Beginner's Guide to Firearm Forums

Love all things firearms but don't like to leave your house? You're in luck! The internet is home to a wide range of forums for discussion and pictures relating to guns. Whether you are a hobbyist or professional there is a place for you to waste away hours of your life behind the screen along with your gun nut brethren. But which forum is best for you? Here's a few in a nutshell to help you find out-

ar15.com

AR15.com, colloquially known as ARFCOM, is the largest and most populous of all the firearm forums. Established in 96 as "home of the black rifle," it's grown far beyond a website just for AR15s.

The Good:

Along with the largest userbase comes a wide range of knowledge. If you search enough through the technical forums you can find some of the best how-tos and other information from people experienced with various firearms. The equipment exchange is also very large, and a great place to find good deals or rare parts.

The Bad:

Venture outside the technical areas and you will quickly find the site is a cesspool of evangelists and neocons. This group is lead by Mark LaRue, firearm accessories manufacturer, who uses the site as his personal blog/soapbox. Throughout the whole site posts such as "tag" and "in", used by people who want to follow threads, aren't frowned upon, so in a popular thread about 90% of the posts will add nothing to the topic.

Verdict:

If you have the time to navigate through a lot of information, the technical forums can be a great source. Unless you are deeply concerned with Mark LaRue's feelings or the Palin campaign stay away from the general sections. Check the EE regularly for bargains.

m4carbine.net

m4carbine took over what ARFCOM was originally intended to be, a technical forum centered around the AR15. Though it's focused on ARs, there are many other technical forums for handguns, gear, and tactics.

The Good:

m4c is all business. There are many knowledgeable users, no useless "tag" or "in" posts, and people who aren't contributing to the topic or are misinformed will be called out immediately. If you know your AR15 or want to learn this is the place to be.

The Bad:

Along with the rigid environment comes little change, you won't see much fresh stuff aside from the occasional new accessory. The site also has heavy influence from it's sponsors, particularly BCM and G&R Tactical (whose owner Grant, the leading m4c poster, is also an evangelist, though we'll cut him a break as he isn't as whiny as LaRue).

Verdict:

If you have experience with the AR platform, are interested in training, or want info from industry professionals, m4carbine.net is the place to be.

Calguns.net

Though Calguns caters to California gun owners, it's one of the largest forums and used by people all around the world. The focus is on legal issues, there are also many technical and general sections.

The Good: Wide variety of forum sections and users gives you a lot of options. Calguns legal team has done huge things for California gun owners, and the site will keep you up to date on any and all lawsuits going on at any given time. If you own a gun and live in California you should be checking the legal sections for your area quite often. The equipment exchange is also one of the largest, possibly rivaling arfcoms.

The Bad: The technical sections are undoubtedly the weak point, you won't get the quality info on guns or tactics at Calguns that you can get from other forums that take those things more seriously. Also be prepared to see some absurd price gouging on the EE, especially on anything that can't be easily imported to CA by FFLs (off roster handguns, magazine rebuild kits, etc.) The EE really brings the gun show atmosphere to the internet, you may even find the Mossberg Maverick that a Navy SEAL used to take Iwo Jima, along with some jerkey and Nazi paraphernalia

Verdict: Mandatory for CA gun owners, worth checking out for everyone else. Take any technical info with a grain of salt, and don't buy the Jiminez J-25 that Hitler used to kill himself from the EE for $200,000.

thehighroad.org

thehighroad, or THR, is a forum leaning towards the gun rights/law aspect of the gun world. It was started by Oleg Volk, who you may know from his pictures, a bizarre blend of interesting looking people, guns, pro gun rhetoric, and absolutely no natural light that blends nicely into a mall photography from hell sort of vibe.

The Good:
One of the few forums with areas dedicated to carry rights/issues, legal info, and activism. Also has a wide range of other sections covering just about anything there is to cover on firearms.

The Bad:
The userbase is one of the worst, with representation from the extreme right survivalist, the fudd (even they have discovered the internet, likely on a wooden made in USA computer), and the "been there done that" operator with questionable qualifications. The moderators are also some of the most ruthless, and seem to not be receptive to ideas in conflict with their own. Legal problems between Volk and another administrator have led to a lot of downtime for the website in the past, though it seems to have been resolved.

The Verdict: For the most part not worth your time, though there are a few gem how-tos if you look hard enough, when they aren't complaining about Obama, plastic furniture, or that damn rap music all the kids are listening to these days fudds can come up with some clever firearm tricks.

a photo by Oleg "The Flash" Volk

This is by no means all of the forums relating to firearms, just a few of the largest, there are probably 100+ more including thefiringline, snipershide, militaryphotos, lightfighter, many catering to a specific audience/aspect of the hobby. I won't weigh in on them though as I haven't spent much time around other sites. What is your home base forum? Which are good? Which are horrible? Feel free to discuss your firearm forum of choice in the comments.