Is Gun Snobbery a bad thing?

[DaveTN]

Some other posts on here led me to this question.

Hi, my names Dave and I’m a gun snob.

Is gun snobbery a bad thing?

I don’t feel comfortable trusting my life to a POS simply because it’s cheap… do you?

If this is a bad thing is there some kind of 12 step program or something?

[BrasilNuts]

IMHO snobbery of any sort is childish and immature.

You don't have to be a snob to recognize quality.

I'm not just going to walk up to a guy and say "My BCM is better than your XYZ." If they ask for my opinion I'll give it. If they want to know why someone would spend 2k+ for a AR I'll show them.

[mav]

Is gun snobbery a bad thing?

Yes, I think it is. Snobbery in general sucks. I am all for having nice things. As one can see from my posts on TGO, I have quite a few of them myself. However, having nice things doesn't call for people to be a pretentious prick about them.

[tnhawk]

The price of home, weapon or automobile that one chooses to own, is their business. Some of us have no need to attempt to impress others, while some value the ability to think they impress others. The choice to carry my Glock or Wilson Combat pistol is my decision and I don't own anyone an explanation. It is unlikely that anyone would know what or if I choose to carry. If someone thinks I should drive a more expensive vehicle, they are free to give me the money to purchase it, but I probably will be driving the same vehicle the next day.

[East_TN_Patriot]

It can be, although I can be a bit of a gun snob myself at times. I have overcome it myself by seeing some really expensive high-end guns perform like crap while the cheaper firearms perform like a champ. Two primary examples I have personal experience with are Kel Tec and Bersa. I have owned a few different Kel Tec firearms and all have worked extremely well. I picked up a Bersa 380CC a few months ago from a TGOer and was a little hesitant because of the price, but did it because multiple friends absolutely love theirs (and the new Walther PPK series made by Smith & Wesson has been reported to have multiple problems). I have run 200 - 300 rounds through that little gun with zero malfunctions. During this time, I've had a couple of feeding problems with a Glock 22 (go figure).

When I was still in law enforcement, our department issued Sig P229 handguns that were purchased new while I was working there. We had to send several off for repair out of the box and over the first few months due to problems with internal parts, finish, bad sights, etc. Several officers experienced malfunctions on the range. It was bad enough that the department considered trading them all in for a different firearm. I had a buddy who was all excited to show me his Kimber that he'd had gotten and it wouldn't fire more than one or two rounds at a time without a FTF or FTE. I recently saw a video where someone abused the heck out of a Hi Point pistol and it still performed a lot better than I would have expected for a gun at that price point and at the quality level I would not rate particularly high. In short, I have come to decide that most guns perform as well as anyone needs them to, all guns makers put out guns with flaws, and virtually all are capable of better accuracy than most shooters can get out of them.

There is also a big difference between preference and snobbery. We all have our own personal preferences, but what I find to be the problem is when people take their preference and then bash every other gun out there that isn't what they like. A small segment of Glock owners are an example of this. I have seen many forum discussions quickly become little more than a "If it isn't a Glock, it's a piece of :poop:" debates. I've seen similar debates over Kimber 1911s vs other brands of 1911 handguns. That's just pig-headed and leads me to believe that the person doesn't really know as much about firearms as they think they do.

It's none of my concern what a person prefers or what they are comfortable carrying. People have different needs and different budgets and if all someone needs is a rugged truck gun that will go bang in a pinch, it's stupid IMHO to drop $1500 on a custom 1911 when a $250 Kel Tec will do the job (or simply refuse to even consider the Kel Tec because it isn't made by company X).

Edited January 30, 2011 by East_TN_Patriot

[Jonnin]

Price and brand name do not make a quality gun. Cheap guns do not mean they are junk. There are cheap junky guns that no one with any sense would use, and there are expensive guns that no one with any sense would use. There is no correlation between them. You can shell out nearly a grand for a defensive, jamomatic .45 acp (a couple of the "good brands" have some bad small 45s) and you can pay $200 for a cz mil surplus gun that is rugged, reliable, accurate, etc.

So yes, gun snobbery is bad. But that is fine, that leaves more for the rest of us. You go ahead and buy the high dollar stuff whether it works or not, and I will keep on judging each gun on its own merits, not its brand name, but based off how well the one in my hand actually works.

[Guest strelcevina]

I think it is 2

snobbery is used in every aspect to impress others based on looks ..

Just like Birds Colors are there to impress other birds ..

now we can forever argue, does bird with brighter colors can fly faster than one without

does cheap 9mm handgun kills less than Expensive 9mm Handgun

i can tell you definitely that bird with brighter colors gets chicks much faster , but sadly everything else is same .

just like guy with expensive stuff can get chick faster ,and everything else is same .

[laktrash]

How much is about how nice the gun is or how much was paid for it? I have several nice guns and several low end guns, but honestly my skill and abilities aren't good enough to take advantage of a "super" weapon. The guy at the range may be enjoying is bersa more than you and your H&K (I have both). and may be a better shot. plus the main thing is that you have a common interest that you enjoy. The guy down the street has a jaguar, I sure wouldn't want to trade chevy pickup for it and that s fine for both of us. The economy also has changed peoples priorites also. I certainly wouldn't want to be snobby because you don't what his thoughts are. This is not directed at the OP but he may thinking "why did he spend so much for hand gun when mine will do the same thing just as well"

Edited January 30, 2011 by laktrash

[mav]

Snobbery has nothing to do with the price of the firearm. Snobbery deals with a person's attitude. Snobs can also be found by people who have low to moderately priced firearms. For example, someone who s**ts all over someone else by saying some like, "I can't believe how much you paid for that. By God, I can buy five whatever for the price of your gun and they are just as good." That person is a snob. There are also brand snobs. Hell, just look at the Glock vs. 1911 debates. You have snobs on both sides.

In the end, buy what you want or like and enjoy it. If someone doesn't like it or thinks their's is better for whatever reason, well, screw them. You worked for the money to fund that purchase, and > than 99% of the time they didn't help you buy it.

Edited January 30, 2011 by mav

[jc102888]

Here's my take on it dave. Hi my name is justin and i have a gun snobbery problem. I have to agree with everything said by others here. Although at the same time I still tend to go for more high end stuff. Gun snobbery can take multiple roles. There is the bad way: I have money so I purchases the most expensive gun I could. My gun is awesome and yours suck. When I see people like that they get on my nerves. Then there are those that do just want to get good, high quality stuff.

If you want something expensive or not, save up and get what you want the first time. Ya It might mean you took 5 years to get it. On the flip side you spent alot of money once instead of slowly upgrading several time (which adds up to a much higher total cost). Now here's me agreeing with y'all again. If I get something highend and its not totally reliable, it'll be gone today.

to sums it up, i got an ar I spent 2k+ on and a buddy gots an ak he spent 200 on. When we go shooting or talk, get just as excited about his as he does yours. Maybe he could have got that outrageously priced ar like I did or maybe he just liked that ak better. If you want to be a snobb like dave and I. Be one to yourself ... don't degrade others with our addictions.

[Will Carry]

God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the power to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

LOL You are going to love this

You already have step one. You admitted you were powerless over our snobbery - that your life had become unmanageable

Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity

Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God

Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves

Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs

Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character

Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings

Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all

Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others

Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it

Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out

Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs

Edited January 30, 2011 by Will Carry

[gregintenn]

What is your definition of a gun snob? I have preferences for certain makes and models. I cringe a bit when I see an entire gun magazine dedicated to plastic pistols and AR based garbage. I love the look and feel of a well polished and deeply blued firearm, complete with perfect fitting, figured walnut. I do feel that John Browning, Arthur Savage, Peter Paul and Willhelm Mauser, John Pedersen. Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson were divinely inspired. Perhaps, I am a gun snob.

Edited January 30, 2011 by gregintenn

[DaveTN]

What is your definition of a gun snob?

When the quality and accuracy of a gun is more important to you than the price of the gun.

[mav]

Just out of curiousity Dave, what brought on this thread? Over the last 6 months, I have read a lot of your posts and you seem fairly even-tempered and level headed.

[1gewehr]

It depends on how you show that snobbery. Looking down on someone at the range whose sole firearm is a Hi Point .380 is pretty negative. I try to make a point of helping those folks out. But looking down at the fellow with 42 accessories and rails on rails on his M4-gery is perfectly acceptable. Just kidding. Those folks need education too!

Seriously, I think that having preferences based on our experience is normal, and not to be sneered at. Believing that a certain brand, style, or configuration of firearm somehow makes you a better person is absurd. If you think like that, you might want to examine yourself a bit more closely.

[Erik88]

I have read a lot of your posts and you seem fairly even-tempered and level headed.

we must not be reading the same person....

I think snobbery can get old pretty quickly. I've come to realize that I really like my Glock 19 for EDC. But I hate the Glock fan boys who become so defensive about Glocks. And won't accept the fact that anything can malfunction, even Glocks. Now, I also liked the M&P that I shot and I like the XD line as well. I may never own one, but there are things that I like about them.

But, 1911 fan boys can be just as bad. You guys not only argue over which 1911 is the best, you refuse to believe any other weapon can compare.....

[DaveTN]

Just out of curiousity Dave, what brought on this thread? Over the last 6 months, I have read a lot of your posts and you seem fairly even-tempered and level headed.

Besides being one of the nicest guys you will ever meet; I am even tempered and level headed.

Humor… like many on a gun forum, you are having trouble recognizing it when you see it.

But on a more serious note I’m just constantly amazed at how many people will pick the cheapest POS they can find and then announce they are going to use it for a carry gun.

I know that some people pick those guns because that is all they can afford. But I also know people personally that will buy a $50K car and then want a bottom feeder carry gun. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at ignorance; but sometimes I still am.

[DaveTN]

we must not be reading the same person....

He’s sharper than you are.

I mean after all you carry a Glock.

[kb4ns]

I've owned a 1911 that was well over a grand in the case that couldn't feed an entire mag of anything. Many years back, I (hesitantly) took a S&W Sigma as a partial trade. Cheap piece of crap, right? I never ended up carrying it, but I took the thing to the range a few times and ran over 1,000 rounds through it without a single hiccup. I've had a couple of "plastic" Taurus handguns that performed just as well. Maybe I do have a little bit of snobbery since I rarely carry the cheap guns, but I don't see someone as "special" because they spent thousands on a gun. Definitely not special enough to turn up their nose.

[DaveTN]

I've owned a 1911 that was well over a grand in the case that couldn't feed an entire mag of anything. Many years back, I (hesitantly) took a S&W Sigma as a partial trade. Cheap piece of crap, right? I never ended up carrying it, but I took the thing to the range a few times and ran over 1,000 rounds through it without a single hiccup. I've had a couple of "plastic" Taurus handguns that performed just as well. Maybe I do have a little bit of snobbery since I rarely carry the cheap guns, but I don't see someone as "special" because they spent thousands on a gun. Definitely not special enough to turn up their nose.

We all have weird stories…. Sure any gun can fail. I don’t own any of the $3K 1911’s but I bet someone on this very forum has had one fail. Does that mean that they should sell it and buy a $400 Pilipino 1911? No man…. That’s just crazy.

Also... I’m talking about carry guns; not range guns. Who cares if a range gun is POS?

BTW… those $3K 1911 guys are a level above gun snobs.

[mav]

Humor… like many on a gun forum, you are having trouble recognizing it when you see it.

Yes, you are right. There are times when I don't catch things that are tongue in cheek. I guess I sort of took this thread personally because there are some on the forum who don't know me from Adam, but they still would classify me as a gun snob just because my last five gun purchases were very expensive firearms. I hate that crap.

But, 1911 fan boys can be just as bad. You guys not only argue over which 1911 is the best, you refuse to believe any other weapon can compare.....

Erik, you are absolutely correct. 1911 fan boys are some of the worst offenders. I have called myself a 1911 fan boy in other posts, but when I seriously think about what defines a fan boy, I think I have mistakenly used that label. I am no doubt a fan of the 1911. It is my favorite platform. Would it be the gun I would want in a defensive situation? Yep. Is it the best gun for the situation, or the best platform ever created? I have no idea, but I do like it. Do I think some manufacturers are better than others? Yes, but I don't crap all over other people's 1911s just because mine cost twice as much. I hate that crap just as much as the crap people spew about their $400 1911 being every bit as good as a $3000 semi-custom. As I stated earlier, there are snobs on both sides of the pricing spectrum.

In the interest of full disclosure, my next handgun (if my dealer can find one) will be a HK P30, not a 1911.

[Erik88]

Erik, you are absolutely correct. 1911 fan boys are some of the worst offenders. I have called myself a 1911 fan boy in other posts, but when I seriously think about what defines a fan boy, I think I have mistakenly used that label. I am no doubt a fan of the 1911. It is my favorite platform. Would it be the gun I would want in a defensive situation? Yep. Is it the best gun for the situation, or the best platform ever created? I have no idea, but I do like it. Do I think some manufacturers are better than others? Yes, but I don't crap all over other people's 1911s just because mine cost twice as much. I hate that crap just as much as the crap people spew about their $400 1911 being every bit as good as a $3000 semi-custom. As I stated earlier, there are snobs on both sides of the pricing spectrum.

In the interest of full disclosure, my next handgun (if my dealer can find one) will be a HK P30, not a 1911.

Very well said. I like 1911's as well. I love the looks, the history, the great ergo's, and the fact that they are a blast to shoot. I don't own one yet, but I'm sure I will eventually. Do I ever see myself carrying a 1911? Probably not. Just not what I'm looking for in a carry gun. I want something that I don't have to worry about getting scratched, I like higher capacity, and I like light weight.......which is why I love to carry a Glock. And apparently according to everyone here, I like to shoot myself in the ass .......

[DaveTN]

I guess I sort of took this thread personally because there are some on the forum who don't know me from Adam, but they still would classify me as a gun snob just because my last five gun purchases were very expensive firearms. I hate that crap.

Well see… I don’t see anything wrong with being a gun snob. And there certainly is nothing wrong with being a 1911 fan.

Would it be the gun I would want in a defensive situation? Yep. Is it the best gun for the situation, or the best platform ever created? I have no idea, but I do like it.

I have been in shootings and I would want my Full size M&P 40. However… if we were shooting a match I would shoot my SW1911 Target and hope you showed up with an M&P… or Glock.. or whatever. Application driven.

Do I think some manufacturers are better than others? Yes, but I don't crap all over other people's 1911s just because mine cost twice as much. I hate that crap just as much as the crap people spew about their $400 1911 being every bit as good as a $3000 semi-custom. As I stated earlier, there are snobs on both sides of the pricing spectrum.

There is a very quick way to settle that $400 Vs. $3K 1911 argument.

My question to you would be this… if you aren’t buying a $3k 1911 just to be able to say you own one..can your $3K 1911 out shoot a $1K Smith & Wesson or Kimber?

In the interest of full disclosure, my next handgun (if my dealer can find one) will be a HK P30, not a 1911.

I’m an American made buyer also. I wouldn’t go foreign unless I couldn’t find an American made gun that met my requirements.

[DRM]

Is gun snobbery a bad thing? [/size]

Yes' date=' 100% of the time.

I don’t feel comfortable trusting my life to a POS simply because it’s cheap… do you?

I don't feel comfortable judging others based on a pretty arbitrary definition of "cheap", and or "POS"... do you?

Higher price doesn't necessarily mean better. There is always something better and/or more expensive out there, which means YOUR cheaper/less good gun could be considers "POS" and "cheap". Buying a $2k 1911 doesn't make you a gun snob, but looking down your nose at everything else does. The internet seems to be a haven for "experts" about things they've never touched, owned, or used (how many "Jennings are junk" comments do you see form people who have likely never even seen one in person).

[DaveTN]

I don't feel comfortable judging others based on a pretty arbitrary definition of "cheap", and or "POS"... do you?

looking down your nose at everything else does.

I’m not judging any people.

The internet seems to be a haven for "experts" about things they've never touched, owned, or used (how many "Jennings are junk" comments do you see form people who have likely never even seen one in person).

This is all pretty new to me… thank you for helping us out. Note to self… Jennings are not junk.