Gun Stuff You Changed Your Mind About

[Doc Safari]

AR15.

In the 1990's I hated the damned thing. I was convinced it was fragile, unreliable, difficult to clean, and I couldn't understand how any sane person would want one. I was all AK and battle rifle all the time.

How times changed. After watching some shows on the Sportsman and Outdoor channel showing how easily accessorized it is, I decided I needed to have one. Upon reading a lot of material on how the unreliability and need for obsessive cleaning were largely myths, I began to prefer the light weight and better ergos over my other weapons. Long story short: I no longer even need or want an AK or battle rifle, but I have more than one M4.

Glock Gen 5

I was so convinced I would make this my "go to" weapon I actually had a set of replacement sights for one before the gun even arrived. I found after two range sessions that I did NOT like the lighter Gen 5 trigger. I had become so accustomed to the takeup and definite wall of the old style trigger that I would never be able to love the Gen 5 trigger. Similarly, I cussed and dissed the finger grooves on previous Glock generations, then when I got my Gen 5 I actually found out that I had unknowingly learned to appreciate those too.

AK47

In the 1990's I wouldn't have had anything else, unless it was a battle rifle, bolt action, or some other non-AK, non-AR platform. Over the years I experienced so many issues with poor accuracy, indifferent quality control, or downright horrible manufacturing quality either in the gun or the 922(r)-compliant parts that I eventually gave up on the weapon. "Crappy commie rifle" is right.

M-14/M1A

Once upon a time this was the ultimate rifle in my book. A full force battle rifle with a detachable mag, great sights, and a wooden butt that could become a club if you ran dry. Too many people over the years convinced me that it takes a dedication to craft to keep the thing accurate and I decided the AR was better. The weight also got to me after a while.

1911

I shoot a 1911 better than any handgun. During my CCW class the instructor had to caution me to open my groups a little because it's a requirement to count the holes in the target for qualification. Really. Reliability issues eventually caused me to abandon it like the AK.

Walther PPK/S

Everyone needs the James Bond gun--that is until you get one and it's a jam-o-matic. Sold it and never owned another Walther. My $150.00 Makarov was 100% even with hollow points; why couldn't the $700 Walther shoot reliably?


I, too, no longer consider myself a "collector" or "gun enthusiast". I have the bare minimum I think I need and that's it. I still shoot to stay in practice but going to the range every weekend is no longer an option. I would love to take some classes--if only they offered any around here.

[Arik]

Just more or less the generic stuff.

Glocks. Paying for name. Other cheaper guns are just as good.

ARs are unreliable

AKs never break or malfunction.

1911 all need work to function

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[Firefly]

Folks bringing up M14s and 1911s:

They are like the ex gf whose crap you got super sick of, but they were good in bed and on dark, cold nights on ambien or Stoli you text up dissertations on the "if only's" of what could have been then you foolishly go back in a blind passion and then get reminded why you got pissed off to begin with and bailed.

Still.....I like my Kimber, just need a .22 kit or a 1911 in 9mm.

M14s are, next to Gah-rands, the prettiest looking rifles ever. Especially with linseed oiled stocks. But GAWD they can be frustrating and expensive.
I took an M14 apart one time and after that it was a boresnake only affair with some grease in the trigger lock (M14 users know what I mean)

Also AKs just plain suck. Krinks look neat but they all suck and are pointless. They work if you just need a gun but if one has a choice, fetishes not withstanding, there are vastly better options and calibers that aren't dependent on corrosive, carcinogenic ammo made by alcoholics in Tula

[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.

[RetroRevolver77]

Out of the most wide spread rifles and handguns in the US market;

AR's, not a fan of the direct gas system at all. Rate them 4/10.

FN SCAR 17, horrible design construction, sheet metal screws held in with locktight. Rate them 4/10.

AUG's, true SHTF reliability. Rate them 8/10.

AK's, true SHTF reliability. Rate them 9/10.

FAL's, best overall battle rifle. Rate them 8/10.

M1A's, I like the sights but not the overall design. Rate them 5/10.

G3's, heavy but good for mounting optics, overall reliable. Rate them 7/10.

MP5's, neat little compact things. Rate them 7/10.

1911's, meh, nice trigger, fancy looking but OK. Rate them 5/10.

Glock's, master race. Rate them a 9/10.

Hi Powers, comfortable and accurate. Rate them 8/10.

SIG pistols, not a fan of aluminum pistol frames. Rate them 6/10.

Beretta, bulky, don't care for the open top design. Rate them 4/10.


Overall for SHTF, civilization collapse, top picks; a 74 variant or AUG and a Glock would be my choices.


7n6

[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.

[Doc Safari]

I guess I need to add one:

I used to think gun shows were fun social gatherings where you met up with people you knew and occasionally you'd find that gem that someone left unfired in a closet for forty years.

Nowadays, though, it seems like people are "onto" the game that gun shows are nothing but excuses to rape people on the price (especially during a panic), and since most of my buds and I got our good stuff years ago, or through other channels, gun shows are no longer as appealing as they once were. Indeed, I think the internet finally made gun shows obsolete. Why would I drive two hours to a gun show looking for an out-of-production whatever when GunBroker probably has five for sale?

[Firefly]

I guess I need to add one:

I used to think gun shows were fun social gatherings where you met up with people you knew and occasionally you'd find that gem that someone left unfired in a closet for forty years.

Nowadays, though, it seems like people are "onto" the game that gun shows are nothing but excuses to rape people on the price (especially during a panic), and since most of my buds and I got our good stuff years ago, or through other channels, gun shows are no longer as appealing as they once were. Indeed, I think the internet finally made gun shows obsolete. Why would I drive two hours to a gun show looking for an out-of-production whatever when GunBroker probably has five for sale?

This.

Gun shows were a place to haggle, trade, and see neat stuff. In the heyday some folks would bring Class III that wasn't for sale but you could see it and they would advertise rentals and shoots.

It was almost like a comic convention for guns.

Now.....bleh.

Why go look at weirdos when I can stay home. I almost wish people could get a personal "buyer only" FFL where you could just buy off Amazon or whatever and not leave the house.

I know several things make that not feasible but still. It is [The Current Year], I can watch old Miami Vice re-runs on the can but I still am forced to talk to people to buy guns/vehicles/etc in person.

[Doc Safari]

I almost wish people could get a personal "buyer only" FFL where you could just buy off Amazon or whatever and not leave the house.

I know several things make that not feasible but still. It is [The Current Year], I can watch old Miami Vice re-runs on the can but I still am forced to talk to people to buy guns/vehicles/etc in person.

My love of gun shows started to die out during the late 1990's or early 2000's. I have a lasting memory of "that old man who always had _____" telling me and my friend that this was "his last gun show because of the current climate." He was one of those guys with a vast collection who showed up at every gun show trying to thin the herd. He always had mostly the same old bolt guns and mid-twentieth century handguns that the old timers thought was the shizzle in the mid-50's. Like that mint pre-64 Winchester bolt gun or that one-of-a-few 1911's, for example. He was lamenting that he had watched the ATF crack down on "unlicensed dealers"--the guys like him that were suspected or arrested for dealing without a license just because they sold "a lot" of guns but weren't technically "in the business" as far as parsing legal terms goes. He was visibly worried that just his constant presence at the shows would smack of being "in the business" as far as ATF was concerned, and that he'd better stop trying to sell off his own collection. I could vouch for the guy that he always had mostly the same guns for sale--hardly a person buying for the purpose of resale. Yet he was obviously shaken to the core that he might go to the pokey for wanting to generate some cash from his collection.

Around that same time I noticed a lot of the regular sellers at the shows began to disappear, so I put stock in the man's claims.

It seems that after that (at least around here) you could no longer go to a show hoping to find an old whatever that some geezer had kept in his closet waiting for you. It was all FFL dealers all the time (unless you were looking for jewelry or homemade soap or some nonsense).

Gun shows were just never the same after that. I don't think I've purchased a firearm at a show since then unless the dealer obviously had something for sale at a discount.

I've heard that the "unlicensed dealer" crackdown was very popular with FFL's but I sincerely believe it bit them in the ass: I am convinced it substantially reduced gun show traffic (again, at least around here) because now people walk by three tables with the same guns on them and the rare gems are gone, goner, and gone-est.

[ABNAK]

Folks bringing up M14s and 1911s:

They are like the ex gf whose crap you got super sick of, but they were good in bed and on dark, cold nights on ambien or Stoli you text up dissertations on the "if only's" of what could have been then you foolishly go back in a blind passion and then get reminded why you got pissed off to begin with and bailed.

Still.....I like my Kimber, just need a .22 kit or a 1911 in 9mm.

M14s are, next to Gah-rands, the prettiest looking rifles ever. Especially with linseed oiled stocks. But GAWD they can be frustrating and expensive.
I took an M14 apart one time and after that it was a boresnake only affair with some grease in the trigger lock (M14 users know what I mean)

Also AKs just plain suck. Krinks look neat but they all suck and are pointless. They work if you just need a gun but if one has a choice, fetishes not withstanding, there are vastly better options and calibers that aren't dependent on corrosive, carcinogenic ammo made by alcoholics in Tula

Was it a real-deal M-14 or a semi clone? 'Cause the real M-14 is easier to field strip, the op-rod being the biggest PIA about it. The real ones have a notch where once the FA disconnector rod is removed the op-rod will slide right out. Now semi clones are a REAL frustration getting that damn op-rod in and out. Gotta play with it, wiggle it, fernagle the damn thing like convincing some high school hottie to do it on your first date. Especially bad if new.