Some of us just rub two pieces of bread together really fast. Some of us build a
machine, to burn our toast; a gloriously complex and arcane device known to but a few, that only works right some of the time, but grants wings to ten angels with each successful firing (accompanied by cloud-burst
)
I realized long ago I'm very contrARian in my gun tastes; it's not that I'm out to rub cool stuff in others' faces (merely a side effect, I swear) but I enjoy hunting for and learning about stuff that isn't neatly laid out for you ahead of time. The notion of watching a step-by-step How to Build (read: assemble) an AR Youtube video and following along sounds like the most soul-crushing experience imaginable to me. Following Ian's video detailing the process of assembly/reassembly for the Hotchkiss Portative to make sense of the parts kit in hand was entertaining, and ripping apart a crappy R51 down to pins and needles was extremely fun.
Tokarev? No, give me a CZ52. SHTF rifle? Nay to both AR, AK, and SKS, I'll take a VZ58 thank you. 1911? I'll do you one better and take a 1912 (Steyr). My first 9mm was a P35 Hi Power (somehow considered obscure) precisely so I could avoid a 1911, and the first modern pistol apart from the five-seven was the R51 (you can't qualify for CCW in Texas with the 5.7x28
).
Weird guns give you a better bang for your buck if the goal is to enjoy the design/engineering aspects of firearms. If the goal is to convert money to noise and hone your dexterity, your tastes will become dull, bland, and boring, much like the nutrient-poor diet of a vegetarian
. For those inventively-minded, odd guns serve a crucial purpose as inspiration, so often containing brilliant ideas or methods that were hamstrung by bone-headed or patent-forced flaws that prevented their original success.
TCB