Gun, Love at First Glance
blakeci
June 7, 2009, 02:51 AM
Did you ever have a handgun that you fell in love with the first time you fired it? Or the first time you laid eyes on it in a gun store. For me it would have to be my first 1911 .45
At that point I had only had a couple of subpar handguns that were of average accuracy, barely staying within pieplate sized groups at ten yards. But the first time I shot the 1911, two inch groups suddenly appeared on the Shoot-n-see targets at 10 yards. I was in love:D That RIA .45 was brand new out of the box, hadn't even been cleaned or lubed. I shot 100 rounds that day, both FMJ and cheap hollowpoints. Not a single problem, even with speed firing the hollowpoints from the factory mag.
What gun has done the same to you? Should be interesting to hear the stories.
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lechiffre
June 7, 2009, 04:00 AM
Did you ever have a handgun that you fell in love with the first time you fired it?
a few:
fn hi-power
walther p99
walther p88c
hk p7
sig p6
beretta 92 (didn't last)
beretta cougar
Zerodefect
June 7, 2009, 07:49 AM
Sure. But much like women, every gun I've liked at first sight turned into an expensive, unreliable, rusty POS.
Now I've come to understand the love of a reliable weapon. Its got a job to do, and thats to fling death under the worst possible conditions. No room for pretty guns in my bug out bag.
If it isn't an AR-15, Glock, or FN............its just a toy.
Brian Williams
June 7, 2009, 11:17 AM
I would have to say I fell in love with a Shrouded Detective Special years ago but I never have gotten one, I now have a Colt Woodsman that I also fell in love with years ago.
jhco
June 7, 2009, 11:27 AM
The first time I saw an ad for the vektor CP1 in the late 1990s in a magazine I wanted one, too bad I was a teenager at the time and couldn't get one, when I got to the age where I could buy one they had been recalled by the factory and became very hard to find. I have since tracked down a few and now own two of them with box and all papers that came with them.
Also the first gun that I had to have after having just held it was a HK p7, which is funny to me since the Vektor and the p7 both share the same operating system.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/jordanharriss/vektorcp1-2.jpg
jad0110
June 7, 2009, 02:49 PM
Did you ever have a handgun that you fell in love with the first time you fired it?
Yep, first revolver I ever fired was a 6" S&W Model 66. From that point on I've been addicted to revolvers, S&Ws in particular. I enjoy shooting gun in general, but there was just something extra special / thrilling about that 66 that grabbed my attention.
KarenTOC
June 7, 2009, 04:47 PM
My "love at first sight" handgun was a Beretta Tomcat. I decided I absolutely had to have one, but decided to do some internet research first. Well, rats! :mad: I still love the way it looks, but I didn't buy one.
"Love at first shot" was an S&W Model 19-3. I bought it :)
BADSBSNF81
June 7, 2009, 07:01 PM
Colt SAA, Colt 1911A1, BHP, HKP9S, Walther PP
Bobby Fett
June 7, 2009, 08:22 PM
Mine was a Smith M1917 - the first handgun I ever owned. I paid $60 for a nearly unused specimen. Obviously, that was many years ago!
Rembrandt
June 7, 2009, 08:25 PM
Renaissance Browning High Power....
Hungry Seagull
June 7, 2009, 08:27 PM
I dont fall in love, I do tend to attach my loyalty to a good gun, whatever it may happen to be. For years I craved a 1911 original with ball .45
But such as life, all things may come round soon enough. I keep thinking about the one I left behind though. I had the funds but the 1911 I might have bought was right at the limit for the day... who knows?
Cheers.
Dirtpile
June 8, 2009, 01:52 AM
Haven't gotten around to getting any of them yet but the list of guns I've shot and fell in love with is:
Desert Eagle MKVII in .44Mag
Sig P245
Sig P226
H&K P7
Colt Python (Later production)
AR-15
Kind of Blued
June 8, 2009, 02:05 AM
S&W Model 686.
Still haven't acquired one.
RSTX
June 8, 2009, 10:00 AM
Yes, my Kimber Custom CDP II. I stalked it for months before finally breaking down. I love to shoot it, handle it and just look at it. It is a wonderful piece of metal and wood.
http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv298/KimberXDm/005.jpg
NGIB
June 8, 2009, 10:07 AM
Probably my first 1911 - a Rock Island I think. I've owned more than a dozen since then and currently have 4 in the stable. Wonderful platform and they even make me a good shot...
flipajig
June 8, 2009, 10:16 AM
When i was 12 or 13 i fell in love with Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44mag. I now have one with a 7 1/2 in barrel but it took me 30 years to get one.
LWYM425
June 8, 2009, 10:30 AM
S&W TRR8... Didn't have the funds for it. Got my S&W 686 instead... thats helped the burning quite a bit.
In a couple weeks my buddy is picking up his brand new TRR8... it might put a strain on our friendship.
BigGuy52
June 8, 2009, 11:06 AM
My Kimber Grand Raptor. What attracted me to it was the extensive engraving and the night sights. I 'visited' that gun for two weeks before I had enough to take it home with me.
It's proved to be a fine gun, accurate and fun to shoot. Plus, I love the look.
cpirtle
June 8, 2009, 11:51 AM
Hands down the Whitney Wolverine.
I have a few of them and all are shooters except this one which is special for many reasons.
http://www.pirtleranch.com/images/Guns/whitney/finished.jpg
idahoemt
June 10, 2009, 06:56 PM
I think I'm in love with it. H&K USP 40. WEnt gun shopping with the wife on Sunday and after she handled darn near every 9mm in the store the salesguy asked "What about a 40?" I said not for her I want her to have a 9 for her first. He handed me that H&K and it fit my hand so perfectly I wanted to walk out with it right there. Just not $850 worth of wanting to. ;)
junior geezer
June 10, 2009, 07:30 PM
i started going to gun stores when i was twelve. dreamed about every gun i drooled over. but there were four in particular, in three different stores:
a) colt agent c. 1960
b) ruger bearcat
c) colt jr. .25 acp
4) 1891 argentine mauser
to this twelve-year-old, they we're everything.
Odnar
June 10, 2009, 07:33 PM
S&W Model 686.
Still haven't acquired one.
Mmmmm.... My first revolver. You've chosen wisely. Hope you get yours soon. :)
psyopspec
June 10, 2009, 07:36 PM
P7M8. The first time I laid my hands on it and saw "MADE IN W GERMANY" on the slide, I was smitten. I now own a SIG P6 for the same reason. Great firearms, cold war mystique, built like a tank.
oneounceload
June 10, 2009, 08:24 PM
That's an easy one to answer - my P-7....a joy to look at, and an even greater joy to shoot
Reid73
June 10, 2009, 08:44 PM
S&W Model 28 ('Highway Patrolman"). Loved its purposeful look and the idea that the N frame would never wear out. Finally got one 21 years ago and it is still going strong today. It's really too big, but the weight is welcome for target shooting.
Mine wears Pachmayr 'grippers', but otherwise looks like this one:http://www.gricegunshop.com/auction/Auction%20Pics%2009-22-07/smith28357mag.jpg
jhco, great story! I'd never heard of a vektor CP1 before, and you have two of them! Not a very pretty looking thing (IMO), but certainly practical and businesslike.
Dr.Rob
June 15, 2009, 04:01 AM
Colt Magnum Carry. Took a while to find one but I got it when prices were low.
I've thought about a P7 many times.
collector14
June 15, 2009, 08:35 AM
http://www.guncollectorsclub.com/images/colt_mustang/colt_mustang%20016.JPG
Also, the old 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless .32 and 1908 .380. Never understood why Colt stopped producing them, or at least didn't bring them back when CCW demand was there.
Crow1108
June 15, 2009, 09:02 AM
Love at first sight:
Sig P226 and P229-Bought, and sold both of them
Walther P5- never acquired.
H&K VP-70- never acquired.
Love at first shot:
Glock 19
Love at first 8 shots:
Kimber Stainless 2 (saw close it's groups were :))
moewadle
June 15, 2009, 06:21 PM
For about a year now I have seen this model in catalogs and on internet and thought from the start how classy a piece it is compared to the Ruger semi-autos, etc. In my little city recently a dealer ACTUALLY HAD ONE NIB and I snapped it up less than 24 hours after I saw it. I have had it at the range twice now and love it...the looks, the handling, how it sits in my smaller hand. Love it. It holds and feels LIKE A REAL GUN. Just my opinion but most .22 semi-autos do not have enough heft or they do not look right to me. Enough. I will keep it until I can shoot no longer and than give it or sell it to a shooter in my life who will appreciate it. :cool:
Col. Plink
June 15, 2009, 08:10 PM
Nazi-issue P38 with original holster and skull&crossbones buckle. One of those guns that was impressively fit for form & function, and also had a VERY strong negative connotation of what some guns get used for. Not love at first sight per se but perhaps awe and revulsion.
rainbowbob
June 16, 2009, 03:23 AM
My recently acquired, near mint, S&W Model 15-3, 4" Combat Masterpiece.
Beautiful!
ChCx2744
June 16, 2009, 04:44 AM
My buddy's girlfriend had a stainless Beretta 92SF that I was infatuated by...it was also the first gun I had ever shot in my life (@ 14 years old). To this day, I have a sentimental connection towards Beretta 92's. :)
acmax95
June 16, 2009, 10:31 AM
My Ruger Security Six 4".
I had been looking for a 4" .357 for a while and my local store had one of the Sixes in the used case that looked close to new for $300. I knew when I saw it that I wanted it and when I held that I had to have it.
one45auto
June 16, 2009, 03:42 PM
The only gun I've ever fallen in love with at first sight was the Colt Anaconda in .45 Long Colt. Never did get one, though. Price was one factor, another was that it was too big for my small hands.
Sometimes the reverse happens, kinda like falling in love with a female friend. I used to hate Glocks with a passion, but somehow wound up buying a Glock 19 and over time I gradually grew to love it. It's now my favorite semi-auto, hands down. Strange how that happens.
searcher451
June 16, 2009, 03:44 PM
Sure. Haven't we all? Trouble is, I've done it a dozen times with a dozen different guns. In fact, it seems that every time I pick up a gun these days, the old "Gotta Have It!" sign starts flashing in my head. The best of the best for me, though, is the Walther P5. It's the real deal.
shooter429
June 16, 2009, 04:03 PM
A few examples:
Sig 220, 226
Kimber Grand Raptor
S&W Model 60, 686, 629
Browning Buckmark UDX
Ruger Mini 14
Remington 870
Shooter429
GeorgeF
June 16, 2009, 04:03 PM
At first look? Almost all of them (exception being the Glocks and cheapo Lorcins and such).
At first shoot?
Colt Mustang Pocketlite
Browning BDA
HK P7 PSP
Beretta 96D Brigadier
Colt SAA (Taurus Gaucho)
Webley Mk VI
Sig P210
I will say that I gave the Glock 19 a try and was very impressed with it. Still dont like looks but it worked great.
jad0110
June 16, 2009, 08:16 PM
S&W Model 28 ('Highway Patrolman"). Loved its purposeful look and the idea that the N frame would never wear out.
Very nice 28! Had the opportunity to buy a 28-2 4" marked "NYSP" (New York State Police) for $399. I kick myself for not buying it.
At a gunshow this weekend, this 38 Special S&W Model 15-3 stood out in a sea of ho-hum black plastic. So much so that it came home with me to the tune of $310 :D ... gotta love classy blued S&Ws. Sweet carry gun too.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q139/jad0110/Smith%20and%20Wesson%20Model%2015%204%20inch%2038%20Special/DSC08086.jpg
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q139/jad0110/Smith%20and%20Wesson%20Model%2015%204%20inch%2038%20Special/IMG_9710.jpg
jonnyc
June 16, 2009, 09:49 PM
Radom and Buckmark.
eight433
June 16, 2009, 10:01 PM
virtually ALL of them :)
my marlin mod.60 .22 isent anything special, but I sure enjoy shooting it.
Smith and wesson model 41 just feels perfect in your hand
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/eight433/downsized_0528091044.jpg
mosin nagant 91/30. Its just in such nice shape with such an amazing history... just way too cool.
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f363/eight433/0527091920.jpg
still waiting to take delivery of my new keltec pf 9.
http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/DisplayPic.aspx?PIC=60150
S&W-Keeper
June 16, 2009, 10:19 PM
Colt Python,and the original Browning Challenger. Not love, but a warm and fuzzy feeling.
xstuntman
June 17, 2009, 12:40 AM
My Harrington Richardson 949.
I instantly new I wasn't leaving the store without it.
usp9
June 17, 2009, 03:45 AM
One that I lusted for upon seeing was the stainless Sig P232 with Nill grips. It has to be one of the top 10 all time beauties.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i186/ripley16/Pistols/SigP232002.jpg
Contrst with the one I fell in love with after shooting, the ugly duckling HK P2000SK, but does this gun makes me smile! Sometimes great ones aren't beautiful, just competent and well made.
tasco 74
June 17, 2009, 04:18 AM
the first time i saw an automag i bout pi$$ed myself!!!!!!! after that a couple of years ago i picked up a remington catalog in a store and ran across a xr 100 rifle with a laminated thumbhole stock.... that was love at first sight too!!......... i didn't even know rem made a single shot xr rifle..........
kwelz
June 17, 2009, 06:49 AM
the New S&W M&P9
MikePaiN
June 17, 2009, 07:52 AM
My Smith M&P9 took awhile to grow on me, almost sold it twice.... The more I shot it, I learned how accurate it can be and played with the grip straps, the more I liked :), of course the pistol's rock solid reliability impresses the hell out me. But it was NOT love at first sight or shot...just a decent gun at a decent price.
Love at first sight\touch happened with my SIG P220 .22lr SAO. This damn thing felt like it was made for my hand. After the first range trip, I knew it was a keeper.
CIL
June 17, 2009, 10:07 AM
Sig 220 and Kimber Pro Carry. I really miss those guns.
heron
June 17, 2009, 10:25 AM
The first firearm I ever bought was one I fell in love with at first sight; an H&R 999. I just loved the lines of it, and still like top-break revolvers. It was quite accurate, too.
Reid73
June 17, 2009, 03:09 PM
Very nice 28!Thanks, jad0110. Just to be clear, the photo I posted is not of my revolver. However, mine is essentially indentical, except for the grips.
That's a very nice Model 15, and I think your $310 was well spent! It just goes to show that if you are prepared to buy secondhand, you can usually wind up with a first-rate firearm for less money than a mediocre one will cost brand-new.
eight433, a Model 41 was my first handgun, obtained 23 years ago. I didn't particularly like the way it fit in my hand, so I ordered UIT-compliant target grips from Herrett (http://www.herrett-stocks.com/tgtauto.htm). At the time I think they cost $59.
I still have my model 41 but to be honest don't use it much. It has always displayed erratic extraction (with pretty much all brands of ammo), which I am told is common with 41s: all show and no go! :( I hope yours is the exception.
heron, I too always lusted after a 999. Never bought one though (I do own a Webley Mk. IV in .38 S&W, complete with 100-pound trigger pull!). My .22 revolvers are a Model 17 and a pre-war "Outdoorsman".
eight433
June 17, 2009, 03:14 PM
ehh, to some extent. If i'm using cheap or maybe old ammo it will jam. If i use winchester or better it seems to work MUCH better... but even when it DOES jam, I normally only have to hold the slide back and tilt it sideways to clear it.
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