Does appearance matter?

[4V50 Gary]

Function over form. The best in the world is the one that works and saves your life.

[EvgeniBG]

I'm wondering why so many people find Glocks to be "ugly". Believe or not, I like the look of the Glocks - clear lines, almost no protruding details. They have just their specific "Glock" style. Well, I like the look of my HK USP a lot more than the Glock's but this was not the reason I preferred USP over Glock.

[skizzums]

i dont think too many guns are "ugly". i don't own a glock, but i think they look pretty cool. but i think everything can have a purpose, i own a very old davis industies pot-metal pistol that lives in my bathroom. i know some ppl that keeps hipoints c9's for this reason. sometimes looks really dont matter.

[BlkHawk73]

With image being as important as so many make it out to be, appearance seems to be one of the first bit of criteria for people be it a firearm or anything else. Same holds true for brand name.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I bought a NAA Mini 22S revolver because it was so cute. Actually, it evokes the cuteness metric that is biologically built into to us so that we take care of babies. Car manufacturers and other product designers deliberately use it to appeal to certain market slickes. It works for inanimate objects.

However, my carry guns are Glocks - they work.

[buckhorn_cortez]

When I out shoot a high dollar 1911 with my Glock 19, does it really matter?

Can you quantify "outshoot"? In competition, you have accuracy and speed. The gun (shooting within the same class) rarely provides an advantage to the shooter. Take you Glock 19, load it with 8 shots and shoot against a really good shooter with a 1911 - it will all come down to the shooter's speed and accuracy - NOT the gun.

I guarantee you won't outshoot a competent shooter with a .40 caliber 2011 race gun using your Glock 19.

I also think it's interesting that some people with Glocks always claim "it's a tool" but revel in being a "Glock guy," and appropriate and assign the self-invented mystique of Glock superiority to themselves for using one.

[JN01]

Can you quantify "outshoot"? In competition, you have accuracy and speed. The gun (shooting within the same class) rarely provides an advantage to the shooter. Take you Glock 19, load it with 8 shots and shoot against a really good shooter with a 1911 - it will all come down to the shooter's speed and accuracy - NOT the gun.

I guarantee you won't outshoot a competent shooter with a .40 caliber 2011 race gun using your Glock 19.

So it's the shooters speed and accuracy that count, but a Glock can't beat a race gun. Got it.

Give me a $5000 race gun and Jerry Miculek a Hi-Point, and I'm betting Jerry would make me look stupid real quick.

[Onward Allusion]

Give me a $5000 race gun and Jerry Miculek a Hi-Point, and I'm betting Jerry would make me look stupid real quick.

This is probably true for 99.9% of the shooters out there, myself included. Most handguns are more accurate than their owners. Take ANY gun and drop it in a ransom rest. Odds are the groups will be pretty close from one gun to another - taking into account ammo bias for the individual gun.

[bamaranger]

For many of us, I think there is an allure or attraction to certain mechanical devices to include firearms. A Garand seems handsome to me, as does the Win 88, the sleek old Rem 14/141 pumps, Browning HP pistol, to name a few. I've thought the VW bug is odd looking, and the smart cars terrible.

There are ugly cars, there are ugly guns. What do you drive?

[Tactical Jackalope]

Originally Posted by JN01

So it's the shooters speed and accuracy that count, but a Glock can't beat a race gun. Got it.

Give me a $5000 race gun and Jerry Miculek a Hi-Point, and I'm betting Jerry would make me look stupid real quick.

I'll just quote this for buckhorn_cortez as my response.

[Colt46]

The ugliest gun I own is my Marlin 'Papoose'. It's a takedown, survival .22 lr with no forend, a hideous plastic stock, with an orange front sight insert. She fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down kind of look about her.

Accurate, lightweight and easy to stow while camping or canoeing. Love it to death.

[Bezoar]

Looks do matter.

its two am, and your hoofing it to the gas station because your car ran out of gas and some methhead tries to stick a knife in you for your shoes. You want a gun that when presented will make methhead wet their pants in fear and run away screaming your a crazy person.

You do not want a gun that will make the methhead laugh so hard he pees his pants.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I asked Gary Kleck if he found any evidence that appearance influenced DGUs. He said he never heard of such.

Elmer Keith said a 22 was little till you looked down the barrel.

Meth head zombies werewolf mummies at night might not be intimidated by a twelve gauge.

[4runnerman]

You do not want a gun that will make the methhead laugh so hard he pees his pants.

Either one will get you out of there

[bedbugbilly]

Constatine - nice looking hammers and I get your point but not all hammers are "created equal" either . . .

I never bought a hammer "on looks" . . . and i have used hammers my entire life . . . give me a good wood handled hammer (preferably an old "Blue Grass" which isn't available anymore) anytime . . . I once had a fiberglass handle hammer when they first came out . . . I used it for a week and it vibrated so much that it caused my forearm to cramp up . . . it got "lost" in a ditch along a country road. Yes . . they all hammer nails but I don't think you'd want to use a 28 oz doing finish work . . . nor use a 13 oz to do rough in work and drive spikes . . .

I had a Ruger LCR 357 . . it was an easy carry, accurate for a snub and it wasn't bad to shoot. But the one thing that bugged me ever since I bought it was that to me, it's one "butt ugly" wheel gun for the price. I picked up a S & W Model 36 - was a heck of a lot cheaper than the LCR was and not only looks better but for me, carries better. Last week, I finally had enough of looking at the LCR and traded it in on two vintage Smiths . . . and I'm not looking back. If I'm spending $500 to $700 on a handgun . . . it's going to be "pleasing" to my eye . . . . and I own a few other Rugeer models and love 'em all.

If someone is happy with an ugly gun . . . . more power to them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and as long as it works for them, that's what it's all about I guess. Some folks wear sneakers to church . . . I prefer something a little bit dressier . . . to each their own.

And I really do think those are nice looking hammers . . . just glad I'm at the age where I don't have to swing one everyday . . . but then I'd probably be considered "old fashioned" as I don't have a power nailer.

[JimmyR]

I think that the idea of a good looking handgun, to me, means a handgun that is well made and of good quality. I'm just old fashoned, and when I pick up a CZ-75 or a S&W Model 19, the craftsmanship in their design echos their history of reliability. It's not a hard and fast rule, but it's right more often than not.

On the other hand, I have guns like my Makarov, which, no offense to Mak lovers, is not what I call a beautiful gun. It's nice enough, and in good condition, but was made with a utilitarian function- It was the Glock before Glock was cool. I still love that little gun! I know it will go bang, and if something goes wrong I can fix it.

ETA: As for the "tool" issue in debate, I have used all sorts of hammers. My personal favorites are Estwing hammers- solid steel from grip to head, single piece. They have an aestehtic appeal to them that echos their high quality; it's not just limited to firearms.

[Chaz88]

Yes . . they all hammer nails but I don't think you'd want to use a 28 oz doing finish work . . . nor use a 13 oz to do rough in work and drive spikes . . .

Now we are back to the age old debate about what caliber of hammer is best for each application.

[southjk]

Yes looks matter. I don't care how well it shoots, if I don't like the way it looks then I'm not buying it.

[dgludwig]

You provided a great example to support your (our) position, southjk. My favorite specimen of a pistol that I would never buy no matter "how well it shoots" is the Beretta Neo. Of course, some love the looks of it as much as some must love the appearance of the Rhino-each to their own (thankfully ). I'm just grateful that, as a free people, Americans have a lot of different-looking and types of firearms to choose from.

[Dc777]

I promise you whatever you shoot with a gun won't care if you shot them/it with a $180 hi point, or a gold plated 1911 with diamonds and other bling bling stuff. I promise, they won't care. I'm not much of a hammer guy ( I own some estwings), but if you people want to talk about tape measures let me know ( I prefer a fat max myself)

[Brotherbadger]

I guess it depends on how the gun was aquired. I have a Marlin 30AS that was given to me by my cousin when i was a boy. It was his for 20 years, and it has been mine for another 18. The stock is a bit beat up, but i love it to death and wouldn't change it at all. Now, would i buy this gun today? Heck no! But because of it's sentimental value, i don't mind the scratches on the buttstock, or the gash in the handguard.

[Hal]

A big +1 to what billy says.....

It's funny how the topic may change, but, the comments from the ignorant stay the same.

To someone that knows little about guns, all guns are the same.
W/hammers, I guess they all look the same so people assume a $2.99 special from Harbor Freight does the same job as a $309.00 Stiletto titanium.

And FWIW - the better one - the $309.00 Stiletto isn't better looking!
Matter of fact, I find it sort of odd looking =- but - it's anti vibration design makes is a dream to use all say long. (I wouldn't know - I use a pneumatic )

[L_Killkenny]

If guns were only tools I might not own a one of em. If you think all they are is a tool you may very be beyond help. Definitely mission the best party of ownership.

[oldcabin]

The yellow hammer glows in the dark and has the oversized grip right??? Seriously we are all reading or posting here because we have an above average interest in the looks and build and function of these things. Even the plain ones looked great to us when we first got them. Right?? I,'ve bought on appearances before. But I like the workhorses too.

[Garycw]

I personally think all guns are nice looking. It's just that some are much.. very much nicer looking than others. Therefore I don't own any ugly guns. . If people only bought the really nice looking ones, Glock would be out of business along with many others.