Question: What is the definition of "heirloom quality" precisely?
I ask because I've seen plenty of folks on forums show off all manner of firearms, including the el cheapo guns of decades past like Iver Johnson, Charter Arms, as well as various old European brands I've never even heard of before, claiming that they were family heirlooms, yet apparently nowadays only premium brand firearms can be heirlooms, and only if they're all metal.
Yes, apparently a Glock 17 can never be a heirloom because elitists on the interwebs say so. Nevermind that their grandfather's treasured S&W Victory / Model 10 service revolver was basically the Glock 17 of its time, it's a heirloom based on their arbitrary definition.
So who's to say that future generations won't be fawning over the "superior craftsmanship" of Glocks, M&Ps, SRs, SDs, XDs, etc compared to whatever Hand Phasers, Blasters, or Phased Plasma pistols they take for granted?
"Oh man, I'll tell ya, they don't make 'em like they used to... Just look at that beautiful, injection-molded, CNC machined, teflon-coated masterpiece. Back in those days they used real DuPont Glass-Filled Nylon frames, Alloy Steel slides, and MIM. Nowadays all we've got are these cheap 3D printed poly-alloy frames, moon metal slides, and whatever newfangled gizmos make them so efficient. Yep, these things aren't heirloom quality."
I ask because I've seen plenty of folks on forums show off all manner of firearms, including the el cheapo guns of decades past like Iver Johnson, Charter Arms, as well as various old European brands I've never even heard of before, claiming that they were family heirlooms, yet apparently nowadays only premium brand firearms can be heirlooms, and only if they're all metal.
Yes, apparently a Glock 17 can never be a heirloom because elitists on the interwebs say so. Nevermind that their grandfather's treasured S&W Victory / Model 10 service revolver was basically the Glock 17 of its time, it's a heirloom based on their arbitrary definition.
So who's to say that future generations won't be fawning over the "superior craftsmanship" of Glocks, M&Ps, SRs, SDs, XDs, etc compared to whatever Hand Phasers, Blasters, or Phased Plasma pistols they take for granted?
"Oh man, I'll tell ya, they don't make 'em like they used to... Just look at that beautiful, injection-molded, CNC machined, teflon-coated masterpiece. Back in those days they used real DuPont Glass-Filled Nylon frames, Alloy Steel slides, and MIM. Nowadays all we've got are these cheap 3D printed poly-alloy frames, moon metal slides, and whatever newfangled gizmos make them so efficient. Yep, these things aren't heirloom quality."