Where have we gone?

That looks like a gun to me...I certainly don't get the impression that it's anything else.

If diversity of design gets new people interested, and they approach the hobby with the respect due it, how are color schemes an issue? On the other side of the coin, some members with more experience may have plenty of walnut and blue, or black plastic, want something out of the ordinary to expand their collection.

Electricmo said:

Most of it I don’t find to appealing. A gun should look like a gun.
Have we gone to far?

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I don't mind it. However, I didn't even show the picture to my wife. She would have said the same thing, "A gun should look like a gun." Only she would have said it LOUDER!
I remember a few years back before she retired, when her boss, another woman showed up with her brand-new (and first) CCW - a little, purple colored .380 Ruger. My wife didn't stop griping to me about that for weeks.
But that's nothing compared to what happens when some young (and usually new) sales guy in a gun store recommends a pink or purple gun to my wife. He never makes the sale - I'll tell you that much.

I’ll take two, thank you very much.

Nothing wrong with some variety. All cars and trucks are not the same colors. Same can apply to firearms.

It's a shame that we would ever have to consider a 14 year old being disrespectful enough to point a weapon, real or not, at an officer. Equally shameful that we would have to consider an irresponsible 14 year old having unrestricted access to a firearm, regardless of the paint scheme. Either way, it shows a decline in parental guidance.

Electricmo said:

View attachment 1064663 View attachment 1064664 View attachment 1064665 View attachment 1064666 Real fast which ones are toys?

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There's freedom and there's common sense.

Unfortunately there's not much of either left in this country.

Variety truly is the spice of life, so I am fine with the original pic.
At the same time it is not my proverbial cup of tea, yet that's OK.

Electricmo said:

View attachment 1064656
Im wondering why something like this even caught my eye. It’s really kind of ugly. I’ve noticed a trend of making lethal weapons almost look harmless. Almost toylike. There’s lots of diversity out there. Most of it I don’t find to appealing. A gun should look like a gun.
Have we gone to far?

Click to expand...

@Electricmo i believe that particular pistol is made by kimber and is called the Bel- air as in a
57 Chevy bel air it is meant to be a looker yes but in no way have I ever found it to look like a child’s toy the polished slide is to represent all the CHROME!!!! I think I heard a rep say that iirc

Young lady I hang out with. Those are her guns. (The three. Not the 1911)

Purples her favorite color. It’s a Glock 43. I’m not really a fan of Glocks. I’m really not a fan of purple. But, it’s a good gun. She likes it and, she shoots it well.



So. I even painted the plate for her.

/\/\/\
Good job on the purple plate. Her guns are cool and I especially love the Airweight revolver.

Blue Jays said:

/\/\/\
Good job on the purple plate. Her guns are cool and I especially love the Airweight revolver.

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Thank you.

(That was at my suggestion)

I told her, it’s not the greatest. It’s not high speed, low drag. But, it’s the one gun you can always have with you. When you need it.



25 years. That rode in a uniform pocket or an ankle holster.

I don't care what a gun looks like or if a "gun looks like a gun." Black, stainless, FDE, or ODG are the only colors I would go with, but to each their own. I am sure that everyone has much more important and pressing things to worry about in their lives other than how someone else's personal property looks.

Me personally, I am an all stainless steel type of guy with either black rubberized or wood grips. Old school, plain, simply, and classy.

Electricmo said:

View attachment 1064663 View attachment 1064664 View attachment 1064665 View attachment 1064666 Real fast which ones are toys?

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I don't know and it only matters if children are in the home. Whether the real gun looks like a toy or not, both should equally be kept away from children.

horsemen61 said:

@Electricmo i believe that particular pistol is made by kimber and is called the Bel- air as in a
57 Chevy bel air it is meant to be a looker yes but in no way have I ever found it to look like a child’s toy the polished slide is to represent all the CHROME!!!! I think I heard a rep say that iirc

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@Electricmo


Now I want one... Both the gun and car that is...

badkarmamib said:

It's a shame that we would ever have to consider a 14 year old being disrespectful enough to point a weapon, real or not, at an officer. Equally shameful that we would have to consider an irresponsible 14 year old having unrestricted access to a firearm, regardless of the paint scheme. Either way, it shows a decline in parental guidance.

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Exactly. I used to cut the little orange ends off my cap guns and would spray paint the green or orange cap guns black.

Color schemes are a matter of preference. Too far might be this... Or this...
...but who's to say so. I personally think it's funny/creative. As long as the firearm owner is responsible and respectful, then the color scheme doesn't matter much imo.

Mn Fats said:

Exactly. I used to cut the little orange ends off my cap guns and would spray paint the green or orange cap guns black.

Color schemes are a matter of preference. Too far might be this...View attachment 1064712Or this...
View attachment 1064713...but who's to say so. I personally think it's funny/creative. As long as the firearm owner is responsible and respectful, then the color scheme doesn't matter much imo.

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When I was a kid, the toy guns were all black, no orange muzzles.
Now you got me wanting s Hello Kitty AR or AK, with a Kalashikitty T- shirt to go with the AK.......

My wife has a purple chrome p238, but she Carry’s black guns. She likes the sig and wanted it. So she got it. Happy wife happy life.

and now it seems to be a bit of a collector cuz they don’t make ‘em anymore.

us guys buy fancy grips on our 1911s, different strokes for different folks.

edit to fix spelling error (but to buy)

Electricmo said:

View attachment 1064656
Im wondering why something like this even caught my eye. It’s really kind of ugly. I’ve noticed a trend of making lethal weapons almost look harmless. Almost toylike. There’s lots of diversity out there. Most of it I don’t find to appealing. A gun should look like a gun.
Have we gone to far?

Click to expand...

The frame color isn’t my style, but that’s a nice looking pistola. If my wife wanted it, I’d probably buy it for her.

Electricmo said:

Im wondering why something like this even caught my eye. It’s really kind of ugly. ...

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Aaaahhhhh ... you haven't considered the tactical aspect.

Wannabe robber walks in your bodega with a regular handgun, you whip out that pistol, bad guy sees it and cannot resist commenting (WTH?) and you quickly disarm him while he is distracted.

======
BTW, I am beginning to like the new color offerings available for some firearms. I doubt that I will ever own one, but I think that they may help make them more acceptable (less "scary") to some folks.

Electricmo said:

View attachment 1064663 View attachment 1064664 View attachment 1064665 View attachment 1064666 Real fast which ones are toys?

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None of those are my style at all. I know the Bersa was an art project of some sort and I can appreciate it for that.

Now that I think about it, I don’t see guns like those shown in that post at any range I go to. Makes me wonder if the owners are too embarrassed to take them out in public, or the people that paint their guns in loud “non-gun” color schemes are a tiny minority of gun owners?

I think it's a reflection of the tech and times. I would venture that never before have we had such a plethora of coatings available that the end user can apply to metal and wood and plastic. So that's one end of it - ease of personalization.

The other is marketing and accessorizing. Guns are following thematic cues. such as tacticool, hello kitty, nintendo, deadpool, 2nd amendment and Trump 45 themes.
Guns are not being marketed today as solely tools or weapons. If you look back. there has always been "finer" examples of firearms. filigree, inlay, jeweling, exotic woods. all to increase the appeal - albeit to mostly enthusiasts. But I think the marketing of style is much much broader than ever before. Guns are being marketed as accessories, and therefore they are following any cues they can to appeal to someone who might not otherwise consider one.

While some of us are not even remote fans of some of the "marketing" to the points made of where does the line go making it look like a toy. But neither can we argue that it's not working. I see a number of those crazy examples all the time. They really do stand out. and in a saturated market - that counts.