I've seen it bandied about and I think there is an intuitive sense of what is and is not a "snowflake" gun. But I want an answer for those that use the term -
What constitutes a "snowflake" gun?
How much or how little support does a firearm "platform" need to be considered for snowflake/non-snowflake status?
If you're not a snowflake are you a raindrop?
Does caliber matter? I.e., a Glock 19 is a raindrop, but is the Glock 32 a snowflake?
Any 1911 that costs more than $600.
Oh cool, I'm in the clear. The one I was carrying yesterday cost me $575 with tax.Originally Posted by Zincwarrior
Any 1911 that costs more than $600.
Well, any guy carrying a Tiffany blue Glock would qualify. Or maybe a Taurus rainbow or, if you set the bar really high, any gun whose caliber doesn't begin with a '4'.
Real guns have hammers.
Indeed. I imagine a $5K racegun is pretty snowflakey as well.
AK shooters would say any AR/M4...
Does it?
I think that's kind of the point of the question. It's easy to say, "He's carrying the Tiffany Blue Glock to be all special snowflake." - But that is the person not necessarily the gun. And I'd argue the Tiffany Blue Glock 19 isn't a snowflake gun, because it fits all the standard holsters, has all the standard accoutrements available, etc. It's just a brightly colored ugly thing.
I got the impression, maybe wrongly, that "snowflake guns" aren't necessarily ones meant to stand out, but rather ones that lack the level of support we commonly attribute to service-level firearms.
I mean, I have a 1911, it has Novak sight cuts on it. I can put any 1911-Novak-pattern sights on it. It's a railed model, so that limits my holster options a bit, but any railed Govt-model holster fits it. That's a fairly common pattern available from most holster makers. I can crack open the Brownells catalog and order any part for my gun and there are probably at least 3 different manufacturers available for any given part. Magazines? No problem. You want Wilson, Chip McCormick, Tripp, Colt, Metalform - etc etc. Grips? Every major manufacturer of grips/stocks makes 1911 grips. Ammo? If it's chambered in 9mm of .45 - ammo is available in virtually any store that sells ammo in the United States and probably most of them abroad in the world.
Now - let's take that 1911 and scale it down and turn it into the Springfield EMP. Holsters? Eh, they kinda sorta fit Officer's model holsters, but not very well. Parts? Springfield makes them, a few others make a few other parts, but not a lot. Sights? Well, Springfield makes them, 10-8 Performance has a few, that's about it. Magazines? Springfield - Springfield - Springfield. Seems like there is a lot less support for this model and though it is based on a 1911, it doesn't have too many 1911-interchangeable parts, limiting parts availability. Does that make it a snowflake?
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Let's take something a little more near and dear to P-F's heart. I love me some HK, the P30, HK45C/HK45, and the USP are all excellent guns. I'd argue under most criteria they are snowflakes. Limited sights available, limited parts availability, limited holster availability. They make up for it, by not really needing much in the way of spare parts and/or maintenance, but it's hard to argue that HKs enjoy the same robust aftermarket or even OE market that Glock or 1911s do. - Are they exempt from the ruling because enough people carry them and/or .Gov uses them?
What about the Beretta 92? The standard FS and M9A1 seem like shoe-ins for "raindrop" status, but the 92 G-conversions, 92Gs, Brig Tacs, Vertecs, Langdons etc. Are not...especially since they require different holsters and have different sights on them, with different cuts and patterns, etc. The current special variations of the 92-series almost require a flow-chart to stay on top of. Does that make a Wilson Brig-Tac a snowflake or a raindrop? It uses the same magazines and many of the same parts as a 92FS...
I’m pretty sure it’s originally a pejorative directed at any non-Glock and an insult to the guns owner. As in, “waaaaah, I’m a special little snowflake and the Glock doesn’t work for me!” At which point our Glock toting hero would point out all the failings in the non-Glock toters training/shooting resume. Eventually the snowflake would either buy a Glock, or at least feel so bad for himself he’d never post about his inferior pistol again. I remember loads of this shit being heaped out at DA/SA shooters on other boards.
Nowadays, I think some folks have kind of adopted it as a sign that they don’t care what the “gun must be a Glock” crowd thinks. As in, “I love my snowflake 1911.” But here the dude is kind of acknowledging that it’s not a Glock and the G-men may mock it, but he just don’t care.
For me, it's about uniqueness. That's the thing about actual snowflakes, isn't it?
Like @John Hearne's formerly-carried duty P220 with a steel frame and long slide with fixed sights is among the most snowflakey guns imaginable, because it's something like <100 of the slides made and there aren't a heck of a lot of steel P220 frames for .45 around. But it's also awesome and apparently very deployable.
Actual custom grips, made specifically to fit the owner, move any revolver pretty far in the snowflake direction. They are also among the most worthwhile mods if done well.
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Aw shit man...
I just wrapped a bunch of rubber bands around the 1st-gen CTC grips on the 2.5" 638 the other day, to make it point properly when in my hand (those grips thin at the bottom instead of flare, making them stupid hard to shoot). So that just made it super snowflake. But then again a 2.5" 638 is already snowflakey - right? Right. With only ~10,000 or so made across six SKUs it must be a snowflake.
Damn - if I'm this snowflake, I hate to think what @jetfire is - he must be a fucking avalanche.
The 2.5-inch J frames are members of the snowflake club in good standing. Matched only by 315 NG and 327 PD in recent decades. The 617s and 686s with half lugs may be close.
I've heard it alleged that someone in SE TX actually has one of the 329 "Hunter" models - like a 329 PD but with a 6-inch barrel. All the info I've found says they were marketed (brochure sheets produced) but never went into production. Which means the one around here, if it actually exists, must be a prototype. I'd love to see the dang thing...
Rubber bands around the grip isn't snowflake. Mailing the setup you finally arrive at off to Herrett's to have it duplicated in nice walnut is snowflake.
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