10-Ring
Member
You know, it's all about value & if someone finds value in what they're buying, then it's worth it...just like buying guns for self defense...after the 1st one, why buy more? You can only shoot one at a time, right?
Custom guns: Worth it?
- Thread starter frayluisfan
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Ain't that the truth? I can tell the difference between a highly tuned 1911 and and run of the mill piece as far as shootability and performance.
My carry gun is a Glock 26 with a grip reduction, but I don't shoot it nearly as much as my nice 1911 pistols (competition shooter). I could carry a high end pistol, but I choose not to because the Glock suits my puposes better even though it is less shootable, not as accurate, and in all likelyhood, no more reliable.
Harold Mayo
Member
Are you sure those "clunky arms room 1911s" weren't actually predecessors to the MEUSOC pistols that had been worked over by armorers and just looked like "clunky arms room 1911s"...?
Bob R
Member
As far as I am comcerned, a few high end guns are just fine. Do I need a bunch? Not really. I have a S&W 25-5 that has been worked over by one of the early greats, Austin Behlert. It is a true joy to shoot, so much in fact, I can hardly get it away from my wife.
I also carry a Yost Delta that I put a lot of money and time into.
Is it more accurate than my stock Para? yep. Is it more reliable than the Para? I don't really know, ask me after about 20k rounds. The Para was nothing if not rock solid reliable.
Does it feel better to shoot. Light years better. Pehaps I should have had a single stack all along.
Does it look better? for sure, much, much better.
If you have the money, and the inclination, I see nothing wrong with indulging your desire for top end custom guns.
Some like them, some don't see the necessity, or desire to have one.
YMMV
bob
I also carry a Yost Delta that I put a lot of money and time into.
Is it more accurate than my stock Para? yep. Is it more reliable than the Para? I don't really know, ask me after about 20k rounds. The Para was nothing if not rock solid reliable.
Does it feel better to shoot. Light years better. Pehaps I should have had a single stack all along.
Does it look better? for sure, much, much better.
If you have the money, and the inclination, I see nothing wrong with indulging your desire for top end custom guns.
Some like them, some don't see the necessity, or desire to have one.
YMMV
bob
To me it definitely isn't. I have only a few guns right now that I can't imagine selling. I could cut my collection back to about 5 without losing any real capability. The only read mods I make are maybe trigger work, reliablity work, or changing a stock or grips to make something fit me right (I generally fit almost everything anyway).
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
So if you buy something made to what you want it to be and then decide that you want to sell or trade it or move on to something else, you are never going to get your money back out of it. (Especially if you have the terrible taste that I tend to have.)
I am a trader, a wheeler and dealer...
Some guys buy a gun and keep it no matter what. For them a custom gun is great.
For me it is a bad idea.
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
So if you buy something made to what you want it to be and then decide that you want to sell or trade it or move on to something else, you are never going to get your money back out of it. (Especially if you have the terrible taste that I tend to have.)
I am a trader, a wheeler and dealer...
Some guys buy a gun and keep it no matter what. For them a custom gun is great.
For me it is a bad idea.
StrikeEagle
Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2004
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- 709
I love that gun, the Security Six.
How many rounds do you figure you put through it... and what kind of ammo was it? 125grn .357 Mag loads, or what?
What happened to the barrel that you had to replace it? Forcing cone issues?
StrikeEagle
LeonCarr
Member
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and its not the song, its the singer.
My experience with custom handguns (all 1911s) has been less than stellar, experiencing reliability problems even when those 1911s were built by nationally recognized gunsmiths at the top of their craft. I can't tell the difference in my performance in either informal target shooting or competition shooting between a custom 1911 or a Glock, unless it is deliberate slow fire bullseye type shooting, in which case the custom 1911 with handfitted barrel and crisp trigger will of course be more accurate. Besides, it is much more fun when you outshoot somebody at a match when they are shooting their $3000 masterpiece, and you are shooting a $500 Glock.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
My experience with custom handguns (all 1911s) has been less than stellar, experiencing reliability problems even when those 1911s were built by nationally recognized gunsmiths at the top of their craft. I can't tell the difference in my performance in either informal target shooting or competition shooting between a custom 1911 or a Glock, unless it is deliberate slow fire bullseye type shooting, in which case the custom 1911 with handfitted barrel and crisp trigger will of course be more accurate. Besides, it is much more fun when you outshoot somebody at a match when they are shooting their $3000 masterpiece, and you are shooting a $500 Glock
.Just my .02,
LeonCarr
LeonCarr
Member
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and its not the song, its the singer.
My experience with custom handguns (all 1911s) has been less than stellar, experiencing reliability problems even when those 1911s were built by nationally recognized gunsmiths at the top of their craft. I can't tell the difference in my performance in either informal target shooting or competition shooting between a custom 1911 or a Glock, unless it is deliberate slow fire bullseye type shooting, in which case the custom 1911 with handfitted barrel and crisp trigger will of course be more accurate. Besides, it is much more fun when you outshoot somebody at a match when they are shooting their $3000 masterpiece, and you are shooting a $500 Glock.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
My experience with custom handguns (all 1911s) has been less than stellar, experiencing reliability problems even when those 1911s were built by nationally recognized gunsmiths at the top of their craft. I can't tell the difference in my performance in either informal target shooting or competition shooting between a custom 1911 or a Glock, unless it is deliberate slow fire bullseye type shooting, in which case the custom 1911 with handfitted barrel and crisp trigger will of course be more accurate. Besides, it is much more fun when you outshoot somebody at a match when they are shooting their $3000 masterpiece, and you are shooting a $500 Glock
.Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Sleuth
Member
Let me put in another view. For 9 years I was the lead firearms instructor at my agency's academy, doing both basic & in-service training. At the time, our issue pistol was the (much maligned) S&W 6906. Those guns worked, even when dirty (some had not been cleaned in a year) and neglected. I broke the frame on my issue gun (a certain [large] amount of ammo ""fell off the truck""), and never knew it until I cleaned it after shooting 100% on our qual course.
Would a custom gun have worked any better? I think not.
They were not pretty, there was little "pride of ownership", but I never felt undergunned. In fact, my wife has chosen a 6906 as her carry gun. Over the years, many of the features that were "custom" are now 'factory'. And many custom gunmakers tout meaningless 'improved accuracy', frequently at the cost of absolute reliability. Who will need accuracy better than 6" at 25 yards? Most human heads are about 6" in diameter. And who really takes 25 yard head shots with a handgun?
It's a (mostly) free country - spend your money as you wish.
For many of us, the extra money spent on a custom gun would be far better invested in training with a factory gun.
Would a custom gun have worked any better? I think not.
They were not pretty, there was little "pride of ownership", but I never felt undergunned. In fact, my wife has chosen a 6906 as her carry gun. Over the years, many of the features that were "custom" are now 'factory'. And many custom gunmakers tout meaningless 'improved accuracy', frequently at the cost of absolute reliability. Who will need accuracy better than 6" at 25 yards? Most human heads are about 6" in diameter. And who really takes 25 yard head shots with a handgun?
It's a (mostly) free country - spend your money as you wish.
For many of us, the extra money spent on a custom gun would be far better invested in training with a factory gun.
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