Gun snobs?

[SmokeeatersE35]

which optics are on the better side and made in the USA? it almost seems all these companys are sending their maufacturing overseas......

[KMAX]

Every one has a different budget, different priorities, and different taste. A high end weapon to me might be entry level fodder for someone else, or vice versa.

Buy a gun, shoot it, shoot it well, and forget other people and what that think about it.

Agreed. Gun snobs really annoy me. Most folks have to justify their gun purchases to themselves one way or another. I might have liked to buy a HK semi, but I couldn't justify, to myself, paying twice the price of the FNS I bought. I bought a Taurus 1911. I would have liked to buy a high end 1911, but wish I had spent a little more on a Springfield RO. I didn't know at the time and didn't really have the budget. It is a learning thing also. Bang for the buck is a big thing for me also. One thing about the snobs that annoys me is the statement of implication that " you should have bought gun x, y, or z because I said so". Really? Don't rain on my parade and I won't kick mud on you. Shoot and enjoy what you choose.

[SocialAnarchist]

Heck, to me I figure if you own a firearm and YOU can make it do what YOU want it to do what does it matter what anyone else thinks about it.

I don't own what would be called a high price gun, but I do have some that were expensive for my budget, and a few that were considerably less money. Funny thing is when I load them and pull the trigger every single one of them goes bang.

If I can someday I would love to own some of the more expensive firearms I only dream about and drool over today, but in the meantime I will shoot and enjoy what I have.

[Tom68]

I'm in the middle like a lot of others have posted, but more importantly, I believe in "to each his own". I'm not in a place where I can justify to myself spending $3200 on an Ed Brown, but I would never begrudge another for doing so. By the same token, if a Hi Point fits your needs... Then that's okay too, and I wouldn't criticize.

Some of the snobbery may be genuine foolishness, but I suspect that a larger degree may be due to the anonymous nature of the internet and the irrepressible urge to start up a bunch of #%£?! on a thread just for entertainment. Some folks just need a quarrel to feel like they are doing something productive, I suppose.

[sbaker10]

Originally Posted by buckhorn_cortez

What I notice are posts like this where expensive = snob because the poster can't afford, doesn't understand, or feigns amazement that everyone doesn't have the exact same motivations or gun budgets as the OP.

I have expensive guns that have been, for the most part, customized, modified, or custom built specifically to meet my requirements. It's always been like that even when I was in college and working two jobs to put myself through school.

I don't judge other people by what they buy or own - why do you?

Again. I am refering to those who expect everyone else to have the same budget as them and refer to high end stuff as junk because it is not ultra cutting edge high end

[ZeroJunk]

I'm trying to figure out why I should care what anybody else thinks about my stuff.

[Tom Servo]

Some people feel validated by simply having spent money on hardware. I've seen new shooters blow insane amounts of money on whiz-bang über tactical stuff only to be miserable because the hardware won't do the work for them. I've watched folks who buy hardware that's just good enough on a budget blossom into great shooters.

Does better (and more expensive) hardware help? Perhaps, when that person has reached a level in their shooting that they know their exact strengths and needs. Until then, they're dealing with a matter of diminishing returns at higher prices.

Heck, some folks simply feel superior because they've had to take out a second mortgage to pay for something. I generally avoid those people, as they tend to have other personality issues I find tedious.

[buckhorn_cortez]

Again. I am refering to those who expect everyone else to have the same budget as them and refer to high end stuff as junk because it is not ultra cutting edge high end

Well...you're way past me on this one. I'm lost. I have no idea what "ultra cutting edge high end" is. Can you give me an example?

[buckhorn_cortez]

which optics are on the better side and made in the USA?

You'll have tp define "better side."

Nightforce assembles all of their scopes in Idaho, but on many of the scopes the primary core components may be manufactured in Japan.

Leupold manufacturers their scopes in the United States. However, most of their glass is sourced from Europe or Japan.

US Optics manufactures their scopes in the United States, but a lot of the glass is Schott Glass from Germany.

Swift manufactures their scopes in the U.S. and may use some U.S. glass.

Optical glass is one of those things that is difficult to manufacture without a lot of highly specialized equipment. Even Leica gave up manufacturing glass.

Leica designs the glass formulations, has the glass manufactured to their specifications by several German glass manufacturing firms. The glass blanks are then ground, coated, and the lenses assembled in the Leica factory.

I'm not surprised that most of the U.S. scope manufacturers source their lenses from outside the United States.

[Tom Servo]

I have no idea what "ultra cutting edge high end" is. Can you give me an example?

Something more expensive that whatever you've got. Probably German, and usually heralded by glossy full-page ads in the gun magazines.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by buckhorn_cortez

Well...you're way past me on this one. I'm lost. I have no idea what "ultra cutting edge high end" is. Can you give me an example?

It's pretty easy to see, it's all over the forum. Go to the rifle section and ask what scope to get for $150. Ask how much your budget SHOULD be. You'll soon find out that the scope should cost at least as much as the gun, some say 50% more! I've even seen double.

That's what the OP is talking about. Not just having an appreciation for finer things, not simply owning expensive guns but looking down your nose at people who can't afford them or don't want to, while telling them all the reasons they're stupid or foolish for not spending a months take home pay on an optic.

[gc70]

The OP suggests one type of snobbery, but it comes in many forms. Whether it involves making a virtue of spending more or less, or demeaning others for spending too little or too much, or just having different preferences, I think most gun snobbery revolves around self-validation.

Whatever works for a particular person should be what matters. I used to go to an indoor range where I and most of the other customers were humbled nearly every week by a gentleman who would arrive with an old S&W Model 10 revolver, shoot 3-round strings so fast his gun sounded like a full-auto, and all of the shots would be touching - always.

[SmokeeatersE35]

Thank you for the information buckhorn.....i try and buy american products problem is they really dont say where they are relly made....i dont mind paying more for american products at all i just wish companies would stop outsourcing work overseas...no wonder why the US is in debt!

[SmokeeatersE35]

i would say a scope that is good quality and in the mid range price range...some of the ones i have seen on the low end of the price range dont have good clarity, finish that leaves a bit to be desired, and broken reticles from just putting it in your safe....i have always bought nikon products...they seem to be good but i was looking into leupold for another gun i own....

[SmokeeatersE35]

All i can say is i believe guns are an investment.. and the more you want to invest in it is your deal...in the end it still is worth it to me. i would never look down upon anyone for investing in something that they cherish...We do not all have the same finances and do what we can when we can...but people who think they are better than anyone else for what kind of possesions they have come on life isnt 7th grade...more power to anyone who is willing to invest their money into things they love!!

[Skans]

Other than my carry gun (Ruger LC9) and my hunting rifle (Savage 30-06), I like to buy "interesting" guns. There has to be something about it that just grabs me...something a bit different about the design, odd, over-the-top, unusual, possibly historical, or collectible about it. Does that make me a gun snob?

[coldbeer]

I'm not rich and I really like peep sights, but I do have a couple of cheap walmart scopes. I've come to the conclusion that the cheap scopes work ok up to about 200 yards then good glass really shows why it costs more. Unfortunately for me every time I save up enough to buy a nice scope or a nice progressive press I end up buying another gun instead.
Some people love to give me a hard time about this, but the same people do an early upgrade every time a new Iphone comes out I call them Iphone snobs. The way I see it In 5 years their Iphone will be a piece of junk they threw away a long time ago. In 50 years It'll be dust but my guns will be just as useful and worth more than when I bought them.

[madmo44mag]

Yes there are some snobs out there.
There are those that if it is not a Colt, Kimber, or whatever then it is an inferior product.
Same thing applies to rifles and scopes.
There will always be these type personalities – always has, always will be.

Like many have said, price is the driving factor 98% of the time.
What is the best I can afford that will suite my needs.

I myself shop for items bases on owner feed back.
Example: I needed a red dot sight for a recent AR build so off I go on line reading owner feed back on a number of red dot type sights.

The one I bought was $80.00 – off brand I have never heard of.
501 owner reviews and of that 501, 430 where 4 stars plus.
They were mounted on AR, 12 gauge shotguns, air soft and ect….

So far it has worked as good as any red dot sight I have owned in the past and I have bought some really pricy sights.

Just goes to show ya that just because it cost a lot it does not mean it is any better than a cheaper priced item.

With all that said, I have to admit I am a snob when it comes to wheel guns.
I’ve owned S&W, Colts and others and none have ever been as tough as any of my Rugers. – ROFLMAO!!!!!

[buck460XVR]

Gun snobs come in all shapes and forms. Ain't just the ones that whine about price or those that brag about quality. Ain't just the ones that will never buy a Smith, Ruger or a Taurus or the ones that will only buy a Smith, Ruger or Taurus. Ain't just those that claim steel is better than Tupperware or those that claim 15 fast shots always beats out 6 slow ones. It's folks that insist on being critical or belittling of others and their choice in firearms to boost their own ego or validate their own choices. We need to not be critical of fellow gun owners but embrace and appreciate the fact we have choices and understand our priorities in firearms are not always identical. Makes the shooting sports much more interesting and enjoyable for me.

[Skans]

I think most folks would agree that you can be a "friendly gun snob" without putting down another person's choice of firearm.

I consider myself a friendly gun snob. That's because I really care how the gun looks and appreciate one that is finely made or has an innovative design, in addition to things like reliability. So, there is a bit of vanity in most of my gun purchases. But, I don't really buy guns to impress others. In fact, my favorite time of the day is late at night when I can sit on the couch by my self breaking down a couple of guns of mine so that I can compare and contrast their designs and their quality.

[imp]

Now that I've had a lttle more time to think about it, I dout there are many real gun snobs on here. Consider the CEO who drops six figures on a Purdy or Holland & Holland just so they have something pretty to carry around while they chat up Dick Cheney. The guys that don't care about benchrest accuracy or dead nuts reliabily, as long as it conveys the message that they are above the great unwashed masses. I still could not care less...

[zincwarrior]

I admit it, I'm a snob.
If you're at the range and someone pulls out an old cap n ball revolver and belches a load of smoke when firing, he's the coolest guy on the range.

[buck460XVR]

"friendly gun snob"

^^^ oxymoron.

[ozarkhillbilly]

Let me ask a question. I know two people that just got into shooting, neither knew anything about guns, one of them bought a Jimenze because it was cheap the other bought a Sig because it was the most expensive that the store had that day and he figured that price equates quality. Both of these guns are for CCW, and both are proud of their guns and both could have afforded a Glock or XD or any $400 to $600 gun.
Who is the snob and who made the better choice?

[Skans]

neither knew anything about guns, one of them bought a Jimenze because it was cheap the other bought a Sig because it was the most expensive

Neither. They are both simply ignorant (especially if the Sig guy bought an X-Five for carry). Now, if the Sig guy just always buys the most expensive doo-dad because he has to have "the best", then he's an ignorant snob. And, I don't mean that in a derogatory manner.