This report covers:
- Remember
- But you had to!
- Airguns
- What are you saying, BB?
- More
- Don’t get upset
- Not all good
- Remember
Boy, did we have great cars in the good old days! They were made of good strong steel and you knew you were in something solid when you closed the doors. And, do you remember that it was MUCH easier to change the oil and the spark plugs in those old cars?
Yeah — but you had to. Remember?
Like many of you I am a good old boy who remembers cars the way they were in the 1940s and 50s. Those were CARS!
And even into the ’60s and early ’70s the designs and manufacturing materials didn’t change that much. Oh, we felt they did at the time but in retrospect, the changes were not that large.
I remember the Volkswagen Beetle. It was dead-simple to work on, but of course you had to, to keep it running. The valves had to be adjusted every 10K miles or whenever they started sounding funny. But the valve covers were held on by wire bails and all it took was a screwdriver to pop them off and get to the valves. I could adjust them almost in my sleep. On my Toyota Tundra truck I have never even seen the valves! So, with the old cars, maintenance was much easier to do.
But you had to!
What I’m saying is cars used to be built stouter and made of heavier materials, but they required more maintenance. They were easier to maintain but they had to be maintained. In the olden days spark plugs MIGHT make 20,000 miles, as long as you kept them clean and kept the spark gap adjusted within tolerances. As a teenager I knew how to do that. We all did.
I have tools in my toolbox that I haven’t used in decades. Spark plug gap feelers and wrenches, feeler gauges for adjusting valves, a timing light, etc. I don’t need them but I don’t dare throw them away because, who knows, the dinosaurs might come back.
Airguns
What does any of this have to do with airguns? A lot, as it turns out. Reader RidgeRunner tells us how much he loves his old ladies that are made of real wood and steel. Yes they are. Those old ladies are made of tough stuff. They may not be as powerful as some airguns made today and they certainly aren’t as accurate, but they last and last. So do boat anchors.
What are you saying, BB?
What BB is trying to say is the “good old days” may not have been as good as we remember. The same reader RidgeRunner who loves his old ladies is right now testing a .25-caliber Benjamin Armada for us and we are all criticizing it for not shooting better. It put ten shots into 1.33-inches at 50 yards the first time he tried it. I wonder what his beloved 1906 BSA underlever rifle would do at the same distance?
Ridge even thinks he might not keep trying to “tune” that Armada because, glory be, it can’t do any better than that. Hey RidgeRunner, drag your Webley Service Mark II out to the same range and tell us what kind of group she can make with ten pellets at 50 yards.
More
As long as I’m causing a ruckus, why stop? Let me kick over another anthill while I’m at it. You guys know that I am a big fan of the 1911 Colt pistol. John M. Browning was a genius for inventing it in the first decade of the twentieth century. BUT — and this is where BB makes a lot of you mad — a Glock pistol in the same .45 ACP caliber is more reliable than the Colt. Not just a little more reliable — a LOT more reliable!
I don’t like saying that any more than you like hearing it because a lot of that Glock is made from plastic. But it will go 30,000 rounds without needing major maintenance and that all-steel Colt won’t make it over 10,000. But the truth is the truth!
When I was a kid I wanted nothing more than a Walther PPK in .380 ACP to carry as a pocket pistol. Today I carry a Sig P365 that, in 9mm, is more powerful, holds more cartridges, is easier to rack, is more accurate and is SMALLER than the PPK. I love it and I hate it — all at the same time.
Don’t get upset
Please hold your horses, guys. BB is just the messenger today. You all know these things are true, so what does it mean?
What it means is modern materials and modern designs are more capable than the older steel and wood we all say we love. And it’s more than just materials. BB talks a lot about learning to use non-optical sights, and yet we all (including BB) mount scopes on our airguns. It the 1960s a scope wasn’t that commonly seen on a firearm, let alone an airgun, but today it’s not uncommon to see air rifles made without sights, because the makers know they will be scoped.
Not all good
Yes airguns are more capable today but they come with problems of their own. Precharged guns can develop leaks. Spring guns last longer but eventually their mainsprings do wear out. Piston seals either wear out or get damaged to the point they can’t do their job. When that happens, what do you do?
Well, the best precharged guns are the ones that are easiest to repair. Same for the springers. Are we harkening back to the “good old days” again? Is an Air Venturi Avenge-X just a more capable Volkswagen Beetle? You tell me.
VW Beetle was a great car — as long as it was maintained.
B.B.
There are more 300-400 Horsepower cars now being produced than at anytime in my lifetime. That HAS to be a good thing. Yes, it is more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slowly.
Anyway for anybody interested in pistol target shooting I suggest you watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfaK4Hz0Na8
-Yogi
BB,
I hear you, but I am an anachronism, LOL!
One of my friends has a bunch of Glocks; I shot his 9mm, 10mm, and .45 acp Glocks; I didn’t like how any of them fit my hand, so I would not, and have not bought a Glock.
“When I was a kid I wanted nothing more than a Walther PPK in .380 ACP to carry as a pocket pistol. Today I carry a Sig P365…”
I almost went for the P365; if I was still on my church’s security team, I likely would have gone for it.
But the only one I’m protecting is me…so I went for an Interarms Walther PPK/S in .380 caliber.
In stainless configuration, it’s a chunk of steel alright; but in an Uncle Mike’s #4 pocket holster, it disappears in the front pocket of my jeans, and I almost forget it’s there. I grew up on guns with hammers, and particularly shooting my Dad’s Walther TPH .22LR, so the operation and deployment of the PPK/S is second nature to me; and the stainless steel is great in our sweltering Georgia summer heat. 😉
With airguns, I’m once again kind of living in the past; after trying a variety of newer pneumatic guns, I’m back to using my peep-sighted .20-caliber Sheridan C-model as my go-to pester; there as other multi-pump air rifles that are easier to pump, but the Sheridan is lightweight, easy handling, and plenty accurate for head shots out to my 30-yard self-imposed maximum range.
(If I need more power, I’ll go to my Henry H001…I just had to have a levergun after growing up watching Chuck Conners in “The Rifleman.” True, his model 1892 did not exist in the 1881 time frame where the show starts; yet you have to cut the makers some slack after seeing that opening scene!
For anyone who’s never seen it, you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsitJZUcFL4 )
I just restored a .410 Stevens model 94M that I saw in the rack at a local pawn shop; they gave me a $40 discount off the price when I showed them the severely bent barrel (they were quite chagrined that none of them had noticed when they took it in trade. =>). I re-bent the barrel so it shoots straight, and it now patterns great with Winchester Double X turkey loads. It’s just like the single-barrel shotgun I had as a teen. I did replace the plastic trigger guard with a steel one; so yeah, I’m living in the past, for sure. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
BB,
Is technology and the the things that it brings with it good? Certainly!
Do I happily embrace all of it? Heck no!
My two year old Subaru gets great mileage, is incredibly reliable, is comfortable, etc. But I do not, or cannot work on it. So I end up paying the shop to change the 4 plugs at 60K miles, to the time of $400+ dollars! (You have to just about remove the engine to change said plugs)
Digital cameras are incredibly more usable and convenient than 35mm film cameras that were prevalent 30+ years ago. If you have even a high end digital camera that is more than 10 years old and you want to get it fixed, good luck. A 40 year old Leica does not have the same shortcoming. (Repairable, yes. Cheap, no.)
A digital watch is far more accurate than a mechanical watch could hope to be. Do I expect that my Casio G-Shock would even be expected to be repaired? No. Do I expect a 50 year old Rolex Submariner, in just about any condition, be discarded? Also, no.
What I’m trying to say is that most of the new airguns will function as long as their respective manufacturers decide to keep them in production and maybe make parts. Mechanical systems can be made to function for a long, long time.
I’m a dinosaur. I like mechanical systems. I like springers, because they’re mechanical and the parts, if absolutely necessary, could be reproduced.
I also have an Avenger and it’s great, but I think of it as the airgun equivalent of a Casio watch. It does what it does really well, but it’s more like an appliance to me.
That’s my take, and thanks for listening to my rant.
Bill
Tom,
As much as I prefer a wooden stock you can’t beat a synthetic stock’s stability especially if you have the misfortune of being caught out in the rain or other very damp conditions that will surely warp a wooden stock.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
As I say below, if synthetic stocks had been around in my youth, I would have wanted them then. I am an old, fat, bald-headed geezer now. I do not like carrying my airgun to my range bench, much less for miles through the woods and fields.
I have carried/owned a glock of some model since the 17 was available here in the states.
I also have and still do carry others. 1911, PPK, Browning P35, glock 17, then an issued glock 22 and glock 27 (both. 40 caliber) as a backup. I still have the 40’s the 27 is a gen 2.5 to give you an idea of how long I have owned it.
And I own a glock 44 (.22 LR caliber)
I have moved to more modern designs as well. But still enjoy a good vintage chunk of steel and wood every now and then.
But I always remember a meme I once saw.
And here it is..
And it’s so true.
Ian.
LOL! So true!
Hahahahaha! Love it; I’ll have to show that to my Glock friend. 😉
“But you had to.”
That’s the gotcha, especially regarding automobiles.
A dealer quoted me over $1,000.00 to replace the valve cover gaskets on my Tacoma. When I showed my displeasure, they said that of course the price also included new spark plugs (that they would change simply because they would be accessible during the procedure). I opted to get a friend, who is a retired dealer mechanic, with his own shop in his backyard do this (while I watched) for $250.00. And that price included new spark plugs also.
I think that if modern autos still required as much maintenance as the old ones did, very few folks could afford to own and operate an automobile.
The folks who lament newer autos and claim that “they don’t build them like they used to” are usually folks who actually like to work on cars.
I suspect the same could be said about airguns. The old gals are usually coveted by folks who like to work on them.
I’m constantly amazed at the reliability of modern cars but yes, I agree with the other comments that although they go wrong less often they’re a real pain to get going again without the right computer software or special tools.
Similar story with airguns, especially the replica types. Parts availability it pretty much non existent even though they could be made available very cheaply.
I really admire the business ethics of Crosman in this respect. Good value budget guns which you can keep going with plentiful spares availability (although not so easy here in the UK)
I just spent over one hundred dollars on an oil change for my Subaru Forester. I have spent less for some very nice “old gals”. I will take the “Bug”. Elmer is so right. The maintenance costs of modern autos is outrageous.
Yes, the Webley Service Mark II is a lousy shooting air rifle. That is not why I have it. Now, though I have not tried them at those ranges, I suspect the 1906 BSA and the FLZ will do pretty good. As they have open sights and I cannot mount a scope on them, that is not likely going to happen though.
I use a flip phone. But RR, why do you not have a “smart” phone? Why? The only reason I have a flip phone in the first place is it allows Mrs. RR to get in touch with me when she wants to. Hey, I am a just retired Electrical Designer. A long time ago I came to the conclusion that just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. I know about all that newfangled stuff. I just have no use for it in my life. Why spend several days or even weeks learning to use one of those “smart” phones when I can learn to use my flip phone as soon as I get it. Then there is the cost of said “smart” phones. What is so “smart” about spending that much on one of those things and then spending that much on the “service”?
I know about synthetic stocks and plastic pistols. I worked in the polymer industry. Do not get me wrong. If decent synthetic stocks had been around in my youth, I would have happily carried them in my wanderings through the fields and woods. They are much lighter and more weather resistant than wood.
Will these plastic and pot metal airguns be around over one hundred years from now? Or will they be tossed in the landfill when they no longer work instead of being fixed and a “new, latest and greatest” be bought to replace it. Things are not made to be fixed these days.
“Hi, I my name is RidgeRunner. I am a dinosaur.” “Hi RidgeRunner.”
*** Why spend several days or even weeks learning to use one of those “smart” phones when I can learn to use my flip phone as soon as I get it. ***
Yeah RR, I hear we but sometimes you get dragged along with “new and improved” whether we want to or not.
Dating myself… I remember looking at the 2 inch thick, $50 Windows 3.0 manual and shaking my head. The young bookstore clerk asked if I had a question and I said “Yeah, please explain why Win 3.0 is better than DOS 5 that I can teach someone the basic half-dozen commands in 15 minutes”. He said that Win 3.0 was better because it was the latest and greatest OS. …And here we are at Win 11 🙁
Like you I have a cell phone for when I absolutely need it. Hate the thing. Fortunately, my favorite fishing lake is off the tower grid and has zero reception 🙂
As you have pointed out, sometimes we are dragged kicking and screaming into the “modern” age, but as you also say “sometimes the dragon wins”.
“Things are not made to be fixed these days.”
RidgeRunner, that is sadly all too true. A few years ago, a gent from the midwest sent me and old shotgun to repair; it was from the 1920s, complete with flat springs! He called it the “Black Sheep Shotgun,” as one of his uncles, the “black sheep” of the family, had fed the entire family with it during the Great Depression.
After I restored it, I was going to ship it back, but he said to find someone who would appreciate it, as NO ONE in his family wanted it (not kids, grandkids, not nieces, nephews…sad!), not even as a wall hanger.
I got back to him that a pastor I knew in West Virginia was interested in the gun (20 gauge); he wanted it for hunting, and to hang of the wall, and to tell the story of the “Black Sheep Shotgun.”
The owner said to let him have it. With some TLC, it’ll still be shooting 100 years from now. 😉
Cool. Did you have to replace the springs?
I had to re-build the butt stock and the forearm and tighten up the action; but interestingly, the old flat springs were still in great shape. 🙂
I still can’t believe no one in the owner’s family wanted it as an heirloom!
But it will be a treasured heirloom in the pastor’s family.
I don’t mind the $100 oil changes. Oil changes used to be $29, but every 3,000 miles, so at least 3 times per year. Now with synthetic oils, the on board computer never calls for an oild change before the year is up, so I get one done once per year as a matter of course. Factoring in inflation, it is actually cheaper.
I like to have the option of fixing things, but let’s face it, I can’t fix electronics or plastic bits that break. Some things are so cheap that it is not worth the time or expense to fix them. I have my first airgun, a Coleman / Crosman 760 Pump master that won’t pump up and was left to rust away in Dad’s damp basement. I COULD buy a reseal kit and a few other plastic parts to restore it, but why spend 25 bucks (probably 35 with shipping and taxes) to fix something I can buy new for 50? Yes, they still sell them and you can get used ones on ebay, too.
Ah, but I love Diana Winchesters from the late 60s and 70s. I can’t explain it. Just love the rhythm of shooting a springer and the feel and smell of the wood and metal and Ballistol.
My warranty tells me to change my oil every six thousand miles. I do not dare ignore my warranty as I cannot work on that thing. I cannot afford the computer to figure out what is wrong with that thing. Most people would have gotten rid of it by now anyway. “The warranty is about to expire on this car. Let’s trade it in and buy a new one.”
Besides, stuff is not meant to be fixed these days. How are the manufacturers going to make money if you do not buy the latest and greatest?
I grew up in a small town in the Midwest in the 60s and 70s. Most people worked in the town they lived in so you would drive 5 miles or less a day. Probably still true for a lot of people but if you live in an urban area you may drive 60-100 miles round-trip a day. Instead of a car that may last 100,000 miles, you need a car that is gonna last 200,000+ miles. Not to forget that you might have to drive 500–1000 miles to visit family nowadays. I wouldn’t want the cars that were available in the 60s or 70s. The last two Toyotas that I have owned been much better than anything that I’ve previously owned.
60s and 70s airguns are fun to plink but 80’s to the present springers and pcp’s and even pumpers (Seneca Dragonfly) have much more capacity for target shooting, pesting and field target if you shoot it.
I wouldn’t wanna grow up in any era but the 60s and 70s But I think a lot of things about the good old days aren’t as good as we remembered them. Sadly, that’s not true about people and their basic nature nowadays 🙁
Brent
New car engines are designed to make the most of fuel efficiency because of government regulations and use lots of sensors and computers to keep them operating at peak performance. Turbos replace cubic inch displacement to get the power output we expect, more parts, and fuel injection makes it look more complicated but it’s easier for the computer to control the fuel used.
If you want to fix things yourself, you need a portable code reader so the computer can talk to you. Codes are listed and identified online. It’s not all that hard to figure out, just a lot more delicate parts attached, and they like to hide things under a decorative engine cover to avoid scaring people when they check the oil level.
New airguns manage air more efficiently. With more parts as well.
I have a solution for airguns that do not shoot accurately at distance. Don’t use them for distance shooting. Get one that does. Do your homework before you purchase one.
Question #1 What do you want it for? Buy a few for each use or one very expensive one for everything.
Suspect those of us with a fondness for “old tech” have that craving because, as Elmer Fudd observed, we like to work on things that we are actually able to work on/with; it also has to do with feeling that one has a certain level of control over the machine-at-hand which is not there when it comes to the new thingamajigs. “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that”
B.B., do not get rid of your old tools before talking to FM – more so if they’re for air-cooled VWs, bitte!
Basil,
I forgot who was reading this blog. Back! Back!
If I find a bug I can afford, I’m buying it.
No, probably not. At 77 I probably don’t want to work under another flat four.
BB
Maybe you can link up with an affordable one; as for working under a flat four, there are lift systems for the home garage. FM may have to look into those sooner than later.
https://jalopnik.com/explore-this-swiss-mine-filled-with-abandoned-vw-beetle-1851614048
If it ain’t broke, fix it til it is…. 😉
How true.
Ah, the good old days. Tires didn’t last much longer than 10,000 miles, adjusting timing and dwell every other weekend, spark plugs every 10K miles, and the cars didn’t last much longer than 60K miles before the rust took them over. Did I say oil leaks? You had to wait 5 minutes for the tubes to warm up to hear the radio, which was an option in those days. Vacuum windshield wipers that would stop if you pushed the throttle. Oh yeah, fun for sure. VW Beetles? Hitler’s revenge, we used to call them.
Guns on the other hand were pretty good in those days and still are. 1911s, Ma Duece, FWB air rifles, old Colts and Winchesters. Funny how we only remember the good things.
I proclaim (at every super) that this is my favorite meal. Why? Because what ever is in front of me is supper and wanting something else isn’t going to magically change it. 😉
Guess that same logic applies to the world today – it is what it is!
In defense of “the good old days” I have to say that things were simpler and people who liked to tinker could usually figure things out on their own.
These days things are more complex and to offset that us tinkerers can usually find the information on the internet.
Which is “better”? Don’t know. I do miss the simpler, less stressful days when life-things like jobs and relationships lasted decades.
But the instant availability of information has its benefits. I think back to shooting springers in the 60’s and 70’s. One inch groups at 20 yards was considered excellent, accuracy could have been much better but I thought that any pellet that fit in the breech was good enough. Cheap was better and I never worried and mixing different different pellets in my pocket. We know better now.
Yeah, we remember the good times and conveniently forget the bad (remember life before microwaves?). IF a 100+ shot, 30 fpe, scope sighted, sub-MOA, repeating pellet gun were available in the 60’s would you want one? As a Crosman 101 pumper shooter at that time, I sure would have.
For sanity sake, I think we need to focus on the good things because, life it is what it is.
Speaking of good things… Calm, cloudy and cool outside – I’m going out to shoot!
Cheers!
BB,
After a couple of classes at Texas Pistol Academy I sold all but one of my 1911 Colt pistols and replaced them with Glocks. The classes I took were 2 day classes and we fired about 500 rounds over the two days. Each class had about 10-12 students and almost everyone was shooting 1911 models. And, in each class we had at least 2 1911 guns break parts. That was really shocking to me. I could understand failures due to fowling or jambs but I was shocked to see parts breaking! And, we were cleaning and lubing our guns 3 or 4 times each day. There are probably better options available today but my Glocks have never failed me.
I will say, the experience of shooting classic guns is more fun in general than shooting the latest and greatest. With my older guns I am happy hitting a 1” spinner at 30 yards and even more excited to hit a 1” spinner at 50 yards just occasionally, But, with my higher tech PCPs, I am disappointed if I don’t shoot 1/2” groups at 50 yards. I think I expect too much from my best PCPs based on stories, claims, and videos.
David Enoch
After 50 years cars are still a sore point with me
My dad had a 1964 Impala SS convertible.
He kept it in spotless condition.
In 1972 he told me it was going to be my graduation present from high school.
Two weeks before my grad he hit a cow on the highway and the car was a write-off.
I got a 10 speed
Wow, I see that I am not the only one that has had some rotten luck in the past. Hopefully you have had some better luck since then. Thankfully it all has seemed to even out in the long run, at least for me.
Hello everyone,
I might be the last person on Earth to use pencils. Not just any pencil. Vintage USA cedar wood barrel ones. Those that can be sharpen to a fine point without the lead breaking. Those whose shavings when being sharpen with a manual sharpener are one long ribbon. Those that glide smoothly across a sheet or paper.
I have an all metal hand crank Boston pencil sharper from who knows when. Was my best pencil sharpener. Recently, while browsing at a thrift shop, I found an all plastic (exept for the blade) electric Panasonic from the 1980’s. No point to the story. Just rambling
Alex2no,
My pencils are so precious that i only draw with them these days.
shootski
Shootski,
I use crayons… they don’t allow me sharp objects 😉
Vana2,
You could finger paint…
Alex, where do you get those pencils?
I am frustrated by the pencils I have purchased recently. It seem every third one refuses to sharpen without the point breaking off.
Hi,
Garage yard sells, thrift stores and Fleebay mostly. For everyday writing I like Dixon Ticonderoga, Black Warriors made by Papermate or Berol or Mongols made by Eberhard Faber. The ones with the white star printed on the barrel are classics but more expensive. Mitsubishi HI Uni or Tombow from Amazon. Just don’t over pay for them. Around $10 for a dozen is not a bad price. Many Japanese pencil manufacturers have moved production to Vietnam. The Japanese ones are better quality. I like to use B or B1 leads. They are darker, thicker and smother. The leads wear out quicker and need to be sharpen more often. For a more durable lead, a No 1 or 2(HB). The only pencils I would buy from Staples would be Mega Brands Write Dudes USA Gold. Get yourself a good sharpener. Oftentimes, it’s the sharpener that breaks the leads.I found the electronic Panasonic one for $5 at a thrift store. I live in California and can’t carry a handgun legally but always carry a pencil in my purse. For a long point I like Kum Long Point. It’s a small magnesium rectangle not the oval plastic one. For a short point Kum 300-1 (small brass one.) Kum is made in Germany. Spare blades are also available.
Pencils are like airguns in that you have to find one that fits you and the task at hand.
If you live in the states and don’t mind dropping an email address so that I may get in contact with you , I will send you a small sample of pencils. I have more than a life time supply and would be glad to do so.
Good day
Alex2no
My handle then the number one at gee mail dot com
Good day to you, too!
I bought a new box of pencils and the other day and they weren’t pre sharpened. Absolutely pointless…
B.B. and Readership,
Old or new if it helps me shoot well it is great by me.
Of course i was just looking at folks in the Hammer Throw, Shot Put, Javelin Throw, and Discus.
85+ meters for the Javelin…not bad…not bad at all.
shootski
PS: i miss my Karmann Ghia (with Porsche Flat Four) as well as my Porsche 924 Martini Championship Edition.
I do enjoy my over two decade old SAAB Viggen Convertible and 9-5 AERO both with tunning and 3″ pipes. My tires are street legal slicks that don’t last more than 10,000 miles but they stick to the Summer roads! I can do most of the work myself but i use a trusted shop of old factory certified SAAB mechanics that stand outside to listen to my departures…Lol.
I guess that is why i shoot Kimber 1911s and SIG X-FIVE;
as well as own more DAQs than is seemly.
Readership,
Look at the door post area on the VW photograph!
That black line is the Semaphore Slot for the Turn Signal.
shootski
PS: it has a rear split window as well!
Good and correct catch there, shootski. The split-windows with the “trafficator” turn signals were in production from 1938 to 03/53. The wartime Kübelwagens even sported the split-window style and until about 1943 had “trafficators” as well.
I’m young enough to have grown up on the plastic fantastics and while I don’t see myself abandoning my Glocks anytime soon the disposable factor bugs me. I have a trade in polymer framed IMI Jericho and the grip is chewed up at the bottom from where the steel lanyard ring would wear through it and to keep the gun in service they’d just drill another hole for the ring further up and repeat the process. Gun isn’t in bad shape mechanically but if put into regular use further damage of the fraying grip frame would eventually force the gun out of service for good, and I expect a gun to be an heirloom item. Makes me think that guns like the aluminum framed Glock clones and m&p metal deserve a second look.
B.B.,
I agree with every single one of your points.
However, there is something that many old-fashioned items have that modern equivalents do not, something that cannot be measured and is not objectively. An airgun made of wood and steel has character that a plastic airgun lacks. The feel is usually superior with the wood and steel one, and when holds it, shoots it, and even just looks at it, it conveys a reassuring sense of quality and craftsmanship.
Which has more character, a 100+ year old Colt 1911 or a three month old Glock?
Michael
Michael, I guess it depend on your perspective. If I’m looking down the muzzle, I would say the character is about equal and not so relevant.