I was one of the people in that thread to say that the AR had no soul, as well as glocks and other polymer strikerfired pistols. Basically black guns.So in the thread https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/who-doesn’t-own-like-ar’s.926044/ we wandered on the notion that AR's do not have "soul" and conversely it was implied that a blue steel and wood guns (or similar) does.
In the resulting discussion I realized I don't think I understand what is commonly meant by that saying, "a gun has soul". At a high level it seems that older more traditional models made from older material and manufacturing process have more "soul" than modern designs made from more modern materials and modern methods? The engineer in me bristles at that definition if it's to be the right one. Though I am happy to be corrected.
What the gun is or what it is made from has very little to do with it in my personal interpretation of it having "soul" or not. To me when someone says a gun has soul, what I think of is its a well used gun that brings with it good memories or at least interesting tales of its use in the owners hands (and possibly those that used it before them). To me "soul" is not a measure of the quality or manufacturing process used to create the firearm but what that firearm has been used for and the resulting history it has been part of, told or not.
IMHO a cheap mass produced gun that has seen heavy use and been on many adventures with it's owner has far more "soul" than a finely crafted custom gun that has only ever sat in a gun cabinet and gone on the rare trip to the range.
Happy to hear what you think of when someone say a gun has "soul."
That said, Taurus & KelTecs have no soul.
Around here that term generally means it has bacon grease in it, though not a term normally used on guns. Plain green beans- gross. Green beans with a little bacon and/or bacon grease cooked in them-soul food.Happy to hear what you think of when someone say a gun has "soul
.38 Special said, "I suspect that 'soul' is nearly synonymous with 'history'. "
True, but sometimes there's also a subtle feeling about an object. I hate to bring in another synonym, but it's also called a "vibe."
Some people "get" this, some don't. I have a pretty technical/scientific mind, but I get that feeling from some of my guns. I had an M1 Carbine I named "George" and only later realized it was an honorarium to Patton. I name other guns, too. I have a .380 I carried for a long time which I called "My W'il Fwend," loooong before the scene in Scarface (?) where he hollered down the stairs, "Say hello to my little friend" before blasting away with his gun.
I remember the custom in some western stories where they seemed to like calling their gun "Betsy." Do you remember that? Where did that come from? Where did the custom of naming ships arise... even unto today, where SSN-571 still has a sayable name? So does good ole BB-63,
I sometimes name knives and cars, too. It's just a feeling about a particular object which doesn't demand a name, but somehow suggests it. My second Audi was named Heinrich. My '97 Subaru's name was inevitable:, nothing "spooky" about it: Suzy Baru. Nyuck-nyuck-nyuck.
I know, I know, an object is just an object of steel, wood, plastic, whatever, so "how can it have... 'vibes' like that?"
Some just do. One of the demands of science is that things be seeable and testable by a cross section of observers in a cross section of laboratories and be repeatable and measurable. I'm all for that, "Yay!" for science!
But that same concept is one of the problems with science... it can't see what it can't see.
Terry, 230RN
I would call that aesthetically pleasing rather than soul. High level of craftmanship, nice furniture, engraving, design symmetry, etc.everyone knows all guns are made of metals, plastics, and/or wood. Everyone one also know they are all just tools, but, I think most of us would agree some can be a literal work of art.
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Filmed in the Holland & Holland factory, discover the key stages involved in crafting the world's finest sporting shotguns and rifles.Holland & Holland guns ...youtu.be
However, I think you could replace the term soul (in this particular context) with “tickles my fancy” …it is subjective and to some extent emotional.
A 1985 Honda Accord is a car, so is a Ferrari Enzo. Some would prefer one over the other for different reasons. But the chances that people with get attached to the Honda are fairly slim, the Enzo on the other hand…
I think this is a big part of what bothers me about this idea of soul. As I mention in the first post I am an engineer by trade and in addition are pretty serious follower of space exploration. Recent space mission are rife with anthropomorphizing of robotic spacecraft in an attempt to draw the public in. On one hand I can appreciate the effort to bring the general public in on the various missions. On the other hand I utterly hate the anthropomorphizing of these systems. It takes away from the science and engineering that made them possible and the science they are endeavoring to do and just makes them into loveable characters that often skews the mission and its knowledge sharing.Science does, however, have a name for what you describe; the naming of inanimate objects and attributing human qualities to them: anthropomorphization.