Do you really get what you pay for?

[el Godfather]

Not always.

 

[Nicky Santoro]

Do you really get what you pay for?

Not always, but you never get what you don't pay for, IMO.

 

[armoredman]

I usually get more than I pay for, at least in my humble opinion.

BTW, I must be a total failure as an American - I haven't had a 1911 in 20 years, sorry. Maybe I'll see about getting a Dan Wesson someday - there you get what you pay for.

 

[Wishoot]

In most cases, I would say YES. When it comes to most things, I'm willing to pay for quality that will last for a long time. I buy brands like Filson, Allen Edmonds, LL Bean and Apple. After many years of buying cheap stuff that is unusable after a year, I adopted the "Buy Once, Cry Once" attitude and it's served me well.

That being said, there are some fantastic values in used firearms such as CZ82, Glock 22 and several others. They're cheap, but completely reliable. In several cases, I definitely got more than what I paid for.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

So...were we getting what we paid for when we paid $69 for a Norinco SKS with sling,bayonet,cleaning rod and kit and a bandoleer. Or are we getting what we paid for now that they are $300+ without ANY of the extras?

 

[JohnBT]

What else could you buy for $300 that would do the same job? I don't know the answer, but just because it was a killer deal at less than $100 doesn't necessarily make it a bad deal at $300.

John

 

[Skylerbone]

Assuming it is as advertised, regardless of price then yes. If there were an equal competitor selling same quality merchandise at half the price then, assuming the same claims and wants, yes again. Example: a GSG brand 1911 .22 that sells for ~$40 less than the one GSG manufactures for Sig. Same specs. and materials and accuracy, bargain pricing for one. "Good deal" isn't synonymous with getting what you paid for or mutually exclusive.

 

[EddieNFL]

For $10k, that thing better last at least a half million miles! Lol.

I know a few guys...

About 12 years ago I helped a friend rebuild the 327 in his '66 Impala he purchased new. We found one broken ring. 297,000 original miles.

If one wants a "truck gun" there's no sense in buying a $1000+ 1911. A good, functional, reliable one can be had for $400. Conversely, if a buyer is looking for aesthetics, quality sights, and tuned trigger, the $1000+ gun is well worth the extra cash. I own a number of each but believe as price increases, the law of diminishing returns come more into play.

I won't mention the price of my "truck" gun.

They all go bang when you squeeze the trigger.

The first time.

 

[Skylerbone]

Quote:
They all go bang when you squeeze the trigger.
Some do, others click.
[/QUOTE]

Fixed it for ya.

 

[huntsman]

crazy money for a 1911? yeah I'd do it but it wouldn't a carry gun and I wouldn't buy a cheap one(there are better platforms in that price range)

I believe you do get what you pay for and you can get more than you pay for buying used, having cash, being in the right place at the right time and understanding what you're buying. the real deals aren't the 1k gun for $500. it's the 5k gun for 3k

 

[GLOOB]

When u get to the point ur spending more than 1or 2K ur buying jewelry. Nothing wrong with that. People buy 100k watches. And thousand dollar fixed blade knives. Why wouldn't there be a market for uber expensive handguns?

 

[JohnBT]

What kind of decent jewelry can you get for a thousand bucks? Gold is still nearly $1600 per ounce. Toss in a gem or two and the price goes way up.

 

[Mr. D]

Of course you get what you pay for! Sometimes you get higher quality, sometimes you get extra features (which you may or may not need/use), sometimes you pay all that extra money for the pretty logo or paint scheme. Just make sure you know what it is you're paying for.

 

[Onward Allusion]

The old adage of "you get what you pay for" doesn't apply as much as it did 10 or 20 years ago - ESPECIALLY with 1911s. Technology narrowed the quality gap. Most guns in general out there can shoot a lot better than its owner. A modern day Simmons can out perform a Leupold from 20 years ago. Heck, even a modern day Kia is many times better than a Cadillac from 20 years ago from a functional/feature/durability perspective!

 

[dogfacedsoldier]

[QUOTEchampagne taste, beer budget]

Just as there is crappy champagne, there is also good beer. Price is not an indicator of quality, though it does suggest a higher standard that may or may not exist depending on your point of view and wallet.[/QUOTE]
Home run!

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

As a general rule, yes, because of market forces. However, it is also important to point out that these markets do not formulate instantly or over night. They are constantly evolving. For example, a few years ago, people were paying up to $750 for Kahr PM9s/40s/45s. Then, Kahr comes out with their CM line around $450. Now, the cost of the PMs are going under $600 as a regular rule. A friend of mine recently bought a PM45 for $550, new. Are the PMs lesser guns now than they were before? Relatively, yes, because there is growing competition in that market, including Kahr's own alternative products. It is of the same quality, but not worth as much.

Also, when we're talking about quality/reliability, we're really talking about the chances of getting a bad one. I've had only near perfect experiences with Taurus, for example, and have struggled with a Kimber, an M&P45, and Kahr, all more expensive and of "higher quality." You pay for your chances, really.

LOTS of stuff go into prices--and in general, over time--yes, you get what you pay for.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

The difference between a $500 1911 and a $5000 1911 is that the $5K gun will be purpose built for a specific task - IF you know what to order. When the gun is purpose built for a specific task, the gun will handle better and that WILL make a difference in how you shoot the gun.

Then there are the guns that are specific to a certain manufacturer. No matter how many Rock Islands you buy - you'll never have a Les Baer Heavy Weight Monolith. If you want a LB HW Monolith - you have to pay for it - and, there are no substitutes.

The Monolith shoots like no other 1911 specifically because of the design and weight, once you shoot one, you can feel and shoot the difference. You DO, in this case, get what you pay for.

Now, an interesting comparison is a SIG RCS, Dan Wesson VBOB, and a Wilson Tactical Supergrade Professional. All three guns have 4.25-inch barrels. The VBOB and the Supergrade are exactly the same size - with the Supergrade weighing 4 oz more. The RCS is the lightweight of the group and slightly smaller as it is an Officer's size grip as opposed to a Commander grip.

The Supergrade will easily out handle the other three guns because of the design and balance of the gun. Would I carry the Supergrade? Not on your life - the last thing I'd want to do is throw it on the ground and then have it go into an evidence locker for some unknown time.

So, for CARRY PURPOSES - I have the RCS. Light weight, fully dehorned, and I'd throw it away with no second thoughts. It's purpose built (for me) for that task.

Which one do I enjoy shooting more? The Supergrade far and away. The handling is better, recoil management is better, sights are better - it's just a joy to shoot. Once you shoot it, you have an "Ah ha" moment - you just get why the gun costs as much as it does because of how it feels, handles, and shoots.

The VBOB? Well, it's a nice gun. Well fitted, nicely finished, reliable and handles slightly better than the RCS as it weighs more so recoil management is better. Why not carry a VBOB? In this case - it belongs to my wife...but, I still think I rather throw away the RCS...

The whole idea with a 1911 is that it is NOT one thing. A 1911 is many things depending on how it is designed and built. The idea is to spend the amount of money required to get the functionality YOU desire. If you want a basic 1911 to plink with now and again - buy a $500 gun. If you want to find out the outer parameters of what a 1911 CAN BE...well, then....that's where you end up paying for it.

Are expensive 1911's worth the money? That's a value judgement each person has to make for themselves. Once you shoot and carefully compare an expensive 1911 against an inexpensive 1911 you will see and feel a difference - whether you want to pay for the difference is something only you can decide.

 

[EddieNFL]

Most guns in general out there can shoot a lot better than its owner.

Doesn't make them worth less.

Getting what you pay for is no more or less true today than a century, decade or day ago. It all depends on who is doing the paying. A C class Mercedes may be worth the price tag to my neighbor, but I wouldn't park one in my garage. Now a Lexus ...

 

[Okiegunner]

You get what you pay for

Well...kinda

I have always been a value shopper as far as firearms are concerned. Have I always gotten the absolute cheapest deals? No I have not. Have I always shopped for decent and fair (or a little less) pricing on my guns? Absolutely.

I really enjoy and like shooting every firearm I own. Here is a short list of just a few, and the prices out the door ( including any ffl and shipping ) I paid:

Sig 2340: hardshell case, 2 mags, 2 grips, and 2 bore brushes, LEO trade in, really the pistol is flawless, $335

Tanfoglio Force Carry/Police: hardshell case, 2 mags, 2 bore brushes, $310

XD 4" Service: hardshell case, 1 mag, 50 rounds of ammo, (very slightly used maybe 200 rds. ran thru it), $390

Turkish made Beretta: (MKEK Girsan Yavuz 16) Don't laugh. For those of you who are not faniliar with this pistol...it is a knockout. Exact (100% parts interchangeable) replica of the Beretta 92f. This pistol is carried by the Turkish military, the Syrian army, the Colombian Air Force security service, and the Malaysian Special Forces, but I digress), 2 bore brushes, and a 20 round Mec-Gar magazine, $336

This is a short list of some of the pistols I currently own. IMO each one was very reasonbly priced. None of these pistols even came close to costing me $400. Yet each one is a very good handgun. As a matter of fact, I absolutely trust my life to every one of these pistols.

You get what you pay for...sort of. There are some very fine autoloaders available for not that much $$$.

My opinion,

Gunner

 

[Ash]

Compare a 110 Savage, @ $400, to a Tiger (commercial SVD) @$4,000.

What you get for $400 is accuracy, better than a Tiger.

What you get for $4,000 is oddity and rarity, more rare and odd than a Savage.

When comparing rifles for rifles' sake, you do not get what you pay for with the Tiger. At all. Indeed, you get less of a rifle than the Savage when accuracy is compared.

When comparing other, etherial concepts like rarity or uniqueness, the Tiger wins, but I still doubt you get what you pay for when you drop 4 grand.

 

[larryh1108]

IMO, the 1911 has so many options that the buyer has to decide what is important to him. I feel that for $1000 you can get a really nice 1911 with many features. I own a $2000 1911 and those are really nice pistols. Yes, you pay for hand fitting and (usually) a better finish. Maybe the extra 1/2" accuracy at 50 yards is worth $1000 to some. To me, a $2000 1911 is not twice as good as a $1000 1911. However, the extra cost provides extras important to some and not important to others.

Some people drive a Mercedes because it says Mercedes on the badge. Others drive it for it's history of being reliable and it's performance. The funny thing is I prefer the Honda/Toyota/Nissan type cars due to it's price versus quality benefits. If you drive a $65,000 Mercedes off the lot it loses the value of what a Honda/Toyota/Nissan costs to buy new. Worth it? I guess if you have it to lose.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

If you drive a $65,000 Mercedes off the lot it loses the value of what a Honda/Toyota/Nissan costs to buy new. Worth it? I guess if you have it to lose.

Totally inaplicable to guns. Look at the price of a used Wilson, Ed Brown, etc. - if you keep the gun through one manufacturer's price increase you can generally sell it for what you've paid for it if you've kept it in good condition.

If you buy a Mercedes, the loss off the lot generally isn't a consideration - you don't buy a Mercedes if you're worried about losing money because it's been driven off the lot. If my usage was high mileage, long road trips - I'd far prefer the Mercedes to any Honda / Toyota / Nissan.

However, IF I had that consideration, I'd probably buy a Volvo Cross Country wagon as there is nothing quite like the Volvo seats, and the long wheelbase, all wheel drive, spacious interior, and ride qualities make it quite the road trip vehicle.

 

[JohnBT]

You know a Chinese company bought Volvo from Ford in 2010, right?

Back to guns, did anybody else buy one of the former Swiss Army pistols that Top Gun Supply sold last fall?




I'd always wanted a P-210 to shoot and the price seemed about right for what turned out to be a nearly new gun. I got one of the later ones - 1970 or so - out of the batch of 30 he bought. All of them came with '80s commercial P210 wood on them for some reason. There was a story about something to do with an order for a museum that ended up in the U.S. somehow. We still haven't found out how they ended up here.

Considering I bought it sight unseen, I am very happy. He posted one pic of one gun and sold the whole batch.

And only $2499.

John

 

[YankeeFlyr]

Price?

You get what you pay for. To a point.

After that you're throwing money away on "perceived" value...

I have an uncle who has to have the 'best' of everything; he was raised poor and then foster-cared a lot. The Navy provided him with an education, career option and then retirement as an officer.

Now, in his early 60's, he sees "more expensive" as "better".

Ain't neccesarily so...that Kimber Kombat or whatever "had" to go hundreds of rounds and then to a gunsmith for break-in...whatever. Now he has an Ed Brown. We'll see how that goes. The Infinity car he bought lives under a cover in the driveway and has all the bells and whistles of a new Camry. At twice the price.

The Honda Goldwing is actually the best investment he ever made. But he bought it because it cost the most in its class!

What does it have to do with guns? Same damned thing; it's all in the value in the mind of the purchaser. My 'base model' M1A is every bit or more so the combat arm of a Loaded model...etc., etc.

My new SA Mil-Spec is a combat handgun. That's what they're for; any finess or tightness or whatever is just a perversion of the original intent.

Want art? Buy a Weatherby. Bring it to the battlefield.

 

[JohnBT]

Anyone who can't tell the difference between an Infinity and a Camry should definitely buy the Camry.

"My new SA Mil-Spec is a combat handgun."

I didn't know that model was currently in service or had ever been used in combat.

John