I was in my local gun store/hangout last week. Struck up a conversation with another patron. He started talking about AR's, and I mentioned I had no interest in them. So logically he assumed I preferred AK's and was dumbfounded when I said I didn't like those either. He had a hard time grasping the fact that a 29 year old white male did not want either of them. My father has a rifle, 2 carbines, and a 9mm carbine all on AR platforms. I don't mind shooting them but I have zero interest in buying one for myself. I've shot several AK style rifles and even owned one for a while, but I sold it because it does nothing for me.
I prefer guns with character. Interesting guns. Guns with a soul. I like my M1 Garand, M31 Suomi, VZ61 Skorpion, my old 1919A4. The 1911's. The Spanish Star Modelo B in 9mm Largo. Colt SAA clone in 44 mag. Hell, even my Henry lever action 22. They aren't all tack drivers. Some of mine have a hard time hitting the barn with me inside. But they are interesting. They aren't all high caps. Although the Suomi does have a couple of 72 round drums. Sometimes it feels like I am one of the only gun owners around who doesn't care about any of the newest tacticool crap I can hang off of 12 square feet of rail on the most badass AR the internet told me I had to have.
I can't even go to the so called "build it yourself" forums anymore. Buying an upper from company A, putting it on a lower from company B, and swapping out a stock and handguard from company MP is NOT building a gun. It seems like everybody wants to slap together some store bought assemblies and then seek validation from everyone else who slapped together store bought assemblies. Here's a message to all of those so called "builders": BUY SOME FILES. WELD. GRIND. BUILD.
I guess my point is, expand your gun horizons. There is nothing wrong with the designs from Stoner and Kalashnikov, but not every gun in your collection has to be designed to fight off 3 intruders, an invading army, or a horde of zombies. A French MAS 49/56 may not be what the operator magazines are bragging about but it's different and fun to shoot. A gun does not have to fill a specific purpose to have a place in your collection. It just has to be interesting.
I prefer guns with character. Interesting guns. Guns with a soul. I like my M1 Garand, M31 Suomi, VZ61 Skorpion, my old 1919A4. The 1911's. The Spanish Star Modelo B in 9mm Largo. Colt SAA clone in 44 mag. Hell, even my Henry lever action 22. They aren't all tack drivers. Some of mine have a hard time hitting the barn with me inside. But they are interesting. They aren't all high caps. Although the Suomi does have a couple of 72 round drums. Sometimes it feels like I am one of the only gun owners around who doesn't care about any of the newest tacticool crap I can hang off of 12 square feet of rail on the most badass AR the internet told me I had to have.
I can't even go to the so called "build it yourself" forums anymore. Buying an upper from company A, putting it on a lower from company B, and swapping out a stock and handguard from company MP is NOT building a gun. It seems like everybody wants to slap together some store bought assemblies and then seek validation from everyone else who slapped together store bought assemblies. Here's a message to all of those so called "builders": BUY SOME FILES. WELD. GRIND. BUILD.
I guess my point is, expand your gun horizons. There is nothing wrong with the designs from Stoner and Kalashnikov, but not every gun in your collection has to be designed to fight off 3 intruders, an invading army, or a horde of zombies. A French MAS 49/56 may not be what the operator magazines are bragging about but it's different and fun to shoot. A gun does not have to fill a specific purpose to have a place in your collection. It just has to be interesting.
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
