One of the more aggravating things to have to deal with in the gun trade are the aphorisms that are repeated Ad Nauseum from people coming in to buy, sell, trade, shoot guns. Pithy pronouncements such as: “The pistol is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle/shotgun you left behind” or “If I knew someone was coming to do me harm, then I would carry a rifle/shotgun, rocket launcher, etc”. Seemingly, these nuggets of wisdom are usually uttered by either a morbidly obese individual, who sweats just talking to you or some geeky, socially inept gun store/range rat, both of whom seem to be buying stock in 5.11 Tactical to judge by their sartorial splendor. Irony being lost on much of the gun toting crowd, they can’t seem to appreciate the intent of the axioms to highlight the compromise one has to make in being legally armed without drawing attention. With legal concealed carry being a longtime fact in many states, reality and practicality have worked their cognitive dissonance magic and people are faced with the reality that discretion is usually the better part of valor.
Pistols are tools of convenience because we can conceal them fairly readily and even where there is ready access to more appropriate tools, they are usually the more convenient option. I want to highlight the “tool” aspect of pistols. A tool is something I use to accomplish a job and as such works for me and not the other way around. If the tool doesn’t work for me or if another more efficient option turns up; I will usually use it. Gun makers need to sell guns to stay afloat, new calibers, new finishes, engraving, sights, etc. are a way for them to convince you to part with your money. I have had the privilege of being able to shoot a wide variety of handguns and calibers. My standard answer to the stock question: “What’s the best handgun?” is, it depends. Far from being a cop out, It is an acknowledgement that intelligent people can disagree and that there is a tool for every job.
For me, a pistol is something I have come into the habit of carrying on road trips, whenever I go camping or backpacking and what I keep in my shop and my residence, just in case. I have never had occasion to regret my choice. I don’t buy cheap tools and at the same time I don’t part with my money easily. With regard to modifying pistols, apart from changing the grips or the sights, I usually leave my pistols as close to factory stock as possible. For me the truth is that most pistols as they come from the factory are more than useable and it is up to the owner to be able to take advantage of the accuracy inherent in the pistol.
When I was younger I used to run 1911 style pistols with an eye toward modifying them, rationalizing it along the lines of making easier to shoot, more reliable, etc and then I grew up. If you pay anywhere from five to seven hundred dollars for a gun and you need to make further modifications before the gun is useable, you might want to re-evaluate your priorities. These days it’s a Glock 23 in .40 S&W and a Smith and Wesson Model 15 in .38 Special. These guns have been with me awhile now and I’m more than a little familiar with them. They aren’t pretty guns and it would seem I take special delight in ugly guns, somewhat true, but really it’s because I know every mark, ding and scratch on these two pistols from honest use of them.
The Glock 23 isn’t cool anymore, because it’s in .40 S&W, the tide seemingly having turned back to 9mm. That’s fine, when ammunition became hard to find from people stockpiling ammo; I had no problem finding .40, because it wasn’t trendy anymore. Living as I do in a state that restricts my magazine capacity to a mere ten rounds, I figured it was better to be size efficient and carry something that would make the best of that restriction. The guns works reliably, is as accurate as anything short of a dedicated target pistol and is ugly; I like ugly. To help make the gun easier to grip, I stippled the frame with and soldering iron and knocked the sharp edges off with some 700 grit sandpaper. Further handling and shooting of the gun resulted in not only smoothing the sharpness some more but also smoothing out the trigger as well. When the factory plastic sights finally got chewed up beyond usefulness, I spent fifty dollars and upgraded to Heinie Straight Eight sights and installed them myself with some simple tools and by carefully reading and following the instructions. When I carry outdoors, I use a Glock holster that I further modified with a pocket knife and sandpaper, twenty dollars from Amazon and the spare magazines are carried in a Springfield Armory pouch meant for an XD pistol that someone had no further use for.
The revolver is a seventies production Smith and Wesson model 15. Strange to have adjustable sights on a short barrel, but the gun is accurate and it’s made possible by the full sized grip. A retired police armorer did an action job and I changed the grips over to Hogues to better fit my hands. It too is an oddball gun and ugly, can’t forget ugly, and it’s reliable. Further shooting has smoothed the action of the gun,if that seems possible, to a point where people are surprised that such a short barreled gun can shoot as well as it does. Beyond a good usable trigger and sights you can see and use, most everything else is window dressing, which is why I suppose I like the ugly factor, it highlights everything you need and what you don’t.
Smith and Wesson Model 15, 2" barrel. The Hurst grips were comfortable and pretty, but I didn't want to damage a piece of shooting history, so on went the Hogue Grips. Not pretty, but more practical. Now where is my Junior G-Man badge with Hoover's picture in drag.....
Glock 23 in .40 S&W, size efficient, reliable and ugly, did I mention it was ugly....If you look hard enough, you can see the stippling done with a Weller soldering iron and the Heinie Straight Eight sights.
The Glock holster amenable to customization via my Swiss Army knife and some sandpaper. You too can get this for the princely sum of twenty dollars.
The entire defensive ensemble in plastic. Just like they said to Dustin Hoffman's character in The Graduate, "One word, plastics...". See, you can make some fine stuff out of those recycled condoms. Did I mention the gun was ugly.
It can be frustrating dealing with repetitive gun trade aphorisms from various individuals. Some may not fully grasp the irony behind these sayings, often spoken by people who may not embody the best shooter image. Legal concealed carry has led to the realization that discretion is crucial when carrying a firearm. Practicality and discretion often trump flashy displays of armament.
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