Plastic with soul?

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Regardless of what material the gun is made of, most are mass produced and one can find another just like it. I say that "soul' comes from what it means to you. I have a Glock 17.3 which is no different from any other 17.3, but it was my first gun. I made mistakes with it, I learned with it, and now I depend on it. So, I say it has soul. I have a 19.4 and again, there's nothing special about it. Except it's the first gun I ever carried. It spits brass to my face, but I still like it (so does the 17). It has soul. I have an all metal RIA 1911 which is great. It's relatively new to me and maybe I've shout 300 rounds or so through it. There are many like it and I don't feel any sort of "connection" to it. But it's still a nice gun and I have no plans to get rid of it. I say, for now, it has no soul. SO anyway, I think it has more to do with what it means to you.
 
Electricmo said:
I have been on the lookout for a plastic/polymer pistol that stirs my soul like a good all steel on does. I’ve found nothing. There just doesn’t seem to be any character to the plastic fantastics. So I guess they are there for utilitarian reasons. Does anyone have a plastic gun they just feel is a part of them? If so give me the reason why and the brand. I’m still searching for that piece of plastic that completes me like my all metal pistols do.
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In my opinion black plastic guns seem to be soulless. Other colors like desert tan or green seem warmer to me. I just finished building a rifle with a stainless action and barrel with a sand colored synthetic stock thats rather pleasing to my eyes.
 
bannockburn said:
I have a few polymer frame guns that hold a certain allure that gives them some soulful quality to them.

One of them is my Ruger SR9c. I love the streamlined styling and the overall shape of the grip frame. It's not really plastic but reinforced fiberglass that fit's my hand very perfectly and feels warm to the touch. It also has great sights and one of the best triggers I have ever encountered with a striker fired pistol.

Number two on my list is my CZ P07. While some may say this blocky looking gun has no visual appeal to it and they might be right, but the ergonomics and solid build quality lend credence to the saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". What I found to my surprise is that the grip frame reminded me of that of a 1911 and that's definitely a good thing in my book! Likewise I discovered that it's quite easy to swap out (with the parts needed included with the gun) the decocker for a thumb safety making it possible to carry it in Condition One. I really like this gun!

The third gun for your consideration is my HK VP9 in all of it's technological splendor. Remember when I wrote that the Ruger SR9c had one of the best triggers; well meet the new contender for that title! Incredibly smooth and light and with a short reset, it's got everything going for it. Add to that a polymer grip frame that is so easy to adjust and configure to where it feels just right in your hand, along with great sights, and you've got a winning combination in a semi-auto pistol.

So I guess that to me the real "spiritual life" of a handgun isn't so much if it's made from aluminum alloys, plastic, polymers, or fiberglass, or to how it appears styling-wise; but really how good the gun feels in your hand, how nice the trigger is, how readily the sights are to acquire, and most importantly how reliable and accurate it is. These are the things that give soul to my "plastic" guns.
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I agree, the Ruger SR9C has elegant lines, it is not boxy, or cut harshly. The lines of the slide and frame flow well, sort of like an Italian sports car. Yet is built like a tank, extremely accurate, no recoil, a great trigger and has safety features that I like. Many all steel guns have a work-of-art appeal. The SR9C has a similar work-of-art visual effect.
 
With the cerakote options now available for polymer guns that allow text and any images you want, as well as high quality laser engraving for metal guns that can be text or images too, I think we are going to be arguing about which guns are more beautiful for many years to come.
 
lightman said:
In my opinion black plastic guns seem to be soulless. Other colors like desert tan or green seem warmer to me. I just finished building a rifle with a stainless action and barrel with a sand colored synthetic stock thats rather pleasing to my eyes.
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My son-in-law said something similar when he was looking at my Glock 19X vs my G45. He shot both. He actually shot better with the G45, but he liked the 19X more. So, I gave it to him. :D
 
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lightman said:
Other colors like desert tan or green seem warmer to me.
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Me too. And that's why I'm considering having my Glock 44, and maybe even my Glock 19 cerakoted. I already have an OD green holster for the 44, and a brown leather holster for the 19.:thumbup:
BTW, as I've said before, my custom built 308 Norma Mag is bead-blasted stainless, and it wears a granite-grey synthetic stock - because I ordered it that way. To each his own, but I personally prefer a "utilitarian look" when it comes to guns.:)
 
Electricmo said:
I have been on the lookout for a plastic/polymer pistol that stirs my soul like a good all steel on does. I’ve found nothing. There just doesn’t seem to be any character to the plastic fantastics. So I guess they are there for utilitarian reasons. Does anyone have a plastic gun they just feel is a part of them? If so give me the reason why and the brand. I’m still searching for that piece of plastic that completes me like my all metal pistols do.
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For me it's the HK P30...it's enjoyable to hold..to shoot and to look at.

HK_P30_9mm_New_Black_1__47961.1524005810.jpg
 
Electricmo said:
That’s a nice looking piece. I like that it has a hammer. It almost looks alive
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This is the one gun that is so deliberately comfortable when I pick it up I don't want to put it down. The grip is utterly amazing on the way it contours to the hand. With three different sized backstraps and side panels they provide multiple combinations to custom fit it to your hand. The controls are ambidextrous and it sports the European paddle releases. They are available in several variants from a standard SA/DA action to a Law Enforcement Module (LEM) version. I also have this model in their Sub Compact version.
 
To me (My Opinion) Glocks whether polymer or aluminum frames, are the 2nd ugliest guns sold, 2nd only to the Hi Points. I have had and sold three of them and will never own another. I have seen some of the customized FrankenGlocks that have very little of the original guns parts that I could probably stomach....if nothing else was available. But there are much better looking polymer guns that shoot circles around the basic Glocks. I had a Springfield Armory XD45 that would shoot half inch groups, from a rest, to point of aim, straight out of the box, using the Winchester White Box ammo I bought from Walmart. The only reason I sold it was my brother in law wanted a gun he could carry and after shooting it, he offered me almost twice what the gun was worth. It was a very nice looking pistol. My next polymer purchase was the Springfield Armory XDM-4.5 in 10mm. Again it is a handsome pistol that shoots amazingly accurate, right out of the box with the 10mm round. One of my Glocks that I sold was a 10mm. Though it shot decent, the XDM shoots circles around it. Did I mention the Glock was butt ugly????? I know that Glocks have a place in this world, but just not in my safe or on my hip. My XD & XDM, to me are polymer pistol's with soul.
 
Of all the polymer handguns, I've always thought the Walther P99 had the most character. That thing looks like a gun in search of a gunfight!
 
Guys come to love their tools.

I lean toward metal and wood for “soul”, but the little, recently discontinued KelTec P3AT has character to me. It’s a “Gilligan” gun - just a silly lil’ buddy but it fits a niche perfectly. So, yeah, polymer can have character and soul.
 
HK P2000SK
To me, not only does the pistol look great, its LEM trigger gives it a natural feel. I'll call that soulful!
 
The only polymer handguns I really like are the hammer fired DA/SA ones. Some of the striker guns just look silly to me, I guess it's because I'm old. My SAR CM9 G2, my SAR B6, my CZ-P07, Sphinx SDP, and even my Taurus PT9 are at least in the keeper catagory. I did sell my Taurus PT9C to a friend when I needed cash, and I really don't miss it much.
 
Charlie Martinez said:
Plastic with soul? Never heard of it.
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....just as I have never heard of a steel gun with "soul". Maybe I'm confused over the proper definition, I dunno. What I do know, is so many folks want to personify firearms, and give them attributes that they do not or will ever, have. Saying a gun must have soul, is like the antis claiming that guns kill. Firearms, regardless of being steel or plastic are inanimate tools. No different than the hammer in the back of my truck. Like the chainsaw and the splitting maul sitting next to it. Like my wife's Kitchen-aid mixer on the counter. Even when it's busy mixing up chocolate chip cookies, it's still just a tool. Do specific types of firearms trip my trigger more than others? Yep, sure do. Has to do with their performance as a tool of the trade. as well as what my soul thinks of them. Not by any human characteristic.

Personifying firearms has been around for ever. Why so many give their favorite gun a name and fondle them with deep affection. Still the gun don't feel a thing. Guns and the personification of them have been the theme of many books and songs. One of my favorites is "Peacemaker" by the Steeldrivers......


I'm a cool 3 lbs of cold blue steel
I shoot even deader than the way I feel
Made to fit right in your hand
Why I'll never understand
I coulda been a hammer or a railroad spike
I coulda been a train rollin' through the night
But they gave my voice such a terrible sound
That I wish they'd left me in the ground


 
Steel, plastic or composite... In the end it doesn't matter, what matters is the person holding the tool. The soul is created in the heart and mind of the operator. Forgive me for quoting Kipling...

Kipling said:
When 'arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch,
Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old bitch;
She's human as you are - you treat her as sich,
An' she'll fight for the young British soldier.
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