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?)

[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.

[Firefly]

Really I've just become super monogamous as time goes on.

I thought .45 was pretty much THE duty caliber and having seen it used on people thought it was but..... a good 9mm round does the same thing with less BS. Permanently messing up my wrist got me out of .45s.

Weird calibers, I realized I am not enough of a gun person to keep up with them and they offered nothing tangible (except 10mm )

Glock is the best answer but not the only answer.

My favorite baseline AR config. is a 20". Like shooting just for fun. Otherwise a 6920 does everything else.

Vintage guns hold a newfound appeal solely because they don't scream "gun guy"

I really, really hate "gun people". Like, I do. If all we were to discuss one on one was guns; I'd get super bored and find you boring.

Guns aren't that important to me. "molon labe" and all the hooah stuff aside, they arent. I dont want gun laws but if I had to move to a less hospitable area; guns alone wouldn't stop me. Most places allow for a single stack, 10 rounds, or whatever.

Anything "important" I needed to do with tactical training; I've already done by now.

I dont care what other people own.

I like what I have but could very easily live the rest of my days with a single stack 9mm, bolt action, and 4" revolver.

I will never give in to panic runs ever again. I dont like more laws but my life is half over. I'm good with what I got.

Most people buy gums more than they shoot what they have and that is a habit that leads to irrelevancy.

[skywalkrNCSU]

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.

This is a big one for me, the only reason I’ll buy a new gun is if I need it for a specific task. Especially handguns, I have a few solid ones and buying more just does nothing for me.

I also used to think bolt guns were boring and was only interested in throwing a bunch of lead downrange. Now I find way more enjoyment in my bolt gun and prioritizing long range and accuracy.

[ABNAK]

I hate to admit it but in the last few months I have just about lost interest in guns. Sure, I read articles and stuff but most (not all) are military-related as opposed to just gun articles. I definitely have more guns than I need and would get up off a few but in this market I'd lose my ass. Not sure if this is a passing thing or a permanent change in interests.

All that said, deciding to "thin the herd" would lead to this: Well, I'll like this gun because of X, so I'll hang on to it. Now that one there.....well, wait a minute, I like X about that. Okay, moving on down the gun rack, there's one I can surely get rid of. Naw, I only have one of those so not that one. [and so on].

[ramairthree]

Interesting.

I have also found myself reaching that,
Collecting is no longer as fun and so many gets to be a burden.

I think it isn’t that ennui where you have succeeded enough or worked hard and long enough to have lots of nice things,
But are still working and not enough time to enjoy them.

I actually want to start working half time at 55.

[ABNAK]

Interesting.

I have also found myself reaching that,
Collecting is no longer as fun and so many gets to be a burden.

I think it isn’t that ennui where you have succeeded enough or worked hard and long enough to have lots of nice things,
But are still working and not enough time to enjoy them.

I actually want to start working half time at 55.

I can retire in 10 years at 62. I can see a renaissance with firearms once that happens as, like you said, time will be aplenty.