Old guns feel better?

[jackknife]

This is something I have noticed and wondered about for a long time.

I inherited my fathers old Colt Woodsman and still have it. He bought it before WW2 I know, as he told me there was a depression on and he got a good deal. It was the only pistol dad ever had, he was not a gun person but liked to shoot once in a while. He was a strange bird and only recently have I begun to understand him. But back to the point.

This old Colt Woodsman has a 6 and about a half inch barrel and small round butt grips of worn walnut. The checkering on the walnut is very faint in parts. But the feel of the gun is amazing. It just nestles in the hand like it was made for it. And it balences-you just point it and it's on target.

I've handled all sorts of guns and none of the modern guns feel like the old ones. My other half had a Glock for a year before she sold it and it never felt that good. Niether does my friends Sig 228. My old Ruger .22 MK1 from the '60s does not. And its not just dads old Woodsman, my very old Smith and Wesson model 10 6 inch with the four screw side plate has a "feel" to it

Did they have better designers than the gun companies of today?

 

[mete]

In the old days designers worked hard to get a grip that would fit most people . One that was like that was the Remington M51. The BHP also fits many hands well. Today's design for all types of products is done with a computer and the operator may look for aesthetics more than anything else !!

 

[mwerner]

There are some notable exceptions. The standard Smith & Wesson "deluxe" grips looked great but worked poorly. Bill Jordan thought they had been designed upside-down.

I always liked the 1911 with a flat mainspring housing; just felt better in my hand than the "improved" arched model.

 

[uncle Alan]

This is something I have noticed and wondered about for a long time.

I inherited my fathers old Colt Woodsman and still have it. He bought it before WW2 I know, as he told me there was a depression on and he got a good deal. It was the only pistol dad ever had, he was not a gun person but liked to shoot once in a while. He was a strange bird and only recently have I begun to understand him. But back to the point.

This old Colt Woodsman has a 6 and about a half inch barrel and small round butt grips of worn walnut. The checkering on the walnut is very faint in parts. But the feel of the gun is amazing. It just nestles in the hand like it was made for it. And it balences-you just point it and it's on target.

I've handled all sorts of guns and none of the modern guns feel like the old ones. My other half had a Glock for a year before she sold it and it never felt that good. Niether does my friends Sig 228. My old Ruger .22 MK1 from the '60s does not. And its not just dads old Woodsman, my very old Smith and Wesson model 10 6 inch with the four screw side plate has a "feel" to it

Did they have better designers than the gun companies of today?

I believe it's just design change to attract new buyers. If it ain't broke.....
Wife's S&W .38 spl. airweight, my .45 S&W army revolver & .32 Ivor-Johnson feel natural to a shooter . My .40 Steyr is the only modern exception because when you pick it up it's ready to go,no wrist wobbling to get a sight picture. Son's Glock is clumsy & uncomfortable to me. Too much screwing around before fiting & firing. I'm sure Glock owners will attack me with vigor but that's an old man who'se fired most of them's opinion.

Uncle Alan :foot:

 

[OwenM]

Browning A-5 and Sweet 16.
Colt Official Police, Python, Smith K-38s and early M&Ps, blued steel, hardwood stocks, 6" barrels and old Hunter leather holsters.
Winchester 94 and 190(older .22 semiauto)
Those old Mauser 98 based rifles, and the first Winchester M70s.
Colt 1911s without fancy finishes and all that extended crap before the race gun craze.
Just something about those guns. They reeked of quality, history, and nostalgia. 'Course alot of the modern guns are better, but they don't have the personality...

 

[enkidu]

I'd add the relatively modern CZ-75 to the list of "melt in your hand" guns.

 

[m1marty]

Yes...yes they do. Here's one I got yesterday.

 

[uncle Alan]

Yes...yes they do. Here's one I got yesterday.

Guess I learned to prefer revolvers in the army. Never was much of a shot with the semi either,that might have influenced me. Are you accurate with it? I have one semi,a .40 Steyr that comes up on target as you point [aiming really isnt needed ] by the sight arrangement . One complaint I had with your weapon was that after each round ,I had to re-align it before firing. The kick-back & slide forward made my wrist wobble.
Reasonabaly sure if it was my personal weapon I'd have become more proficent.
My son just told me some weapons company is starting to make the Garand & the carbine to Mil-specs & would be a fraction of the surplus ones out there. Have you heard this ?

Just realized this was sounding like a bash. Not intended at all . If you can tell me how to become accurate with the semi- ,why I might replace my GI .45 revolver on my night stand !

SAfe shooting !


Uncle Alan

 

[m1marty]

Mr. Alan,
I have always shot semi autos (and get some wheelgunnin in sometimes as well) so I have never really had an issue. Until my wrist heals up, I have to shoot left handed. I took this out yesterday and fired 50 rds at 15 yds into a standard man sized target. All shots stayed in the 9 ring or better and this is with an "ok" bore. I love the 1911 and have owned everything from a basic Springfield to top end Les Baers and Wilsons as well as a Novak custom. But I keep coming back to the old ones(this is my third). If you ever decide that old whellgun needs a good home, I'll send you my info asap! As far as how to shoot well with one- a good stance, good grip and lots of rounds fired will get you there. In ten years of pistol shooting I have shot close to 210,000(not a typo)rds from various pistols. That doesn't count rifles. If interested, we can get another thread going on the basics.
BTW, here's what I can do with my kinda old (1971)Browning Hi-Power at 25yds (left handed as well)55rds into right at 2 inches.......

 

[glockman99]

Browning Hi-Power...I've NEVER held a pistol that feels as good as the Hi-Powers do...John Browning REALLY got this one right.

 

[H.L. Holbrook]

I've also got an old Colt Woodsman (Sport) that belonged to my father. Great gun, good shooter easy carry. I've got several 22's but this is the one I always pick-up for just knockn' around in the woods.

 

[KaBar]

My son just told me some weapons company is starting to make the Garand & the carbine to Mil-specs & would be a fraction of the surplus ones out there. Have you heard this ?

carbines have been around sence the 60s, maby earlier. iver johnson, plainfield, universal, ect.... he probably herd about auto ordnance, there the newest wave. your better off getting a usgi, theres ALOT of problems with these cheap remakes plus the resale value is several hundred less as soon as you walk out the door.
http://www.auto-ordnance.com/ao_aom110.html

springfield armory INC. produces the garand, DO NOT get this company confused with the real springfield armory. these rifles are made from cast recievers and recently little to no USGI parts. there recievers have been known to crack. your going to be hard pressed to get 1/3 of what you payed for it when you want to sell.
http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-rifles-m1-garand.shtml

for 100 less you could buy a collector grade garand from CMP or 3 service grade garands for 500 each. those are REAL USGI rifles that are in GREAT shape. i recently ordered 2 winchester SG rifles and got a pleasent suprise when i got a rifle with NM parts and competition stickers. friday, i placed my order in the mail for another SG rifle, 2 H&R garand recievers to build my self, and a national postal carbine.

 

[ralphtt]

friday, i placed my order in the mail for another SG rifle, 2 H&R garand recievers to build my self, and a national postal carbine.

Something about your post implied you placed this order with CMP. Do they now have M1 carbines available?

If not, where can you find one?
thanks,

 

[KaBar]

well, i should have worded that better, they got 2000 carbine recievers and barreled recievers. 400 were junk so theres 1600 on the market. there ranging from $50 to $300 for a rockola. sence ive got a rockola anyway i opeted for the national postal because my dads a letter carrier.

dont get scalped on these, parts kits are going as high as 400-500 in some places. ive got most of the parts i need to build a mixmaster but im in no hurry. id rather keep my spair parts and buy another kit once the feeding frenzy dies down. there upping the prices now because of all these recievers, theres only 1400 that are going to be sold and auctioned in the next year but there are thousands opon thousands of parts kits. in a year or so prices will be back down to make a afordable shooter for about 250 minus the cost of the reciever.

http://www.odcmp.com/rifles/carbine.htm