[orangeninja]

A thought on gun snobs and collectors

I don’t collect weapons. There’s certainly nothing wrong with doing so, but I generally don’t. When I find a gun that works for me, I buy 2 copies of that 1 gun, identical configurations, because as the old adage goes, 2 is 1 and 1 is none, if I have a gun in my “arsenal” that doesn’t work, then I get rid of it. I guess you can say I view weapons as tools. A hammer can look good all day, but if you can’t drive a nail, what’s the point?

When someone asks, “what is the ideal concealed/duty/plinker/etc.” there will inevitably be someone who points out their Kimber, their high end 1911 or their Anaconda or what have you. I have seen those who indeed own those weapons at various ranges (and on the net) bragging about this feature or that, but then they don’t carry the weapon, or if they do, they carry it from the car to the range back to the car again, certainly no 14 hour stretches with it and not anywhere near what a “work gun” is.

I look at the photos of their prized possessions and all of the nice “tactical” knives and custom leather that accompany such, and then I look at my daily carry. Mine doesn’t look like that. My leather has creases, stains from sweat or rubbing, it looks, well, worn. Do I pay $100.00 for leather? No, it’s something I’m going to carry my gun in; I buy quality leather and various styles so that I can wear my gun in whatever manner is necessary. Does that mean that there is anything wrong with $100.00 leather? Certainly not, I wish I had some but there are tons of options for holsters that are reasonably priced.

Where my hide gets chapped is when I see another shooter touting his (seldom her) collection as being what should be minimally acceptable. Or anyone not owning a gun of this or that make is simply not serious about defense. I see gun snobs at the store snicker at a woman buying a Firestorm 9mm or a young man purchasing a Hi Point for home defense. I see these guys swap war stories at the range about what agency or special unit carried a copy of whatever legendary arm they own.

Well here’s the truth of it. There is no such thing as a legendary gun. Men made the gun; men carried the gun and men made the gun work for their legendary exploits. Gun gun got used, it got abused, neglected and uncared for and when it wore out, the only thing left of it were stories. Have people cashed in on this? Certainly. But a man with a polished Colt Anaconda at home sitting in a safe has no business criticizing a “working” gun owned by anyone. It would seem to me that some collectors and gun snobs have lost perspective of WHY they have a gun when acquiring new pieces.

To be sure I am not a big fan of juggling platforms, if you carry autos, stick with autos, if you carry revolvers stick with those. If you carry Sig, stick with Sig or Glock with Glock. Simply put, most of us do not put in the time to adequately learn our weapons to carry more than one platform at a time. I carry Sig at work, I carry Glock off duty. I practice every 2 weeks at the range on live fire and I find that keeping up with these two platforms can be difficult to do so with any precision. Fortunately they are very similar, draw, aim, fire. The guys who crack me up are the ones who juggle a Colt revolver with a 1911 of some type, with some kind of hot rodded Glock and who knows what else. They’re carrying something different every day. It makes me wonder who is taking their weapon more seriously. The man or woman purchasing an inexpensive piece to carry every day? Or the man (seldom a woman) carrying some new kind of “doo-dad” every single day?

Lets get down to the nuts of it all. Concealed weapons (CCW) will be carried a lot and potentially only used once (if at that) in a real life scenario. When used this weapon will be taken by the police and tagged, sometimes they engrave a case number right onto the weapon, how does that sit with your $3,000 gun? And guess what? The cops ain’t going to clean it for you. You may have a weapon sitting dirty for 2 or 3 years with no cleaning labeled as “evidence”. Some guys hot rod something that works so much, it doesn’t work anymore, like say a 1911 or Glock that has been “improved” until it isn’t reliable.

Recently there was a member complaining that thehighroad is akin to a bunch of people looking for a weapon that costs under $400.00. I’m here to tell you, there is a smorgasbord of good weapons for self defense under $400.00 that make bad guys just as dead as a $1,500.00 Kimber. The difference is, the Kimber is apparently meant to impress first, then if he has time, maybe use it in defense whereas a little $300.00 Bersa Thunder .45 or the like is meant to work, I.E. defend it’s owner at a moments notice, reliably and with very little “oohs and aahs” from the “collector” crowd. One is show, the other is work.

So next time you think about photographing your $200.00 knife that hasn’t seen the light of day next to your $100.00 custom holster you never wear next to your $1500.00 Kimber that you don’t carry (for whatever reason) I’d like to see a work gun, with a work holster with a work knife right next to it. Sometimes we’ve got to stop pretending and get back to the basics of why we own a gun in the first place and I doubt it was to model for our camera or impress our friends.

If anyone should be snickering at anyone, it should be the time worn gun and age worn holster snickering at that polished Freudian substitute some of us “claim” to carry. Serious is as serious does, Gump didn’t say that, but I’m sure he would have here.

---Alduro’s rant of the evening.

[RandomMan]

Excellent points all around.

For you:

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/9186/reversedpistolandburch6dh.th.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reversedpistolandburch6dh.jpg) <---Click to enlarge.

Although, I must tell you, that is a $200 custom knife...and it is a "working" knife. Just went around the block with me 2 hours ago...and went around the block with me yesterday...and the day before...and the day before that. So, while I agree with you on most points. I think if someone has a $1500 Kimber, a $100 leather holster, and a $200 custom knife and carries them all...then they're as good as my $30 holster, $325 RIA, and uhh $200 custom knife. :)

-Rob

[Old Dog]

But Alduro, if you won the Mega-Millions Lotto jackpot, would you then start a collection and become a gun snob?

I do agree with your position on those who list (or post photos of) their personal collections with the implication that their $20,000 worth of firearms constitutes the bare necessities for the minimalist collector ...

But, I do kinda think that as far as gunleather goes, ya gets what ya pays for ... and for me, durable and well-fitting holsters do tend to run me a lot closer to the hundred-buck mark than to the thirty-dollar mark ... And as for knives, I'm not into the custom jobs, but I find I've gotta pay a bit more for one that lasts ...

And uh, Rob? Not enough honest holster wear on that there 1911 ... :)

[LeonCarr]

+2 for Alduro

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[only1asterisk]

As in most things, you get what you pay for to a certain extent. I see little advantage in most handguns over $800 (strictly for defense) or holsters over $90, but there are quantitative differences between the handguns that sell for under $400 new and those that sell for a couple hundred more.

Further, I see nothing wrong having a stable of handguns to choose from. I want to carry all the gun I can and this varies with season and activity. If I could dress around a 5” N frame all the time, I would.

One of best feelings a person can have in life is being happy with what they have. If you are, rejoice. Just don’t take somebody up on an offer to let you try a better holster or gun, it may ruin your bliss.


David

[jeepmor]

I agree that reliability doesn't cost extra, it usually costs less. I read of more issues with expensive guns or smithed out guns than I do of Taurus, Bersa, Highpoint and so on. Which is why I chose to shop in this price range to start. Maybe I'll own some prestigious piece of some kind or another some day, but as Alduro says in many more words, function is paramount, not form.

I come from a family of hunters. I have not been much of one myself since highschool, but my father and brother have. I think they both been through so many guns for so many years now that they may be into collections by now. Probably a few high end implements in there somewhere. However, function is still the key. My brother lives in Alaska, and that 1000 lb grizzly covering 50 yards in 3 seconds or so doesn't care how much your gun costs now does he/she? Especially if that's her cubs behind you.

Not too mention the thugs trying to strongarm, mug, rob or kill you. I doubt many would be criminals get drawn or shot by a ccw holder being violated and says...hey man, nice gun. Unless he takes it from you because it doesn't work, then beats the snot out of you with it and worse....


jeepmor

[jeepmor]

I agree that reliability doesn't cost extra, it usually costs less. I read of more issues with expensive guns or smithed out guns than I do of Taurus, Bersa, Highpoint and so on. Which is why I chose to shop in this price range to start. Maybe I'll own some prestigious piece of some kind or another some day, but as Alduro says in many more words, function is paramount, not form.

I come from a family of hunters. I have not been much of one myself since highschool, but my father and brother have. I think they have had guns and been through so many for so many years now that they may be into collections by now. Probably a few high end implements in there somewhere. However, function is still the key. My brother lives in Alaska, and that 1000 lb grizzly covering 50 yards in 3 seconds or so doesn't care how much your gun costs now does he/she?

Not too mention the thugs trying to strongarm, mug, rob or kill you. No one gets shot and says...hey man, nice gun. Unless he takes it from you because it doesn't work, then beats the snot out of you with it and worse....

jeepmor

[Rembrandt]

Ahh yes, "Class Warfare"....it's been around as long as mankind. A favorite tactic used by liberals and socialists to motivate the masses to anger and revolution. To paraphrase Marie Antoinette, I say let the Glockers eat cake....(heehee)

...and what about all those custom Holster makers, engravers, pistolsmiths (real and imagined) that would be put out of business? Don't their kids need shoes and a roof over their heads? Can't we give capitalism in the gun industry one more chance?

Rembrandt (the gun snob & collector)

[silicon wolverine]

I like the cheap reliable fobus friction holsters fro my glock 17 i carry every day. I used to work at a salvage yard and we had issues with scavangers cutting our fences to steal so i carried there. Now i work at a water treatment plant and we have security concerns with the fact we have 20 tons of chlorine on hand at any given time. (BAD juju if mohammed ever got ahold of it) so i carry it al the time. My work knife is a wal-mart cheapie cause i break or lose three or four a year but i have a gerber slide loc multi plier thats rode in my back pocket for 10 years. Too many people deride cheap guns because they can afford to buy kimber and springfield custom. I started out with a raven .25 i bought from a co-worker for 35$. i moved through Bryco's, jennings, and hi-points because thats what i could afford. Now that i have a stable income i can afford glocks, colts and other higher end guns. But guess what. My cheapie raven still fits inside my swimming trunks that have no chance of hiding a kimber.

SW

[xring44]

I think I own 14 handguns, yet I only have two hands, I have one that was expensive to me, in the $1400.00 range, all but three are S&Ws, some older, some new, I don't actually "collect" I enjoy, I am proud of those few I own and seldom carry although I have a CCL. What I do is shoot, I seldom miss more than a couple of days a week shooting. I enjoy shooting and live in a rural area that has a low crime rate, although crime is growing here as well, for awhile ever gun I bought I bought was with the intention of sometime carrying it. I seldom leave the house without a weapon, but most of my trips include a visit to the local range, some 5 or 6 miles from my house.
I enjoy the nicer things, good leather beats nylon in any configuration. I am certainly not wealthy, I save for all my toys. I think growing up with nothing causes one to indulge ones'self when retirement time gets here. Time is short, enjoy whats left of life. A good revolver does that for me.

[XavierBreath]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2157/1620/1600/H&RPsychogun.jpg
What about those of us who collect guns that have a history of wear?
Here (http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/03/new-gun-old-memory.html) is one of my favorites with the the knife, and other items.

Pristine guns are nice, but often overpriced for a bit more blue and a feeling you must preserve them. I enjoy a wide variety of guns that I shoot, and can handle without wiping down. You might even say I collect them. I will pass up a 99% Model 27 long before I would have passed up the Model of 1899 pictured below. If a gun is not used, it has no history. For me, the interest is the history.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2157/1620/1600/1899M%26Pright.jpg

Now as for the under $400 new gun crowd.........Thank goodness there are manufacturers who make adequate and reliable guns at that price point. Not everyone can plop down $500+ for a weapon when they need it.

[CajunBass]

I've only got one gun that I paid more than $400.00 for, and it is now locked away. I like the gun, I just don't carry it. I recently picked up what I think will probably stay my carry gun, a $250.00 Smith and Wesson 39-2. I just like the feel of the gun. My holster is a Uncle Mikes nylon one. My knife is a 3" blade Bucklite folding hunter I've had for years. I don't think of it as a weapon. It's a tool.

I certainly have no quarrel with those who can afford to spend more on their guns. I also don't put down those who can't. One of my best shooting guns is a Hi-Point,
C-9. It may not be fancy, it may not be expensive, but it goes bang when pull the trigger, and hits as close to where I want it to hit as anything else I shoot.

For my next gun, I want a 1911. Either a Colt or a Kimber. Not sure which yet.

[farscott]

I kinda agree with both sides on this one. On one hand, I have witnessed gun snobbery of the most extreme when it was suggested that my "lowly" SA Mil-Spec was not suitable for a 5-day training class because it was almost stock. How dare I attempt to shoot over five hundred rounds out of a stock 1911 with a Ti firing pin? It did fine, and I did okay at the course. Guns ARE tools.

On the other hand, my everyday carry is either a custom Colt 1911 that costs near $3000 and wears ivory grips or another custom Colt that is configured close to the same way. The ivory grips have yellowed and have marks on them from a red Sharpie. The stainless steel is scratched and the gun looks worn. It gets carried in either a Sparks VM-2 or a Sparks HR-LTD (both of which retail for more than $100), and it gets carried for at least fourteen hours a day. Heck, fixed costs like guns and holsters are nothing compared to consumable costs, like ammo. I spend well over $5000 per year on ammo. If my custom gun lasts just ten years, it will eat well over $20,000 in ammo. Even "expensive" guns are cheap when one looks at the big picture.

If, heavens forbid, I use it for real and it becomes evidence, I will just go into the safe and grab the copy of it, call my insurance company to file a claim, and call my smith to get a spot on the waiting list to build my new backup. That is the chump change part of it. Next comes the really expensive stuff. $3,000 in a gun is nothing compared to the legal fees for what happens after a shooting.

Guns are tools, and I like to use tools that work well for me.

[only1asterisk]

Farscott,

I know exactly what you're talking about. I and my 870 where almost laughed off a sporting clays course. I respect the guys out there smokin' targets without regard to the equipment they use.

David

[Richard]

alduro, you have raised excellent points. I have spent a lot of money looking for a reasonably priced car/carry handgun, found it, and then put too much money into to use for this purpose. This is my best example, it is my S&W M457 that I bought new for $325 . When it got scruffy I had it refinished and now it is too pretty to carry. Regards, Richard :D

Before:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p07d55883c8063e99b378be7066d2a015/f9dab4f8.jpg
After:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/p1e338a8f7942af524e4bc1a8070b2c73/f9dfd521.jpg

[JohnBT]

"Where my hide gets chapped..."

Don't look at the Bass Pro thread in Shotguns. If you do, take some of this...

http://www.pfizerch.com/uploadedImages/product/prod_lubriderm_adv_sm.jpg

:)

[orangeninja]

Ahh yes, "Class Warfare"....

Nooooootttttt really. I should had added a caveat, the point was a gun is ultimately a tool, not a show piece. It's okay to have a $3,000 gun that you carry. Additionally it is okay to have a $3,000 show piece. But don't compare the $3,000 show piece to someones $300.00 used S&W carry piece to try and "one up" them. It doesn't make sense.....they're using the gun for what it was designed for and a show piece is...........well...........more akin to a painting and not a working gun.

Also, none of my guns cost under $400.00. None of them cost under $500.00, but that doesn't make them more effective at what they do, it just means I have more income to put towards self defense. I too believe you get what you pay for, however sometimes you DON'T get what you pay for.........in the case of spending for that $1500.00 Kimber, there is a point of diminishing returns.

I don't appologize for carrying what works and I don't advocate people trying to be cheap when buying a weapon for self defense, quality counts and counts big. I do recommend that before the gun snobs start to snicker and grumble that they should decide what it is that they do with their own weapons before laughing. What is laughable is a gun that doesn't see the light of day.........it's just a fancy baseball card or postage stamp someone collected. So don't compare a postage stamp collection to a tried and true, worn blue, constant companion.

As for holsters, same concept, there is a point of diminishing returns......

JohnBT.........as for snobby skeet shooters........well........I love to shoot skeet, but it's like golf, a sport and nothing more. I "ain't got no time" for sports fans encroaching on self defense topics with yacht club attitudes any more than I'd listen to Tiger Woods on self defense.

So let's see some REAL carry pieces on this thread......Pics encouraged.

[farscott]

This one has been carried quite often. It now wears different grips because I cracked the ones shown in the picture.

[Kevinch]

I would never snicker at anyone for their weapon of choice or circumstance. A point could be made that the likelihood of having to use a gun for SD might occur in an area where the average citizen cannot afford even $200 for a gun, & must be satisfied with something along the lines of a Jennings. So be it.

But - let's not forget that SD or HD is not the only valid reason for owning a firearm. (The anti crowd would just love to be able to put forth that fallacy as fact!) There are many, one of which is collecting. I'm not sure how many guns of what lineage or value one needs to acquire to be considered a collector; certainly some of my friends that aren't "into" guns as I am would consider me one.

I also enjoy photography, & like to take pictures of my guns. I don't believe I'm "pretending" anything when I take a picture of my polished 6" 686 next to a knife or holster or whatever - it's simply something I enjoy doing. I don't know if you're into photography Alduro, but if so why not take a few pictures of your working gun(s), holster(s) & knife (knives) & post here? I'd like to take a look at them.

As far as the $$ money spent I look at it this way: if you earned it, spend it any way you want to. I certainly do. If a $1500 S&W PC revolver is what you want, go for it. I might not think it's worth it, but can understand your appreciation of the product. For me, I'd probably rather buy a less expensive gun & quality belt, holster, etc, to go with it. Expensive hardware doesn’t create snobs; snobs are a product of their own inflated self worth. There are plenty of snobs running around with $150 used Model 10s as opposed to $1200 Springfields.

This isn't a flame post, just some observation. What I do find amusing, to the point that I have to consider the guy in the mirror sometimes too, is that we take this whole internet message board thing so seriously. We can really get our shorts in a knot because we think somebody has dissed our favorite brand. How petty can we be? I offer that if you can get upset because someone says a Kimber is junk, claims revolvers have no SD role in a modern world, that it's time for the 9mm to fade away or posts a picture of a custom 1911 with the thought that it's the best SD gun produced, then your need to do some self evaluation. Interesting & fun? Certainly. Purposeful? I think so. It’s a great way to get the word out – just look back to when S&W signed the HUD agreement, and compare that to when Bill Ruger supported the 10 round mag limit (and Al Gore hadn’t invented the internet yet). But are our opinions any more important than they ever were just because we have access to more people? Not hardly - & that includes this one.

[MCgunner]

I do agree with you, but hey, lighten up already! When the "get what you pay for" rich gun snobs make their stupid statements, I just let 'em roll off and keep carrying my very effective KT P11 happy in the knowledge than I can probably outshoot them and their Kimber. :D But, I like seeing eye candy photos. I don't want 'em to quit posting the photos. There are some very pretty guns out there on this board.

I'm an old shotgunner/duck hunter. I do appreciate a beautiful English side by side side lock adorned with handsome engraving, a beautiful hand checkered walnut stock, and the like. Some of these guns run five figures, but they're ART! They're beautiful! What do I take duck hunting in the salt marsh you ask? A camo Mossberg 500. :D :D :D :D :D That don't mean I can't appreciate a little eye candy.

[Checkman]

I've known guys who have two or three different handguns that they use. They are competent with those two or three handguns. Personally I carry a Sig P245 as my belt or primary and a S&W 38 J frame as my BUG. I consider those two designs to be similar enough as to not cause concern. I suppose that if my Smith was to have a fail to fire I might perform an immediate action drill before pulling the trigger again, but I don't see that as a problem.

As far as the gun snobs go I agree with you. However I do have my duty handguns and I also have my safequeens. I believe a fella can have both. Why does it have to be either one or the other? Which is how it's coming across to me.

[cmidkiff]

Don't have a photo for you, but my daily carry is a P11 in a well worn smartcarry, and a P3AT in a cheap pocket holster. Inexpensive, reliable firearms, and a carry method for each that works will for me.

I like leather, but I can't carry OWB in my current position, and I've yet to find an IWB setup that was comfortable enough for me to wear 18hrs/Day.

All the same, I know people who carry expensive weapons... That's their choice. It's good to have choices! A Kahr P45 and a Rorbaugh R9 BUG seem like ideal carry weapons to me, regardless of price. Since I don't have the money, I don't carry one, but I would if I could justify the price.

I have revolvers, simi-autos, shotguns, and rifles... never thought twice about loading some of each up for a trip to the range. I shoot more through my Browning .22 than any other gun I own, cause it's fun, and inexpensive to do so. Does that make me less competent with my carry weapons?

[ArmedBear]

SC guys laugh at your 870? Outscore them. Or go shoot somewhere else; it's supposed to be fun. I wouldn't shoot at a range where I can't take my 870 Express, even though it's no longer my only shotgun.

Guys who hang out at the gun shop are dorks? Pity them, then laugh at them. You'll laugh even harder at them when you see them at the range.

Tacticool guys bug you? Why? You're not as fat and out-of-shape as they are, are you? If so, go work out. It'll feel a lot better than fretting about those weaklings.

Why this insecurity?

Too many sensitivity seminars?

(For the record, I'm not a gun snob, and I have a number of guns I've bought for under $300 a piece. Some for $100 or less. Some of them I'd trust as defensive weapons, others are just intriguing antiques. I've never paid more than $600 for a gun, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so if it made sense at the time. I just don't care if someone else spends $1500, or $15,000 for that matter.

(edited for content)

[Rockrivr1]

Before I started to make a decent salary I would need to save for many months to get a very inexpensive handgun. I remember getting my first shotgun, which was an 870 Express. It cost me $200 and I was so proud to have it. Now that I have a steady income I can afford more and do buy more expensive handguns. Some people just need to feel better then others I suppose.

only1asterisk, I had the same experience as you. I took my 870 Express to shoot trap. Some of these guys with their fancy $2000 over unders just shook there heads at me. At first it was a little intimidating, but I still went on Sunday mornings as I really enjoyed it.

My daily carry is a Kahr PM9 in a Uncle Mikes pocket holster. Works for me most of the time. I've also carried a S&W 642 in the same Uncle Mikes pocket holster.

[BigG]

And - your point is?

There is room enough for everybody who likes guns to get under the tent. The last thing we need is snobs who make a virtue out of their poverty or stinginess. Anybody can have anything they want, as far as I'm concerned. Why try to limit somebody else? :confused:

[XavierBreath]

So let's see some REAL carry pieces on this thread......Pics encouraged
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26663&d=1121792139
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26664&d=1121792161
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26665&d=1121792186
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26667&d=1121792229
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26668&d=1121792378

See this thread for more of the same............. (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=146948)

And one more..........

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2157/1620/1600/sistemannup.jpg

[Kramer Krazy]

Points well taken........You address the two ends of the spectrum, though: carry and safe-queens. What about all those guns that are owned simply for just shooting holes in paper? I generally carry an old, beat up, and worn Officer's model manufactured 1981. It is usually at the range with me, if not, I have one of my other 1911 guns, but.....I sure do enjoy all my other guns, too, so some of them go with me each time. I mean, I have the guns, so why not shoot them? I will probably never carry my Vaquero or plan on using it for home defense, but it sure is fun to shoot.

I agree with you, also, about shooting/carrying a variety and how it can hinder your abilities with your carry weapon. I used to carry 4-5 different guns of different styles, but have now dropped it to two that are carried the same way and have similar controls. I've often thought about not being used to the format I'm carrying, and having to fumble with the safety (or lack of - Glock).

Good read there, Alduro! ;)

[orangeninja]

it's simply something I enjoy doing. I don't know if you're into photography Alduro, but if so why not take a few pictures of your working gun(s), holster(s) & knife (knives) & post here?
I don’t have a digital camera and really am not much of a photographer. Just think, pair of Sig 229, black stainless in .40 and pair of Glock 19’s, stock and you’ll get the idea. I also have a FN HP, but it is not yet a carry piece...

I believe a fella can have both. Why does it have to be either one or the other? Which is how it's coming across to me.
Sorry it’s coming across like that. What I meant to get across, and thought I’ve said, is that comparing a collectors gun to a shooters gun doesn’t make sense. In other words, you don’t whip out your safe queen and pass it off as a carry piece right?

As for what got this thread started was watching a young woman buying a Firestorm 9mm for home defense while the “gun guys” watched, rolled their eyes, etc. I was pretty hot but didn’t say anything since she did not notice and left with her purchase under arm. Meanwhile these show boaters LOVE to brag about what they “carry”……..though I’ve never seen them. Then I come here, read another thread complaining about people spending less than $400.00 on guns and I said to myself “self, we’ve go to rant”.

I’m not knocking owning nice guns…….I’m knocking those of us who take our photo bait/safe queens/BBQ guns and act like they are our “carry” pieces or workhorse when in fact they are not.

[poppy]

Well Alduro, I do understand where you are coming from, and I do agree with much of what you have said, but.....

I do agree with your criticism of the poster who thinks THR should only be for people who like $400+ guns. I always thought the word "High" was about standards and attitude, not price. The funny thing about that poster, was that they went on to say that they had Maks and other inexpensive guns.:rolleyes:

I was attracted to your thread because of the title "Gun Snobs and Collectors" and thought maybe those were different catajories, but alas, it turns out that your rant was about collectors who are gun snobs.

I am a collector, but certainly not a snob. Why? Because my collection is mostly of guns that cost less than $400. Actually I am more of a collector/shooter since I really don't have very many safe queens. Your rant is obviously not about gun nuts like me, but I just needed to point out that there are different types of collectors.

The thing that I don't agree with is the assumption that everyone on THR is a CCW person. There are numerous threads where someone asks advice on a range/HD handgun, and numberous posters reply with what that person should "carry." We don't all carry, and we don't all put thousands of rounds through our guns.

I would rather buy that Walther P1 for $259 than spend that much at the range. Just one example of my collector style.

[bratch]

My jacket weather working collection. If you look close enough you can see the lettering on the Kimber has almost been worn off.

http://x11.putfile.com/11/32000243762-thumb.jpg (http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=11/32000243762.jpg&s=x11)

[MCgunner]

As for holsters, same concept, there is a point of diminishing returns......

My Rosen IWB was $140, the gun that goes in it was $260. But, it's a quality chunk of leather than I can wear all day long and never worry about retention, comfort, or quickness of draw. I happen to believe in quality leather. I hope I'm not a leather snob, but I cannot stand those cheapo clip type IWBs that fold up with you withdraw the gun and shift around and let the hard parts of the gun print through to my skin. I want good leather and a gun that works.

Reason I actually bought the Rosen at the time was it was about the only tuckable, a "Workman" model. There has since become available a lot of cheaper tuckables and I might have found something at lower costs if I'd waited a few years....:banghead: But, it is a work of art in leather and shows little wear after 9 years of use.

[Smurfslayer]

When someone asks, “what is the ideal concealed/duty/plinker/etc.” there will inevitably be someone who points out their Kimber, their high end 1911 or their Anaconda or what have you.

Now you've done it...

Sometimes we’ve got to stop pretending and get back to the basics of why we own a gun in the first place and I doubt it was to model for our camera or impress our friends.


Alduro, I've got just one question for you, 'mano...


Are you the only one in this forum QUALIFIED to ...
Never mind ;)


A thoughtful rant, worthy of discussion. + whatever the count is now...

[HCfan]

While I agree with your observations on having a working firearm vs. a show piece, I must disagree with your assumption that one cannot be proficient on different weapons systems.

I carry, depending on dress, weather, or situation, different weapon systems. I have practiced with all and can change from one to the other in the same shooting session and still hit the same as with the different firearm used earlier. This includes but is not limited to autos and revolvers.

The only "odd ball" weapons system that many say they have a hard time switching to from, lets say, a 1911 platform is the Glock. Again, I have no trouble switching from one to the other and hitting where aimed.

The reason that I've decided to train in this manner is due to if for some reason I am in a disarmed zone (for civilians but not for LEO's) and something happens, the LEO being put out of play, I can pick up his/her issued weapon and know enough of it's operation/feel to protect myself as well as any others.

Granted, the possibility of this happening are small to null but one never knows what may happen during the course of life.

I couldn't agree with you more on the subject of sticking one's nose up at someone else's choice of weapons. Many factors, finances usually being the biggest, dictates what they get. Saying that one should "just save up" for something better isn't always an option and who is another to tell someone that they shouldn't have a right to self defense until they can afford a high end or expensive firearm?

Good post IMHO for great conversation.

[Checkman]

Alduro

Sorry it’s coming across like that. What I meant to get across, and thought I’ve said, is that comparing a collectors gun to a shooters gun doesn’t make sense. In other words, you don’t whip out your safe queen and pass it off as a carry piece right?

Got it. Thanks for the clarification. Now I understand what you were saying and I agree with you +1. Thanks.

[Guns_and_Labs]

The only "odd ball" weapons system that many say they have a hard time switching to from, lets say, a 1911 platform is the Glock. Again, I have no trouble switching from one to the other and hitting where aimed.


Actually, I find very few issues swapping back and forth between a Glock and a 1911. It's the Sig's DA/SA transition that constantly has me baffled.

[Whirlwind06]

The reason that I've decided to train in this manner is due to if for some reason I am in a disarmed zone (for civilians but not for LEO's) and something happens, the LEO being put out of play, I can pick up his/her issued weapon and know enough of it's operation/feel to protect myself as well as any others.

As my CCW instructor (A LEO) said. "You are not selected, you are elected." Never know what gun you will have to shoot.


Actually, I find very few issues swapping back and forth between a Glock and a 1911. It's the Sig's DA/SA transition that constantly has me baffled.

I agree. Either DA or SA not one long pull then a bunch of short pulls.

[waterhouse]

I carry an HK p7 almost every day. Although I got it for less (much less) I could probably sell it for about $900. If the cops ever take it from me after I use it to defend myself or someone else, I will consider it 900 well spent dollars.

And while that P7 is sitting in the police evidence room, I'll take out its twin brother and carry it around.

I sometimes alternate between carrying the p7 and carrying a 1911. That 1911 happens to be a Kimber. I have no trouble switching between the two.

Most of my leather cost about $100. I don't use it because it costs $100. I use it because after trying several makes and models the most comfortable ones happened to cost about $100. Also, even though I wear it nearly every day, my leather doesn't show much sign of use. I just took off my holster to look at it an I see no creases or sweat stains. As for the guns, other than some wear on the edges, they are in pretty good shape as well. And my hideaway knife gets used several times a day, but I doubt you could tell it from new in a picture.

I guess what I am saying is that some of us do carry high dollar guns in high dollar holsters, and when you see a picture that is exactly what they are . . .high dollar guns that get carried.

I do see you point about lower cost guns. I'll never look down on anyone for their choice of firearm, and I think it is silly when people do. If P7s cost $100 I'd still carry them.

I choose to carry the guns that I shoot best that I can easily conceal in holsters that are the most comfortable for me. I sometimes even take pictures of my expensive guns. If that makes me a gun snob, so be it.

[orangeninja]

I'm not knocking carry pieces that are expensive or even carry holsters and knives that are expensive.......far from it, I say, get the best you can afford and get 2 of them. That being said, I'm strictly speaking to those who pass off a weapon as a CARRY weapon when in fact it is not a carry weapon, it is a safe queen or show piece or collectors item, etc.

I hope that's more clear.



As for me being the only one qualified to...........sometimes I wonder.:scrutiny:

[Guns_and_Labs]

from it, I say, get the best you can afford and get 2 of them.

or three. One to carry, one to keep in the safe as backup, and one buried in the yard that the ex-wife doesn't know about... whoops, wrong thread.

[White Horseradish]

That being said, I'm strictly speaking to those who pass off a weapon as a CARRY weapon when in fact it is not a carry weapon, it is a safe queen or show piece or collectors item, etc.Dang. And here I was going to talk about my Nagant revolver... :neener:

I'll post some pix of my tools when I get home.

[JohnBT]

"JohnBT.........as for snobby skeet shooters........well........I love to shoot skeet, but it's like golf, a sport and nothing more. I "ain't got no time" for sports fans encroaching on self defense topics with yacht club attitudes any more than I'd listen to Tiger Woods on self defense."

I aplogize for stepping into your rant with a little attempted humor. I don't shoot skeet BTW.

John

[orangeninja]

I aplogize for stepping into your rant with a little attempted humor. I don't shoot skeet BTW

no appology needed.......I'm done walking around waving my hands in the air.......for now.:D

[litework]

To be sure I am not a big fan of juggling platforms, if you carry autos, stick with autos, if you carry revolvers stick with those. If you carry Sig, stick with Sig or Glock with Glock. Simply put, most of us do not put in the time to adequately learn our weapons to carry more than one platform at a time. I carry Sig at work, I carry Glock off duty. I practice every 2 weeks at the range on live fire and I find that keeping up with these two platforms can be difficult to do so with any precision. Fortunately they are very similar, draw, aim, fire. The guys who crack me up are the ones who juggle a Colt revolver with a 1911 of some type, with some kind of hot rodded Glock and who knows what else. They’re carrying something different every day. It makes me wonder who is taking their weapon more seriously. The man or woman purchasing an inexpensive piece to carry every day? Or the man (seldom a woman) carrying some new kind of “doo-dad” every single day?

I thought about doing this very thing; selling all my range/carry guns and going strictly with HK (my favorite)…but I decided that it is much more important to experience the thrill of firing many different platforms, even if I don’t obtain maximum efficiency in any one gun, than to limit my experience to that one gun. Sure I own and carry a gun to protect myself, but that isn’t why I shoot every week. I shoot because it’s fun. When that feeling goes away, and I hope in never does, I may resort to using one type of gun. Until that sad day, I’ll continue to shoot my revolvers, autoloaders, and even bow or two, though the Mathews is a little hard on the small of my back.

[orangeninja]

I guess I'm weird in that I only own "work guns".....it's sad really. I buy guns, shoot them and love them, but everytime I pay bills I look at a gun that I don't carry as financial anchor. Maybe I'm just not as into the whole "hobby" thing as some.

[Sgt Stevo]

Go boy!

I have stopped taking advice from range guru types. Im sure they have knowledge but little has been useful to me.

It is easy to figure out who is full of sh*&. They can shoot, and dont generally push their knowledge on you.

I have gotton lots of crap, shooting my GLOCK 34. 9 is weak, barrel is too long, etc.

But I hit the target and shoot small groups everytime. But life is to short for me to care what another guy has in his safe.

I am not immpressed by guns, just shooters.......Stevo

[JohnKSa]

I agree, I'm not a collector either.

If something doesn't get shot much, I start thinking about selling it.

I will admit that I do have some "fun guns" that I shoot for recreation even though their pure utility is somewhat limited.

Most of my stuff is primarily oriented toward utility.

[Ankeny]

I used to collect some really nice guns (even though I can't afford them), but I made a 180 degree turn around and now the only guns I own are working guns and game guns. I do have some expensive competition guns, but I certainly don't pass them off as high zoot carry guns even though I could pack them around.

I used to carry a Les Baer PII because full size 1911's rock. Then I went to a Kimber Pro Carry to lighten the load. My arthritis got to kicking my butt so I dropped back to a 9mm in a Glock 26. Of the three, the Glock is my favorite hands down because it serves the intended purpose. Form follows function.

As for holsters, I sure do like Milt Sparks stuff so that's what I use. Yes, they are a bit expensive, but I really don't mind paying a bit extra for quality. Then again, I have been known to use Uncle Mike's plastic. :)

[Rembrandt]

I guess I'm weird in that I only own "work guns".....it's sad really. I buy guns, shoot them and love them, but everytime I pay bills I look at a gun that I don't carry as financial anchor. Maybe I'm just not as into the whole "hobby" thing as some.

We are quite different alduro....I've been blessed with the financial ability to afford both, working guns and collectibles. Never considered myself a snob for doing so. Afraid I don't reside in a high crime area, ( even though I do possess a CCW permit)...work guns for me are for hunting, not concealed carry.

I'm not wealthy, but I am a quality freak...have little interest in middle of the road products that get the job done for the least amount of money when there's something better. Rather spend the money for products that are better engineered with precision tolerances and superb craftsmanship. Found out a long time ago you get what you pay for. Do I spend more for quality than I need to get the job done?...yes, but don't care.

Do I use safe queens for hunting (work)?...absolutely. The assertion that it has to be one or the other is flawed. This perception is not the fault of the person having collectibles but the perception of the person who doesn't have them.

[orangeninja]

This perception is not the fault of the person having collectibles but the perception of the person who doesn't have them.

Again, I think some are missing the point. Hmmmm.......how about I rephrase it into something like this....

The Gunsnob quiz

1.) Do you look down upon ro scoff at the purchases and choices for carry guns because it doesn't look like those on the cover of Handgunner magazine?

2.) Do you lie about what you carry?

3.) Do you buy guns soley based on reputation and bragging rights?

4.) Do you misrepresent your "collection" "arsenal" or whatever in order to feel superior to others?

5.) Do you find yourself having difficulty telling the truth in a gun shop?

6.) Do you offer carry advice about guns when you yourself do not carry?

7.) Do you carry such a huge array of guns that you really don't even know how they all work or when the last time you shot it was?

8.) Do you own holsters that you wouldn't dare wear because they are too "pretty" but act as if you do wear them and recommend them to people looking for a holster?

9.) Do you own knives that you've never used, but again talk about how awsome they are and recommend them to people?

10.) Final question, do you carry something because some alphabet team somewhere in the world once did?

End of quiz.....:D

I guess this is an issue of elitism and honesty. A $3000 time worn and carried 1911 is a thing to be admired. A brand spanking new $3000 1911 with a custom holster (not broken in) and a scoffing smirk on your face would not be a thing to be admired.

I am not knocking gun collectors....my brother is one (I don't understand him) but he is one and there are times I am marveled by what he has. However he also has serious working pieces, and does not confuse the two catagories of fun gun/carry gun. Though at times fun gun and carry gun can be one and the same. But you wouldn't see him rolling his eyes at someone for carrying a $230.00 Bersa.

['Card]

I think what Alduro is getting at doesn't have much to do with what you buy or what you like - he's really talking about the attitude some people have towards guns they see as being "beneath" them, and the people who own them - and I for one agree with him 100%.

Come on... we see it on here all the time. Someone will post asking for advice on a handgun purchase, and they'll state clearly that cost is a major factor and they need to keep it on the cheap side. It never fails that half a dozen people will chime in and say "You'd be better off saving for a couple of months and buying a Kimber instead of that cheap crap!" (or an HK, or whatever) I get pretty chapped about it too. I'm fortunate in that I've gotten to a position in my life now where I make a good living and I can afford a few toys, but it wasn't all that long ago when spending $1500 on anything that didn't have four wheels simply wasn't possible.

Maybe the folks who make those kinds of comments have forgotten what being poor is like, or maybe they never had to deal with it - but either way the attitude is a little bit insulting and somewhat demeaning.

I'm no saint, though. I laugh at people who buy overpriced houses so they can live in the 'classy' subdivision, or buy bloated 'lux-boat' SUV's, or mega-bux guns and golf clubs to keep up with the Jones' - which is probably just as bad in its own way as being a snob.

[Okiecruffler]

Not too long back I posted a question about a problem I was having with my newly aquired Charles Daly 1911. The question was almost instantly answered by an "expert" who's answer was "you should have just bought a rock." It's crap like that which has increased over the years that has caused me to pretty much ignore what used to be a decent, friendly board of TFL refugees.
BTW, after a little mag work the CD has been 100% reliable and now rides my hip every day in a $40 leather belt slide. Is the blueing still like new? Not by half.

[medmo]

So, I hear what you are saying and that is exactly why I spend less time here. There have been so many times where a someone posts with enthusiasm their new purchase that they saved and scrounged to own only to be beaten over the head by somenone else regurgitating garbage they read 100x already, (making them an expert of course...). I don't think it's snobbery it's more like closed-minds. If you don't like what I like or own what I own then you must be a Gomer.

[only1asterisk]

Come on... we see it on here all the time. Someone will post asking for advice on a handgun purchase, and they'll state clearly that cost is a major factor and they need to keep it on the cheap side. It never fails that half a dozen people will chime in and say "You'd be better off saving for a couple of months and buying a Kimber instead of that cheap crap!"

If that someone’s current defensive needs are taken care of and the gun they are inquiring about is truly a POS, why would patience and delayed gratification buy unwise advice? It may not need to be a Kimber, H&K or other overpriced brand, but in a case where $100 makes a real difference, why not?

Well made, reliable used, surplus and new handguns suitable for defensive use can be had in the $175-300 range all day long, perfectly good, first quality pump shotguns can be found for $125 and up, every other month a local sporting goods store runs a sale on Yugo SKS for $99. Entirely suitable NIB hunting rifle choices abound in the $225-325 range.

Cheap doesn't mean crappy, crappy means crappy. Inferior materials, manufacturing techniques, quality control or design make guns crappy. Think your RG makes the perfect pocket gun? You will have to excuse me if I disagree and counsel others against it. If a worthwhile acquaintance of mine was in need of a gun, I'd loan them a c-note rather than see them buy a Jennings. If a true friend of mine had his house burn down and needed a shotgun for his family’s hotel room and a carry gun, he's welcome to what I have on hand or we will go out and find one of the above mentioned inexpensive guns of acceptable quality. There are guns out there that may work for a while, but are temporary guns waiting to let somebody down. They don't belong in the hands of anybody I give a rat's ass about.


David

[Kevinch]

I'm strictly speaking to those who pass off a weapon as a CARRY weapon when in fact it is not a carry weapon, it is a safe queen or show piece or collectors item, etc.

Well, I dunno. :confused:

Not sure how you can determine that by looking at an internet post or pic.

First, as any journey starts with the first step, a carry gun begins it carry life with the first carry. And, as it is wise not to advocate carrying a gun until you are well familiar with its function & reliability, it could be months after an acquisition is made before it takes on that role. It could be years before it starts to show wear. Also, the pictures that you look at of gun, holster, & belt could be snapped immediately after purchase & posted years later. And some of us (me included) are just very anal about keeping guns clean & looking as close to new as we have time to do. I don't think I'm snobbish about it though - I know I hope I'm not!

But - I do sympathize with you. I can't help but draw a parallel in this vein between the "gun" culture & the "biker" culture. My bikes are clean & they look good - but believe me, they are ridden. I'll be doing a 6200 mile trip from home, to the west coast, and then to Washington DC, then back home in May. All in about 19 days. The actual organized ride ends in DC, and on Sunday (the day before Memorial Day) there is a huge parade. The number of bikes is astounding - we leave the Pentagon 4 to 6 lanes wide & it takes over 4 hours to empty out.

To my point: at all these events, you'll see people arriving a day or so early, pulling $40k choppers out of a $7.5k enclosed trailer, pulled by a $45k F250 SuperDuty. Their leathers & tans are without flaw, & they'll cruise to a night spot or 2 where the action is. They'll do the parade on Sunday, and then back into the trailer go the bikes for the ride home. Maybe they'll put 100 miles on the bikes for the whole weekend. The bikes will probably be sold before they see 5k miles.

The old timers, the hard-line bikers, hate these guys. They have a lot of money and are all about the image, but know nothing about what it is really like to ride. In having a lot of money & spending it lavishly, prices for parts & accessories are skyrocketing beyond the reach of "normal folk". Once it isn't fashionable anymore to have a bike, the image class will move on & maybe things will drift back a little - but it will never be the same.

I've got nothing against someone who rides a $40k custom chopper - in fact, I have friends who do. (It just so happens that my friends also have "working bikes" too.) They love riding them - & I can't see any fault with that. In fact, I've ridden one of them - a $35k IronHorse - & have to admit it was a treat! I simply dismiss the "snobs" that look down their nose at anything less than a custom bike, but I don't think by riding one you can be identified as a poser.

Sad to say, I think it's the same with guns. A high priced custom handgun can be a life-saving tool to the LE professional, and at the other end of the spectrum an image & ego booster to the yuppie with pockets full of .com money. But between the 2 extremes are a bunch of us "normal folk", some who feel very fortunate to own a fine firearm & enjoy coming to a place like THR to talk about it. I see no fault with that.

[Kramer Krazy]

They have a lot of money and are all about the image, but know nothing about what it is really like to ride.
Those guys hate it when I park my old beat-up '85, that still has the original paint and has been all over the USA, next to their bikes. LOL ;) :D

[Old Dog]

Kevinch, excellent comparison between the "new" bike culture and the gun culture.

I've got an acquaintance who picked up a $2400 Nighthawk just because it was the latest and greatest 1911 ... Six months later, I ask him how he likes it ... "Oh, I haven't had a chance to get it to the range yet." Right. I suspect most of us don't waste five minutes getting our latest acquisition (even if it's a 175 dollar Makarov or a 90-dollar mil-surp rifle) to the closest shooting facility to put rounds through it ...

6.) Do you offer carry advice about guns when you yourself do not carry?I hate this, too ... and, it's been said already, and I share the irritation, it's so annoying when some folks regularly post about how crappy a certain firearm is, when it's clear they have no experience with it ... Or the keyboard commandos who post about all the military's problems with certain issue weapons -- I got so tired of hearing about all our problems with the M9 in Iraq ... of course, I was there only 18 months total between '02 - '04, so what did I know?

[bratch]

I got so tired of hearing about all our problems with the M9 in Iraq ... of course, I was there only 18 months total between '02 - '04, so what did I know?

Now now, don't let a little thing like facts distort the argument.

[roo_ster]

As of the date I snapped this image, the holster & belt had 1 year of carry & the SW1911 had 1 1/4 years of carry. Now both are at 2+ years.

$675 b/f taxes for the SW1911 (which is still box stock)
$140 for belt & holster

This system has been carried in the hottest & most humid days Dallas has to offer. I have sweated all over this rig many times while carrying it all day. I'm not talking a little sweat to be mopped up with a hankie. I'm talking big-boy, 200lb+ man-sweat. Take off your cover & undershirt...then wring out the sweat from your undershirt type sweat. Holster & belt did not take on moisture, however.

No Uncle Mikes nylon IWB holster will stand up to that and neither will just any Wal*Mart belt. They will self-destruct and leave your carry weapon looking worse for wear, too.

Despite all that mess, belt, holster, & SW1911 still look in good shape.

Maybe it is because I bought the best quality I could afford...and end up saving $$$ as I don't have to rotate out unsuitable CCWs and cheap holsters that almost work, but don't quite do the trick.

[orangeninja]

I'm talking big-boy, 200lb+ man-sweat.


Whoa.....that's a mental image. Careful there big boy.:D

[pierrebazukhov]

Alduro, thank you for this thread.

There have been a lot of good posts in this thread already but I'll throw in my $0.02 anyway.

One of my biggest frustrations with the gun hobby/habit I have is the whole snob thing. Here's my take. One of my other hobbies is beer/homebrewing. If I go to a board to talk homebrew, for the most part, I can discuss my preferences with others in a polite, civilized way. I say what I like, others tell me what they like. We all can accept that we have different tastes and levels of interest. Even if someone posts that they like Budweiser (most on the boards I go to don't like Bud and will tell you so) somone else will find something constructive to say: Bud is well-brewed, Bud is a style of beer that's difficult for homebrewers to perfect, Bud uses nice hops, some like Bud's yeast strain (I do), etc.

Gun boards are a different animal. If you post about a gun, there's always someone waiting to start throwing "POS" around. If you ask for advice on a $300 gun, you'll get a bunch of guys who will make you feel like s**t for not spending $700 on something better. Of course, it works the other way, too. You can find guys who will throw mud at others with $2500 guns. A lot of people like to use themselves as the standard against which to judge everyone else. I honestly can't understand why it has to be this way, and I hate it.

I'm not saying everyone is that way, other gun people are generally good, salt of the earth type people and I like them as a group. I just hate the narrow-mindedness and snoddy comments that come out sometimes.

[ArmedBear]

Look, I LIKE the fact that people will throw around "POS".

You do have to take it all with a grain of salt, but when I am asking about whether I would be getting a good deal for $300, or throwing away $300, I'm not asking to have my poor little feelings protected. I want my WALLET protected!

Geez.

Here's a clue: if someone doesn't have a good reason WHY a gun is a POS, then just ignore the post. And if you meet three or more people who own the gun, shoot it a lot, and still recommend it, just ignore the Internet, UNLESS there's a good tidbit like "it worked great for 5000 rounds, but then it fell apart." THAT is good to hear about.

Case in point for me: Mossberg O/U shotgun. Internet gun snobs say "POS." I know at least 3 shooters who have them and love them, and shoot them a lot without trouble. I would not hesitate to buy one, especially for hunting.

But either way, my emotional well-being seems intact.:rolleyes:

[pierrebazukhov]

Thank you for proving my point.

It's not about my "feelings." If I ask for advice, tell me what you think and be honest. If you had problems with something, tell me what they were. POS is a copout, IMO. My problem is with people hiding behind POS.

[only1asterisk]

Copout, or just succinct? The S&W Sigma 380 was a POS, as is the Remington 710. They are some of the worst garbage ever put out by American gunmakers. What does it matter to me if you don't like my assessment? Go out and buy one!

David

[pierrebazukhov]

POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS POS

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

:neener:

[only1asterisk]

You don't need to have experience with something to tell that it is a POS. Take the Remington 710 for example. Its construction tells me everything I need to know. Crap, pure and simple. What really gets me is, you can buy a better NIB bolt action rifle for less money! You don't have to listen. I really don't care what you do.


David

[pierrebazukhov]

I hear what you're saying, I really do.

I was talking about my pet peeves, which aren't an issue for most. I can agree to disagree...

As far as the Sigma .380 and the Remington 710, I agree. I have a friend with a 710 that really likes it- different strokes, I guess.

Randy

[esheato]

I guess I'll be the ass in this thread.

I spend a ton of money on guns. I buy nice things. I like "custom" and I hold my dealers and manufacturers to a high standard.

Call me snobbish if you like, but I will spend $200 on a custom holster...or $3,000 on a rifle.

I like having unique items...I like having something that is handcrafted.

I also like having something that everyone else doesn't have. If I see one more tricked out Remington I'm going to puke. I also thoroughly enjoy it when someone comes up to me and remarks on my hunting rifle and says, "Remington 700 huh?" My answer, with a huge smile on my face, "No, it's an HS Precision" and proceed to let them handle and shoot it.

I might be the snob you dislike, but I also mind my own business. I don't impose and I don't run my mouth...I just want to shoot.

On the other hand, I understand money constraints and different tastes. I started with Ruger and Mossberg but I like to think of myself moving up with every new purchase.

Ruger
Mossberg
Savage
Ruger x2
Sig
Browning x3
Winchester
Colt
S&W
Cooper
Winchester
HS Precision
Ed Brown

I've been there and I choose to go up.

Ed

[orangeninja]

I guess I'll be the ass in this thread.

You said it, not me......:evil: Kidding. Seriously. Having nice things and one of a kind things is awsome. I love to fondle other peoples guns at the shops and range, it's when they start snickering and scoffing at other people's guns that it gets a bit old....but hey, I can even deal with that, but when they start showing off something like a nickle plated Colt 1911 that is FLAWLESS and talk about it being their daily carry piece......that's when you've got to put on the waders.:barf: ;)

Escpecially when it gives unrealistic expectations to new shooters and gun owners as to what is an acceptable carry piece.

[pierrebazukhov]

Esheato, I don't think you're being an ass at all. Like Alduro said, it's cool to have $$$$ stuff, it's the snickering, etc. that makes a person an ass.

[esheato]

Well I'm glad I'm not the ass (except in alduros mind). Lol.

Besides...the only thing that matters at the end of the day is what's on the paper.

Ed

[silicon wolverine]

I look at it this way. You can have a 3000$ Kimber or my 35$ raven .25. Niether one means jack if you cant hit anyhting. At its basest form guns are a projection of force. What a gun is, is asthetics. 9mm .45 whatever. Somw may be more reliable than others, ill give you that. But my .25 is just as lethal at 15 feet as your .45 is. I like expensive guns. I had a 5000$ .416 dakota when i was younger. But i realized that a gun i shoot 5 or 10 times a year isnt all that great. Id rather have a low buck gun i can afford to shoot than a high-end gun that loses value when you pull the trigger. I learned that haveing guns is about enjoying them. However you do that whether it be burning rounds like i do, or staring at them on a shelf thats your gig. But me i think a gun was born to shoot. Just like a Boss mustang was born to run. Not sit on a shelf and look pretty.

SW

[TX1911fan]

I carry this gun everyday. That's a Don Hume OWB holster that I use most of the time, but I also have a Galco tuckable IWB. I agree that good leather makes a difference, but can't bring myself to spend more than $60 for it.

[erh]

alduro - No, I havn't been out load, Yes I have a collection, Yes I Do know how to shoot, & yes I carry every single day, & Last but not least; Yah, to most of all that ^^ that you said; I think..! Maybe, kinda sorta... Oh, and I really like good "Gun Leather!"

Eric Howland

[orangeninja]

Eric, I read your post, reread your post and it still doesn't make sense. What?:confused:

[Erich]

I know I'm coming into the discussion really late, but I just don't see people being gun snobs or collectors. Perhaps there are such people, but I don't read their comments.

On the other hand, since pics of carry guns and knives were invited, I wanted to play (I don't take pics of my carry leather - it ain't pretty :cool: ). I carry all of these at different times for different reasons:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/April806007.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/April806008.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/AprilFools06006.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/DSCN0109.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/1076a.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/Glockwith36-1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/Erich505/5dec5bhpand65-5004.jpg

[lycanthrope]

Well, this one gets carried all the time and has served well for about 5 years. And although it looks "pimpin" and it IS a Kimber. I bought the aluminum frame and stainless model for comfort, durability and the fact that I sweat on it quite regularly......

I love my Steyr M40 too, but I just shoot the 1911 better.

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~jefwolfe/carry.JPG

[rfurtkamp]

I own eight Sigs now. They're pristine, wonderful guns- all but one. The one I shoot the most happens to be the one I've carried for years and you can tell ;0

It comes with me on average of 12 hours a day. All the sharp edges have been dehorned with *use*, not a smith's file.

http://robert.furtkamp.com/guns/pistols/oldsig226left.jpg

I'm one of the guys who rusts stainless.

This particular gun has seen at least 80k rounds now. I didn't count for the first few years of its life.

I have yet to have a FTE or problem, but it is on the second set of night sights. ;0

[MountainPeak]

Thank God I don't "collect". I have "accumulated" 68 over many years. I'm not a snob, but I am pretty smug about it!!!! :neener: ;)

[Dobe]

I will be getting my CCW permit soon. I have waited for years. I will be carrying a new P7M8 in a DelFatti holster. To me, both are justified. Its my money. You can carry what you wish. I will not berate you for it.

Dobe

[JohnKSa]

This pistol's seen a bit of carry wear although the pics make it look better than it is.

Nothin' collectable about it... ;)

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=38860

[NineseveN]

Heh, my new carry is, *gasp* a $700 model 1911 4" barreled abomination (:neener: to all you 5" purists out there) that won't even see leather but half the year...Kydex is faster. :D

My old carry was an HK USP .45 Compact in Stainless that looks the same as the day I bought it (minus the new night sights and grip tape anyway).

I don't much care what anyone does with their money or their life, so long as they don't get on the high horse and tell everyone about it as if they alone serve as the baseline on what is right and prudent and sensible.

I don't collect guns, I sell the ones I like but don't carry or have in a HD role in the home. At some point, I can see all of my handguns being 1911's and a couple of revolvers, though I doubt any of the 1911's will be in the Valtro flavor, Springfield Armory's lifetime warranty trumps most anything I have come across (aside from Smith and Wesson's lifetime warranty...every company should handle warranty and service work like those two).

The only reason I might see a need for a $3,000.00 custom job is if I competed seriously and regularly...I don't and I might never. For now, my 1911 abomination will just have to do.

[JERRY]

good post by the orginal author.


though an Aston Martin is nice, it worthless in the garage on a rainy day compared to a 1987 honda civic.

[BullfrogKen]

Alduro said: The guys who crack me up are the ones who juggle a Colt revolver with a 1911 of some type . . .

I guess I'd be one who entertains you, then. You can find me with either one of two customized Colt Commanders, or the alloy framed variation of the Detective Special. When I'm healthy and can tolerate the weight of the Commander (yes, both are alloy), I'll do it. On days when the illness gets the better of me and I can't tolerate it, I arm myself with the revolver.

I guess I'm a snob. But I didn't begin this way. I can remember not 6 years ago telling a good friend who spent $2k on a pistol, "I just can't see myself paying more than $1k on a pistol. I guess I just can't appreciate the difference."

And I was right; at the time I couldn't.

I THOUGHT I carried regularly. But I carried on personal time, not at work, and I later found those 40+ hours make a difference. Once I made arming myself a 12-16 hour daily event, and taking serious range courses that involved hundreds of draws and thousands of rounds, I began to notice things. Eliminating sharp edges that destroy clothing, good sights, a slim frame, good leather. . . I'm a firm believer that until equipment gets put to that kind of test, the difference between cheap and expensive doesn't seem justified. I know . . . I used to say it wasn't.

Since then, I've had Jim Garthwaite convert and customize a Commander into a 9x23/38 Super/9mm Convertible and make it suitable for extended comfortable carry. That gun has over $2k into it. Last summer I spent a week with Jim studying under him, learning how to build a "carry, working, call it what you will" custom 1911 from unfinished parts. That one is a nearly identical Commander in .45 ACP. Between lodging, parts, and the fee to Jim, that one has $2.5 - $3k into it. I can tell them apart from picking them up in the dark from use, but they appear identical upon a visual glance.

I have no safe queens. Neither of those Commanders has anything on it or done to it without the sole purpose of making it more reliable or suitable for carry. I go through no less than 5k a year in ammo even when my health has been at its worst. These custom guns are the ones I use and carry. Its precisely why I spent that much on them.

Same for leather. Nylon clip on and Fobus are OK for some I guess. Not me. That stuff simply gets destroyed after a few hours of rentention training. And it doesn't provide the stability I demand. $100 on a holster? Sounds average to me, not expensive. Then again - I just spent $50 of my own money on a Rings Blue gun for retention training. Most folks look at that and think I just wasted my money on an overpriced toy.

Knives . . . I've been carrying a $150 Laci Szabo fixed blade handmade by Fred Perrin for 5 years now, every day, all day. I've had to take a wire brush to scrub the corrosion off it after a week of rain. So much for collections.

Alduro said: When used this weapon will be taken by the police and tagged, sometimes they engrave a case number right onto the weapon, how does that sit with your $3,000 gun?

As farscott mentioned, if my carry gear gets locked in an evidence locker for a year or two and comes back dinged and corroded to hell with an evidence # stamped on it . . . OK. It should still work with yet one more number on it, and I can get it the corrosion beadblasted off and have it refinished. Or if not, I'll just chalk it up to a sunk cost and frame it in remembrance. That would be my first "safe queen". If I were a free man during the investigation I'd have been carrying a replacement just like it anyway.

I'm not impressed by those who flaunt themselves as miserly in such matters as safety or self defense and consider it a virtue. I don't buy the cheapest tires and brakes for my car for the same reason. When I need them in bad weather, I NEED them, and the difference in a couple hundred dollars becomes apparent.

My own floor for a working semi-auto is in the range of a Kel-Tec P11. And that's basement bottom for me. I like to stick with my Commanders, the Cobra, or a Kimber. I used to find a 229 acceptable until the DA/SA switch screwed with my 1911 SA pull, and that swapping around actually affects me.

If I get asked for my opinion, I'll be one of the guys suggesting one should save up a hundred or so more a something better than basement bottom. And I don't feel the least bit snobbish about it. I don't consider products such as tires, brakes, or defensive guns areas I'm willing to buy the cheapest and barely adequate. My life is worth the little bit extra, so I make the sacrifices necessary to afford it.

Pictures . . . I can't afford a digital. My money is in the guns. Let's see what I can come up with, though . . .

[orangeninja]

I have no safe queens.

Then you need to reread my post on what a gun snob is and not grab a random sentence out of context compadre'.;)

[BullfrogKen]

Well . . . The Commander here on Jim's site (http://www.garthwaite.com/Default.htm) is mine . . or as we joke, it’s his and he lets me borrow it. An artist always owns his work.

The other one looks just like it.

I carry the Commanders in a now discontinued Milt Sparks Road Runner that isn’t pretty anymore, and I don’t care. I’ll rack the slide on the reinforced mouth.

A picture of off side carry when using the Cobra. It highlights the Szabo fixed blade, Sparks light pouch, and sharkskin leather belt.

[BullfrogKen]

alduro said: Then you need to reread my post on what a gun snob is and not grab a random sentence out of context compadre'.

Maybe . . . but I'm pretty sure I have what it takes to be a snob. I do consider certain guns beneath my money. And Fobus, or Uncle Mike's nylon for carry gear. I own a Fobus piece, but its strictly for simunitions and red gun training. I won't use that stuff for carry.

I'm a snob that way, I am. There's a certain quality level I consider a waste of my money.

The Brownell's catalog has a quote by John Ruskin on the inside cover:

It's unwise to pay too much . . . but its worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you loose a little money . . . that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes loose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.

I can't disagree.

[orangeninja]

Maybe . . . but I'm pretty sure I have what it takes to be a snob.

Your call I suppose. But being that you pull the 14th hour stretch routinely you have also come to discover that there are "fixes".....not everything is universal for everyone. I for one like Uncle Mikes pocket holsters and their inexpensive IWB.....do I have better? You bet....but Uncle Mikes does work, I've worn my IWB while on assignment comfortably for over 15 hours....in addition to making that low slung pants look work I also wear a quality gun belt with suspenders under a semi-buttoned overshirt. The suspenders hook on the belt and it makes for a pretty solid get up without looking like a cop.

Anyhow.........

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I don't know if I'm a "gun snob" or a "collector" or just what; I am a shooter and do tote a concealed handgun daily as I did before retiring after 25 continuous years as a full-time peace officer.

I shoot all of the guns I own, but don't necessarily carry all.

Reasons are varied.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/hipowersandhandguns/ColtAgentrocklrn1.jpg
Over the years I've run across some firearms that I simply like to own. Whether it is due to their lines, looks, or just their putting me in mind of a different time is hard to say; I bought this one simply to own. I shoot it a little but have never carried it and probably never will.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/hipowersandhandguns/SmallerSWM042badge2.jpg
I bought this Model 042 several years ago. It served as a backup to my duty Hi Power for several years and I carried it after retirement via my CHL.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/hipowersandhandguns/DutyMkIIIModel042rock1.jpg
This was pretty much my usual armament during the last several years of my career. The Hi Power was refinished after I retired.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/hipowersandhandguns/CaspianLSmagrock2.jpg
On the other hand, I did this Caspian long slide .45 myself. I had no intentions of carrying it and still don't. It normally just goes to the range, but has been used to cleanly and legally put a whitetail ( or two or three) into the freezer. It may not be a "tool" in the eyes of others and maybe not to me, but it danged sure is an "implement" in having fun.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/hipowersandhandguns/NewSALWmagrock2.jpg
This Springfield Armory Lightweight 5" was lightly altered in the 90's for me before I got it. It's rather plain by some standards, but saw some use as a concealed defensive pistol before I retired and still gets carried now and again.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/hipowersandhandguns/RugerSP101andSW642tile1.jpg
My orbits are now pretty tame with generally nothing wilder than a duck waddling up for something to eat and this SP101 and S&W 642 are my carry guns when carrying two. The 642 replaced the 042 as summers are hotter than you know what here in Texas. I carry the 642 24/7 as an "always" gun.

I pretty much carry what I like. Often it's not top end/highest dollar. I've been told that I'm foolish for not carrying the very best I have. On the other hand, some folks speak to not wasting money on higher end guns when something more economical will suffice just as well. I can see points and rebuttals to both points of view.

In the end I think I'll just carry what pleases me. I'll be happy with the "non-tool" firearms that live in the safe and visit the range now and again, but I'll also appreciate those that hardly ever get to even see the inside of a safe.
For me, this is what works and what makes me happy. (I place "happy" and "fun" way high on my list of things to be and have on a daily basis.) I've pretty much learned that the old song is true when it says, "You can't please everyone so you have to please yourself."

Best.

[MillCreek]

Erich, I can understand carrying around the Kahr, the HP, the Glock, etc., but under what scenario do you carry around a New Mexico appellate brief? Because I have lots of Washington appellate briefs/opinions I can carry around, and I wonder if I am missing something by failing to do so! ;)

[Erich]

Hi counselor,

Actually, that was a record. ;) We're too poor to bind our briefs hereabouts.

I needed something to contrast the gun and the table, and that was what I'd been reading through before I took a play-with-the-camera break . . . :)

[riverdog]

Nothing wrong with quality, regardless of whether it's collectible or lives in a holster, but I don't have any guns that I consider to be collectibles. While most of my handguns are in the safe, they've all been to the range, including a pristine 1957 vintage Colt 1911A1 and a LNIB nickel S&W Mod 27 -- I just couldn't resist. One of my revolvers is a S&W Mod 19 which left most of its blueing in a LEO's holster -- very smooth action, $225 OTD. In fact most of my S&W revolvers were used. One is a Mod 57 that was used for hunting and shows significant holster wear on the muzzle and cylinder -- nice gun, shoots great. .41 Mag is a great caliber BTW.

Even those handguns I consider pristine aren't that impressive to look at. No scroll work, nothing special -- but they are all reliable and they all shoot straight for me or I turn them in so that someone else can have the opportunity to make them shoot straight. I like 1911's and have way too many, but when I feel the need to grab one it's always the same pistol, a worked over Colt 1991A1 that gave me fits until I rebuilt the 8 round magazines with 7 round springs and followers -- now it runs. The WilsonCombat and Les Baer guns are very nice, but that Colt has more rounds through it and I like the way it feels.

The only semi out of the safe right now though is the G19 I took to the range to test fire and never put into the safe. It lives up to the G19 reputation and has never faulted regardless of the ammo I fed it. All those nice .45 ACP 1911's and I have a Glock 9MM out of the safe -- nice gun. Then there's that S&W 686 that went to S&W for a recall mod and never went into the safe. Nothing collectible there, just a good shooter.

[Sgt Stevo]

I dont know firearms are even going to be legal, when My little girl is old enough to own them.

So I try to buy stuff to set her up. I also am not sure what the world will be like.

So I got her a browning high power, AK trainer, a couple sks type guns, an Ar, "cal'legal', a glock and a shotgun. Also A bolt 22 to start her out in a couple of years. she is three.

This might seem nutty to some. But I have been in many places were 10 year olds carry AKs.

I wish my old man had the same thinking. I could have bunch of pre-ban stuff.

[buzz_knox]

I'm neither a snob nor a collector. I just have a large reference "library" available should someone say "I really need to try one like that."

[torpid]

Gun Snob:

1. One who tends to patronize, rebuff, or ignore people regarded as owning inferior firearms and imitate, admire, or seek association with people regarded as owning superior firearms.

2. One who affects an offensive air of self-satisfied superiority in matters of a firearm's selling price or perceived elite status.

:D

Seriously though, it all comes down to what you can do with the gun, and how reliable it is. The rest is gravy.

I like this thread. :)

.

[moredes]

I guess the topic brought me out of the woodwork on this one. I don't usually take a stand about what price level makes a gun "good" or "carryable", etc., but this topic seemed to scream 'class war'. I dunno if I'm a snob, a collector, or a shooter. As somebody else remarked, there's guns beneath my money that I just won't buy. Been there, done that. I'm the cheapest guy I know. Sometimes it's just too damn embarrassing to admit in public the lengths I'll go to in order to save a dollar, and 20 of 'em makes $20-- 'real money'--I see $20 on the hoof as a box of .308 178AMAX bullets, or a 1000 pistol primers. But at some point, being cheap isn't a virtue.

Alduro said,
Sorry it’s coming across like that. What I meant to get across, and thought I’ve said, is that comparing a collectors gun to a shooters gun doesn’t make sense. In other words, you don’t whip out your safe queen and pass it off as a carry piece right?.....Then I come here, read another thread complaining about people spending less than $400.00 on guns and I said to myself “self, we’ve go to rant”......I’m not knocking owning nice guns…….I’m knocking those of us who take our photo bait/safe queens/BBQ guns and act like they are our “carry” pieces or workhorse when in fact they are not.


Esheato said On the other hand, I understand money constraints and different tastes. I started with Ruger and Mossberg but I like to think of myself moving up with every new purchase.

I disagree with the first quote and that bold italicized highlight is me all over. I've not posted photos of my guns in several years, and my stock has changed anyway... but who's to say that I'm a "poser" because some $1500+ gun looks like something someone else would keep as a safe queen? I've been moving up with each purchase, in a quest for a real nice custom piece. 'Custom' because there's just some things I want in a shooter that I can't get buying off the rack-- any rack.

Some folks seem not to like it that there's guys out there complaining about the way other folks spend their money. 'Esheato' hit it right on the head--I started out with a cheap used Beretta .22; I was tempted to buy a Llama or Star 1911-clone once, but I made a mistake with a knockoff brand stereo a long time ago, and that burn taught me a big lesson--if a large percentage of folks are willing to tell the world something ain't right, then maybe they got a reason for their discontent, and I'm not one to spend my money tryin' to disprove them. I understand 'low budget'; and there's nothing wrong with it, so long as the prospective buyer realizes the possible omissions in quality and value. I buy 'used' all the time. It's the only way I can afford this hobby--but each purchase is a step up, in quality, standards, and unfortunately, price.

Some folks just are too thin-skinned to understand that this is the internet. Half of the 'words of wisdom' posted at any site are some ninja's "experiences" at the keyboard. None of it means a damn thing. It bothers some folks that others will get out there and cut the legs out from under their purchase. "Ah, you're an @ss for payin' that..." It's either too little, or too much. Somebody ain't gonna agree, and s/he'll get some other sheep to chime in with them. You're getting the information/advice/feedback for free--AND it's mostly anonymous--whaddya expect??

There's a ton of manufacturers I won't touch; I don't have to, anymore. If someone asks for open-ended advice like,"what would you recommend for X dollars?", if the number is too low, I'm gonna speak my mind, on the premise that their query is looking for my best advice. You want my second best advice? Okay, it'd be,"if you gotta have it now, and you're adamant about your limit, you'll have to settle for YY but I wouldn't do that because they're junk." That probably makes me a snob; but I don't have to answer to anyone, just the keyboard in the morning--and that was my best advice. If folks are afraid they're gonna get an answer they won't like, they either shouldn't ask the question, or be ready for a possible hailstorm of poorly-worded criticisms and (maybe [seemingly] malicious) replies.

One last thing about safe queen 'posers', and their 'high-line' "toys".... with each purchase, my carry gun has changed, and gotten more costly each time. I've gone from a Walther PPK/S to a customized BHP, to a no-name gunsmith Caspian 45acp Commander to a Jim Hoag Commander, and I finally settled on a gun that was absolutely undoubtably costly enough that most folks would flame me as a poser for claiming I carry it. Makes no difference to me; but I might be able to explain the "logic" of those of us who carry "poser" weapons--or at least, my logic. I carry it because I love to shoot it because it's such a nice piece of work. It's so nice, I don't wanna leave it in the safe when it's time for a shooting session. Consequently, it's the gun I shoot best, because I shoot it the most. Lose it as evidence? Well, I'd sure be cryin', but if I'm alive after using it, then that tool did its' job and the good news is I'm still around to regret losing it. And if I ain't still around after using it, then carrying it was the rightest thing I ever did with it.

[1911Tuner]

Quote:

>The guys who crack me up are the ones who juggle a Colt revolver with a 1911 of some type<
******************

I guess I'd fit into that category, then. Although it's no secret that I'm a
hard-core 1911 man...I've been known to pack my all-time favorite carry revolver, the Smith 3-inch round butt M-13 or even a Model 58 M&P on occasion. I also like the Smith 581/681 wheelguns a lot, though I rarely carry one. Just nothin' quite like a well slicked-up K-frame.:cool:

[bouis]

Regarding the first post in this thread, yeah, it's kind of silly when guys claim to carry expensive, pristine custom pieces that you just know sit in a safe and rarely see the light of day.

But I disagree about putting down on collectors in general. Let's face it... you really only need two guns for defense -- one you can carry and one that sits by your bed at night. For me that's a $200 Kel-Tec .380 and a 12 gauge. Everything else is just for fun -- for me variety is fun and various peices in your collection don't have to be expensive if you're careful picking them out. You can have a lot of fun for not a lot of money these days. For example, my latest $329 acquisition (virgin S&W K-38 Masterpiece):

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=39074&stc=1&d=1146200222

[roo_ster]

bouis:

Hubba, hubba, is that a purty revolver!

[Sport45]

I don't own a Colt revolver, but when I tried to juggle my Dan Wesson and 1991a1 I wound up dropping them both. Carpet saves the day!

Seriously, I don't have any guns I don't shoot but many I don't carry. I only have holsters for the Sig 226 and S&W 36. The 36 is pristine and I don't carry it often. My S&W 19-5 is like-new and I probably only get it out once every 3 years or so. The DW, Colt, Sig, and Redhawk are my range workhorses. I don't mind laying them directly on the bench, etc.

[hecate]

I happily admit to having safe queens. I love Browning Hi-Powers, so when I see a pristine Mark I that's only had one magazine fired through it in it's life, or a mint-condition, box-stock T-series made in 1969, I just have to add it to my collection.

Nebraska just passed concealed carry, and it doesn't go into effect until next year, so the closest I can come to a carry gun is my T-series that's had work done at Cylinder & Slide. It goes in the headboard holster at night, outside with me when the dogs go off at 2:00 a.m., saved the day when the other guns I took to Front Sight couldn't handle the workload, and carries me through IPSC and IDPA matches.

It's so reliable that as soon as I get my CCW, it will be my carry gun. I will only trust my life to something that I know will go bang every single time.

The bluing is worn, and nobody will ever mistake it for a showpiece, but I prefer to consider it's blemishes to be "character."

[surfinUSA]

Personally, I think medium priced guns are the best. In autos I like SIGs and Glocks although I also really like the beretta 92 and S&W 3913. In revolvers I like S&W.

If you like Highpoint, Taurus and Bersa better you than me. Feel free to protect yourself with whatever cheap guns you want.

The same goes for the other side. I've yet to see a $2000 1911(you pick the brand) thats more reliable and combat accurate than my $600 SIG 220.

Call me a gun snob if you want. But to a certain extent you get what you pay for. The lesser brands are fine for entertainment but not for serious work.

[SgtGunner]

Odd,

I do daily carry a $1200 Kimber in a $100 plus holster and belt with a $30.00 kershaw knife.

My $1200 Kimber looks like I used it to sand a table as does my leather. Tools are tools, but that doesn't mean that to "use" carry gear it has to or even should be cheap.

[Seraph]

I'm a gun snob, but I'm too poor to be a collector, per se, and I think my gun snobbery criteria might be a little different from that of other gun snobs. My inner gun snob delights in a seriously utilitarian sidearm, and, though it's not easy to afford, I think my life is worth a little investment. Here are my two carry guns, one fairly customized, and the other, not so much, but both with a fair bit of holster wear (though I admit the photos seem to gloss that over to a degree):

Valentine, a ~$1400 custom Springfield Armory Mil Spec, who rides in a $110 Alessi holster...
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g111/Trisagion/Valentine_ontherocks.jpg

...and Gigolette, a ~$580 mildly tweeked Springfield Armory GI Champion, who rides in an $80 Brommeland holster.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g111/Trisagion/Gigolette_ontherocks.jpg

[browningguy]

Well I managed to ignore this thread for a while, but people just keep brining it up. I like being a snob, I like nice things, some are pretty reasonably priced though.

I've got a pair of these in 40 S&W, this one is stock outside and just a light trigger job, my regular carry gun is the same but with Esmerelda 1/2 Checkered grips, got to get a photo of it posted one day. Carried in a Don Hume $50 IWB holster, except when shooting IDPA, then I use a high tech carbon fiber looking holster and mag carrier
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jcm9371/Pistols/40HPStandard.jpg
This one's a little nicer, Browning 1971 Renaissance Grade, nope, don't carry it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jcm9371/Pistols/1971Browning.jpg
I even have inexpensive cary guns, the little Bersa is often my backup gun or for just strolling through the suburbs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jcm9371/Pistols/bersa380.jpg

And there is no reason you can't be pretty when you're our hunting.
This is a Gr.IV BAR that's been customized with gold inlayed deer and the receiver blued (I didn't do it but what the heck), I'll admit the BAR's are a little flash, but the stocks are just fantastic for factory guns.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jcm9371/Rifles/270BAR.jpg
And sometimes I use the late Gr.III in 30-06.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jcm9371/Rifles/3006BAR.jpg
And I really like the checkering and carving on my 1891 Mauser for close range hunting.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/jcm9371/Rifles/1891mauseraction.jpg

[Plink]

I'm a bit of both. A gun snob and a realist. I like fine guns and I own a few. They tend to get shot a lot for pure enjoyment and are generally of the target shooting variety or hunting guns, though some see light duty as pampered home defense guns, or perhaps they hit a belt holster when I'm out on my land.

For my working guns, I tend to pick models that I don't care if they get scratched and worn. It doesn't take a $1500 gun to be reliable and accurate. I sold a Para Warthog that was a POS, and I carry a Bersa Mini-Firestorm in .45ACP during the cooler months and a Kel-Tec P-11 in the warmer ones.

I also collect knives and swords. They're strictly for show, as the same criteria applies to them also. Yet my working knife is a Spyderco Endura. It's proven itself to be durable, handy to carry and fast and safe to open and close. I use it hard, sharpen it a few times, and when enough teeth get chipped, I throw it into a tool box somewhere and just buy another.

[bearmgc]

My first carry gun was a FEG .380 carried in a nylon holster, then a Taurus 85.When I started making better money, I rewarded myself, and continued to do so. I recently pared down, divested and upgraded. I have fewer guns than I did 2 years ago, and am happy with what I got for hunting , ccw and shooting sports. When I got something I liked I posted about it. If finances take a downturn, I'll divest some more. I don't have a religious devotion to anything I own or any one brand, yet I do have an opinion about what works for me, and guns that have worked well. If people want to collect and show off, that's their thing, so what. Its sometimes hard to read into what peoples' motives are for posting pictures, because this is the internet, and frankly too much brainwork. This is just a gun Forum.

[buddyRoland]

My carry weapon. Picking up a Kahr K9 Friday. Will let the wife carry it if she gives up her G26. If she doesn't I am going to carry the Kahr mostly, backed up by my trusty P239. Had an older P239 9 but sold it then purchased this P239 40 used, saving $150 over a new one. It's hard to see the difference in this one from a new one. That's why I buy used.
http://www.regwebdesign.com/239/nillsRight.jpg

The wife's G26.
http://www.regwebdesign.com/G26/myG26.jpg