Josh Malcolm
Editor-in-Chief & Founding Author, Guns and Gear Guide
I review firearms and gear from behind the trigger, not behind a desk. After 35-plus years of shooting, competing, and reloading, I write the honest, experience-based reviews I always wished I could find.
I started Guns and Gear Guide for a simple reason: most firearms content online is either thin affiliate filler or marketing copy dressed up as a review, written by people who clearly never put rounds downrange. I wanted something better, grounded in actual time at the range and the reloading bench rather than spec sheets.
How I approach these reviews
I want to be straight with you about where my reviews come from. This is hands-on, experience-based coverage. I’ve spent more than 35 years around firearms: shooting, competing, hunting, and reloading my own ammunition for over a decade. I’m CORE certified, an IPSC Black Badge competitive shooter, and an active BC hunting license holder.
When a review is based on my own time with a firearm or piece of gear, that’s the default here, and I’ll tell you exactly how I used it. Where I’m drawing on manufacturer data or other sources rather than personal use, I say so plainly. I’d rather be clear about what I’ve actually run myself than blur the line.
What I cover
The focus here is the gear I actually use and the topics I know firsthand: firearms reviews, ammunition reloading, precision and competitive shooting, everyday carry, and the gear that supports all of it. If something hasn’t earned its place at the range or on the bench, it doesn’t get a recommendation.
So when I evaluate a firearm, I’m asking the questions a shooter actually cares about: How does it run over a full session? Is it reliable when it’s dirty? How does it handle for the job it’s built for? Is it worth the money next to what else is out there?
Background
Outside of this site, I’m the founder of Marksman Digital Media, the company that owns and publishes Guns and Gear Guide. I bring the same document-your-sources, test-what-you-can mindset to everything I publish here, backed by decades of real time behind the trigger.
If a recommendation on this site earns a commission through an affiliate link, that never changes the substance of what I write. The experience comes first; the links come after.