. I guess that's true for most all of the "experts". I do enjoy (and tend to believe) a few others more. For example, I think John Barsness is very credible.

stubblejumper

My original questions were:

So far nobody has answered those question.Do you give more credibility to someones opinion,because they have been published(even if it's only on their own web site) or because they are paid for their opinion?Does being paid or published automatically make a person an "expert"?

Scott Gags

I agree. In many cases it seems like he is regurgitating information from others and following marketing lines from manufactures. I seem to remember an analysis he did on barrel length and velocity. All the data was collected 2nd or 3rd hand thrown out there and offered as fact. It seemed like no first hand evaluations were included in the article. I also remember him recommending big games loads based off published velocities and thought why not buy one box of each and evaluate and publish the results. It would be a great way to go shooting and also get a tax write off.

keylargo

I'm not a particular fan of Hawks. He seems more interested in having something to write about than actually giving good hands on information.
That being said ,his information is about as useful as some others. Just read it and give it the weight it does or does not deserve.

stubblejumper

Those two statements pretty much sum up my own feelings about chuckhawks.

thndrchiken

From the times that I've been to the website for the free info. Most of what I've read is common knowledge that is available from so many other sources that it can be considered rule of thumb so to speak. On other things it most definitely seems as though his opinion is biased due to the fact that he is being paid to promote an item, product line or company. It also seems more often than not that his opinion it almost word for word a duplicate of the companies that pay him marketing literature.

JagMagMan

Even "expert opinions" are just that, opinions! Also, I don't think that being paid for your opinion necessarily makes you an expert! In fact, I'm leary of paid opinions, after all, they do have to keep the sponsors happy! Take Jackie Bushman for example, he is THE "Buckmaster!" I seriously doubt that he could hunt his way out of a half mile square woodlot, with Intersate highways on all four sides!
I wouldn't even trustgood hunting/gun magazines likeNRA's Rifleman. When is the last time you read a bad report in a magazine? Listening to a paid opinion is no different than listening to a salesman giving his pitch!
If it's research that you are doing before buying something, I'd look up as many forums as possible on the particular subject. Even then, some folks have personal prejudices. But at least you can get many reviews and average them out!
As for Hawks, his site has some good information. As someone else said "you have to separate the wheat from the chaff!"