The premise is this: You have a gun that's malfunctioned, do you try to fix it or get rid of it?
In this scenario, I always see proponents of the 2 extremes, those who absolutely refuse to trust a gun ever again after a malfunction and so they'll get rid of it, then there's someone like me who will try to fix it if possible. Yes, I admit, I'm on one side of the extreme.
The thing is, I understand both.
Now, in the beginning, I didn't understand those who'd just get rid of a gun rather than fix it. I figured you could always test it out to ensure reliability after the repair. But here's the thing: Testing it takes time and money. Ammo's not cheap, and sending a gun to be repaired may take time and/or money, depending on whether or not the gun is under warranty. And if you already have guns that are considered to be reliable, why waste time with something else when you can just practice with what you already have and hone your skills.
As someone who's actually "polished a turd", so to speak, I can personally attest that my shooting skills have diminished since polishing said turd, which is saying something since my shooting skills weren't great to begin with. I was afraid of another failure, another malfunction, so I didn't care to test my gun again after whatever repair I made.
On the flip side, there is the fact that my gunsmithing and troubleshooting skills have improved. When my wife had a failure to feed with her 380EZ, I instantly recognized that she had accidentally hit the magazine release. I've also recognized that my tools need to be upgraded as I've had difficulty filing away metal due to cheap, worn out files.
So there are some pros to fixing the gun rather than just getting rid of it.
So here's my takeaway: I think the priority for any new gun owner is to get a gem before ever trying to polish a turd. Get something very reliable and accurate from a brand that's known for it. After that, I think it's a matter of what you like to do and how much spare time and money you have.
The mistake I made with my 1st gun purchase is getting something with less than stellar reviews and allowing my confirmation bias to fool me into thinking it was a good idea. I can't say that fixing the gun was a mistake because of all the new information and skill I got from the experience, but personally, I think that improving my shooting skills would have served me just as well if not better.
So, if I had to judge which attitude would be more beneficial, fixing it vs getting rid of it, I'd have to say that those who just get rid of it have the advantage. Ultimately, it's just a matter of personal preference, what you want to do and how you like to spend your time.
In this scenario, I always see proponents of the 2 extremes, those who absolutely refuse to trust a gun ever again after a malfunction and so they'll get rid of it, then there's someone like me who will try to fix it if possible. Yes, I admit, I'm on one side of the extreme.
The thing is, I understand both.
Now, in the beginning, I didn't understand those who'd just get rid of a gun rather than fix it. I figured you could always test it out to ensure reliability after the repair. But here's the thing: Testing it takes time and money. Ammo's not cheap, and sending a gun to be repaired may take time and/or money, depending on whether or not the gun is under warranty. And if you already have guns that are considered to be reliable, why waste time with something else when you can just practice with what you already have and hone your skills.
As someone who's actually "polished a turd", so to speak, I can personally attest that my shooting skills have diminished since polishing said turd, which is saying something since my shooting skills weren't great to begin with. I was afraid of another failure, another malfunction, so I didn't care to test my gun again after whatever repair I made.
On the flip side, there is the fact that my gunsmithing and troubleshooting skills have improved. When my wife had a failure to feed with her 380EZ, I instantly recognized that she had accidentally hit the magazine release. I've also recognized that my tools need to be upgraded as I've had difficulty filing away metal due to cheap, worn out files.
So there are some pros to fixing the gun rather than just getting rid of it.
So here's my takeaway: I think the priority for any new gun owner is to get a gem before ever trying to polish a turd. Get something very reliable and accurate from a brand that's known for it. After that, I think it's a matter of what you like to do and how much spare time and money you have.
The mistake I made with my 1st gun purchase is getting something with less than stellar reviews and allowing my confirmation bias to fool me into thinking it was a good idea. I can't say that fixing the gun was a mistake because of all the new information and skill I got from the experience, but personally, I think that improving my shooting skills would have served me just as well if not better.
So, if I had to judge which attitude would be more beneficial, fixing it vs getting rid of it, I'd have to say that those who just get rid of it have the advantage. Ultimately, it's just a matter of personal preference, what you want to do and how you like to spend your time.