Why do people buy guns of questionable quality? I don't understand the logic of spending $300-400 on an (insert gun here) when for literally $100 more you could buy a Glock or an M&P. It's seriously like having someone offer you a Yugo with shot-out brakes and no clutch for $5000, but for only $1,000 more you could buy a BMW M5...and you buy the Yugo. I do not get it.
It's about being an educated consumer. At the end of the day, the onus of making the correct choice falls on the purchaser of said product, be it an automobile, pistol or smoothie maker.
I hear you and agree with you though.
For some, purchasing that XD-9, Sig P250, etc will involve buying it, firing 50 rounds of bargain FMJ's through it at the range & placing it in a sock drawer until next year. They'll likely never have a problem, and the weapon will be "flawless" in their eyes.
Add a few reputable handgun classes into the mix, and their "flawless" handgun quickly loses it's proverbial luster.
Caleb, all you can do is try to point folks in the right direction. Choosing a sidearm is an intensely personal endeavor for some, and people tend to perceive any criticism of said weapon as a personal insult. It's silly, but that's the way it is.
Last edited by Kyle Reese; 03-16-2011 at 03:21 PM.
Amen to that!!!
Where I live add waiting a year or so for a license and most people being limited to two handguns , and they still buy a Taurus etc cos" it's just for self defence. If I was going to shoot competition then i'd buy something better" I just don't get it.
What's worse is for the $300-$400 they could buy a used Glock that will run just fine. But people don't know. The gun culture is unique in that unless you really immerse yourself in it, all you get is what "everyone" says, which is usually based off of the typical shooting experience, which is a few hundred rounds a year at the indoor range. Most guns will run just fine at that level of use, so unless you really want to, you don't have to look below the surface. Besides, there was a full-page ad for "name-your-brand" in the latest issue of whatever magazine, and it looked way cool.
I see it in classes a lot - people will show up with guns that can't make it through a 500 round IDPA basic class, and they struggle with keeping up so they get frustrated. It's even more frustrating when police-trade in Glocks are running around $350 on the secondary market.
ETA: mc1911 beat me to it.
I've generally seen a combination of limited budget, knowledge, and getting fed a line of bullshit by gunstore employees, personally. I know a couple of people that have had Sigmas and been happy with them because they never got shot. I knew another guy that learned to hate his as soon as he started shooting seriously.
What really blows my mind is that, in my area, XDs typically sell for more than Glocks do. I'd understand their popularity better if they were a cheap option, but it's not unusual to see XDs marked $600+ here when a G17 or G19 goes for $520. My local dealer, who is a Glock LE dealer, stocks more XDs than Glocks, and they sell the hell out of them. Boggles the mind.
All of these are very valid points, gentlemen.
I think that at the end of the day it is incumbent upon each of us to look out for our fellow shooters and try to point them in the right direction. The market is incredibly saturated with all kinds of handguns, and I can understand that walking into a gunshop can be an intimidating experience for a new shooter.
The mass gun media certainly won't do it for us, nor will other uneducated (but well meaning) consumers.
Case in point- a female friend of mine just moved to Virginia, and was looking for a .40 caliber handgun for general defensive use. She calls me one day and proudly announces that she is the new owner of an XD 40 Compact, that she paid waaaaaaaaaaaay too much for at a gun show.
She's since sold it and bought a Glock 19.
I hear you caleb!
I visit a few other handgun forums on the internet and I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who crow about "getting a deal" on some kind of questionable handgun.
There is also a fetish among many folks for cheap "mouseguns". Amazing.
That's one reason I'm enjoying this forum so much -- educated, informed members.
If I have to defend my life or my family's I want the best service caliber sidearm I can get.
Even if I have to save money for awhile to get it.
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On the XD thing . . . I don't care for them just because I don't like how they feel in my hand, and I see of lot of negative comments about them on various forums, but several friends own them and have had good success. They've been through 2-day classes, close to 2k rds, and no issues. I see them regularly at local USPSA matches in Production, and I don't see any breaking down. What's with the negativity about them?
XD's generally have a poorer track record in terms of long term durability thea other designs.
I know of no major American LE agency adopting them.
Last edited by Kyle Reese; 03-16-2011 at 05:36 PM.
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