Of all the clear indicators that I get from gun owners, trying to figure out which “new thing” they absolutely must have, is one of the most destructive to decision making.
That’s the reason gun blogs do well to only date posts they know will be relevant to the date itself. Because in the age we live in, anything older than two weeks online is considered obsolete.
Here’s the serious flaw with that among gun owners. Among the most common complaints I get are ones about the supposedly “hottest” new guns on the market. People write to me almost crying, enraged over the fact that the first production gun they got from a company doesn’t work. Really?
Here’s what I’ve said hundreds of times to individuals and I’m tired of saying over and over: “Expect bugs in new production models of guns.” Did everybody get that? Great gun manufacturers (even your favorite) turn out new models with countless bugs and needs for improvement (and yes that includes GLOCK). But determining those takes time and use by more than just a select group of controlled users.
In the world of guns, it takes a couple of years to really evaluate how well a newly manufactured gun is going to perform. That includes in the area of dependability and durability. But people write to me wanting to “know my thoughts” on guns that I haven’t touched. Many I haven’t looked at. If I had, they would be on the web site.
I appreciate peoples’ confidence in my thoughts. But here’s …..
Clue No 2: You should not make a gun or accessory decision based on somebody’s thoughts or opinion on it based only on the fact that they know it exists.
Guns, sights, lasers, grips, holsters, the list is endless. They all take time from newly manufactured to evaluation to adequately make an assessment about their quality.
But many gun and accessories shoppers now only want to know about what’s brand new. If that’s your attitude, here’s some advice.
Figure out what you’re doing with something proven before asking for endless reviews on what’s new. I can review a newly manufactured gun, but it means nothing until I’ve had that gun for six months or longer.
About my reviews:
1. Virtually every gun that is reviewed on my web site is a gun that has been in circulation for a while.
2. With only a few exceptions, the guns are guns that I own or handle and observe with other shooters enough to make a reasonable evaluation.
3. I have to buy my own guns. Consequently, I don’t ever buy early production guns. I like getting guns that have a better chance of working properly.
4. Gun reviews that are several years old are now the ones to look at most decisively. There are hundreds of thousands of most of those guns in circulation and being used, traded and sold daily. They are proven and available.
People constantly write to me asking about a particular holster on my web site. If they look they’ll see it over and over. Because it works perfectly with multiple guns. Is it the holster for everybody. No. It’s the holster for me.
But everybody should be able to pick out a couple of holsters that will provide them the most opportunity to carry their guns under the widest range of conditions. And it shouldn’t take them forever to figure it out.
Indecision, worry, personality issues, all play into gun owners endlessly wringing their hands over what to get and do.
I’ll say this like I say it on another web site.
Get a gun you like to shoot and are confident with. Get a holster that fits it. Put it on. Put the gun in it. Cover it up.
Period.
The internet is a universal source of information. It’s also a universal source of confusion.
You have to be determined to not make it complicated. As a gun owner or shopper, do that, and decisive action will be much easier to take.