Gun finishes

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I've let the subscriptions lapse on most of my shooting magazines because they don't have articles about things I want or need.  For instance all the ads and articles about guns that are supposed to be "new and improved" that are retreads of guns that have existed for decades but simply have decorative features or what amount to off-the-shelf add ons.

 

What really turns me off are all the guns and accessories with camouflage or "earth tone " dull and ugly finishes and those that come in an array of flashy decorative flashy colors.Ive seen pink and blue so-called camo designs, fluorescent camo paint jobs, red, white, and blue flag designs, anodized jewelry guns for ladies, sparkly metal flake grips and stocks, pictures of almost anything you can imagine, gold plated or painted accessories, two and three tone (or more) colors, and practically anything else my mind can imagine.

 

What the hell ever became of blued or nickel plated steel and walnut or ivory grips?  Have they been shelved in place of useless and ridiculous frippery?

 

I don't care what anyone wants and is willing to pay for, but us old timers who want basic guns can hardly finds ads or articles about the good stuff we became used to in out younger days.  It's still being made, but even the dealers shelves and racks don't have much any more.

 

Dinosaur Tom

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

What the hell ever became of blued or nickel plated steel and walnut or ivory grips?  Have they been shelved in place of useless and ridiculous frippery?

 

Dinosaur Tom

Not in my gun safe. Almost everything I have is blued with wood grips. A couple have ivory looking grips, and a few are stainless. The only plastic pistol I have is a Ruger LCP. If I could find wood grips for my Star Firestar it would please me to no end, since they only made them with rubber.. 

 

Another Dinosaur.

[Blackwater 53393]

NOPE!!  No plastic guns here! Hatfield has a S&W M&P in .40, but that’s his gun, not mine.

 

I have all sorts of metal guns in nearly every description of finish except nickel. Never liked the way nickel eventually flakes and peels, so I’ve always traded off the ones that came to me.

 

Grips in walnut, rosewood, water buffalo, giraffe bone, gutta percha, and factory plastic have graced my safe and knives with all sorts of woods and horn/antler as well.

[Rex M Rugers #6621]

I hear you , Forty Rod. About those grip choices , Ivory is plumb out of reach of underfunded commoners like myself.

I have had some of the fake ones from Ruger ,have a set on a Stainless Single-Six now.

Rex 

 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

Yep - none of those modern contrivances fer me needer.

The world started fallin' apart with indoor plumbing - twern't nothing better than an old two holer outhouse and the Monkey Wards catalog.

 

I miss the days when a low speed crash impaled folks on steering wheels; there were consequences to making mistakes - not like today softies with airbags and crumple zones - folks goin' around expecting to survive. 

 

And what about medicines?  In my day - we were men; if you cut off your leg - they gave you a rope and a mustard plaster.  Nowadays; all these folks running around with their sissified insulin and blood pressure meds.

 

I'm starting to understand all the electric vehicle pushback on this forum - it's about continuing fossil fuels.

Because you're all such dinosaurs that you're afraid we won't have any use for you after you die.

 

Some of the above is tongue in cheek and meant to be humorous...    But not all.

[LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L]

Got a pair of Colts with ivory grips.  Got lots of wheelguns with wood grips.  Most of my autos have wood grips.  A few don't.  A Sig P229 with Hogue rubber grips, a LC9 that is so slim that it's unnoticeable under a tee shirt.  I do own two Glocks...both are deep concealment house guns, and don't get carried.  

 

My workhorse 1911s mostly wear G10 grips, as do a couple of my revolvers.  

 

I do have several Colt revolvers that came with hard rubber grips, including a New Service from 1912, and a 1917 Police Positive Special.  

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

3 hours ago, Rex M Rugers #6621 said:

I hear you , Forty Rod. About those grip choices , Ivory is plumb out of reach of underfunded commoners like myself.

I have had some of the fake ones from Ruger ,have a set on a Stainless Single-Six now.

Rex 

 

Look into American Holly.  Really white with a very fine grain and ages well from what I've seen.

 

Wood's cheaper than ivory, looks good and not likely to set the treehuggers off and get banned like mammoth or Ice Age walrus.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

4 hours ago, Rex M Rugers #6621 said:

I hear you , Forty Rod. About those grip choices , Ivory is plumb out of reach of underfunded commoners like myself.

I have had some of the fake ones from Ruger ,have a set on a Stainless Single-Six now.

Rex 

 

Altamont has bonded Ivory grips. I have a set on a NMV. Very inexpensive.

 

[Pat Riot]

Not getting a “Harumph” out of me…

There is room in my gun safe for all guns, blued, plated, stainless, painted, coated, polymer, or otherwise. I believe in Diversity!

They all get along together just fine. No older guns b****ing younger guns. No blued guns whining about stainless guns. No steel guns harassing polymer guns. No big guns picking on smaller guns. No black guns pushing their weight around with colored guns. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

13 hours ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Not in my gun safe. Almost everything I have is blued with wood grips. A couple have ivory looking grips, and a few are stainless. The only plastic pistol I have is a Ruger LCP. If I could find wood grips for my Star Firestar it would please me to no end, since they only made them with rubber.. 

 

Another Dinosaur.

I've tried to find anything other than the rubber grips for my Model 43 Firestar, too.  No joy so far.  It still rides in the glove box in my car with a half dozen loaded mags.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

8 hours ago, Rex M Rugers #6621 said:

I hear you , Forty Rod. About those grip choices , Ivory is plumb out of reach of underfunded commoners like myself.

I have had some of the fake ones from Ruger ,have a set on a Stainless Single-Six now.

Rex 

 

I'd give a lot for the old Tyler Ivorex grips.  They were made from micarta, had a believable grain and would yellow after a time.  Now all Tyler makes are his world known T Grips.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

4 hours ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Altamont has bonded Ivory grips. I have a set on a NMV. Very inexpensive.

 

I'b buy them in a blink if they made them in a "one piece" style for my SAA Army sixguns.  I have a few of their grips on some of my other guns and like them a lot.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

The only plastic gun I own s a Crosman BB gun for feral cats.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

15 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

I've tried to find anything other than the rubber grips for my Model 43 Firestar, too.  No joy so far.  It still rides in the glove box in my car with a half dozen loaded mags.

I got a set of plastic grips from this guy on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/132253710414?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20220405142716%26meid%3De6f8aa2ff7d1435aad55cc2fc0a65734%26pid%3D101506%26rk%3D8%26rkt%3D25%26sd%3D132481112083%26itm%3D132253710414%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D3458402%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWebWithV11WebTrimmedV3VisualRankerWithKnnV3AndUltBRecall%26brand%3DUnbranded%2FGeneric&_trksid=p3458402.c101506.m1851

 

[DocWard]

Aesthetically, I will take blued with wood any day of the week. Whether handguns or long guns, there is just something to be said for a beautiful piece of wood with a fine finish on it, and polished blue steel. The combination sings of fine craftsmanship. I suppose that is at least part of the reason I enjoy and participate in an anachronistic sport such as ours.

 

Do I own modern "plastic" guns? Yep. I even have a Hogue overloaded stock on my Mini-14 (although if I ever get the original wooden stock refinished to my satisfaction, I do plan to go back to it. The pistol I have most confidence in has to be my Beretta PX-4 Storm. That isn't to say I don't have confidence in my 1911s, M9 and 92FS, Hi-Power, etc... If I didn't, I wouldn't own them. The PX-4 is the one that not only doesn't hiccup, but is comfortable and accurate in my hands.

 

I suppose there is a certain appeal to those guns where function comes before form. I don't personally have a need for odd camo, flags and the like on my firearms, but I won't be critical of those who want those things. In all of my interests, be it firearms, motor vehicles, the outdoors and conservation or whatever, I try not to split into any one clique that is dismissive or disparaging of one of the others. I figure why do the heavy lifting for those who would abolish my ability to enjoy my interests when there is strength in numbers.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I have these two plastic pistols in 9mm, they shoot great! The rest of my collection is steel.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I'm not putting down anyone who wants plastic guns or fancy finishes (you go to your church, I'll go to mine),  I'm complaining about publications which seem to have abandoned most or any articles, ads or other mention of the more classic guns.

[Rye Miles #13621]

6 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

I'm not putting down anyone who wants plastic guns or fancy finishes (you go to your church, I'll go to mine),  I'm complaining about publications which seem to have abandoned most or any articles, ads or other mention of the more classic guns.

I agree, which is why I dropped my subscriptions to all magazines except for Handgunner. They seem to throw in some classic and new revolvers more so than the other magazines.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I'm keeping Guns magazine.  All the rest are gone or going.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

3 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

I'm not putting down anyone who wants plastic guns or fancy finishes (you go to your church, I'll go to mine),  I'm complaining about publications which seem to have abandoned most or any articles, ads or other mention of the more classic guns.

Most gun magazines, like all publications, tend to report on the "Newest and Bestest" of whatever their subject matter is. Try looking for an article about a Jeep TJ, (1997- 2006), in a truck magazine these days. The magazine is going to publish whatever the advertisers pay them to. And the advertisers are trying to sell new guns, (or parts and accessories for new guns), made mostly of plastic, which are the Newest and Bestest. 

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

I dropped all mine because 1) I'm not interested in the modern plastic guns and 2) tired of hearing rehashes of old themes e.g. "Which is better?  the 6mm or the 243?

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 hours ago, Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 said:

tired of hearing rehashes of old themes e.g. "Which is better?  the 6mm or the 243?

If you want THAT, there are a hundred videos about it on youtube. "Which is better?" (hint): It depends on which you like better. And bullet placement.

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

3 hours ago, Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 said:

I dropped all mine because 1) I'm not interested in the modern plastic guns and 2) tired of hearing rehashes of old themes e.g. "Which is better?  the 6mm or the 243?

+1

 

Although, meeting Phil Spangenberger at EOT directly resulted in my G&A subscription lapse.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

59 minutes ago, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said:

+1

 

Although, meeting Phil Spangenberger at EOT directly resulted in my G&A subscription lapse.

?

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

1 hour ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

?

He made quite an impression- all negative.

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said:

He made quite an impression- all negative.

Wow really? Can you explain?

[bgavin]

I have only two blued hand guns and both have rust signs, do I much prefer stainless.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 9/13/2023 at 9:25 AM, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Most gun magazines, like all publications, tend to report on the "Newest and Bestest" of whatever their subject matter is. Try looking for an article about a Jeep TJ, (1997- 2006), in a truck magazine these days. The magazine is going to publish whatever the advertisers pay them to. And the advertisers are trying to sell new guns, (or parts and accessories for new guns), made mostly of plastic, which are the Newest and Bestest. 

Newest?  Mostly re-pops of existing guns.

Bestest?  Arguable and, IMHO, doubtful.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1 hour ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Newest?  Mostly re-pops of existing guns.

Bestest?  Arguable and, IMHO, doubtful.

Newest and bestest according to to the advertisers.

While I haven't read any gun mags in years, everything I've seen is not that much different than older guns. The basic differences are that they are smaller and made of plastic. Some have interchangeable backstraps, rails, and they all seem to be able to fit an optic so that shooters don't have to learn the basics of marksmanship.

 

[Pat Riot]

On 9/13/2023 at 7:52 AM, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I have these two plastic pistols in 9mm, they shoot great! The rest of my collection is steel.

My nephew has one of those Canik pistols. I think it’s a TP9. I shot it and shot it well. It’s a nice pistol. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

9 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

My nephew has one of those Canik pistols. I think it’s a TP9. I shot it and shot it well. It’s a nice pistol. 

Yes it is! Accurate and it feeds anything!

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 9/13/2023 at 3:05 PM, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said:

He made quite an impression- all negative.

On me, too...over 40 years ago.

[Matthew Duncan]

I had a government declared “evil black” rifle that repented and was converted.