How do you like your guns to look?

Well used and well maintained is how I like em. Shiny with finish wear, wood stocks stained with oil and darkened from exposure, grips wrapped in leather or tape, and little field repairs here and there. But the wear has to be honestly put there by me, not by some previous owner and not by artificial aging.

I guess I see it as kind of like a photo album, where each scratch, nick, and shiny spot has a memory attached to it.

Beaters to safe queens with perfect function.

I want mine to look as scary as possible. The biggest mags, the ugliest flash hiders, and blacker the better. It really depends on which gun it is. I really love the war torn look of AK's that have lots of finish wear. My buddy just got an RPK and the first thing he did was take some scotch brite to that thing and it turned out pretty well. If the gun has a nice glossy blued finish, I like it to remain that way. Other than that I don't care what they look like as long as they work.

bushmaster1313 said:

And most definitely like this:

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Amen.....Best "look" of all

briansmithwins said:

Tools are meant to be used.

But you can tell a lot about a man by how he cares for his tools.

BSW

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My sentiments exactly!

I keep my tools oiled and well taken care of. I also expect a hammer to get dings on it. While I take care of my guns they are going to get scratches, dings, dents and other marks. I don't really care.

It depends. Some are beautiful, some are utilitarian. Some are like new, some are very old. They're all beautiful to me. Most of `em anyway.

i dont care how they look...i care how they perform

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So you wouldn't mind if they were pink and purple and goofy looking? Sorry but I have to cry foul every time I hear somebody say they don't care what their guns look like.

Craig I would take a weapon that was purple with pink Polka dots that worked over a black, grey, or stainless one that is questionable. That is the point when people say they don't care how it looks. Sure we all want it to look nice. But in the end that is the least important part of the gun.

That is why many people don't care. If you ever look at any of Stickmans photography the guns are shiny and new right? Well sure. When he is taking them for a company or just to show. But look at some of his duty weapons or photos he has taken of people in class. They are beat and scratched to hell.

Craig I would take a weapon that was purple with pink Polka dots that worked over a black, grey, or stainless one that is questionable.

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As would I but that wasn't the question. Lots of folks say they don't care how a gun looks but I'm crying foul. You may prefer strict utilitarian polished bluing, engraving, fancy wood and color case hardening but to say you don't care at all what your firearm looks like is hogwash. Preferring utilitarian firearms is still a choice.

But in the end that is the least important part of the gun.

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That may be true for those who perceive guns as tools but not everybody feels that way. I certainly don't, nor do lots of other shooters. Just seems to be a point of contention for those who prefer utilitarian firearms. IMHO, there are plenty of snobs who prefer utilitarian guns, who look down their noses at those with the opposite view. I always note the condescending use of the word "pretty".

Some guns I take extra care to keep as flawless as possible. Some guns are meant to be used hard with finish as a side note. I tend to buy ugly guns and don't mind a flaw hear or there and any honest wear is fine. I don't intentionally put my firearms through wear they don't need just to have "battle scars". I'm happy to have firearms with worn finishes if they perform well or have a sentimental value, but outside of that I'd like to keep them in as good of condition as possible. I can certainly appreciate a beautiful stock with deep dark blued metal and keeping it that way is the value of that firearm.

I like almost everything to look as new as possible. Cars, hammers and other tools, watches, clothes, computers, cameras, computers, and firearms, etc. About the only thing I don't like looking brand new are white colored shoes. They should show some wear to them, otherwise they look, well, weird. Whether or not my wishes on the above are obtainable or not is a whole different matter.

I don't mind a little wear when I purchase used guns but if I buy brand new and I'm paying good money, I want a brand new gun with a brand new finish on it. If there's going to be someone who puts wear and tear on a new gun I buy it's going to be me! I do try to keep my guns clean and lubricated. In the end though it's the functionality that matters most.

Craig, you can cry foul all you want, but im not one who is hungup on keeping my guns 100% mint out of the box. theyre a tool, meant to perform a job. i dont baby them, but i dont abuse them either. they go out in the field and do get some occasional dents and dings, no biggie. i LOVE a good shooter no matter what the condition. pretty guns are just that.... pretty. but a shooter will see use...which will show in time. as for purple and pink, i wouldnt have bought a colored gun in the first place so that is a moot point.

now i ask you....would you keep a pretty rifle that patterened like a shotgun on a barn door just because it was pretty, or would you keep the 50 year old model 70 that shows plenty of honest wear but can hit a gnat at 100yds? only one would put food on the table, and thats all that counts to me.

as for purple and pink, i wouldnt have bought a colored gun in the first place so that is a moot point.

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No, actually you prove my point quite nicely. If looks didn't matter at all, you wouldn't care what color it was. You wouldn't buy a purple or pink rifle because you care about what your guns look like. Period.

would you keep a pretty rifle that patterened like a shotgun on a barn door just because it was pretty...?

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Absolutely not!

...or would you keep the 50 year old model 70 that shows plenty of honest wear but can hit a gnat at 100yds?

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Why is it that for anyone who says "looks don't matter", they in turn assume that for anyone for whom looks DO matter, that it is the ONLY thing that matters??? Please. Just because looks matter does not mean that guns don't get used and useless guns get to stick around. Hardly. All my guns get used to some extent, some more than others. They're all attractive to me and that is what matters. Am I afraid to get a little wear on my guns? Hell no! I believe that NO gun is "too nice" to get used. Do you think I leave my little $4000 Merkel 28ga at home when a bird hunt comes up? Hell no, it cost too much to leave it at home. It has many birds to its credit, wear from carrying it and a promising future for more of the same. So I have to raise an eyebrow every time I hear some of the crap I've seen in this thread that only ugly guns are for using or "pretty" guns are too nice to use. Hogwash! Utilitarian, "ugly" guns are a modern invention. People have been using blued or browned steel and walnut or maple for centuries. Hard use wasn't invented for synthetic stocks and stainless steel.

i dont see how i proved any point, if there was a purple and pink gun that would fit my needs better than any other, i WOULD buy it, but nothing on the market today does. like i said, looks dont matter to me, guns are tools, plain and simple. that being said, my daughters would probably claim my new pink gun as theirs the moment i opened the box anyway, so it wouldnt be mine for long.

*add...you brought up some good points on the historical perspective of firearms. back then they all were used and many were very beautiful.
i have an old 1889 Remington 10 ga SxS made in 1891 that definitely shows its age, but must have been a real looker when it was new.

...looks dont matter to me...

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Sorry but I'm not buying it. Not now, not ever. Looks matter to everybody, not all in the same way or to the same extent but it does matter.

...i wouldnt have bought a colored gun in the first place...

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...if there was a purple and pink gun that would fit my needs better than any other, i WOULD buy it...

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Now see, you're changing your tune.

im not changing my tune whatsoever...example: i own an OD Glock 19. did i buy it because i looked "neat"? no, i bought it because i know Glocks work and that particular pistol was priced right. im not some fan of green guns because its trendy, i own it because color doesnt matter. i think youre using my "...i wouldnt have bought a colored gun in the first place... " quote in an attempt to show im contradicting myself, but thats not what this thread was about. heres the poll...

How do you like your guns to look?
Brand spankin' new!
Glossy, polished, maybe a little wear or dent here or there.
Don't mind holster wear.
Love a bit of character!
Beat to hell and back.


and based on the answers available i still say i dont care how they look, i care if they do what theyre supposed to, put bullets on target.

All of mine are tools, and I keep my tools clean, rust free, and functional. Honest wear from use is fine, but none of them look like they've been abused, like for example, using a gun butt as a hammer, or a rifle barrel as a pry bar.

you can tell alot about a man by how he takes care of his tools.

This poll is as silly as the one on whether your gun has killed an animal or not. My guess that anyone who owns more than 2 or 3 probably have some that look different than the rest. Does that mean we get out the sand paper and chemicals and age them or send them off to the factory to get reblued? I doubt it.

Lee, I'm really not trying to be argumentative. Just trying to make a point that looks matter to everyone, regardless of what they tell themselves. Are you telling me that if you had a choice between a Glock with a black frame, an olive drab frame or a pink frame, that if the pink frame was $20 cheaper, with no other differences, you would honestly choose it to save a few bucks? I'm not afraid to say that I would choose the olive drab model. Not because it's "beautiful", that's not a good descriptor, but because it was "cool". Same reason I have a full olive drab 10/22 and an AR with OD furniture. For no other reason than that I like the way it looks and there is no shame in that. For whatever silly reason, some folks seem apprehensive about admitting that, as if it immasculates them in some way. I'm also not afraid to say that I love floral carved leather and rose & scroll engraving. Does that mean I'm a flowery girly-boy with lace on his pink drawers? Hell no.

i think youre using my "...i wouldnt have bought a colored gun in the first place... " quote in an attempt to show im contradicting myself...

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Hey, I can only go by the words on the screen.

Blue steel and Walnut, used but not abused. There is nothing wrong with good honest wear. Save the stainless and plastic for the kiddies.

as long as the gun fires when i pull the trigger i dont care what it looks like

Can I say "All of the above?" (EDIT: Didnt vote)

I buy most of my guns "Brand spankin' new!"

But I take care of my toys so they are still "Glossy, polished, maybe a little wear or dent here or there."

I know they wont stay nice forever but I "Don't mind holster wear."

It gives them "..a bit of character!"

I have a few I'll keep most of my life and eventually they'll look "Beat to hell and back." Unless I re-finish them.

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im not some fan of green guns because its trendy

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I'm a fan of MyGreenGuns because I love the color green.

you can tell alot about a man by how he takes care of his tools

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My tools and my guns are kept in good condition. Its a good thing you didnt say "truck", I take better care of my guns than my truck.

This poll is as silly as the one on whether your gun has killed an animal or not.

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I missed that poll. My shotgun has killed 2 field mice. The only other gun I've pointed at anything living was my bb gun when I was a kid, shot my little brother.