Are you obsessed with the condition of your firearms?

K

KaMaKaZe

New member
FUD posted this comment earlier tonight, and I'm gonna drag it out to start this simple discussion.

Are you fanatically obsessed with the condition of your firearms? I couldn't help but laugh when I read the following quote. I seem to suffer from this same problem. Whenever laying down a firearm, or handing it to another person.. I can't help but express how I don't want the gun scratched. I have this reoccuring nightmare that I use a firearm to deter a crime. The officer is holding me at gunpoint and screams for me to "put the gun down." And so I gingerly lay my firearm down beside me making sure to be cautious that I don't scratch it. Then the officer orders me to kick it away or something of the sort and I get all fidgity. I mean, how can I possibly bring myself to kick my firearm across a asphault surface! That would be horrible! (Thats like adulterating a finely prepared filet minon by eating it with ketchup like my girlfriend does! :D )

I know, I know, its not like the went-to-school-naked-dream.. but does anyone else suffer from such a love of guns that they can truely be called a gun nut? What is your ailment? ;)


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Originally posted by lbj: I get to my car and place my unloaded rifle on the back seat of the Cherokee and head down the mountain. I’m driving along and a County Sheriff patrol car going the opposite direction with lights on passes by and makes a quick u-turn and well…I pull over. Next the Sheriff approaches and asks if I have any weapons in the car and tell him yes, there is a rifle on the back seat. He tells me not to turn around and I power unlock the rear doors and he takes my new AR10 out and places it in his patrol car. I leaned out my window and said “Sir, I just picked that rifle up yesterday, please don’t scratch it”. I don’t know why but I had to say that.
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President, FUD's Fan Club.
 
With some guns - yes.
Indeed Yes!

With my working guns... Not in the slightest.
I care about the Function and not the finish.
I could give a rats arse if my LOADED model gets scratched - or if my Veteran Detonics gets gouged... as long as the sights dont get knocked off - or a ding impairs reliabilty.
 
Nope. Part of the reason I won't buy "collectible" pieces. 'Cause I'm gonna take it out and shoot it and generally not take great care of it. Knew a guy once that when he bought a new vehicle would take it home and hit the door panel with an 8 oz. ballpeen and simply say, "There, now that's out of the way and I don't have to worry about it." While I wouldn't deliberately scratch/ding/whatever one of my guns, I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it either - I bought 'em to use, not look at.

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"...and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."
Luke 22:36
"An armed society is a polite society."
Robert Heinlein
"Power corrupts. Absolute power - is kinda cool!"
Fred Reed
 
My attitude is more complex.
I have a core of firearms that I consider to be my personal arms. These are all very fine weapons and I would spare no expense in making them better in the functional sense if I thought they could be improved upon. I fully expect to wear these fine arms out, literally. I tend to treat them like babies, but I know that wear and tear will and has come to them and I accept that. I would not hesitate to use these arms in any purposeful way, no matter what the consequences. In a sense, this is the "they are only tools" attitude, but it is also that arms that I consider my personal weapons should show the wear that I as a shooter will inevitabley put upon them.
I do have a larger class of arms, mostly military, that are indeed collectable items. I try to use discretion in aquiring these and try to pick up fully functional arms in fine condition. These I only shoot a few times to get to know them and some of their idosyncracies. These I fully intend to pass on with no visible damage for their stay in my possession. I would never take them on a hunt, just throw them in the trunk, use them as plinkers, etc. I feel that thaere is no better way to know and understand a historical arm than to own and shoot it for yourself, but there is no sense to turning thes old arms into scrap either. Do that with a modern arm of your choice, that's my opinion.
I can understand the concept of an arm that is just a presentation piece, but, of course, don't own anything like this.
I also have a few junkers that I never shoot. I just wonder whatever possessed me to buy them in the first place.
 
With most of them, no. While I don't use guns as part of my job, there are some I consider "working guns" so they get knocked around quite a bit.

For example, I haven't come up with a good way to prevent my Bushmaster carbine and my Glock 23 to knock against each other when carrying the Glock in a Blackhawk Omega VI holster while having the Bushmaster slung on the same side, American-style carry. I don't like African carry and IMHO the weapon retention problems of using American carry on my non-dominant side eliminate that option as well. So I've got some dings and scratches on one side of my G23's slide and the facing side of my Bushmaster's lower receiver. :)

Justin

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Justin T. Huang, Esq.
late of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
 
Good Evening All-

Kicking a beautiful firearm across asphalt would make me SICK!

Perhaps this is why our Mommas, not to mention Ted Nugent, suggest that we always carry a clean hankie!

"Excuse me officer, would you mind terribly if I carefully layed my ROBAR-customized H&K on this hankie and stepped away? Thank you, kindly! ;)"

Regards to all,

~ Blue Jays ~
 
It really depends on the gun. 90% of my guns are in pristine condition. Then there are my two carry guns, a Wilson CQB and Les Baer 1911's. Both have obvious holster and finish wear. Both guns run around $2000 ea. They serve one purpose as my CCW guns.

Other guns get pampered. Unless it's my Glock 30. I could careless what happens to it.
 
For me, "condition" does not automatically equate to "perfection of finish."

I take reasonable care that the finish not become unnecessarily scratched or marred, but no more so than with any of my other tools.

I am, however, meticulous about cleaning and proper lubrication. For me, a firearm that is no show and all go is quite acceptable. :)

Cliff (Who has a Makita cordless drill so old that it probably qualifies for C&R status.)
 
I make love to my wife,
my aircraft,
and my P7M8.
And not ness. in that order... :D

Fast Eagle

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Sir, your remarks are repulsive to me, and I disagree with your viewpoints. But I will defend to my death your God given right to express them.
Voltaire
 
All my guns are working guns not show guns.I keep them in very good fireing condition but I like shiny or gaudy.

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Bob--- Age and deceit will overcome youth and speed.
I'm old and deceitful.
 
I was always mindful of the smallest nicks and scrapes on my SIG P239...I even wiped it down with a gun cloth every time I put it in the safe.

Then I switched to Glocks. You may like or dislike them, but they sure are impervious to anything short of a belt sander. You can drop them on concrete, and the driveway chips. No fingerprints, no rust, no holster wear, nada. I've since become spoiled by their indestructibility, and it bothers me to pick up other guns and see my fingerprints right away.
 
When I owned less guns, I used to be obsessed with their condition. As my collection has grown, that has become less of a concern. I don't abuse them but if I accidently bang one against something (it's on my hip and I brush against the wall or something), I no longer have a panic attact like I use to before. Regards, FUD.
 
Fast Eagle: Tell me about your P7M8. Is it as good as the literature reads? Worth the $$$? How does it shoot?? etc. Trigger action, feel ? How's it carry?
 
I plead guilty on some. F'rinstance, I still have the orig box and the orig corrosion PAPER with the K22 I bot in 1963. The gun gets shot, but babied. Some slight blue wear at muzzle and I am fastidious about it.
The M36 that I have in my carry holster. Well, let's just say that it is good that I looked at it a couple weeks ago. The lint ball in the barrel was pretty well filling the bore.
I try like heck to keep most of them nice, but I also use them.
 
My Dad is obsessed with the condition of his cars much to the detriment of his enjoyment of driving.

Things are tools

it annoys me when they get scratched, but life goes on

dZ
 
A couple of weeks ago, my favorite benchrest gunsmith was putting a new crown on a 6PPC barrel. He looked at it, and said "Well, for most folks, I put a little paper in the lathe so that the polishing job doesn't get scratched. I guess we don't have to worry about that with this one." He's always giving me grief about having an ugly gun - Barrels were turned, but not polished, they've got sharpie markings on 'em, etc.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ragin Cajun:
Fast Eagle: Tell me about your P7M8. Is it as good as the literature reads? Worth the $$$? How does it shoot?? etc. Trigger action, feel ? How's it carry?[/quote]

Ragin,

It's absolutely sweeeeettt....
I love it, it is by far the most accurate 9mm I have ever shot, trigger is (IMHO) what gives it such a high level of accuracy. Couple this with a fixed 4in barrel and you have a master piece. I own two P7's and will soon own a third, (1) M8, (1) M13 and trying my best to convice a fellow buzzard chaser of mine to part with his PSP.

I carry it IWB, center of my back most of the time and despite the weight you get use to it real fast, no heaveier than say a Sig 228 or 229. And it's real slim, very slim gun

Price, yes they are high priced. I paid $850.00 for my M8, $1200.00 for my M13 and I'm offering $750.00 for the PSP, but I firmly believe they are worth every penny!

I carry my M8 with me every where I go (minus Reserve duty) and I would bet my life on it.

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On a sad note folk, Honest Abe, CVN-72 has one of my fellow Av8tors missing. Persian Gulf an F/A-18C from VFA-25 (99.999% sure) went down this morning.

Thought and prayers with him and his family, "Don't HOBO there comming for ya!"

AW_VFA25.gif



Fast Eagle


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Sir, your remarks are repulsive to me, and I disagree with your viewpoints. But I will defend to my death your God given right to express them.
Voltaire
 
Hope he is ok FA.
In regards to firearm condition, I don't worry about it much...thats what Glocks are for! Ive had it fall out of a pack and clatter across the asphalt, bummer - a few character marks on it but still works great. I do maintain and clean my guns religiously though.
 
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