Everyone has favorites, and that's perfectly fine; if you like something, you're apt to recommend it to a friend. The problem comes when people get so far into a certain weapon platform that they lose perspective and turn into fanboys. Although they accumulate great knowledge about their favored firearm, their judgement about its merits relative other guns (and vice versa) becomes highly questionable. Additionally, their investment in and identification with the platform becomes so intertwined with their self-image that genuine inquiry gets met with unexpectedly hostile responses. Ironically, their enthusiasm for a firearm can drive others away.
I had something like that happen to me with AR-15s when investigating which rifle to buy. I knew very little about the platform, so I asked what I considered were logical and reasonable questions. Whoo boy...
Me: "I heard that there were sometimes reliability issues with M16s or M4s. Is this true?"
Them: "Maybe you should quit listening to crusty old men who still can't get over having to turn in their M14s. ARs work just fine if you keep them clean and still do even if you don't."
Me: "But haven't there been some people in the modern military who had issues in Iraq?"
Them: "The only people complaining are those who are behind the wire. ARs are perfectly reliable. You don't know anything."
Then, when I was comparing parts...
Me: "What about this parts kit and these upper components?"
Them: "You idiot--DPMS is junk. Get Troy or LaRue parts. And switch that rifle buttstock for a SOPMOD. Also, get a mid-length, not a rifle-length."
Me: "Are there any less expensive components that still work well? And why would I want a carbine instead of a rifle? Aren't carbines less accurate?"
Them: "Sure, you can get cheap parts but don't come crying to me when your rifle jams. Also, carbines are just as accurate, you dimwit; they're only harder to shoot accurately. They're better than rifles because they're easier to handle in close quarters combat and the collapsible buttstock can be adjusted to fit armor."
Me: "Yes, but I'm asking about a rifle, not a carbine."
Them: "Sure, whatever, that'll probably work. Who cares."
-------
You can see similar behavior in Glock and 1911 fanboys, and in all cases it does more to damage the reputation than promote a given firearm. Calling a firearm "perfect" is not just swallowing marketing whole (I'm looking at you, Glock fanboys), but ignores the fact that the gun is less than half the equation: The person behind it is the rest, and if the gun doesn't match the shooter, it can't be perfect for him or her. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who loves 1911s more than I, but I sure wouldn't recommend it as a beginner's self-defense gun, or for anyone who needed something guaranteed to work right out of the box.
And when fanboyism gets so thick that people feel boorish behavior is justified, it just drives people away. I eventually gave up trying to get a balanced, informed opinion from the fanboys and still have a bad taste in my mouth where AR-15s are concerned. I think they're good rifles, just not for me if building one means performing research knee-deep in fanboyism.
I can't be the only one, though, who has run into this problem, as fanboys exist for every type of firearm under the sun. Or am I being oversensitive? Has anyone else been turned away from a firearm by the the very crowd who so fervently support it?
Note that I don't want this to turn into a hate-fest over various kinds of guns; I'm just interested in finding out the degree to which immature advocacy divides gun hobbyists.
I had something like that happen to me with AR-15s when investigating which rifle to buy. I knew very little about the platform, so I asked what I considered were logical and reasonable questions. Whoo boy...
Me: "I heard that there were sometimes reliability issues with M16s or M4s. Is this true?"
Them: "Maybe you should quit listening to crusty old men who still can't get over having to turn in their M14s. ARs work just fine if you keep them clean and still do even if you don't."
Me: "But haven't there been some people in the modern military who had issues in Iraq?"
Them: "The only people complaining are those who are behind the wire. ARs are perfectly reliable. You don't know anything."
Then, when I was comparing parts...
Me: "What about this parts kit and these upper components?"
Them: "You idiot--DPMS is junk. Get Troy or LaRue parts. And switch that rifle buttstock for a SOPMOD. Also, get a mid-length, not a rifle-length."
Me: "Are there any less expensive components that still work well? And why would I want a carbine instead of a rifle? Aren't carbines less accurate?"
Them: "Sure, you can get cheap parts but don't come crying to me when your rifle jams. Also, carbines are just as accurate, you dimwit; they're only harder to shoot accurately. They're better than rifles because they're easier to handle in close quarters combat and the collapsible buttstock can be adjusted to fit armor."
Me: "Yes, but I'm asking about a rifle, not a carbine."
Them: "Sure, whatever, that'll probably work. Who cares."
-------
You can see similar behavior in Glock and 1911 fanboys, and in all cases it does more to damage the reputation than promote a given firearm. Calling a firearm "perfect" is not just swallowing marketing whole (I'm looking at you, Glock fanboys), but ignores the fact that the gun is less than half the equation: The person behind it is the rest, and if the gun doesn't match the shooter, it can't be perfect for him or her. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who loves 1911s more than I, but I sure wouldn't recommend it as a beginner's self-defense gun, or for anyone who needed something guaranteed to work right out of the box.
And when fanboyism gets so thick that people feel boorish behavior is justified, it just drives people away. I eventually gave up trying to get a balanced, informed opinion from the fanboys and still have a bad taste in my mouth where AR-15s are concerned. I think they're good rifles, just not for me if building one means performing research knee-deep in fanboyism.
I can't be the only one, though, who has run into this problem, as fanboys exist for every type of firearm under the sun. Or am I being oversensitive? Has anyone else been turned away from a firearm by the the very crowd who so fervently support it?
Note that I don't want this to turn into a hate-fest over various kinds of guns; I'm just interested in finding out the degree to which immature advocacy divides gun hobbyists.
