what features would you like your favorite pistol maker to include or exclude?

[chrisintexas]

I mean what features you would want that don"t exist now or features you don't want that exist now, in pistols made by your favorite gun maker? please provide logical explanations behind this. thanks

[CDR_Glock]

If you're taking about a combat pistol, I like simplicity of operation. For the most part that's a Glock. I'm not an armorer but I know how to work on my Guns.

Simplicity of field stripping without a tool is useful for the field. That's critical. I prefer captured springs and no bushings since disassembly could be catastrophic if a part flies 12 feet into the air.

Limit Mouse sized parts in guns to be attached to reasonably sized components, as opposed to a tiny spring or other part that can be lost, rendering a gun useless.

The option for high capacity magazines with reliability.

The option to add an optic through a rail system like Weigand is to my Smith and Wesson revolvers. Adjustable sights or at least Tritium, as crappy plastic sights are not useful at all in low light. Lack of adjustments don't account for different ballistics between different grain bullets. Maybe most people aren't good enough to tell, but point of impact does change through my experience.

Smoother internals. Many guns unless they're high end have minute burrs or imperfections that make a trigger or the mechanism quite rough, spongy or stiff. I have either worked on internals with metal polish, used drop in triggers, or changed internal parts. There aren't too many triggers that I keep stock. I have a Timney in a Tavor, Elftmann in my AR-15s, Kidd in my 10/22, Timney in a Nagant, etc.

Polish the feed ramp. Again, many come with pretty rough surfaces and need polishing.

Include at least two, if not three magazines. One magazine is pretty weak and shows very little foresight ... or greed. Magazines are the most common things to fail.

Add usable grips, as opposed to presentation grips, that make the shootable. At least add both wood and rubber in the box, for the user to be happy with their purchase (in the case of a revolver).

For 1911s, I prefer G10 grips over the ugly checkered wood. I have 4 1911s, and none have their original grips. That's a personal preference but I have better control with the contoured grips by people such as VZ.

Zero the darn gun at the factory, include the test fire and note which ammo was used. I don't acquire too many NEW guns but I was disappointed that my Ruger 454 Alaskan and 454 Talo Toklat were not even boresighted. They were off by about 6 inches at 15 yards, out of the box. I was pleasantly surprised that my FN 5.7 was on the mark with the SS197 ammo I had. Before I shoot, I typically bore sight the pistol to determine if it's set up for Combat or a 6:00 hold. I realize there's a lot of variation amongst users but just throw us a bone. Is it zeroed for 15 or 25 yards? I have had so much variability that I purchased my own sight pusher and a green laser boresight tool just to see where the barrel is aligned, and I can adjust if necessary. I shoot out from 7 to 25 yards. Our club only allows steel at 25 so I have to be right on or I'll be wasting ammo, and miss. I don't like to miss, and I don't like wasting ammo.

I like the option of changeable back straps, but I find adding no backstraps are fine for me.

I like quick take downs and prefer not having to pull the trigger to field strip, like the Beretta or Sig Sauer. I'm fine with the Glock method but I always triple check.

Well that's my rant.




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[Nathan]

Great post, but I can add!

Grips - Have something pretty sharp on the front and back strap for grip. Like 25 lpi checkering. The sides are for show...front and back are for go!

Bore - use standard rifling. Avoid rifling that cannot shoot lead, plated or jacketed well

Trigger - make them safe and repeatable, but light and crisp enough to use.

Don't cheap out. Don't put a plastic MA housing on a 1911 or plastic sights, or white dots on a carry gun.

Figure out how customers might nd and get ahead of it. Don't deny it and try to market your way out of it.

Don't add cheap accessories in the box or a fancy box. A pistol case should come as pistol, 3 mags, and a sample of recommended lube. Maybe a manual/document pouch. Plastic molded to the gun is cheap and good. It needs a hole to put a standard lock through.

No locks, Elec triggers or other safety through blocking critical gun functions.

[turkeestalker]

No locks, agreed.
No offense, but I'm not a lawyer and I don't particularly want or need their locks on my firearms.

[rock185]

My list is short and simple. Stop already with the front cocking serrations and 3-hole triggers on my 1911s.

These features have apparently become de rigueur for a 1911 type pistol to be considered Kool, Sweeeet,"Custom", Tactical, or whatever now days.

[SauerGrapes]

I'm sure we'll never get away from buying triggers and trigger kits for guns. Maybe SigSauer will read this. Yeah right.

If the gun cost 500 dollars, stop with the plastic sights already and plastic triggers! Plastic trigger on a $1200 gun, really?

[lee n. field]

Originally Posted by chrisintexas

I mean what features you would want that don"t exist now or features you don't want that exist now, in pistols made by your favorite gun maker? please provide logical explanations behind this. thanks

An integral laser that's non intrusive. Everything out there now looks like a weird growth grafted on. It doesn't necessarily have to be so.

[cslinger]

I am a shooter and by that I mean not a gunfighter/door kicker/butt kicker/nor part of the militant arm of the Girl Scouts Of America. I am a hobbyist with NO desire/hopes/fantasies or anything of the like regarding the use of violence. So with that caveat.....

I can run darn near any platform from .22 pistol to belt fed. I am comfortable with any major brand and a lot of minor ones and have at least some experience with a great many guns, I really should be able to shoot better.....but I digress. . At any rate what I settled on as my favorite go to handgun so to speak is........

HK DA/SA pistols with the P2000 being my favorite. Why you ask????

1-They are hell for stout and mostly bomb proof. They may need a little break in but once done they run great and last forever.

2-All steel quality parts. They come with actual sights not plastic dovetail protectors.

3-Great Accurate barrels

4-They feel great to me. I like the grips, controls etc.

5-The really crappy triggers make me a better shooter.

6-The paddle mag release. I LOVE the paddle mag release. I know, I know 7 of you just said "Right on man, preach!!" The rest of you think I should be wearing a helmet and taking the "Kurtz Bus" to school, but hey I prefer paddle releases.

7-the fact that each HK is blessed by Tibetan high monks and have been touched by the naked bodies of 100 virgins before it leaves the factory. "HEY THATS MY STORY DONT RUIN THIS FOR ME.....THESE THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE!!" Seriously though really good R&D and testing and QC traditionally.

8-I like the looks of them. Totally subjective and makes no nevermind as far as weapon goes but I dig them.

9-At least with the P2000 it is basically a hammer fired Glock 19 that was made for actual human hands for us earth dwellers.

10-DA/SA offerings in a modern polymer gun. I have no issues with strikers but have gravitated back to DA/SA for a host of reasons. None that involve "YOU ARE STUPID IF YOU CARRY A STRIKER blah blah." Just reasons that surround administrative handling and I find I like a heavy first shot. I could just as easily gravitate back to strikers/Glocks.

11-Because who doesn't like a .45 so strong it can run .45 Super or a gun so realiable it will function even if you load the cartridges backwards in the mag.

So that's pretty much why HK and in short why I like my P2000 because it is a hammer fired Glock 19/23.

If I could ask for anything it would be a better trigger and a P2000 sized P30.

[JDBerg]

Originally Posted by cslinger:

I am a shooter and by that I mean not a gunfighter/door kicker/butt kicker/nor part of the militant arm of the Girl Scouts Of America. I am a hobbyist with NO desire/hopes/fantasies or anything of the like regarding the use of violence. So with that caveat.....

I can run darn near any platform from .22 pistol to belt fed. I am comfortable with any major brand and a lot of minor ones and have at least some experience with a great many guns, I really should be able to shoot better.....but I digress. . At any rate what I settled on as my favorite go to handgun so to speak is........

HK DA/SA pistols with the P2000 being my favorite. Why you ask????

1-They are hell for stout and mostly bomb proof. They may need a little break in but once done they run great and last forever.

2-All steel quality parts. They come with actual sights not plastic dovetail protectors.

3-Great Accurate barrels

4-They feel great to me. I like the grips, controls etc.

5-The really crappy triggers makeup me a better shooter.

6-The paddle mag release. I LOVE the paddle mag release. I know, I know 7 of you just said "Right on man, preach!!" The rest of you think I should be wearing a helmet and taking the "Kurtz Bus" to school, but hey I prefer paddle releases.

7-the fact that each HK is blessed by Tibetan high monks and have been touched by the naked bodies of 100 virgins before it leaves the factory. "HEY THATS MY STORY DONT RUIN THIS FOR ME.....THESE THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE!!" Seriously though really good R&D and testing and QC traditionally.

8-I like the looks of them. Totally subjective and makes no nevermind as far as weapon goes but I dig them.

9-At least with the P2000 it is basically a hammer fired Glock 19 that was made for actual human hands for us earth dwellers.

10-DA/SA offerings in a modern polymer gun. I have no issues with strikers but have gravitated back to DA/SA for a host of reasons. None that involve "YOU ARE STUPID IF YOU CARRY A STRIKER blah blah." Just reasons that surround administrative handling and I find I like a heavy first shot. I could just as easily gravitate back to strikers/Glocks.

11-Because who doesn't like a .45 so strong it can run .45 Super or a gun so realiable it will function even if you load the cartridges backwards in the mag.

So that's pretty much why HK and in short why I like my P2000 because it is a hammer fired Glock 19/23.

I think my P30 and P2000 9mm are 2 of the best range guns I have, both are pleasures to shoot, there is a lot of truth in the #3 comment about the accuracy of the barrels, the #5 comment about the V3 trigger is an issue for me, in SA this V3 trigger actually isn't bad if you practice with it and a trip to GreyGuns can turn it into some kind of awesome defensive pistol. With the exception of the trigger, I'm totally on board with the rest of these comments about the HK P30 and P2000.

[Andy Blozinski]

Three shot burst..or even a two shot burst

[TXAZ]

1 second delay trigger.

[HistoryJunky]

I like CZ pistols. Actually I love them.

That being said, I am left-handed. They just discontinued the 85b, their full ambi all metal pistol.

I wish they had another full ambi cz-75 style gun. Not very interested in the striker fired P10C.

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[TailGator]

Maker: Beretta. Change: Frame mounted safety.

I love the 92, but that safety is just awkward.

[jetinteriorguy]

GET RID OF THE LOCKS ON S&W REVOLVERS!!! This one should have been the first post.

[Armybrat]

Agreed about the S&W locks, and I'd like to add the ugly "lawyer billboard" rollmarks on Ruger revolvers.

[Cosmodragoon]

No internal lock, obtrusive permanent warning labels, or other such nonsense. Guns are serious tools for use by adults. I think that fact should already be understood by adult persons who are living in our civilization and are rational enough to read and understand any such label in the first place. (I also think the courts need to understand this but that's another discussion.) Since external locks are widely available and already included with gun purchases by legal mandate, the internal locks are not necessary. Neither of these features actually contribute to real safety. They are simply complications which can add to cost, detract from aesthetics, and possibly cause a problem.

[thibaultfelix40]

Ditch the groved triggers. Perfect gun K Frame Smith, 38 +p, stainless, pencil 3" barrel, round butt, adjustable sights with fiber optic front, big fat knurled target hammer, no silly underlug on barrel except for one just big enough to protect the ejector rod. Smooth trigger. Nylon flap holster. Cylinder and cylinder window should NOT be long enough to accomodate 357 maggot. Max weight 30 oz.

[4V50 Gary]

Hollywood gun that never misses or needs reloading.

I wish all manufacturers to stop using MIM.

[Rob228]

I'd like Springfield to use a standard length guiderod in their out of the box 1911s, or at least a one piece.

[Satchmoeddie]

Items that require batteries will likely be dead, especially when I need them. I live in a big well lit city, so night sights will suffice. I do have some rail mounted lights, but I only put them on when I am on the road. I am not a fan of the Beretta or S&W 39/59 slide mounted decocker safeties, but I can work with just about anything as far as controls. A small inconspicuous safety like the Shield or Sig P320 is just fine. I am a long time shooter, and am used to automatically brushing off Hi Power, or 1911 safeties. I am not a huge fan of the polymer striker fired guns. I don't dislike them at all, and I have been known to carry them, but I just prefer a double action single action, or a single action only. I carried Browning Hi Powers for many years, and even bought a beat up evidence Mkiii Belgian Hi Power to use while my Glock was in the shop, which was very often, until they finally fixed all their problems in 1992. I went from the ridiculously priced Hi Powers to the slightly less expensive German *& Swiss made Sig P226s & P228s. Decocker, no safety, and a trigger that was as smooth as hot buttered ball bearings on black ice. The Beretta PX4 Storm had a lot of wow factor for me. I have never shot a compact sized gun for the first time from 25 yards and made it look like a trickshot show before. Polymer, but hammer fired DA/SA decocker ONLY, with stealth levers, comp trigger group, and a duty spring set. CZ 75s and other CZ pistols are also great shooting guns that are super accurate and easy shooting. Glock holds one feature that I like. It's the Bic Lighter of handguns. It's not super accurate, or a joy for me to shoot, but they just works almost 100% of the time. I dislike the grip angle, the sights, and the triggers, but buying a replacement gun, or replacement parts is so easy. Colt D and I Frame revolvers are also a treat to shoot. Give me a 2 5/8" Diamondback, and a 4"-6" Python any day. Smith J, K, & L frames (after a trigger job) are also a treat. Grand Power & Beretta PX4s with the rotary locking barrels shoot way above their weight and size (barrel length). A Grand Power 10mm would have to be one of my favorite 10mm pistols. 10 mm in a Glock is too jumpy for me, the 10 mm Grand Power shoots more like a reduced recoil 9mm, and it holds 14+1, so put that in your pipe and smoke it. The Grand Power is a Slovakian gun, and those Croatian made polymer Springfields are sweet shooters too. I have been a Hi Power fan since I was 10 years old. I enjoy taking those Browning guns like the 1911, P35, CZ75, etc. apart, and making them super reliable and super accurate, just as much as I enjoy doing trigger jobs on revolvers. As long as it works when I need it, and it's there when I need it, I am happy. The smallest I carry is the Beretta 3032, and the largest, I suppose, is a 12 gauge. No Hillary Holes, no goofy locks, loaded chamber indicators are tolerable, but I despise skeletonized triggers like Cabot's 3 Star. I don't need extra little crevices to clean. The Beretta PX4, some of the CZ stuff, and Grand Power pistols don't feel like plastic. The guns I choose usually have hammers too, but the Walther PPQ is a great gun too. If I need to own a machine shop to make a trigger group like in a Glock, I am just not as excited about it. Not a huge fan of grip safeties, but I have shot a lot of 1911s, and other guns from the old Remington R51 (.32 ACP & .380 ACP not the new plastic ones) to Springfield XD_s, that have them. The Taurus 92P Beretta 92FS clone with the frame mounted safety is a decent copy, with controls I like better, and it's an accurate gun. I have owned pistols made in the USA, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Hungary, Croatia, France, Poland, South Korea, China, Bulgaria, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, The Philippines, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Canada, Romania, etc. Pick something that actually works well, hope you won't need it, and don't overthink it. In other words, do NOT use the Iraqi Beretta copy as an EDC gun. If all you can afford is a High Point, just remember to knock it into battery, every time it cycles. You can buy a new S&W Shield for $300 right now. Very functional, practical, and affordable. IF I COULD HAVE ONE THING, LOSE THE GLOCK GRIP ANGLE, AND PUT SOME ACTUAL CHECKERING ON THE GRIPS, NOT DOTS, NOT TIRE SIPES, NOT PEBBLE TEXTURE, NOT FINGER GROOVES! It's some half cocked angle halfway in between strong armed target shooting, and natural aimpoint 1911 angle.

[kenny53]

A years supply of free ammo with purchase. I don't like the lawyer triggers on double actions.

[brian33x51]

I'd be happier with glock if they did offer options with a manual thumb safety. Glock isn't my favorite pistol maker, I'm not really sure who is honestly.

[Ricklin]

Suppressors W/O a tax stamp would be a really great start!

Imagine what our manufacturer's could do with some designs with integral suppressor.

If the market was there, they would build them. Still hoping for the HPA bill.

Walther has an over the counter suppressor for the G22 in Germany, all I can do is drool on the picture I got with my G22.

[Kwik2010]

I personally would like to see less money going into providing a holster and mag carrier and whatever else they can think of with your new firearm. Maybe not everyone has this issue but it's incredibly rare that I use any of these accessories when I get a firearm. I always go and get something that specifically works for me and these just ride their life out in the box. Put that money into a couple more magazines or just a cheaper price on the firearm itself. There's my 2 cents.

[hubris]

Auto aim, re aim. I'm getting older.