Gun Stuff You Changed Your Mind About

[ramairthree]

Just random things as they come to you.

I have a few.

The Beretta 92/M9
As a replacement for rattling, beat, old 1911A1s with even more beat mags, it was an accurate, reliable gun with great mags.
I was no fan of 9mm ball, and thought we should have gone to double stack framed 45s, but it was a great gun.
I was much less of a fan mid 90s and for another ten years or so, and then have come to appreciate it again.

Glock 26
I got one right after they came out.
I hated it as a ten round flush mag gun.
With extended grip mags, I love it. Night and day change of opinion.
Naked, let alone with a TLR6, in my mind it is the epitome in size of a compact carry gun.
I don’t go down into micro carry/pocket carry sized guns.

Glock 19
I first handled one and bought one soon after in the early 90s.
The epitome of compact carry gun sizes.
All the capacity of a typical full sized service gun in such a small package.
Why would any one need a full sized gun?
I later found advantages in speed and accuracy with larger guns.

5.56/AR
I was a snob caliber wise.
The old flat black followers and military policy of treated magazines like lifelong functional items made me look down on it reliability wise.
As those things were addressed and reliability improved, and shooting manual of arms/tactics evolved,
The reliability gap dissolved and the ergonomic gaps, compared to say, an HK, bull pup, AK, etc. become more prominent. As did convenience for accessories, optics, etc.

I suspect someday there will be AR lowers with a folding stock, built in BR/BC in an ergonomic finger tip region, with drop on piston uppers with off side non reciprocating handles. I have not yet found a more ergonomic safety/mag release layout.

“Fudd Guns”
I grew up hunting and exposed only to Fudd Guns. I never get out hunting any more. I viewed Fudd Guns as hunting only, boring stuff for a long time.
But looking in the used racks I often find myself grabbing one now. I might go to the range and find myself spending an hour or two comparing lever action 30/30s, or picking up a 44 carbine for the hell of it.

[JulyAZ]

Voting pure republican.
Getting a red Congress, and a red president, and still can’t get our gun rights back.

[SomeOtherGuy]

I used to think Glocks were defective, unsafe, and only liked by kool-aid drinkers.

I used to think the 1911 Gov't was a viable carry gun for self-defense.

I used to think that the Mini-14 was more reliable and better engineered than the AR-15.

I used to think that 9x19mm was weak or inadequate for defensive use.

I used to think that .357 Magnum SJHP would be devastating, then I saw its effects on medium-size varmints.

I used to think that most rifles could shoot 1 MOA "if the shooter did his part." (Hint: no.)

I used to think that hitting a 3" target at 600 yards was impossible, just big-fish stories, until I competed with a group of people that could do it with boring regularity. (I'm still working on it.)

I used to think that shooting accurately in a snowstorm was out of the question, then I shot an F-Class match in a snowstorm and learned a lot. (Not my best score, but not terrible.) (Oh BTW, this was on May 14 one year, did I mention my area gets 5-6 months of winter?)

[grnamin]

Voting pure republican.
Getting a red Congress, and a red president, and still can’t get our gun rights back.

Unfortunately it was a choice between a leaky dam and a fully breached one, but I digress.

Going from wanting lots of tacticool stuff to barebones keep-it-light-and-functional rifle setups. Tacticool = heavy.

[MegademiC]

Glocks are innaccurate
A good trigger is important on a carry gun.
A unique gun is better than a common one.

[HeruMew]

I live 25 minutes from the largest Convention Center in 150 miles.

There's actually a show in February that's sponsored by the NRA. It was in my last issue of Shooting Illustrated advertised anyways.

Our gun shows are okay, but only for the old timers selling used stuff like clay throwers for 15 dollars. Etc.

Otherwise, it's my chance to finger-f*** as many different handguns as I can at different tables and telling the guy "Yeah, I'll take a card, your prices look a little high, but good stock." While they sit there with a smug look on their face saying: "Well, I am a little flexible." Kay, I like your salesman ship, but I can avoid the face-to-face trouble by ordering from buds for 15-25% less and go visit the FFL/Gunsmith that knows me by name and charges 20.

Or, spending time avoiding the fudds who wanna talk you into something stupid. Or the receiver tables selling those Tiffany and Hot Pink colored stripped receivers for 150 a pop.

When, or if I go, I usually go on Sunday when I know people are ready to pack up and go home so they let me haggle them down. I wait until they're a bit more secluded, that way they don't feel pressured due to others around. I have picked up an anderson for 30 from one they had marked at 80.

So, it depends on the day. I avoid first day like a plague. Way to many dumb mofos. At least ours lets us carry at them too.

[Dist. Expert 26]

I used to think having a bunch of guns would be awesome. Now I just have a select few and feel no desire to buy more.

[BoringGuy45]

When I first really got into guns, I got all my info from the worst sources: Magazines like Tactical Weapons and Guns and Ammo, Military.com, and blogs like Murdoc Online and Airborne Combat Engineer (early 2000s, if any of you remember those blogs). So I had a LOT of learning to do. My beliefs in my high school and college years:

-The M16/M4 family is absolute garbage, had been since Vietnam, and always will be.

-This problem would be easily solved by making the M14 standard issue again.

-The XM8 or SCAR in 6.8mm would have solved a lot of the problems the AR platform has (but going back to a real man's battle rifle was the true answer!).

-The 1911 is the only pistol anyone in the world ever needs.

-Never go into a gunfight with a pistol that doesn't start with "4".

-It doesn't matter than .45 pistols are lower capacity; with a .45, you don't need as many rounds.

-Because the Kimber 1911 was the choice of LAPD SWAT and MARSOC, it was the best on the market.

-When I was in college, I had the goal of being a Navy SEAL. I pictured myself going into combat with my primary weapon being an M14 EBR, and my sidearm a Kimber TLE II.

Later, as I learned more (and got some hands-on experience) I amended my thoughts on a few things:

-The M4 is a good rifle, actually, but the DI is a major flaw, and if I wanted a truly reliable AR rifle, I would need a piston gun.

-You can't take anything away from the Glock, but I would never in my life own one. It's uncomfortable and the grip angle is ****ed up.

Today:

-All my ARs are DI and 5.56, and I wouldn't get a piston gun except a PWS or 416 if I had the money.

-I have no plans to drop the huge chunk of change that it costs to buy an M1A.

-Bought a Kimber for my first gun. Will never buy another one of their products again.

-My everyday carry is a Glock 19, and its my favorite pistol in the world, bar none.

[LMT Shooter]

-The XM8 or SCAR in 6.8mm would have solved a lot of the problems

-The M4 is a good rifle, actually, but the DI is a major flaw, and if I wanted a truly reliable AR rifle, I would need a piston gun.

+1 on both of these. My first factory AR was a piston gun. I still have it, but I wish I had not drank that piston kool-aid.

[HeruMew]

That if a gun isn't broken when you get it, it should run fine for awhile (forever in my young mind).

There's always room to make something that's not broken better and improved.

Try to help (some) people at the public range, even when they ask you for it.

First AR was also a piston gun. Love it, still runs reliably. But I, too, wish I coulda avoided the koolaid. It was only 600, but I coulda paid 150 more and gotten a Colt.

.40 was the best "starter" caliber gun for defense purposes. (It was a Hipoint too)

Trading firearms is fun. Until you meet Wackadoodle-Bobby and his brother who want to try and talk you up even after agreeing prior to meeting.