Just Curious - Handguns.

Glocks are perfect, right out of the box. There's very little you can do to a revolver to make it better than it came from the factory, unless you're a trigger snob. Smith & Wesson revolvers come pretty close to being perfect.

There's always room for "improvement"- you can always port this, tweak that, change grips, swap sights etc., but as has been said, in my experience most modern handguns come ready to go. The market is competitive enough that any guns that NEED modification would be weeded out pretty quickly. An exception to this, however, would be 1911s. Most 1911s seem to need something or other before they can be trusted 100%.
 
moonwilson said:
Glocks are perfect, right out of the box. There's very little you can do to a revolver to make it better than it came from the factory, unless you're a trigger snob. Smith & Wesson revolvers come pretty close to being perfect.

There's always room for "improvement"- you can always port this, tweak that, change grips, swap sights etc., but as has been said, in my experience most modern handguns come ready to go. The market is competitive enough that any guns that NEED modification would be weeded out pretty quickly. An exception to this, however, would be 1911s. Most 1911s seem to need something or other before they can be trusted 100%.
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Just my personal experiences moon, but for a revolver, you need to push 500 or more rounds thru it before considering any modifications. Wheelies need more break-in time than SA's. Depending on the wheelie you buy, sights are usually the first thing done, and are upgraded, if needed, long before you get to the 500 number. A lot more can be done other than just a trigger job. It just depends upon what you want to do with the gun, and how much you want to spend.

As for 1911's, I have a Springfield repro, two Colts, and a Les Baer Thunder Ranch that see a lot of use. Both Colts and the Springfield have been fed round after round of .45acp in +P, and I've never had a problem with them. The smaller Colt Officer's is a carry gun, and while it has been tricked a little, it gets 200 rounds or more a month thru it. All 3 group just as tight as the Thunder Ranch at 7 yards. That said, I have found most 1911's to be 100% trustworthy right out of the box when fed standard ammo. To make a generalized statement that "most 1911's seem to need something or other before they can be trusted 100%" is inaccurate.

Going back to gajinoz's OP, it seemed to me that he was asking generalized questions about a handgun to have for whatever reason. To directly answer that, as I've already said any out of the box SA or wheelie will suit his needs perfectly. Now if he were asking about handguns for IPSC or competitive match shooting, then I think all this discussion on makes, models and modifications is valid.
 
SPXTrader said:
Just my personal experiences moon, but for a revolver, you need to push 500 or more rounds thru it before considering any modifications. Wheelies need more break-in time than SA's. Depending on the wheelie you buy, sights are usually the first thing done, and are upgraded, if needed, long before you get to the 500 number. A lot more can be done other than just a trigger job. It just depends upon what you want to do with the gun, and how much you want to spend.

To make a generalized statement that "most 1911's seem to need something or other before they can be trusted 100%" is inaccurate.
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I have personally never felt a need to modify any of my revolvers, beyond grip and sight swaps. Most modern revolvers don't need their timing adjusted, or their triggers worked on, or to be melted or ported or what have you. Yes you can modify them. No, you don't have to in order for the gun to be perfectly serviceable.

Please allow me to modify my original statement: "In my experience, most 1911's seem to need something or other before they can be trusted 100%" I have personally had more problems with the 1911 platform than with any other. Obviously, there are thousands, if not millions of folks who hold the 1911 in the highest possible regard, and bristle against any perceived attack against the platform. The 1911 is not for me- but to each his own. My Dad is a 1911 guy, and swears by them. He also works on his guns a lot.

I would not recommend a 1911 to someone who wants to pick up a gun at the store, load it up, and toss it in a drawer as protection in case someone breaks into their house. 1911s can be picky about ammunition, limp wristing etc. Sure, many are good to go, but there are many that need work. There is a huge range of quality in the 1911s on the market. Some are exquisite, some are trash. Generally, the more you spend, the better you get, but this is not always the case.

Ideally, anyone who purchases a gun should spend a good amount of time at the range wringing the gun out and figuring out its quirks. But not everyone does this. For someone who wants to buy a gun that will absolutely, 100% go "bang" the first time the trigger is pulled, no matter what the situation, no matter what ammunition is being used- I would recommend either a Glock or a Smith revolver.
 
Hey moon, it's OK! No attack on you for attacking the 1911 platform! :D I agree that the Glock and Smith will work properly out of the box. My Springfield and Colts (1911 platforms) along with my Ruger P90DC and Smith and Ruger revolvers have done the same. In fact, in my opinion, the best 2 "buy em, load em and drop em in a drawer" guns are the Ruger SP101 in .357 and the Smith Airweight in .38 spl. Wonderful little wheel guns, and very easy to use in a stressful situation...point the end with the hole towards the bad guy, and pull the trigger. Repeat as necessary or until empty!

Familiarizing yourself with the gun and the load are very important. Spending time at the range should not be overlooked. :thumbup:
 
SPXTrader said:
Hey moon, it's OK! No attack on you for attacking the 1911 platform! :D I agree that the Glock and Smith will work properly out of the box. My Springfield and Colts (1911 platforms) along with my Ruger P90DC and Smith and Ruger revolvers have done the same. In fact, in my opinion, the best 2 "buy em, load em and drop em in a drawer" guns are the Ruger SP101 in .357 and the Smith Airweight in .38 spl. Wonderful little wheel guns, and very easy to use in a stressful situation...point the end with the hole towards the bad guy, and pull the trigger. Repeat as necessary or until empty!

Familiarizing yourself with the gun and the load are very important. Spending time at the range should not be overlooked. :thumbup:
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It's all good, my man! The Glock vs. 1911 debate has been beaten to death many times over. I don't think many on either side are ever persuaded to switch. Both are great platforms- it's a personal preference thing.

I agree with you on the Smith Airweights! I love 'em! With lasergrips- they shoot like a dream. The light snubbies aren't for wimps though, even in .38- we're talking heavy-duty recoil! I've never shot a SP101, but I'm sure they're nice. I have an old VA State Trooper Security Six (Ruger) and it's a heckuva gun. I had a Vaquero in .45 LC and I liked that one, too. It's hard to go wrong with Ruger, and even harder to go wrong with a Smith.
 
gajinoz said:
This is a curiosity question only, I'm not looking for suggestions on what to buy or such.

Where I am it's very difficult to legally own a handgun, I can do it, but it's a pain in the backside and not really worth it. This means there is very little information locally available about such things.

Here is my curiosity question of the day:

If you buy a brand new, good quality semi auto pistol, is there any need, or point, in sending it to a good gunsmith for any modifications. With knives for instance, you might like better scales or some filework or sharpened differently or whatever. How about the gun? Can it be made to work better, more reliably or whatever? Would changing this doodad or tweaking that or painting this bit black or filing that down or something make it better?

For those of you into handguns, what are your opinions on this?
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That's a pretty broad question. It would largely depend on the gun you buy.
20 - 30 years ago it was common to buy say, a 1911 style pistol, and immediately trot down to have a gunsmith work on it. Quite often it was needed just to get 'em to function correctly. With "modern" made guns it's generally not necessary to do this. And keep in mind that some guns are more easily customized than others.

I'm a gunsmith by trade. My advice for what its worth - whatever you get, shoot it first. Get used to the gun. Find out what you like, and DON'T like about it. If there is something about the gun you don't like, then have it addressed. To me, modifying a brand new handgun that you haven't shot is like modding a car you've never driven. Try to keep your gun as stock as possible - especially if it is to be used for duty or defense.

And have have a GOOD gunsmith work on it - there are a lot of hacks, gunshop commandos and salesmen out there that call themselves "gunsmiths"......

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
 
Saving up to have the AK you also built for me Duracoated in desert tan.
(Doesn't get quite as hot out on the desert in the summer in direct sunlight as that black finish.)

Gotta watch out for them blasted hacks! :eek:

Denis
 
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