There's no doubt that he knows more about shooting than most of us.
I see the problem with gun magazines and their writers as this:
1) You can't sell the same thing to the same people exactly the same way, indefinitely.
To give a concrete example: a S&W Model K, L, and/or a J-frame would meet the minimum requirements for about 80-95% of the shooting population, from a strictly utilitarian standpoint. (Even if people disagree with this, please bear with me.) As far as I can tell, these guns never really wear out if maintained properly. There are many, many thousands of them out there. It isn't too interesting to read a magazine with articles like "Emerging Demographics in Timing Techniques" or "Forcing Cone: Fact and Fiction."
Magazines make their money from advertising, so even if we assume the best of intentions (and I don't) there is tremendous pressure to push the "latest and greatest," just to keep the civilian arms industry/market chugging along.
2) People turn to these guys as "experts." That means they must have a definite answer (even if it's a cruddy one).
A lot of people pick up "Guns & Ammo" or something like that, because they have decided that they really should have a handgun for protection. If the writers were totally honest, they would say something like "unfortunately, you have to shoot for a while and experiment with different guns to find one you want to spend you hard-earned $ on."
Inevitably, new gun sales would go down. The impulse purchases would virtually disappear (give me convenience or give me death!). Also, people would realize that dad's Model 19 or grandpa's SAA are probably adequate for their needs. Etc. etc.
These thoughts are not exactly revolutionary or even new, but I hope I saved someone the frustration I have undergone. For many years, I shot long guns and bigger, older wheelies for fun with my relatives. The only gun magazine that I really ever read was "American Rifleman." I decided that I needed to "update" for many reasons. On the bright side, I have discovered that I prefer shooting good semi-autos. Unfortunately, I was bitterly disappointed and almost shocked when I discovered how poor the mainstream gun press really is.
P.S. I just re-read this. To correct an exaggeration, I seriously doubt ANYTHING would make impulse purchases "virtually disappear."