Life is too short to own cheap guns.

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: zerosoma
Originally Posted By: Slick17601
I agree...steel is real and wood is good. I enjoy Smith & Wesson and Ruger (single action only) revolvers. I just can't warm up to the polymer handguns.


I've never gotten the whole Glock/XD craze. I can agree (bitterly) that they are reliable enough for every day use, but I can't get over the feel and the striker-fire type triggers. Yes, they're consistent...but a DA/SA is so much better to work with IMO. I think it's the fact that a lot of Glock owners are fanboys, and XD owners think their guns are the best on earth because it has a grip safety. I fired my mom's boyfriend's XD and it was okay, the trigger was crisp, but I wouldn't buy one unless I found a stupid ridiculous deal on it. He fired my Beretta 92 and it was too complicated for him - there were too many buttons and stuff. I chuckled a bit and helped him get his first couple shots off. He handed it back to me after missing by a few feet. Some folks just aren't DA/SA. I on the other hand think they're great.

Still not entirely sold on polymer guns, but they're starting to come around. I'd buy a Smith SDVE before I'd buy a Glock, it feels better and even though the trigger is abysmally worse, everything else about it trumps the glock. Other polymer guns I'd buy? PX4 Storm (frame), SP2022 (frame), M&P Shield.

I'm a DA/SA guy all around though. The most important thing is the "take-up" on the trigger and feeling that initial pressure right before you break that trigger. When you can predict that trigger break, shots are more consistent. When you're fighting too long of a trigger pull (like the DA on my 92FS...I'd like to bust its balls) you pull so long you make a sandwich while you're waiting for the break, and then it comes too quickly. Gotta put a D spring in that sucker. Back on topic though, most "good" guns are going to have a decent trigger mechanism with a crisp break. Other "value priced" guns (i.e. the SD "Value Enhanced" 9/40) may not.

I'm also a bit tipsy from some good old lager right now so I'm long winded. Hope you all have a good night.



Dude. You are a major league gun snob. Wow.

I don't remember writing this post last night. Hahahaha.

 

[nleksan]

I am even more ADD when it comes to firearms than I am with cars, to theppoint that I went tthrough 18 different AR15 pattern rifles (13 being SBR's, 10.1-12.8") in a year, and aside from a 300BLK 11.4" suppressed Noveske that I stillhhave, not a single other rifle lasted for more than 60 days before I traded up, down, or horizontal for something different.
Working at a small C3 dealer, I mana ged to get one of the first HK416's to be sold in the US, and grabbed the 10.4, 14.5, and 16in uppers before they disappeared (less than 48hrs and everything was completely backordered).

It was not cheap, but it is, in my humble opinion, the epitome of what a mass-produced AR15 can be, and I will go so far as to say that the quality of the rifle, OOB accuracy, and even fit/finish is superior to the majority of "custom" (or semi-custom) AR's out there. It has never once FTF'ed, and while a large part of that is the use of high quality ammunition, it should be noted that it's put more than half the total rounds shot, through a Suppressor (GemTech G5-T).

I can honestly say that it is one of a small, small selection of firearms that I would have 100 percent faith in, even in a situation where my home was invaded waking me and the rifle was not loaded (and thus a fair amount of finaggling in the dark).


My go to for handguns, as good as the USP45/et al are, is the Sig P226 in 357Sig. I simply replace the barrel with a threaded one, and while supersonic the 357Sig cartridge is a very flat, fast, and accurate round that is quieted a surprising amount with a 9mm suppressor and with no degradation of accuracy at realistic engagement distances (30-35ft max). It kicks like a 9, but it is significantly more powerful.
A few magazines loaded with Hornady JHP Frangible rounds makes for a high stopping power, quiet, compact weapon that has the same risk of OP as a medium weight birdshot indoors, and while they wwon't punch through ballistic shielding, if you have someone breaking into your home wearing Class IIIA or greater ballistic protection, you have bigger problems.
The Sig itself, well, I've got 5 different 226's, and with a collective 58,000 rounds, I have had exactly one FTF resulting from the weapon (ammunition related FTF is a bit different, but an FTF is an FTF). Accurate, comfortable, insanely reliable, and carrying a lot of lead for its size, I simply haveyet to own a better mass produced handgun (I prefer the Sig to the FN45, USP45, Mk23 Mod0, and it's everything that the horrible M9/92FS is not).

So, I would say that there's absolutely a line at which you are getting the best firearm for your money, but it depends on your needs. For me, if I pick up a weapon and it doesn't shoot for whatever reason, I am done with it. A gun that doesn't work reliably is worse than nothing, because an unarmed person is much less likely to be shot than an armed one, regardless of whether the weapon actually fires or not.
I guessit comes ddown to preference, and what you value your own life at, and the lives of those people who may be dependent on your actions...

 

[Robenstein]

My standard tends to be that if a gun has been tested and approved by some major law enforcement agency or military force, it is going to be a good candidate for a weapon to defend yourself with.

That is why back in the days before panic buying was in force, I steered people towards various surplus Com Bloc 9mm makarov pistols before I would let them get something like a Hi Point, Cobra, Jennings, ect.

But that is my reasoning...and I think it is fair to say it is a logical one at that. I find especially that after a certain price, it tends to be more about the form than the function, and a little bit of branding also. Yes on a custom shop 1911 you will be hard pressed to find a better finished pistol, but that does not always mean it is as or more reliable than one costing about half as much. In fact some guns high on the price scale make bad guns to protect yourself with since they are so tightly fitted for accuracy you have to run them dripping wet.

So yes....you can buy inexpensive, but never go cheap unless you only ever plan on killing paper on a sunny day at the range.

 

[Barkleymut]

I just picked up a Zestava 9mm. Based on what I have read it is one of the most dependable guns in the world. It is staying in my glovebox and will be my go to since it holds 15 self defense rounds. It also doesn't kick much at all so getting off a bunch of shots at once should not be a problem.

 

[Barkleymut]

btw I paid $299 for it...it is used by the Serbian police and military. Good enough for me.

 

[Robenstein]

Well if it is the one I am thinking of, its basically a copy of a Sig Sauer 226 with a few tweaks. Solid gun.