What are your criteria?

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CrankyOldGuy

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We all have very personal reasons why we prefer one firearm over another.

For example:
I insist a firearm be easy to strip, clean and re-assemble or I will not own/buy it.
I also demand reliability and ruggedness.
Finally it has to be accurate enough to do the job which I intend for it. (it goes without saying that it needs to have a practical purpose before I will buy it)

From those criteria, you'd probably guess that I am a shooter rather then a collector and you'd be right. I don't own a single safe queen, but that's me. I certainly understand collectors and I very much appreciate beautiful workmanship. However, for me a firearm is a tool, and I'd never bother to engrave my hammers and wrenches. ;)

Some DO purchase for investment or the understandable joy of owning a beautiful piece of firearms art, and I'd like to hear from those folks also.

Gun owners are a very diverse group. Not understanding that can cause all sorts of disagreements. Here's a chance to add your reasons and ideas.

So what criteria do you use to select the firearms you own? Have they changed over time?
 
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1. It must have (at least a theoretical) specific practical purpose, with rare exception. Even if that specific practical purpose is "fun range gun specifically geared to endear newbies to fun, safe shooting."

2. It MUST BE extremely reliable. Nothing worse than jammers. Life is too short to spend your range time with jammed up guns. One of many reasons I'm very keen on turnbolts.

3. It must have a level of accuracy *commensurate with* the duty it's called upon to do.

4. It must have some level of aesthetics which are pleasing / acceptable to me personally. I hate plastic stocks on rifles for example. Although I have a couple, I have redone them with different finishes. I prefer steel and wood, or at least fiberglass or aluminum. Can't do hi-points, for example, just on looks alone.

5. It must either have a rail for a scope, OR have nice user-friendly "ergo" iron sights, which are fully adjustable (with a couple of exceptions to this, such as a snubby revo). I have bad eyesight, and need to be able to hit what I'm aiming at.

Easily cleanable? Highly preferred, but not absolutely necessary.
In general, I prefer short barrels, and light, handy guns, but have one monster as well (and I'm not opposed to getting a 50bmg).

Good question.
 
If it makes sense to me.

I would love several guns, but ammo is hard (impossible where i live to find in stores) to get, and very expensive, so i didn't get them.

Must be pratically accurate, reliable, and it must fit me well. Preferably the semis be modular, as to fit any number of needs that i may have.

Easy to clean is a very nicce thing, but with some you just can't have that.

The rifles must have a rail or be able to have a rail (minus A2 type ARs, but then i usually just get a A3 and detachable acrry handle), and the pistols must have adjustable sights. If it is a target pistol, i usually like a rrail to mount a red dot on, depending what kind of pistol it is.

That about covers it.
 
I have more preferences more than requirements.

- Prefer walnut over hardwood or synthetic (and never camo)
- Prefer American made
- Prefer blued over stainless
- Prefer levers or bolts over semi

My only requirement at the moment is open sights, and those open sights should be easily modifiable to install aperture sights. But if I was ever in a situation where I needed a long-range deer rifle I'd consider a bolt without sights, if I were going to put a scope on it anyway.
 
So what criteria do you use to select the firearms you own?
Click to expand...

Ruggedness and reliability, first and foremost.

I never compromise on ruggedness and reliability, even if it means I have to give up some accuracy. My guns need to be as tough as I am and they need to fire every time I pull the trigger. If they don't do these things, then they aren't worth it, period.
 
For the general shooter type gun it needs to:

-Shoot without problems (which is an issue I have with the ar)

-It is nice if they are fairly accurate (I can deal with a minor shooting quirk)

-I accept the way most guns feel but there are a few that feel better.

-Lastly, some have annoying qualities which make them sit in the safe much more than others.
 
generally i'm interested in firearms that serve a practical purpose. no safe queens or fancy target rifles, but i do enjoy historic and nostalgic firearms.

when i look at a purchase, first comes ruggedness and reliability. it must reliably go bang above all else.

then comes ammunition availability and parts/accessories/support. if i can't readily find ammo or parts, it doesn't really matter how it shoots.

after that would be ergonomics/handling. if a firearm is akward and uncomfortable to shoot, how accurate could i possibly be with it?

accuracy needs to be acceptable for the designated purpose, but then most firearms are built with this in mind.

there are a few guns that i wouldn't buy based on looks alone, but there are better options to fill the roll of those guns anyway.
 
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I want reliability and accuracy most. Looks don't count, but if it looks nice, that's a bonus. Reliability is first, because if it doesn't shoot when I want it to, it's a waste of resources.
 
I like em all I don't make my purchases fit any one mold. Guns are like Pokemon "you gotta collect em all"

I have safe queens, EBR's, precision bolt guns, and completely impractical toys The only criteria they all met was I wanted one at the time I bought it. Life is short live a little and expand your horizons. I laugh at those of you who think every gun purchase has to be the most solemn deathly serious experiance possible
 
Great stuff.
Historical significance and or uniqueness is something I really had not considered. I'm glad a few of you mentioned it.

I've found my criteria have changed as I've grown older...I'd say "matured" but my wife would argue the use of that term. ;)

For example; originally I loved the thought of owning an AR, I liked the "look" and I have owned a couple. What I've found is that I just don't like the AR, it's a bit too finicky and a little too frail for my tastes, I've sold my ARs and added a 580-series Mini-14 to satisfy my .223 requirements. It's more my style of rifle, and the new 580s are accurate unlike some of the older series mini's.

So for rifles I've gone from tatical to classic stock preferences.

Shotguns I went the opposite way, I had virtually stopped shooting my Win. 1300 12-gauge because I just didn't enjoy the recoil. Then I added a recoil-reducing, pistol-gripped Knoxx Specops stock. Now I have a funny-looking (to my eyes) but very pleasant shooting shotgun. It might be ugly, but I shoot it often, now.

So classic to tactical in the shotguns (although I admit for a "practicool" comfort reason rather than a taticool look)

Even in pistols my tastes have changed. Originally a wheelgun (Super Blackhawk .44 mag, S&W model 66) guy and a 1911 diehard (Colt of course), I spend a lot more time shooting my sub-compact Glocks recently. (a G26 in 9mm and a G36 in .45ACP)

I tried to like a small framed wheelgun or little 1911 for CC, but the Glocks fit my personal protection/concealed carry criteria better than either of my "old favorite" actions.

Even my "neat" .22lr papoose break-down rifle has seen a lot less range time since a 10/22 carbine took up residence here. The Papoose will probably be gifted to my son this next B-day.

Things change, and practical/reliable/comfortable has taken over as a primary criteria for me. Maybe in the future things will change again, as the eyes and muscles weaken. Perhaps I'll start looking into collectables. But I'm sure I'll still be a member of the gun culture and I'm glad we're such a varied group of folks.
 
Any firearm good enough to serve the US Military in the last hundred years (save for the Chauchaut) is good enough for me.

1903/03A3
M1 Garand
M1 Carbine
M14/M1A
M16/AR15 family
M1911A1
S&W J & K frame revolvers (Never cared for the Colt DA revolvers)
Sig Sauer P226 & 228
Beretta M92
Remington 870
Mossberg 500/590


To name but a few :)
 
Chauchaut...
Was that a firearm? I thought it was a funny-shaped club.
Although, IIRC you could put a sharpened stick in the bore and use it as a spear....
 
1. It must be able to disassemble feild cleaning without any tools.
2. It must have as few small parts as possible.
3. It must be reliable in adverse conditions.
4. It must feed from "high capacity" magazines.
5. The round it fires must be readily available and affordable.
 
I buy guns to fit an application or fill a void, and sometimes to see if a new variant will work better for a given application than a current gun.

For example, I sold this gun, which was my "newbie, woman, loaner" gun
IMG_0820Small-1.jpg

To fund the assembling of this gun, which I think works better for the intended role
(yes, there's a rear sight on it now, a Troy, that wasn't on it at the time of this picture
BCM-Middy-starboard-side.jpg
 
For example; originally I loved the thought of owning an AR, I liked the "look" and I have owned a couple. What I've found is that I just don't like the AR, it's a bit too finicky and a little too frail for my tastes, I've sold my ARs and added a 580-series Mini-14 to satisfy my .223 requirements. It's more my style of rifle, and the new 580s are accurate unlike some of the older series mini's.
Click to expand...

I'd almost do the same thing but I may wait to see what happens with the fed before I do anything. Who knows, I may even turn a nice profit.
 
1.) must have a purpose, that it can consistently fulfill, and do a damn good job at fulfilling it.
2.) must be reliable/easy to maintain with long service life
3.) must have readily available ammo, because a rifle, or for that matter, any firearm, is useless without ammo.

That's pretty much it.
 
I buy a gun based on three criterion. Ist and foremost: I like it. 2nd: I like it and lastly, I like it. Nothing else matters as long as I have the money to buy it.
 
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PremiumSauces, you just about summed up my thoughts on the matter with one possible clarifaction re your comment "I hate plastic stocks on rifles for example". If you mean plastic then I agree with you, but if you mean synthetic which generally means fiberglass, carbon fiber, or some other composite then I don't agree.

rob, I got a good look at some Troy sights at my local gun shop yesterday. They were the Troy Folding Battle Sight Set (HK Style Front) Black and they were mounted on a POF upper with a BM lower ... all I can say is AWESOME!! I want them on my POF upper when it arrives (any day now) but I see that they're out of stock on Troy's web site. I also got to try out a neat collapsable 6-position stock with storage tubes on either side (don't remember the manufacturer). It was very comfortable and I'm sure the tubes would be good for something ... maybe storing reading material or a cigar or two. :D

:)
 
I mostly collect old military arms. I like wood stocks on rifles, and all metal pistols. I don't care for stainless finished rifles, but do like stainless finished pistols. I think the thing i love the lost about old military arms is the questions i get at the range, usually followed be "you actually shoot something that old?"
 
jimmyraythomason I buy a gun based on three criterion. Ist and formost: I like it. 2nd: I like it and lastly, I like it. Nothing else matters as long as I have the money to buy it.
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+1

The only thing that I might add, I don't expect a increase in value from any gun. But I do want it to keep the value that I bought it for. For this reason, I've only bought a few new guns in my life. Each was a hunting gun that I knew would get abused, and no matter what, would never hold value.

So, a working gun I expect to work. And a fun gun, I expect to hold value, but not necessarily increase in value.

Wyman

ETA-
I mostly collect old military arms. I like wood stocks on rifles, and all metal pistols. I don't care for stainless finished rifles, but do like stainless finished pistols. I think the thing i love the lost about old military arms is the questions i get at the range, usually followed be "you actually shoot something that old?"
Click to expand...

Agree with this also. Wood is Good.
 
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I think a lot of it has to do with age and personality. Me, I like old style and antique rifles. They just have a look at feel of simpler times. I also like the peace and quiet of the farm and country. When there are other people within my age group at the range, they usually talk about closing the bar then hammer away with their AK's.

I bet if you took 100 multiple-gun owners, made them take a personality test then looked at their gun cabinets, you'd find the types of firearms that match their personality.
 
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