Gun Appreciation Thread - Page 129

Well I found some mags at a local supplier and the gun ran like a champ. I was pretty much done with my mandatory 500 round run on a new gun I'll carry concealed and then another mishap took place. It looks like the trigger bar snapped so I called DB again and talked to Scott about the problem. It appears that there are a few bad trigger bars out there so he issued a return label and put me on the hot rush repair list as well. They are going to go through the gun completely and will repair adjust or replace anything they think might be a problem free of charge. I understand how these things can happen because of my manufacturing background. Everything looks good, tests good but after being put into use you end up with an almost immediate mechanical failure. Shit happens. One thing I can say is the customer service is exceptional and so is their warranty. I'm sure the gun will end up meeting my criteria for a solid reliable CCW gun and will become part of my persoanl CCW rotation.

Hell I've had Colt Pythons and Smith 27s go bonkers on me but that's what extensive testing is for.


Jan there are some really interesting new guns hitting the scene these days. I'm an old wheel gun guy and I thought I would never see the day that awheel gun would have a polymer frame, tritium night sights and a cam trigger system. Then the LCR came out and after firing it I had to rethink a few things and now I carry one on nearly a daily basis. Now Springfield is coming out with a micro XD in 45 ACP. The damn thing is small but it still has a 3.3 inch barrel. Better steels, high strength allows and polymers are changing the gun world like crazy. Of course good luck getting my 2.5 inch Python, my registered 27 or my old Colt 1911 from me. LOL. Everything else is negotiable but not them 3.

When I was researching small 9mms, I was set on a PM9 (ended up going with a P380). I'm interested in hearing how that works out, but I think the Kahr or the Ruger are the way to go when it comes to the smaller 9mms - although the trigger pull on the Ruger is a complaint for some.

I am sure that some of these plastic-frame guns are efficient defensive sidearms, but I just can't get beyond their aesthetics. I put them in much the same category as Croc Shoes. I find them devoid of elegance, glamour, charm, "soul"--anything that makes a gun appealing. I was just talking a few minutes ago to an old friend--a senior editor at one of the largest gun mags. He said he would rather die in a gunfight with his Smith Model 15 in his hand than prevail with a Glock or XD-9. I have often thought the same thing.

 

 

I would rather live and write a letter to Glock telling them that their firearms look like an inelegant piece of crap but work very well in a gunfight.  But that's just me.

I kind of agree. I've gotten as far as an H&K, and that's really only for the can. I don't really enjoy it otherwise. I like old blue and wood, too. Al the ARs and Glocks are like.....grrr....to me. Must post some pics when I get back home. Really been interested in old Police Positive Target models of late.

 

~ H
 

 

as far as aesthetics, agreed

 

but imho Browning/1911, Garand, Glock will all be mentioned in the same context soon

impossible for me to identify with this at all. sorry. I was issued a nunmber of very ugly weapons, I couldn't tell you how many. never gave one a name, didn't really develop any connection to any of them. none of them were very pretty. I see these as tools, all I really cared about is that they do their job in the best way possible. some of these new little plastic guns are a dozen times more effective than similar tools were 20 years ago.

I know. You've said as much before, globe, but that's because you have a very, very, very different perspective on firearms. I really don't care which is the most efficient killing machine. I couldn't care less. I like firearms that are beautiful and either historic, enjoyable for me to shoot, or accurate. But if it isn't beautiful, I don't care how well it performs. My favorite gun to shoot is from 1928.

 

It's like a manual clutch -- these days the autos are far more efficient, but they aren't as soulful, involving, or fun. I don't care that they are a tenth of a second faster to 60, or that it can post a better 0-60 with an inexperienced driver far more easily than I can in my 6MT. I don't care. It's not about performance for me.

 

~ H
 

^Huntsman, you have always been a man after my own heart. I will mention that this very afternoon I was out shooting a Colt 1903 Pocket Model .32 ACP that had been made in 1920. What an elegant, beautifully machined and polished little device! It had a sweet trigger, shot tight groups right to point of aim and functioned with total reliability with Speer Gold Dots. I is a joy to own and shoot. I am doubtful whether I would be appreciably less safe armed with this pistol than I would with any tactically equivalent contemporary creation made from plastic, stampings and finished off in black paint.

Jan don't get me wrong. My favorite pistol that I own is a D series Colt Python with a 2.5 inch barrel. I have a few Colts, Brownings and Smiths that date back to the good old days of gun manufacturing. The fit finish and function is far better than what's mainstream today. I have however, gotten past the yuck factor on many a gun in my safe. Some of them are looked at as nothing more than a tool for a particular situation. Can I use any of my pretty guns for the same thing? Of course I can and I have for years. It took me decades to get around to getting a Glock. I really hated the way they looked but after years of seeing what these things go through and keep on firing I got over it. It's really hard to argue aesthetics when function becomes the number one priority. Since most of what I'm involved with revolves around CCW one has to balance size, weight and caliber and come up with a working solution. Current poly framed guns do that rather well. Like you, I wouldn't feel the least bit undergunned with an 03 Colt in my waistband. It's just that these days there are better alternatives out there even if they are "ugly". I would also tend to not get to upset if I dropped my "ugly" gun on concrete. I wouldn't be able to say the same thing if that happened to my Python....

^Well, the Glocks have their virtues, obviously. Nonetheless, carrying a Glock good to go with a chambered round has always struck me as too much akin to carrying, say, a Series 80 Colt cocked and unlocked with the grip safety pinned to make me feel comfortable with the system.

That the Glock and similar pistols can be dropped on concrete and suffer comparable abuse without breaking their owners' hearts is indisputable. Like yourself, I am sure, I prefer to avoid dropping guns.

I used to be all anti-tupperware, but these days I see the pro vrs. anti plastic/ form vrs function posturing as a bit silly. If I were into cars, I would want a vintage Italian sports car, a classic Brit 4WD Land Rover Defender and a modern, practical daily driver that is still fun to own.

I like the aesthetics of a timeless classic, beautifully crafted blued steel and wood firearm. I also appreciate the ugly purity of function in some of today's new breed of handguns and rifles.

Most days I carry a plastic Beretta subcompact in my waistband, though the pistol I most enjoy shooting is a Pieta reproduction of the 1858 New Army black powder revolver. As for rifles, I love the Cold War history soaked into the Russian laminate of my AKS74U 'Krinkov', the beautiful old world craftsmanship in my Australian no.1, mk4 SMLE and the ergonomics and shooting performance of my green plastic bullpup AUG A1.

I want one of these. Oh the fun I could have.....

All you need to go with it is a 4-wheeler and a bunch of land.

Duracoat seems to be growing in popularity.

Visiting relatives, family, training and changing jobs has kept me too busy to tinker in the garage with firearms lately - let alone shoot.

I have had a little time this morning, and have started looking into the possibility of picking-up a cheap ex-Israeli FN Hi-Power as a base for a fun project. Something like this:



I'd keep the over-all military aesthetic, while tuning and refinishing it.