I mostly despise that ugly cheese grater rail that comes on every handgun anymore. Small carry guns should be smooth and rounded. The full size guns it makes the muzzle wide bulky. The vast majority never have anything attached.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
Tools, Toys, and kinetic art. Some folks only have a desire or use for one some have a passion for all three.

I fall in the later camp. Give me polymer for all day handling and use but give me metal and wood for pure enjoyment that is still perfectly viable but requires more care.

I do generally agree that guns don’t seem to have the “personality” they once had. Better tools to be sure but lesser toys so to speak.

I also am one of those backwards idjits who still likes .40. I don’t have bunch of ‘em’ but I like the ones I have.

A fine summation...well done Sir! Best regards, Rod

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I probably don't belong in this thread. You guys will probably kick me out. But I look at my handgun with the same amount of passion as I view my hammer or screwdriver. It's a tool that works and needs to work when I use it. I don't need Snap-on but definitely avoid chicom. Just need function and reliability. No passion otherwise.

You must not do a lot of projects

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
Whatever floats your boat. Still people around that don't consider anything but revolvers real pistols.

On a given range trip I will have a metal DA/SA, a poly frame DA/SA, and a striker fired. Love them all.

I like to have a striker fired for ever DA/SA I have. I appreciate both. I still have my brands of preference though. I still favor the DA/SA at the range as they offer a different dynamic. They are all fun though.

While I seem to handle and shoot DA revolvers better than anything else, I’ve recently been rediscovering DA/SA via a SIG P226.

I don’t have broad polymer experience but definitely appreciate the simplicity and solid function of the Glocks I’ve owned over time.

There is nothing like a steel framed gun for the range. Feel, recoil absorption. The new guns, or gun designs I should say are focused on carrying (lightweight, more compact, more capacity), but aren't as good or fun at the range.

My problem is my own stupidity. I sold off so many old school classics and now kick myself for doing so.
Some examples:
S&W .38/44 Heavy Duty
S&W Model 58.
S&W Models 10, 13 and 65 3-inch round butt.
S&W Pinned and recessed 4-inch Model 29.
S&W Model 25 4-inch in .45 Colt.
This list could go on and on, and include BHPs, Pythons and P7s.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
There is nothing like a steel framed gun for the range. Feel, recoil absorption. The new guns, or gun designs I should say are focused on carrying (lightweight, more compact, more capacity), but aren't as good or fun at the range.

Well said. I completely agree with this.

I definitely appreciate the fit and finish of NICE pistols especially with metal frames. My P228 is one of my prized possessions. I love just handling my 226 Legion. At the end of the day though, I mostly carry a Glock. A soulless tool that does its job perfectly well and at the end of the day if something happens to it, so what? Buy another just like it. I save my nice guns for the range, when I want to enjoy them.

An issue with polymers that bugs me is when a grip texture wears down over time.

This is why the M&P Metal series really hits a sweet spot, for me.
Yes, I love my 1911, 2011, and revolvers. A lot. They are now carried in cooler weather or for special occasions.
The M&P Metal? Carried a lot. I shoot steel matches with a Metal Competitor. The cerakote finish handles sweat very well.

quote:

Does anyone else here get sick of polymer like I do? I have more than 20 polymer framed pistols that I just look at unenthusiastically. But when I handle and fire a P239 or P226, it think, "this is a real firearm."

I have the same opinion on cars. I recently saw a 1964 Chevy pickup on display. That's a real truck. Metal Dashboard, Metal bumpers, Metal controls, Metal everywhere but the seats

Today's cars are plastic everywhere except where it has to be metal.

Kind of like the Glock/M&P/P320/Etc, plastic everywhere except for where it has to be metal.

I love the classic SIGs and I still have my Glock from about 20 years ago so they don't feel modern anymore either (many of my SIG Classics are newer than my Gen 3 Glock 32).

I had a P365 X Macro and I like that as its thinner than a regular full sized guns with the same amount of rounds, makes sense.

I've always been more a collector so I have a lot of Obsolete firearms.

It's what I like while still getting whatever is newest just to have that too, also guns have been really cheap lately.

(SIG and Glock basically give new P365s and Gen 5 Glocks away, nowadays anyone can get a blue label at least in my state through GSSF)

I understand the gun is a tool mindset.

So definitely if all you can afford is one then sure get something modern.

Especially with ammo costs nowadays most can't really afford enough ammo per year to even be a good shot. (for civilians)

I like classic P Series guns as much as anyone, well maybe not, and often think about getting a M9A4, P228/M11 or another P226. I really like a P226 with stainless slide I had way back when.

Inevitably I never liked carrying them thou, so I didn’t shoot them much. Thick/bulky and heavy for what they are, 9mm wondernines. They felt well made and machine-like, but gravitated to the HK P30 as a replacement for the P228/P226.

I’m tired of looking for a new-fangled polymer striker fired gun that works better for me than my G45, 19 or 43x.

Been spinning my wheels and going nowhere.

Modern polymer framed pistols have their uses. I carry one because it is reliable and I don't care if it gets sweat on it from carrying in the heat. This time of year, kydex won't even keep sweat off of a carry piece IWB. It is just how it is here.

Nothing beats a classic SIG, a nice steel frame CZ, or a nice classic Beretta though for plinking at the range. I've got too many fond memories of those guns to give up on shooting them for fun.

I enjoy some of the newer polymer guns but am now getting into the 1911 pistol platform. I just bought a SR1911 to see if it is for me and am really liking the feel of it. Not sure if it is because I am getting older or wiser and am really liking an all metal gun.

I'm actually eaglerly hoping HK releases their new VP9CC or whatever they're going to call it.
I want a tiny gun with a paddle release.

quote:

I want a tiny gun with a paddle release.

Me too. My OG Walther PPS is still the best shooting “itty bitty” gun I have shot and I am one of the paddle release faithful. . I mean I’m totally fine with buttons or heel releases etc. but prefer paddles by far.

Well, I have definitely backed away from constantly seeking the world’s latest/greatest/best compact nine, a quest that started in 1985, and ended in late 2017, when my right hand aged-out of shooting anything compact, if chambered for a service-level cartridge. I now like “orthopedic” pistols, with a relatively squared butt, and with a back strap that extends all the way to make firm contact with the “heel bone” part of my hand. A Glock G19 is an example of a widely-popular “all-around” pistol that is simply too small to meet my requirement. Glocks with full-G17-size grips are now my friends. So, while I was originally no fan of polymer pistols, I now like them, well enough. I would never have bought into the Glock system, had it not been “chosen” for me, when I worked for a big-city PD, but, well, after investing countless training hours, and countless numbers of .40 S&W, 9mm, and “sim” cartridges, one can become quite hard-wired to use a specific system.

Let’s keep in mind that the Glock 17 was marketed in the mid-Eighties. I was not old enough to legally buy a handgun until late 1982. I am now almost age 63. The Glock 17, changed very little since its first generation, can be seen as almost a classic, by now. I was not an early fan, and, as I said, above, might never have bought into the Glock system, had it not been chosen, for me, but, over time, well, my present Glocks just get the job done.

Full-sized, all-steel 1911 pistols remain my friends. Low bore axis. Recoil-damping steel. A grip frame that fits me. My first handgun purchase was a 1911, at age 21. Operating that thumb safety, without fail, remains natural, at least when shooting right-handed. (I have not yet found an “ambidextrous” safety set-up that I like.) the short-stroke single action trigger does not vex my arthritis. As I enter my mid-sixties, the 1911 still works for me.

I do love my revolvers. Sadly, in November 2023, I noticed that the second knuckle of my right index finger was becoming aggravated by my nearly-daily dry fire routine. I did not fret too much, because I knew that my right hand was going gimp, anyway, but, then, in April 2024, the second knuckle of my left index finger started its own arthritic flare-up. I will still work to maintain overall hand strength, but, can no longer over-stress my index fingers. No more double-action dry or live fire, with medium or medium-large revolvers, or with autos that have the same fit, for the position of my trigger fingers. I can still shoot these revolvers and pistols in single-action mode, but, that relegates them to recreational use.

I can, thankfully, still perform the DA trigger stroke, without pain, with my smaller-frame Ruger SP101 and S&W J-Frame revolving pistols. With these smaller guns, most of the finger joint articulation is being performed by the base knuckle, not the second knuckle, so, FOR NOW, I am OK. For now. The “classic” little revolvers remain my friends. Notably, the SP101 factory grip does just reach the “heel bone” of my hand, when I have a nicely high grip on the weapon. A “compact” revolver with an adult-sized grip. Life is good!

My much-loved SIG P229 DAK, by duty pistol from 2004 to 2015, is in honorable retirement. The combination of the high bore axis, the .40 S&W cartridge, the light alloy frame, and the semi-rounded butt, began vexing my aging right hand by the time I reached age 50, in 2011. In considered transitioning to becoming a left-handed “primary” shooter, but, encouraged by a colleague with inside knowledge, waited for my then-chief to re-authorize 9mm to be an alternative duty cartridge. That finally happened in late 2015. I decided to go with the lower bore axis of the Glock system. I had previously used .40 S&W G22 Glock duty pistols, 2002 to 2004, before transitioning to the better-fitting P229, but, by 2015, the Gen4 was extant, and well-proven, and, fit my hands better than Gen3.

I do not let cartridge choice worry me, too much, any more. I started with a .45 ACP, for personal use. I was required to use a 4” .357 Mag S&W L-Frame, during my police academy training, in late 1983 and early 1984. I elected to use a .44 Magnum S&W 629, of all things, during my rookie year. Yes, I guess I did have to prove that I was tough. That may also be why my right hand is so gimpy, today. I backed-down to .41 Magnum, 1985 to 1990. This was certainly not good for my hand, either. By 1990, I was using .45 ACP autos as duty pistols. From 1993 to 1997, I reverted to duty revolvers, but .357 Magnum, because I had, by then, realized that my fingers were not long enough to make best use of N-Frames. Then, it was .45 ACP, again, from 1997 to 2002, then .40 S&W, 2002 to 2015. Finally, 9mm and .45 ACP became my usual auto-loader defensive pistol cartridges, at the end of my LEO-ing days, and into retirement.

FWIW, my only defensive use of deadly force was with the .357 Magnum, in 1993, and, well, yes, it was devastating, to my opponent. The entry and exit wounds were, well, something else. Shot placement was good, so, it is possible that .45 ACP, 9mm +P, .40 S&W, or .38 Special would have performed about as well. My weapon, at that time, was my first Ruger GP100. I was still carrying GP100 revolvers, into this year, especially a 3” version, but, now that pulling the DA trigger is aggravating my arthritis, in both my right and left trigger fingers, I am not training with these revolvers. Less than a year ago, I still thought that I would be carrying my medium- and medium/large-framed DA revolvers well into my old age. Now, they are, largely, collectibles/keepsakes, perhaps subject to some amount of thinning of the herd.

So, well, are my single-action revolvers going to become more prominent? Maybe so. No long-stroke DA trigger pull, to aggravate my arthritis. No auto-loading mechanism, that requires a firm grip to ensure reliable cycling. My traditional-design single action sixguns may remain collectible/recreational pieces, and my all-stainless 5.5” Ruger Blackhawk Bisley may be just a bit large for daily carry, but, I did recently acquire a stainless Ruger Single Six, .22 WMR, and I recently handled a 4-5/8” Ruger Blackhawk, .357 Mag, at an LGS, that just felt “right.” Hmm. [To be clear, I am not recommending that anyone adopt a single-action revolving pistol, for a primary daily defensive carry weapon.]

I am definitely a hybrid user when it comes to classic and plastic:

Lightweight Colt Commander .45 - my fav and if I could be buried with it I probably would.

Sig P226 9milly - favorite range gun.

Glock 17 G5 - my Swiss army knife. Been to hell and back and always hits POA/goes bang. I can't kill this thing.

Glock 19 G5 - our back up bag pistols. They are everywhere in the world, easy to maintain and you can't throw a rock without hitting someone who is a potential source of spare mags/parts.

HK P2000LEM - cool weather EDC

HKP2000sk LEM - warm weather EDC (in Florida 10ish months of the year)

HK USP 45 - night stand sentinel and my companion when things go bump in the night.

Mind you, these are my category choices and doesn't include the various 1911s I've accumulated through the years. I'm also lucky (trained?) that I am trigger system agnostic. The only real preference I have is not to carry a striker. If the 365 wasn't a striker I'd probably own several but until they offer one in DA/SA I won't give up my HKs for EDC. They have served me well for many years and will certainly continue to until I move on to the other side.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FPNunes,