Barry in IN
Member
By that I mean:
If you were running the (any) company, and had money to burn, no shareholders to answer to, etc.- What changes would you make to what pistol to make it as close to the perfect design?
I'll start, to give some examples.
I'll start with the Glocks, since they seem to be the most common.
I would first change to steel sights. The plastic ones, especially the front just don't do it for me. It rounds from wear, and can shear off too easily.
Next, I'd make the grip smaller. How? By changing to a steel magazine tube. By doing so, it could be a good bit smaller in circumference, allowing the grip to do the same.
Staying with the grip, I'd add an interchangable backstrap like a Walther P99. I thought about making it flat, but some like it as-is,so I'll give everybody an option.
I'd add a more pronounced slide stop. It's nice to be able to lock the slide back easily, in case you need to clear a malfunction. Nothing big; 1911-size at the biggest.
Most parts breakages I've heard of in Glocks have been broken return springs,and chipped extractors. I've had a couple of chipped extractors, but they haven't hurt performance.
I have broken three trigger return springs though, and would like that corrected, as that put a stop to things.
Browning HiPower.
My favorite, but it needs a few things.
First would be a rework of the trigger. I'd lose the magazine disconnect immediately. That should help the pull, but it will probably need more than that. The reset needs shortened. An entire new design may be called for here. I know King Browning and Lord Saive were trying to beat Browning's own patents and keep the frame as slim as possible, which is how we got what we have. But the patents are expired, so let's try again. I really don't want to go to an external trigger link like a Beretta.
Gotta do something about hammer bite. A reshaping of the hammer should be enough for most people. I'd want to avoid adding a beavertail. Don't want to make anything bigger.
Heckler & Koch P7.
Another favorite of mine.
A weight loss plan would be nice. It's probably a challenge, though. I don't know how aluminum alloy, or polymer, would work as frame material in the design.
Any breakages I've heard of with them are usually springs, and a couple of parts in the striker and firing oin safety mechanism. So, let's do some strengthening there.
Most other shortcomings (real or imagined) in the P7 are such that, if corrected, would wreck the design. For example, more magazine capacity is often mentioned as a disadvantage. But with a bigger magazine, you lose the slim frame. And there goes one of it's best things.
They do get hot above the trigger finger when firing more than 50 or so rounds at a time. This is due to the gas-delayed blowback mechanism. Again, I think that is a great feature of the gun. Recoil seems lighter than any comparable size 9mm. Maybe it just feels lighter. Regardless, it does feel lighter (to me anyway), so, that's good. The cycle time of the slide seems instantaneous. I'd hate to mess that up.
1911. Another favorite of mine.
Any beefs I have with any 1911 can be solved by looking around for a different make or model.
Next.
Sigs.
Probably my favorite DA auto.
The bore sits a little high above my grasp. I'd like that changed- somehow.
The controls are located well, they just aren't quite the same as say, a 1911. I'd rather change the Sig, than all the 1911s out there, so let's do that.
Now, here's one from left field......
Bren Ten.
As-is, they were screwed up.
But, I like some of the ideas. Too bad that the execution was done like it was. I thought it was a neat design, built poorly.
CZ-75 based, it had a grip shape I like.
It offered DA or SA trigger (like the CZ), but the Bren Ten I had, a Marksman Special .45ACP, had a better trigger in DA or SA than any CZ I've tried.
It was 1911-like, in that it was it's own toolbox. It stripped easily, then by using some of the parts as tools, could be taken down further. For example, the recoil spring guide rod had a screwdriver tip (I think one, but maybe it was stepped, giving you two widths) that could take care of any screw on the gun. It had a barrel bushing, but it was a screw-in type. The magazine floorplate was shaped so that the "toe" of it fit the barrel bushing to install or remove it.
The rear sight was a neat design. It was surrounded by a "fence" for protection, but was easily seen. What I thought was neat about the rear sight was that it was adjustable, without being too fragile. For elevation, it pivoted like a see-saw, then you tightened down allen screws forward and aft to lock it in place. It was meant to be adjusted once, then left alone.
But, while I thought the design was good, the quality of construction was not. It was made largely of investment casting. Nothing really wrong with good castings, but these weren't good ones. The Marksman Special .45s like I had were known for having slide failures. Mine had a porous-looking area on the inside of the slide, so I was afraid to risk firing it.
I would really like to see it come back, built by someone who would do it right.
Anyone else have any ideas of guns that are ALMOST there?
If you were running the (any) company, and had money to burn, no shareholders to answer to, etc.- What changes would you make to what pistol to make it as close to the perfect design?
I'll start, to give some examples.
I'll start with the Glocks, since they seem to be the most common.
I would first change to steel sights. The plastic ones, especially the front just don't do it for me. It rounds from wear, and can shear off too easily.
Next, I'd make the grip smaller. How? By changing to a steel magazine tube. By doing so, it could be a good bit smaller in circumference, allowing the grip to do the same.
Staying with the grip, I'd add an interchangable backstrap like a Walther P99. I thought about making it flat, but some like it as-is,so I'll give everybody an option.
I'd add a more pronounced slide stop. It's nice to be able to lock the slide back easily, in case you need to clear a malfunction. Nothing big; 1911-size at the biggest.
Most parts breakages I've heard of in Glocks have been broken return springs,and chipped extractors. I've had a couple of chipped extractors, but they haven't hurt performance.
I have broken three trigger return springs though, and would like that corrected, as that put a stop to things.
Browning HiPower.
My favorite, but it needs a few things.
First would be a rework of the trigger. I'd lose the magazine disconnect immediately. That should help the pull, but it will probably need more than that. The reset needs shortened. An entire new design may be called for here. I know King Browning and Lord Saive were trying to beat Browning's own patents and keep the frame as slim as possible, which is how we got what we have. But the patents are expired, so let's try again. I really don't want to go to an external trigger link like a Beretta.
Gotta do something about hammer bite. A reshaping of the hammer should be enough for most people. I'd want to avoid adding a beavertail. Don't want to make anything bigger.
Heckler & Koch P7.
Another favorite of mine.
A weight loss plan would be nice. It's probably a challenge, though. I don't know how aluminum alloy, or polymer, would work as frame material in the design.
Any breakages I've heard of with them are usually springs, and a couple of parts in the striker and firing oin safety mechanism. So, let's do some strengthening there.
Most other shortcomings (real or imagined) in the P7 are such that, if corrected, would wreck the design. For example, more magazine capacity is often mentioned as a disadvantage. But with a bigger magazine, you lose the slim frame. And there goes one of it's best things.
They do get hot above the trigger finger when firing more than 50 or so rounds at a time. This is due to the gas-delayed blowback mechanism. Again, I think that is a great feature of the gun. Recoil seems lighter than any comparable size 9mm. Maybe it just feels lighter. Regardless, it does feel lighter (to me anyway), so, that's good. The cycle time of the slide seems instantaneous. I'd hate to mess that up.
1911. Another favorite of mine.
Any beefs I have with any 1911 can be solved by looking around for a different make or model.
Next.
Sigs.
Probably my favorite DA auto.
The bore sits a little high above my grasp. I'd like that changed- somehow.
The controls are located well, they just aren't quite the same as say, a 1911. I'd rather change the Sig, than all the 1911s out there, so let's do that.
Now, here's one from left field......
Bren Ten.
As-is, they were screwed up.
But, I like some of the ideas. Too bad that the execution was done like it was. I thought it was a neat design, built poorly.
CZ-75 based, it had a grip shape I like.
It offered DA or SA trigger (like the CZ), but the Bren Ten I had, a Marksman Special .45ACP, had a better trigger in DA or SA than any CZ I've tried.
It was 1911-like, in that it was it's own toolbox. It stripped easily, then by using some of the parts as tools, could be taken down further. For example, the recoil spring guide rod had a screwdriver tip (I think one, but maybe it was stepped, giving you two widths) that could take care of any screw on the gun. It had a barrel bushing, but it was a screw-in type. The magazine floorplate was shaped so that the "toe" of it fit the barrel bushing to install or remove it.
The rear sight was a neat design. It was surrounded by a "fence" for protection, but was easily seen. What I thought was neat about the rear sight was that it was adjustable, without being too fragile. For elevation, it pivoted like a see-saw, then you tightened down allen screws forward and aft to lock it in place. It was meant to be adjusted once, then left alone.
But, while I thought the design was good, the quality of construction was not. It was made largely of investment casting. Nothing really wrong with good castings, but these weren't good ones. The Marksman Special .45s like I had were known for having slide failures. Mine had a porous-looking area on the inside of the slide, so I was afraid to risk firing it.
I would really like to see it come back, built by someone who would do it right.
Anyone else have any ideas of guns that are ALMOST there?
