Whats your opinion of gun snobs? (pistol, sale, best, cheap)

[saxondale351]

I have been around guns my whole life. I have said many times I love guns but hate gun people. Its a general statement about the snobs in our hobby. I know so many people who would lie like Christie covering up a bridge incident about any problem or failure of their fav. gun company. Personally some of my best guns have been iron curtain guns that were very cheap. Built like tanks and just work, but cheap. I had a Colt Anaconda, great gun, but sold it in favor of the Ruger Redhawk. The RH is built stronger, and at the time was worth about 450 and the Colt I sold for 1000 bucks. I do keep a few guns that are just because of the name but I admit it, Colt 1911s, Colt King Cobra, Smith 686 and Walther PPK American, I can buy copies from Taurus and Iron Curtain countries that work just as well but I admit I keep them because of the name. Not some fictitious reason that they work better or are somehow magical in the way they operate. I have no personal problem with brand loyalty as long as we all admit it. Many love to bash Taurus as junk guns compared to Smith and Beretta. I own both Beretta and Taurus in the 92 series and Taurus revolvers and Smith and Colts. There is nothing wrong with a Taurus revolver. I have had some problems with the Taurus Slim series, I had a 9 and 40 and both were unreliable. I have always felt secure enough to admit why I like a gun and will not pay or will pay extra for it. I like my Colt 1911a1 1943 ww2 and my NRM SS Colt 1911a1. But will a less expensive version do? You bet it would. I bought a Chinese Norinco 1911a1 and many people came up with the steel being inferior and other BS. It was a good gun especially for the 229 I paid for it, back in the 90s. I sold it because it became known to many modifiers that it was high quality and inexpensive so it was a great candidate to do modifications on. Some guns you collect have to be originals or they don't have any value. If your into WW2 Pistols then a NRM colt or a Walther PPK American will not do. BTW its funny how things change. When I first bought my Walther PPK American from Walmart in the mid 80s, It was thought that it was a cheap knock off. Now years later the Inerarms holds a premium over the Smith versions as better made. LOL

I have a post about lightning knives. I bought a few back about 10 years ago for 9 bucks at flea markets and gave all but one away. Now they are out of stock and hard to find and when you do its 40 to 60 bucks each. Why? Because they have been reviewed and found to be a very reliable OTF knife for much less then the snob knifes that cost 400 bucks. What the heck can a knife do that makes it worth 400 bucks? Some will come up with my life is worth it, or some other reason, but in my experience almost every time I bought the "best" quality, it broke down more or as much as the cheap stuff, not always but many times, then it becomes obsolete or more advanced model comes out and makes the old one worth less. Not always but many times.

Example, is the Roughbaugh work 1000 bucks for a palm pistol? Not in my book. Not on any day of the week. When I can buy a Ruger for 300 bucks? Or a smith for 350 used or 400 new? But these buyers will all say how the fit and finish bla bla bla its all BS in my book. I am sure its a fine gun, but its over priced to do the job, and does not do it any better than other cheaper options. I have a Estwing framing hammer, can I do it with an old wood hammer from the swap meet? Sure, and some would say better because the wood absorbs vibration not your hand and arm. But take that Estwing and put gold on it, and a refined eased edge and a lot of time polishing it and it does not do the job better, you just have more money into it. If you admit that you paid more for it and don't care you just want it, then fine but its the people who will run your choice in the ground as junk while saying their choice is the only way to go. What do you think? How many will say no to this idea and that their gun choice is the right one? LOL

[JordanJP]

I tend to not care, but then I could probably be called a "snob" (I prefer "connoisseur.")

There is always a point where you get diminishing returns for your time/money, but it is up to the individual. If you'd like to buy the HiPoint pistol with the zinc slide or the knife with springs that will wear out from cycling, be my guest... I'll gladly pay more for an item if the materials and reliability are better for the purpose (especially for whatever I am using it for) and have a proven track record.

[HB2HSV]

Many years ago when I was young, I could not afford to buy name brand high quality guns so I did buy a zinc slide el cheapo Davis .380. It works flawlessly but I only put a few hundred rounds through it. It served my need at the time. Today, I can buy higher quality name brand guns so I would probably not waste time with guns like Davis, but I will probably miss out on good "deals" as result.

Guns are tools. Some feel perfectly fine buying tools from Harbor Freight while others would not settle for other than top brands. It depends on your budget & intended use. No matter which way you go, make sure your gun is deadly reliable.

[d from birmingham]

[Mod cut]

Now as for snob. Do you mean collector? Well a collector would frown at those cheap guns because unless it is like a Rohm or otherwise something that would be that make them to be an odd duck of a gun, most of those cheapo guns aren't worth collecting.

Collectors look for guns of unique features or historical value or rareness or that cost a lot money.

Such as a Mateba Autorevolver which is rare, or a Korth Combat Revolver which is a hand made revolver which costs over 4k, or a Wildey Magnum you seen it in Death Wish 3 or the Whitney Wolverine which came out in the 1950s and which looks the Buck Rogers gun especially in the Chrome or Stainless Steel finish.

A collector wouldn't care about those cheap guns because they have no appeal to the collector unless once again there was something unique about one of those particular cheap guns, a snob would frown because they just have a favorite company and tend to not actually know anything about guns what so ever so their snobbiness is just out a mask for their being ignorant as to why they cannot explain why you shouldn't get that cheap gun besides you don't have enough money for the more expensive gun. Expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.

[iknowftbll]

Wherever there is a hobby, there is a faction who believes their way is the only way.

Car guys: you have Ford guys and Chevy guys.

Fitness people: you have members of the cross-fit cult who swear anyone who doesn't do the WOD and wear those ridiculous toe shoes is not really in shape and just going through the motions.

Gun guys: As described by the OP. They are out there.

Fortunately in all these hobbies you also have people who are passionate about the hobby and willing to be helpful to others. Every time I am at my range and have to share a firing line I enjoy the company of the other shooter. One even let me fire his M1 Garand that had fought in WWII. That put a big smile on my face.

So gun snobs are out there, but I don't see them as any worse than the "snob" faction of any hobby.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by saxondale351

What do you think?

I don't have an opinion really formed yet, mostly because I tune people out who act snobbish. Much like car snobs, which I've dealt with a lot being in Automotive

But yeah, So I was buying one the other week, and I had narrowed to a few choices but of course the salesman didn't like striker fired guns so after it seemed like I couldn't make a decision after 30-45 minutes, he tried to show me a handful of other choices....okay, how is this going to make the decision faster??
I still decided I would buy a gun there regardless, but couldn't due to another reason.

I agree with people that guns are tools. Maybe this is snobbish myself, like cars, I don't have brand loyalty, rather I find the perfect one that fits my needs, regardless of how cheap or expensive it is. But the ones I tend to like are more mid-range. Not the cheapo, but not the most expensive. Example, I'd prefer a Mossberg 500/590 over a Maverick 88, but I most likely wouldn't spend 1000 or more on a shotgun. At the same time, it doesn't really matter who bought an 88 or who bought a $1500 shotgun, unless they shove it in my face.


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[saxondale351]

I had a Davis 380, not a high end gun by any stretch, but mine fired every time. It was ugly IMO and clunky IMO but it did what it was supposed to do. A great example is the firestorm 380. Its a good of quality as any high end 380 and I paid 189 for mine new in the box. I still have it, its just that good of a gun. I would put it up against a sig any day. And I can still buy 50 shares of Smith and wesson with the money saved. LOL

[my54ford]

I always see the same guys selling at the local shows They meet the criteria mentioned by the OP..They always have the same overpriced stuff for sale usually with tags so faded you can't even read what's written from being lugged around for years... Everyone thinks their stuff is worth gold....

[RayinAK]

Well, this is the way I see it: if I see others as being "snob" about this and that, and never see myself as being such, there is a good chance that that guy I perceive as being a snub thinks of me as being the snub.

Each person has different reasons for doing what he or she does or behave like. It's only one's perceptions of others that leads one to believe one way or another about others, but perceptions are rarely true. For example, the kid who pushed you around long ago, the one you hated...but later became your best friend once you got to know him.

Not trying to sand any different nor "snobbish" than anybody in this forum. Just a lot older and hopefully wiser than when I was young. Some of those kids I fought with long ago ended being honest friends once I got to know them.

[jamies]

Who's a gun snob? Not me, I'm content with my semi-custom Ed Brown 1911, my Belgium Browning Citori trap gun, my Performance Center .357, Daniel Defense custom tuned AR with Leopold night vision scope, and other guns you lesser types simply wouldn't understand.
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