Friday, December 11, 2009

It's not just the material

New Jovian Thunderbolt waxes pensive about the changing technology of firearms materials:
We are gun types. As a breed, pretty conservative.

It’s why it takes a while to get us to switch from what worked 100 years ago, (wood and iron) to what can work today, (plastic and scandium type wonder metals). Sure, there are valid reasons to eschew the new until it is tested, but eventually we get beyond that with proven materials.
And far be it for me to disparage new gun technology, although some days I think that I could be happy with a 1911 and an 1894. Still, it seems that we're getting to the age when this is becoming the norm:


Maybe it's just me, but no amount of scandium will help someone who can't tell the bang switch from the extractor rod.

2 comments:

Weer'd Beard said...

Something to be said about it. I've been looking a lot at the new Ruger LCR showing up in gun cases. Neat little guns, and GREAT price (ugly as sin to boot). So far from what I've seen, I like them.

That being said the S&W 642 I stuff in my pocket is a very old and tried design, and is flanked by a multitude of other guns that use near-identicle technology (My Wife's 638 just has a different hammer, JayG's M38 has a different finish and age. jay's Snubbie from hell is made form different stuff, but is the same gun overall) and we've shot collectively MILLIONS of rounds through that platform.

Compared to that the LCR is completely untested. Will the plastic bit fall off the metal bit? Will that goofy cylinder blow up? Will the odd lockwork jam up under odd conditions?

legitimate questions, and not questions I'd want to ask for a gun I'd trust my life with.

That being said there's a Scandium 1911 under my coat right now : ]

TOTWTYTR said...

I really hope that's Photoshopped or something. Hope, but don't really expect that it is.

Generally I like the older weapons, especially the revolvers, but that's just me.