Glock, HK, Ruger, Springfield, S&W. Why don't you listen?

Which option is the worst offender?

  • Glock plastic sights.

    Votes: 44 38.9%

  • HK paddle magazine release

    Votes: 7 6.2%

  • Ruger semi-autos = ugly

    Votes: 20 17.7%

  • Springfield XD, XDM, XDS grip safety.

    Votes: 15 13.3%

  • Smith & Wesson M&P "just ok" trigger.

    Votes: 27 23.9%
  • Total voters
    113
  • Poll closed .
I'm not s huge fan of polymer guns anyway, mostly because I like the recoil reduction that comes with a steel framed gun. However, XDs are soft shooters in my experience. It's that dang grip safety that keeps me from buying one.

As to the M&P, I shoot enough double action revolvers that I feel like I have enough to trigger control that a mediocre trigger is no big deal. Usually I find that folks who are picky about triggers (and aren't shooting in the higher echelons of competition) are picky because they lack good fundamentals in the area of trigger control. (Sorry if that offends anyone, just my 2 cents.)
 
Glock- yes, sights suck, period.

Hk- different strokes for different folks, I actually think I could learn to like it with practice. My beef with HK is how they think their wunderguns are worth so much more than everyone else's.

Ruger- beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I think the RAP is no uglier than most other striker fired semi autos being introduced today. And it has a decent trigger and very comfortable grip. You don't buy a Ruger for pretty, you buy a Ruger for tough but cheap.

Springfield- again, different strokes. It worked (is still working) well on the 1911, doesn't require anything more than normal grip pressure to disengage. Why NOT have a grip safety on an otherwise safety-less gun? I don't own an XD but I don't have a problem with the ones I've shot. I don't too much care for their triggers, only marginally better than the M&Ps.

Smith- close second to the Glock. My biggest beef with their triggers is the reset. Long and ambiguous.

And you forgot...

Sig- ridiculously high bore axis on nearly every model handgun they make, even the 320. And they're nearly as expensive as HK.
 
Offer a model with tool steel small parts, no MIM.
Call it the classic, professional, enthusiast ...
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They wouldn't sell enough to justify their trouble.
Most buyers look at price and will buy the one that "saves them money".

It's fashionable to complain about MIM parts, but reality is they function as well as most other parts, and have been used for decades.
 
Ruger's pistols don't look that bad, and especially considering their budget price.
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The original poster may be thinking of the Ruger P-series guns.

The grip safety is critical to the XD series. It's a defining feature, and one of the very few points of differentiation among the current polymer striker craze.
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The XD line (not the XDS) has a fairly light & crisp trigger. I like having the grip safety.
 
The grip safety is critical to the XD series.
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Why? All grip safeties that I'm familiar with do nothing but unlock the trigger once the grip safety is fully engaged, allowing the trigger to be pulled. Does this do something more than that?
 
Why? All grip safeties that I'm familiar with do nothing but unlock the trigger once the grip safety is fully engaged, allowing the trigger to be pulled. Does this do something more than that?
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The answer is in the following sentence

It's a defining feature, and one of the very few points of differentiation among the current polymer striker craze.
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While I may not care for them, it does provide such a pistol with such an option for those that do. Maybe "critical" isn't the right word, but when everyone is making essentially the same pistol there needs to be something to market that makes it different.
 
Radny97 said:
I'm not s huge fan of polymer guns anyway, mostly because I like the recoil reduction that comes with a steel framed gun. However, XDs are soft shooters in my experience. It's that dang grip safety that keeps me from buying one.



As to the M&P, I shoot enough double action revolvers that I feel like I have enough to trigger control that a mediocre trigger is no big deal. Usually I find that folks who are picky about triggers (and aren't shooting in the higher echelons of competition) are picky because they lack good fundamentals in the area of trigger control. (Sorry if that offends anyone, just my 2 cents.)
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Might I ask why you dislike the grip safety?


Sent from my grapefruit using smoke signals.
 
If you're shooting a gun with a grip safety at the range or in competition, grip safeties are a non-issue. In fact they may present a small training benefit of ensuring you grip the gun at least minimally well and sufficiently high.
It's in self defense that they give me a little pause (and yes I recognize that 1911s were used by the military for close combat and are used by countless civilians for self defense.) I just have that one unlikely scenario running through my head where there is a dropped gun or a struggle for the gun sand I get a very poor grip and desperately try to pull the tigger but . . . Oops. Not a good enough grip to engage the grip safety-game over. I know it is somewhat irrational but it keeps me away from the XD. It doesn't keep me away from the 1911 because I buy a 1911 to shoot for the awesome trigger and their beauty. No one is buying an XD because they are pretty or have the best SA triggers out there.
 
Might I ask why you dislike the grip safety?
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Because it's the ultimate form of a government-backed nonsense safety device. The grip-safety itself does nothing of importance. How many "safeties" do you need on a firearm? For a SAO pistol, like a 1911, the safety switch should be enough - that is, in addition to the trigger itself. For an XD, I would much prefer a simple manual safety over the grip safety and/or trigger-dingus. Yes, like Browning Hi-Power! No one ever seems to think the Hi-Power needs a trigger dingus or a grip safety. It's a perfect SAO without these things.

What gets me is that you will hear the same people who love the grip safety, rant about chamber indicators, government mandated gun locks, magazine disconnector, and decocker-safeties on SA/DA guns. Chamber indicators, while ugly, don't get in the way of anything and have less moving parts than a grip safety. Government mandated locks are stupid, but no less stupid than the government mandated grip safety 110 years ago! magazine disconnectors can be annoying, but no more annoying than a protruding piece of metal in the web of my hand. And, decocker-safeties - well, I actually like these because I can choose to use it or not.
 
I don't like them, either, but I respect the fact that some people prefer them.

Wow, Skans, I'm worried about your blood pressure, my friend.
 
Yeah, those mandated locks are keeping kids from killing themselves when dad is irresponsibly storing his gun. More 3yr under toddlers killed themselves/others each year than terrorists in the US.

I don't find it annoying and am sure they aren't bothering you as you aren't using them.
 
Glocks sights are offensive considering how much profit they built into their product. I'd really rather they gave me steel...
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How much profit do they build into their product? How'd you find that information?
 
I absolutely love the H&K paddle release. I use my trigger finger to drop the mag. It took me only two mag drops to love it. I swapped all my other pistols mag releases to the right side so I can do the same for them. It's not as good as the paddle, but it's not bad.

I think if others would give it an honest effort to use, they would love it too. The problem is that many do not take the time required to learn something new enough to know if they like it better or not... Like people switching between iPhones and Android phones.


I dislike the sight picture of Glock more than I dislike them being plastic. My fiance likes the sight picture though... But basic metal sights would be better overall. Are they three dot or standard Glock style?

Rugers don't look that bad... It's the manual safety and mag disconnect that bothers me... But they seem to be offering models without them now.

The M&P Pro edition comes with a good, not great, but good, trigger. Apex parts turns an M&P trigger into something great. My Pro, I simply swapped the hinged trigger for an Apex, and that made the trigger go from good to very good... I need to get the new slide stop though, as that will make the trigger return feel more solid.


The XD grip safety is essential to the design... It would be unsafe without it. The sear design really calls for it.

I don't find it an issue... 1911s have had them for over 100 years now. I have never had an issue with it not engaging, even with a purposely bad grip. You only need to push it in half to 2/3 the way on to flush to get it to engage properly.
 
Ruger makes fine revolvers but their semis are butt ugly....no excuse for that...
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I agree for the most part however their MK series .22 semi autos look kinda cool in my opinion as well as their 1911-ish pistols.

Just my 2 cents
 
Glock: Please, please, please stop with the finger notches already.

S&W: The striker disconnect bar. You already have to lock the slide back to turn the disassembly lever; that's more than enough to safe the gun.

Sig: The SRT should be standard on an $800 gun. Also, stop calling each different finish a different model gun.

CZ: Bigger, brighter white dots on the standard sights instead of those tiny dots with that awful glowing sights that don't work.

Beretta: No more slide-mounted safeties, please.

Ruger: No more lawyer decals/indicators/etc.

Walther: less hump in the backstrap, please.

Springfield: Stop writing 'Grip Zone' on the dang gun.

ALL: I think the world is ready for a striker-fired gun without a trigger dingus.
 
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Glock: Please, please, please stop with the finger notches already.

S&W: The striker disconnect bar. You already have to lock the slide back to turn the disassembly lever; that's more than enough to safe the gun.

Sig: The SRT should be standard on an $800 gun. Also, stop calling each different finish a different model gun.

CZ: Bigger, brighter white dots on the standard sights instead of those tiny dots with that awful glowing sights that don't work.

Beretta: No more slide-mounted safeties, please.

Ruger: No more lawyer decals/indicators/etc.

Walther: less hump in the backstrap, please.

Springfield: Stop writing 'Grip Zone' on the dang gun.

ALL: I think the world is ready for a striker-fired gun without a trigger dingus.
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Great observations Independent George, out of your list the Beretta slide-mounted safeties really bug me the most.
 
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