FlSwampRat said:
The reason the prices on guns today are low is that they have less hand fitting and greater tolerances.
A year or two ago, prior to it being discontinued, you could buy a new Browning Hi-Power sold for roughly the same price that they sold for 15-20 years ago,
despite significant inflation during that same period. A lot of other guns sell for roughly the same price that they sold for 15-20 years ago, even the pricier metal-framed one.
I'll agree that some of these gun do require less hand fitting and SOME have greater tolerances (that's certainly the case with Glocks), but a lot of the reduction in hand-fitting (which was a big cost burden for most guns) is due to improved production technology which makes hand fitting, while still desirable, less necessary. The fact that polymer frames can be
functionally similar to metal frames, but can be produced for much less cost, certainly helps keep some prices lower -- but even metal-framed guns are relatively inexpensive, nowadays.
CZ made a number of changes to their production processes (starting with their P-01) a few years ago to allow for more consistency in their production methods. I"m sure other manufacturers are doing or have done the same.
My favorite guns, handguns in the Sphinx line, were subtly redesigned to allow more computer controlled production thereby making hand fitting less necessary. (Having owned Sphinxs made BEFORE and AFTER that redesign, I can tell you that the newer guns seem to be just as well-fit as before the design changes, even though there is much less hand-work involved.) When Sphinx went under (again, for the umpteenth time), production was moved to the U.S., and Kriss USA, (the US counterpart of the Swiss company that built the Sphinx guns in Switzerland), is now building them here. The only problem is that some of the Kriss long guns are very popular, and they're focusing on the demand for those guns before ramping up the Sphinx SDP line's production.
A "drop-in" barrel, like a factory S&W barrel (or an Apex barrel) will function well and perform quite well when dropped end by the owner, but a gunsmith fit barrel for the same gun MIGHT perform much better.