what makes a gun ugly?

TheFeniX · Post by **TheFeniX** » 2006-05-19 01:42pm

GrandMasterTerwynn wrote:EXHIBIT B: Another modern duty polymer-frame pistol. This one is a Springfield XD-45ACP. Better grip-angle than the Glock and a more ergonomic trigger. And it shoots classic .45 ACP. And it's all black, baby.

Aw shit, you got one? A .45 ACP with a 13 round mag got my interest real fast (I love the .45 ballistics, but 8 rounds in a 1911 just doesn't always cut it). I've heard nothing but good things about the XD45. I'm thinking about trading my Kimber in for one. How's the recoil handle on it?

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2006-05-19 02:14pm

TheFeniX wrote:
GrandMasterTerwynn wrote:EXHIBIT B: Another modern duty polymer-frame pistol. This one is a Springfield XD-45ACP. Better grip-angle than the Glock and a more ergonomic trigger. And it shoots classic .45 ACP. And it's all black, baby.
Aw shit, you got one? A .45 ACP with a 13 round mag got my interest real fast (I love the .45 ballistics, but 8 rounds in a 1911 just doesn't always cut it). I've heard nothing but good things about the XD45. I'm thinking about trading my Kimber in for one. How's the recoil handle on it?

Yep, I was waiting for the shop to get one and snapped it up the moment the next one became available. As far as handling goes, it handles really nicely. It balances well in the hand, and I thought the recoil felt better than that of the rental Kimbers I've shot. It's got that firm, pushy .45 recoil, which is much easier to manage than, say, the snappy .40 S&W recoil from my Glock; though both pistols are of roughly similar weight and dimension.

The Jazz Intern · Post by **The Jazz Intern** » 2006-05-19 05:29pm

nice, very nice

I can't explain it, but I don't like somthing about the glock .22...
the other glocks are sweet.
also, I never knew a broom handle had bullets in the top, I thought they went up the bulge near the trigger.

The vector.... It's a gun I love and I hate. I like it... but I also hate it.
and how do the south africans get such cool and highly advanced guns going? I thought they were kind of 2.5 world country, ya know?

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2006-05-19 06:28pm

The Jazz Intern wrote: nice, very nice
I can't explain it, but I don't like somthing about the glock .22...
the other glocks are sweet.

I'm not sure how the 22 is markedly different from the other Glocks but have it your way.

also, I never knew a broom handle had bullets in the top, I thought they went up the bulge near the trigger.

They do. I'm not sure what that thing is in that picture but I seriously doubt that is the way to actually load the weapon.

The vector.... It's a gun I love and I hate. I like it... but I also hate it.
And how do the south africans get such cool and highly advanced guns going? I thought they were kind of 2.5 world country, ya know?

Remember that by now firearms are relatively low tech. Plus, a bullpup isn't really more complex than a standard design rifle. Not that that makes me like the Vector better. That gun just looks weird.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2006-05-19 06:54pm

The Jazz Intern wrote: nice, very nice

I can't explain it, but I don't like somthing about the glock .22...
the other glocks are sweet.

I never knew Glock made a .22 caliber pistol. However, there are two Glock 22s pictured in this thread, with 22 being the full-sized version of my Glock 23. (The differences being that the 22 has a longer grip, a barrel and slide that are about an inch longer. They both fire .40 S&W rounds. Aly's has a rubber slip-on grip. Mine has no such thing anymore, since I opted to fill in the checkering with the same rubbery black silicone you find at AutoZone/Checkers/NAPA/Carquest. The Glock pictured by Batman is an older version, which lacks the accessory rail on the frame under the barrel that both mine and Aly's posess.

also, I never knew a broom handle had bullets in the top, I thought they went up the bulge near the trigger.

They do go into that 'bulge' ahead of the trigger. That would be the integral magazine. However, you load the bullets into that magazine from the top of the gun.

The vector.... It's a gun I love and I hate. I like it... but I also hate it.
and how do the south africans get such cool and highly advanced guns going? I thought they were kind of 2.5 world country, ya know?

A gun isn't exactly something that's beyond countries that aren't ultra-modern first world nations. The mechanisms of handguns, shotguns, and rifles are essentially mature technologies. The design for the action in my Colt SAA clone is over 125 years old. The action in M1911 clones is close to a century old, a great many semi-automatic pistols made today have modified versions of an action designed by John Browning over seventy years ago. The notion of center-fire brass cases holding bullets are also well over a century old. So is smokeless powder. As long as you have the technology to machine heat-tempered steel, you can build guns of usable quality.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2006-05-19 07:06pm

So you do load the C96 from the top. Interesting, I didn't know that.
Thanks, GrandMasterTerwynn.
As for the age of the M1911, the designation itself is something of a dead giveaway...

The Jazz Intern · Post by **The Jazz Intern** » 2006-05-19 08:07pm

I meant because of the smooth design. it looks harder to manufacture than somthing more akin to say, a mac 10, or even an M16.

and I figured it out on the glock 22 (not .22! oops!

)
its that upwars curve under the barrel. It looks odd to me.

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2006-05-19 09:01pm

Batman wrote:So you do load the C96 from the top. Interesting, I didn't know that.

I think there might be a variant in which there is no integral magazine and you would load it in a more normal way; however I'm unsure. Besides, I prefer the load on the C96. I'm a sucker for stripper clips.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2006-05-19 10:31pm

The Jazz Intern wrote:I meant because of the smooth design. it looks harder to manufacture than somthing more akin to say, a mac 10, or even an M16.

and I figured it out on the glock 22 (not .22! oops! :oops: )
its that upwars curve under the barrel. It looks odd to me.

Ahh. That would be the old-style Glock without the sqared-off accessory rail underneath the barrel. It's a quick way to distinguish Glocks of the current generation from the older Glocks.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2006-05-19 11:12pm

And yet I rather like both the Glock and Beretta designs. One is a very angular mean looking pistol while the other has a very nice looking rounded look with a few rough corners giving it a military feel.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2006-05-19 11:32pm

My AR15 with simple tube scope mounted on the carrying handle.

My Beretta Cx4 Storm in comparison with my AR15. Notice how the AR15 with stock fully retracted is still longer then the Cx4 Storm. Even still, the Cx4 Storm is more comfortable to fire because its sights are designed for such a short stock.

My Remington 870 with its new skeleton side folding stock. Nice 3 round holder built in. Length is identical to original stock.

Stock folded. Makes for a very nice defense shotgun. Even still, the Cx4 Storm is still shorter and still very comfortable to hold.

All in all, I am impressed by how compact Beretta made the Cx4 Storm with a 16" barrel and short stock while still being very comfortable.

Winston Blake · Post by **Winston Blake** » 2006-05-20 03:21am

As to why guns are considered ugly or not, i think it would involve the Mere Exposure Effect, that is, people like guns which look similar to guns they've seen before. Conversely, people don't like guns which, to them, don't look like a gun. Obviously this means everyone will have a different opinion based on their own subconscious ideal of what a gun looks like. However since a person's general esteem for a particular weapon is based on its reputation, guns that deviate from a person's mental archetype can still be seen as good-looking if they're excellent.

This thread reminds me of the XM8 in its originally publicised 'Cardassian toy' form.