Many new firearms these days look sloppy

I think "sloppy" guns have a place!

Because I "buy em, shoot em, sell em off" I've owned a lot of cheap "sloppy" guns. I had a Jennings 22. Definitely fits as a sloppy gun. We used to call them "Saturday night specials." They are cheap. But, there are those out there who need some kind of SD gun and can't afford much. So they get a cheap, usually sloppy, gun and do the best they can.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Seems to me that certain things are better, and certain things are worse.

I'd say attention to detail on engraved lettering, etc has declined, due to there being less craftsmen involved. Almost all checkered grips (wood) are done on a machine nowadays... which is superior to a lot of old stuff, but inferior (aesthetically) at times to some of the better old stuff.

I think the basic gist of it is this- CNC machining has raised the bottom end significantly, to where new "budget" stuff is FAR better than old "budget" stuff. But the issue then emerges, this new bottom end is so good, it's replaced a lot of the middle tiers entirely. So you get things like precisely made handguns and parts, with yucky electro-stencil lettering, instead of sharp engraving.

As far as finish, it's a matter of preference. The old deep blues of Colts were beautiful, but don't begin to match up with a melonite for durable protection. Many find a "painted" gun repulsive, but Cerakote has been a runaway success.

Older isn't always better, nor is it worse. It's just different.
 
"The idea of a lost Golden Age of S&W quality is the Atlantis Myth of the gunternet". (TAMARA)

I agree. The S&W revolvers made today are far stronger and more durable than anytime in history. Is the bluing not quite as nice as the old guns? Yes. Is the lock an obnoxious eyesore? Yes. But today's S&W revolvers are still fine looking guns and extremely strong. I'll guarantee my 29-10 .44 will oushoot any old vintage model 29 S&W, and last indefinitely longer.

My new Colt SAA .45 LC is amazing. ;)

Budget guns, if you buy one, roll the dice and hope it isn't "sloppy". Buy quality, pay a premium and be satisfied. If not, send it back. The bigger companies will make it right.
 
Last edited:
I'm beginning to feel that sticking my toe back into the TFL waters was a mistake.
Click to expand...

It certainly is NOT a mistake. I, and I'm sure many others, enjoy your posts even though we might not come out and say anything.

I the distant past I used to refer folk to your web site "The Cornered Cat".

Hope you stick around.
 
Utilitarian Grade Shotguns will vary in quality of workmanship from gun to gun and during management/ownership changes. I have hunted with scatter guns for 50 years, since age 7, including 7 years as a guide in the fourth oldest, continuous Duck Club in the U. S. I’ve seen a couple of Shotguns.

The biggest issue I see these days is small parts failure versus what came out after the Second World War was over. For instance, the Browning Auto 5’s with the “ Suicide Safety “ were not as nicely done as say a 1957 Browning Auto 5 Standard 16 Gauge. Incidentally, my 1957 A5 Standard 16 Bore is the only shotgun I have owned that never bobbled.

Take what I say with a grain of salt. See signature.
 
Well, more proof that the memory is the second thing to go (I forget what the first one is).

Kathy Jackson was the founder of the site "The Cornered Cat" and NOT Tamara. My bad.

I apologize for the mistake and hope Tamara keeps posting here.
 
Zastava%20ZPAP%20M70%20Rifle%20Wood%20(6%20of%2019).jpg


The wording and numbers are pretty clear on my new (nib) Zastava ZPAP - a duplicate of this gun. And American walnut furniture.

Even the rest of the gun looks good. And very straight iron sights etc. Good luck out there.
 
Last edited:
One can often tell that there is no more pride by the way people generally dress these days too. People aren't as generally well-groomed anymore. The last well-bred human generation seems to be the generation X'ers that follow boomers like me.
Copied from 'alongcameJones' above.............

As far as well groomed-Im always surprised when I visit (not often) or see youtubes from the college campus. The dress of students is like we used to wear for sandlot football. About 3x/year we wore 'grundies'-the days we played the arch football/basketball rival-40 mi down the road, BGSU- Bubble Gum State University.

Now every day is grundies day-or worse. The only new thing are backpacks.
 
I'm one of the Luddites who enjoys the older stuff. I don't often wonder how the CNC machines are doing when they aren't cutting metal, but I do think of the humans who gave their blood and sweat to buid the fine older guns.
 
If I want a quality shotgun, I'll buy a Beretta over a Mossberg......and pay the difference in price for it too! My Beretta Gold Pigeon's markings are beautiful, and still there are some that will poo poo on it because it's not all hand engraved. That's the difference between $300, $5,000, and $50,000 when it comes to shotguns.
 
peterg7 said:
The Golden age of US gun manufacturing was the fifties thru the early sixties, ever since we’ve been on a slow downward slide.

cheap guns were always cheaper but workmanship on the common guns was better.

Mossberg was always a second tier brand made for a price point.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
What I would say is that
"the golden age of US mass production manufacturing of ANYTHING was the 50s and 60s.

There are still US manufacturers with top world quality, but they are boutique and custom shops. As I am saying this goes for any engineered good, not just guns.

The US can't compete on mass production with other places in the world: notably asia-pacific. Our strength is in innovation and highly specialized production.
 
The just don't make them like what they used to.

I wouldn't say that the modern firearms are sloppy. They are just manufactured differently to safe cost. Take for example a small sidearm like the current Glock model 27, which has a plastic body, and bare minimum metal with the firing mechanism in the slide, comparing it with the all metal Walther PP, which has that distinct look and finish of the earlier era production. The difference is huge.
 
dahermit said:
When it comes to "Penmanship", it is notable that no one writes with a pen and ink anymore and the only cursive needed in our society is one's signature. In sum, penmanship is obsolete, having been replaced with keyboarding. However, I do not know how any of that can be generalized to the subject of firearm manufacturing.
Click to expand...
That is not true .
 
Based on my experience most new guns are sloppy looking and to make things worse, they have way too many defects that have to be corrected.. Poor workman ship all way round.
 
HenryT said:
I wouldn't say that the modern firearms are sloppy. They are just manufactured differently to safe cost. Take for example a small sidearm like the current Glock model 27, which has a plastic body, and bare minimum metal with the firing mechanism in the slide, comparing it with the all metal Walther PP, which has that distinct look and finish of the earlier era production. The difference is huge.
Click to expand...
Other than the frame being polymer vs a machined steel, the design of the slide, the striker mechanism... it was all meant to reduce machine and assembly time and to reduce weight and complexity. Does that make the Glock a "sloppy" pistol compared to the PP? No, just one that doesn't give snobs the good vibrations from owning a pistol that has a distinct look and steel frame.

In regards to the topic, I feel we've reached the climax for semi auto pistols in terms of their function and build materials as pretty much every semi auto pistol is the same, it's just a matter of how much you care about longevity, parts availability, and customer service.

That's not to say a Taurus G3 is in the same league as an HK USP, it's not, but I expect the G3 to protect me just as well as the USP will. After 10k rounds however... I'm not so sure.

Most people buying guns will never put more than 1000 thru one gun over its life, so the need for a gun to last 10k rounds is minimal.

Where I do see sloppiness with firearms is in revolvers and that's because the amount of machining they require is astronomical compared to semi autos and that added time creates added cost that few are willing to pay for a low capacity, slow reloading handgun.

I won't touch rifles, all the diehard gun nuts on forums want is wood and blued steel and what moves in the marketplace is polymer and aluminum.
 
Industry provides what the market will pay for. High quality items and high quality work has always cost more than lesser quality. If people will accept and buy lower quality because of lower price, that's what the market provides.

This can go to extremes on both ends. If only Rolls Royce quality makes you happy then you're going to pay Rolls Royce prices.

If you're happy with a Ford Focus, you'll pay less.

For a while now, a segment of our society has been working hard to convince everyone guns are bad things and there should be no pride of ownership. Another segment views firearms as tools, simply a means to an end and isn't willing to pay for anything that does not materially improve function.

There are still a few of us around who view some firearms as functional "objects d' Art" but we are a lot thinner on the ground than in previous eras.
 
Course every manufacturer is different, but the latest new S&W's bought were noticably more accurate with smaller/more consistent chambers than alot of the older ones owned. Most of the newer finishes did not match the older ones, not even close. Like always, there be exceptions.

As an aside, haven't shaved in about 30 years, and since retiring have let the beard get long. Am a fastidious dresser, ensuring that my style matches my intent of keeping yuppy pond scum, beggars, others in line at walmart and other malcontents at a safe distance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top