Why Are New Guns Ugly?

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Most of the guns offered now by mainline companies, I've noticed, look like they were designed by the Borg! This all started with the Glock, of course, but with the cost of raw materials and steel on the rise, even Ruger is beginning to make their guns with plastic.

When the Beretta 92 came out, I liked the looks of the pistol. But once the military selected it as its official side arm, the price went up dramatically...well, except for the military. And apparently it wasn't as durable as everyone thought. Although I didn't hear of any problems with the Italian models, the Maryland military versions have had their share of failures, including the early slide/frame separation.

I ended up with a S&W stainless 9mm and love it, but of course S&W can no longer afford to make all steel autos and sell them for less than a grand. It seems the only steel autos being made now in the U.S. are the 1911s, which is a shame.

I looked at a S&W 686 recently and was amazed at the $980 price (in Maryland). The finish looked like it had been done with sandpaper and the rubber grips gave the gun a cheap look (not to mention the MIM parts, the lock and the sights).

The problem also has found its way into car designs. I've been car shopping lately and the designers have made the cars so low to the ground that I can't wait until the next snow storm hits. Even a light storm will incapacitate them. And the first time someone tries to cross a grassy median strip or go over a gravel road, they'll be in for a rude shock. And why is there no front bumper? Whack the front at more than 5 mph and you replace the whole front part of the car.

Maybe I'm just getting old, but it's hard to walk into a gun store (or a car dealer) and find something that has the design and craftsmanship of products made even a decade ago. Everything's plastic and ugly. And the prices are still going up. My brother told me that despite the economy, inflation is still low, but I told him it was only because almost everything was being made in China. If things were being made here in the U.S. or Tiawan, inflation would be much higher than reported. (Two years ago, I could still find used .357s for $300. Now they're going for around $500 or so and are quickly rising.)

Semi-automatic pistols have reached new heights of reliability, and that's good -- and they're getting lighter, but not too many people will want to have their Glocks engraved! There will always be a market for 1911s, but I fear for the rest of the market. Meanwhile, I can always admire my Ruger Security-Sixes and my S&W old model 629 and 686 (the ones with wood grips and hard chromed triggers and hammers). I don't think I'll see too many at my local gun stores.

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See I think you're looking at this all wrong.

Guns are durable goods ... they last a long time.

So you can personally cash in on all those prettier, older guns that get dumped on the market by folk selling them to make room for guns you find ugly.


Its simply supply/demand economics ... as the demand for the new ugly guns goes up there will be a larger and larger supply of the old pretty guns in the used market and prices will go down.
 
I *like* My LCR. It has that steampunk feeling to it, with the same snug and comfort only a snubbie delivers.
I just honestly think the aesthetics of the buying generation now are different than yours?
 
I don't like the graphics on most slides and barrels. Same goes for some cast plastic frames and rifle stocks. When the design isn't limited by the cost of stock removal it's like a license for some dork with CAD to junk up the lines of a nice gun. I think Colt putting MKIV/Series XX and all that on their 1911s is too much also. Something about a simple, crisp stamp in a classy font makes writing on a gun acceptable. Dan Wesson is doing it right.
 
I blame it on Glock. There have been uglies before them, but they were the first really mass produced ugly pistols. They look like .40 caliber farm tools. I refuse to own one 'cause they is ugly and life is too short to shoot ugly guns.

1911s, Browning Hi-Power, Walther (PPK and TPH series), S&W 39, 59, 52, and their pre-lock revolvers, Colt revolvers and old vest pocket guns, so many others. They work well, look good, and feel better. They inspire confidence and pride of ownership.

The aesthetic tastes of the current generation are surely different than mine. They are worse. The current generation have not learned, nor are they able to appreciate, the value of form with function. Worse, I fear as trends towards economy/utility over all else continue they never will. From where I sit here in geezerville, a sadness.
 
Sadness indeed. Form used to follow function but now everything is designed in CAD- CAM by computer geeks who have to work with the marketing geeks to give us what we supposedly "want". Or what is "new" and "hot" and will sell. And then figure out how to mass produce it as cheaply as possible. I see it it music, clothing, cars and now handguns.
 
Haha. I agree completely with the original post. There are some downright butt-ugly guns coming out these days. You guys listed Glocks as being pretty bad, but that pales in comparison to the Beretta PX4 "Storm". Really? A gun called a "Storm?" It looks like a prop from a low budget science fiction movie. Same with their CX4 Carbine. It looks like something from the Halo video game series. I can't take them seriously. I know, bad idea because IT IS A GUN. But that's how stupid they look.

The Smith and Wesson M&P line of pistols is pushing their luck, but the looks on them is at least functional. I will admit they shoot excellently for me.

The P250 is another one, I just made a post about it. I can't even begin to describe what it is about it that just makes me want to vomit. I love the company and their classic designs, but the P250 has GOT TO GO. It's garbage compared to the SIG heritage.

Ruger can go to hell. I won't even touch an SR9. It's a joke of a fullsize handgun. The commercials for it try SO hard to win over the gun crowd with it, saying its part of Ruger's HARD-R line of firearms. There is nothing hard about that gun. it's an injection-molded sissypistol.

Friends don't let friends buy ridiculously ugly guns.

I also hear you on the complaint about cars. What's with all the cheap plastic parts? Door handles, switches, etc. are all plastic! My truck is a 1993 Chevrolet C1500, short bed, standard cab, with the 350 V8. My door handles are made of steel, The bumpers are indestructable, and the body is good and solid. My 250 pound self can sit on the hood and not dent it. I keep the grille, bumpers, and exhaust tips polished and a good wax coat at all times. People can't believe it's a 17 year old truck when their 2001 civic is falling apart. The giveaway is the keys for it. People have asked me why I have TWO keys marked GM for it. One's for the doors, the other is the ignition. It runs like a swiss watch, purrs like a kitten, and roars like a dinosaur. I've been rear ended a few times but I never even sweat it. The hitch punches a hole clean through their front end and I just feel a nudge. It also has very nice lines-No overly rounded body panels. Everything is sharp and distinct.

I'm only 21 years old and even I know things aren't the way they once were.
 
There are still great looking guns out there if a 1911 is on your list. My Kimbers are works of art. Having said that, I considered Glocks too ugly to own - until I inheritied my Dad's Glock 19. The caliber didn't interest me but the light weight blew me away.

I read books on Glocks and purchased the perfect Glock for me. Then another Glock would appeal to me. I now have 7 Glocks!

Their appeal is not looks. But I re-thought everything. I realized that what I wanted most was a gun that was very reliable, light enough that I would actually carry it each day. But most important: That a gun is a tool, not art to never actually wear. I also didn't want to worry about scratching it. Since it was already ugly, what difference would scratches make? But I discovered it is very difficult to mark one and mine have banged against door frames, seatbelt buckle encounters, etc. and no marks at all!

Then a funny thing happened. With these other strengths, my Glocks starting looking better!
 
LCR is steampunk?

I'd say that an engraved Hand Ejector and an Ultradot (preferably also engraved), in a gratuitously Victorian style, with a carbide miner's lamp attached, would be "steampunk."

The LCR is plastic, aluminum and steel, very plain, ugly and postmodern in the most anti-aesthetic way imaginable. Makes a Glock look downright elegant.

"Steampunk" does not mean pseudo-Soviet.

Now, I'm sure the LCR will put lead downrange when you need it to. But that's certainly not an expression of the "steampunk" ethic.:)
 
Yeah, old school is so much prettier. :D

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My door handles are made of steel, The bumpers are indestructible, and the body is good and solid. My 250 pound self can sit on the hood and not dent it.
You may want to have another look at those handles...they are most likely ZAMAK castings.
This is a good example of different perceptions; a 1993 vehicle having a body that is "solid". When compared to most car bodies from the 1960's and earlier, 1990's body steel is paper-thin. It's all a matter of perception and what you are familiar with. Looking back over my first few cars (1953 IH pickup, 1958 Triumph, 1959 Nash, 1964 Bel Air, 1960 Holden), I thought car bodies became quite thin after the early 70's (move toward lighter weight, higher gas mileage, and smaller engined vehicles after the "1973 oil crisis"). Now my 1941 Plymouth, THAT had a "solid" steel body. :D

Guns are guns...and like the jingle says, "Everybody doesn't like something.".
I can name of scores of older steel firearms which are still as UGLY now as the day they were made.
I do love blued steel and have a bunch of them. But for all-day carry I prefer a lighter weight gun.
Everything has a purpose...perhaps not for everyone though. ;)
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Maybe I'm just getting old, but it's hard to walk into a gun store (or a car dealer) and find something that has the design and craftsmanship of products made even a decade ago. Everything's plastic and ugly.
Oh boy! Another "I hate plastic" thread. :rolleyes:
 
I want a gun that is going to go bang everytime I pull the trigger no matter what I put into it. Not something pretty and engraved that will sit in the safe. I can load a round into the chamber of my glock and drag it behind my truck in the dirt for ten miles and it wont go off until I stop and pull the trigger myself. I like steel guns too, but guns are evolving. They have new technology and people have new needs. With new laws, more people are carrying concealed. More people would rather carry a lightweight glock 27 inside the waistband and a ridiculously lightweight LCR or LCP in their pocket instead of a bigger steel gun that is harder to conceal. I don't want to see steel guns disappear or decrease in quality, but combat tupperwear definitely has its place.
 
On one point I'll agree though ... the HUGE LETTERING on the sides of guns is peeving me a bit. If I could get a clean looking LCR I'd trade mine in .... in a heartbeat.
 
The Walther PPS is a (relatively) new gun, and it's far from ugly; it's quite elegant, in fact -- at least in my opinion. As the great man said, almost accurately, "Beauty is in the eye of the gun-holder."
 
I'm solid with the OP. Maybe it's an Old Fart thing. Personal confession: I own an HK P9S, one of the first polymer pistols. Bought it because of the cool engineering; polygonal barrel, roller-block action, accurate, and .45 to boot. It's only pretty if you know what's gone into it, and appreciate it for wht the designer tried to do.

But the rest of my stuff is beautiful. To me.
 
I just honestly think the aesthetics of the buying generation now are different than yours?

I agree. My wife and I were talking about this a few days ago. I mentioned the differences between music 40 years ago and now. When I was a youngster it was all about the music; guitar riffs, drum solos and the lyrics. There were bands that refused to use synthesizers because they did not consider them musical instruments. Today, it's about videos featuring bling, expensive cars and scantily clad women.
 
Eh - as someone else said - beauty is the the eye of the beholder. From a looks standpoint in my eyes the SR9 for example is the best looking gun Ruger has ever put out. Yes, I find the Glock to be a bit of an ugly duckling, but they certainly FUNCTION darned well.

All in all, I think the only way you can say that modern pistols are ugly is if you automatically dismiss polymer guns, in which case you're pretty much out of luck there. Polymer works well, and has several advantages over steel (can be molded easier, lighter, cheaper, doesn't rust, etc). The market has pretty much chosen it and steel guns are being relegated to a niche market. Nothing wrong with that. Somebody will always make them, and there's plenty used examples already in circulation. I'm sure people had the same complaints when most everyone switched from muzzleloaders to cartridges, but there's still a few people making those ;).
 
Oh boy! Another "I hate plastic" thread.
With a little xenophobia thrown in for good measure!

People like to complain about newer cars being ugly--which old farts of every generation has done with every generation of cars--but how many cars in the 60s or 40s or whatever had 430hp but also got 26 MPG? How many had airbags and other safety features? What about low emissions? I won't argue that we've lost some style, but some things have gotten drastically better.
 
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