Most important factors in a gun?

M

Makoe

New member
Give 5 factors which you think are the most important, and 5 least important out of these for the given type of gun.
Or list some of the factors, in order of importance to you.
Please think it out thouroughly or don't reply, I want honest and thought out answers :)
Also if I missed any key factors, then please tell me.

01. Accuracy (Grouping size)
02. Length (Shorter for size or longer for Accuracy?)
03. Width
04. Height (From bottom of magazine to top of rear sight)
05. Bullet Size
06. Bullet Velocity
07. Penetration (Deeper or shorter?)
08. Sights (Adjustable or fixed? Night sights or ghost ring? Explain.)
09. Reliability (In terms of jamming and malfunctioning)
10. Magazine Capacity
11. Safety (Are there any safeties you think are vital to a good gun?)
12. Ergonomics (How it feels in your hand, accessibility to magazine release, etc.)
13. Simplicity
14. Recoil
15. Trigger Smoothness and consistancy
16. Trigger Weight (Lighter or heavier?)
17. Weight
18. Durability
19. Reputation (Do you think it's important to have a good history?)
20. Reload Time (Example: Revolver vs reloading an auto)
21. Long Range Accuracy (Long distance groupings)
22. Accessory Compatibility (If so, what accessories do you find to be vital?)
23. Smooth Edges (So it doesn't snag or chaff your skin)
24. SA or DA*Just Added*




I would like you to list ALL of them in order of importance, but that's sort of tedious, so...

Either list 10 of these factors, 5 most important and 5 least important, or choose several factors and put them in order of importance for...

-Concealed Carry Weapon:

-General Defense Weapon (Open holster, Camping, Home defense, etc.):


Thanks for your opinions ;)
 
Reliability. Absolute, uncompromising, utter reliability.
Durability
Accuracy
Ergonomics
Reputation

Length
Width
Height
Bullet Velocity
Recoil
 
Herr Walther wrote: "Reliability. Absolute, uncompromising, utter reliability.
Durability
Accuracy
Ergonomics
Reputation

Length
Width
Height
Bullet Velocity
Recoil"

What are you listing here? Top 5 best, and bottom 5 worst?
Is this for general or CCW?
Thanks
 
For any sort of defense, reliability is THE ONLY factor. Just about anything else comes in a distant second. Power is important, but a .22 Short that works beats a .50 AE that doesn't.

Jim
 
I don't think I mentioned "revolver" anywhere in my post(s).

Nor did I mention "semi-auto". But now that you have brought up the subject, several (many) semi-autos fit just fine into my catagories. As you no doubt will see several revolvers in those same catagories.

How about posting your top and bottom five.
 
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1st and allways, reliability!!! doesn't matter if you are a competitor, cop, ccw, or casual shooter. First it has to go bang. When you want it to, or when you need it too..... next, in combination, reasonable sights and a managable trigger. Ok, 2nd is sights, 3rd is trigger. Why? A heavy trigger is not a handicap, it's just heavy. But sights you can't see are a handicap, period. Next would be smooth, then durability. If it's not 'de-horned' you could end up sliced up from the draw, or snagged up. Durability, well, do you shoot 200-500 rounds a week, or will you only shoot 200 rounds in the next 15 years? Most guns, even a Makarov, can go bang a couple of hundred times.....
Don't beleive me? Come to any action pistol match at your nearest range and see for yourself. And please, Makarov owners, don't bother to respond.... I have been shooting action pistol for more than 30 years, and have never, ever, seen a Mak at a match.
 
I think they should go in this order for a CCW:

09. Reliability (Very important, but luckily most quality handgun companies have this covered)

05. Bullet Size

04. Height (It's usually the grip that is most obvious when concealing a gun)

02. Length (medium, not too short, not too long. 3-5" is fine)

10. Magazine Capacity (I don't sacrifice size for mag capacity, but I think it's still a good preparation factor)

03. Width (Less bulkiness when concealing, this is why I prefer Glock over HK USP compacts)

01. Accuracy (important, but more so for other applications other than CQB defense)

06. Bullet Velocity (speed kills, luckily most cartridges are potent so it's not something I am overly worried about)

18. Durability (To be effective with your gun, you need to train, and training puts wear on your gun)

19. Reputation (Important, but a lot of conservative types don't like change, thus not equally evaluating all guns.)

07. Penetration (Medium)

23. Smooth Edges

14. Recoil

15. Trigger Smoothness and consistancy (Important, but more so for competition than defense IMO)

08. Sights (As long as you can see them. Most defensive situations don't involve meticulous sniping, and most handguns come with decent enough sights. Fixed, please.)

12. Ergonomics

17. Weight

20. Reload Time

21. Long Range Accuracy

13. Simplicity

11. Safety

16. Trigger Weight (3-6 lbs is fine by me)

24. SA or DA (I don't think this is very important)

22. Accessory Compatibility (I never had a need for flashlights or
surpressors on my handguns)
 
You're right Herr Walther, I agree with you. Sorry.
The only reason I said that was because you put size on the bottom, and revolvers are generally very reliable, but rather large. So your opinion seemed to reflect a revolver, sorry.
 
Well, almost any of my handguns can double up as so-called CCW or defensive pieces, so here is my criteria for a gat...

1) ACCURACY (all others come in a distant second)
2) Reliability
3) Durability (which includes finish)
4) Trigger and action
5) Capacity
:cool:
 
5,6, and 7 for the purposes of evaluating a handgun should really be grouped into 1 category: Caliber. Perhaps replace 6 with Barrel length... which can affect accuracy and more significantly the bullet's velocity.

It doesn't seem correct to evaluate a gun, based on qualities of a bullet, except in regard to what caliber it shoots. The reliability question answers the part about your gun shooting your favorite bullet in a given cartridge (say your gun doesn't shoot Winchester SXT's reliably, and you really like the bullet, then your gun isn't reliable).

Does that seem logical to anyone else?

-Morgan
 
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