Customization to make the gun fit the individual is a useful thing, that I do and others do.
But, I think there is a tendency, particularly with some new shooters to believe that it takes a semi custom or custom gun to shoot accurately when it doesn't. It requires a decent ammo and practice.
An example pulled from memory...a few years back I was at my indoor range shooting and a man next to me asked if I could try his gun. He said it was shooting terribly. It was a 9mm S&W Sigma, an early one. I asked him to shoot it some and I watched. He produced dinner plate groups at 7 yards. It was poor. So I shot it and did less poorly.
He said that was great and that he thought it was the gun but saw it was him and felt good he had not wasted his money.
But he wasn't all right or wrong. The trigger on the Sigma had a long squishy and gritty trigger with a break that seemed to differ from shot to shot. It required serious concentration to place the rounds inside 2-3" at 7 yards as I did. Had I worked at it over time I could have improved some.
For the gentleman shooting what I did was a step up. With practice he could do better.
But the Sigma is a rare gun with a very poor trigger (I've heard they reworked it in the intervening years, I don't know, I never looked at another one).
A Sig 229, A Glock 19, a Colt Defender, a Ruger Redhawk all these are guns that in my experience shoot very well out the box and rarely need work to shoot better. But all can benefit with small things to suit the shooter.
Most shooters with a few years experience are better off with a good gun out the box than $700. worth of custom work. The latter is most worth it once you know what you need.
tipoc
But, I think there is a tendency, particularly with some new shooters to believe that it takes a semi custom or custom gun to shoot accurately when it doesn't. It requires a decent ammo and practice.
An example pulled from memory...a few years back I was at my indoor range shooting and a man next to me asked if I could try his gun. He said it was shooting terribly. It was a 9mm S&W Sigma, an early one. I asked him to shoot it some and I watched. He produced dinner plate groups at 7 yards. It was poor. So I shot it and did less poorly.
He said that was great and that he thought it was the gun but saw it was him and felt good he had not wasted his money.
But he wasn't all right or wrong. The trigger on the Sigma had a long squishy and gritty trigger with a break that seemed to differ from shot to shot. It required serious concentration to place the rounds inside 2-3" at 7 yards as I did. Had I worked at it over time I could have improved some.
For the gentleman shooting what I did was a step up. With practice he could do better.
But the Sigma is a rare gun with a very poor trigger (I've heard they reworked it in the intervening years, I don't know, I never looked at another one).
A Sig 229, A Glock 19, a Colt Defender, a Ruger Redhawk all these are guns that in my experience shoot very well out the box and rarely need work to shoot better. But all can benefit with small things to suit the shooter.
Most shooters with a few years experience are better off with a good gun out the box than $700. worth of custom work. The latter is most worth it once you know what you need.
tipoc
^^^