[Doubs43]

... find ourselves liking, even favoring, a gun though it's not the most accurate, expensive or has the best trigger of the guns we own?

I have some pretty nice pistols including a CZ Shadow 2. The Shadow is accurate, has a sweet trigger and is a joy to shoot. OTOH, I also have a Sarsilmaz (SAR) K12 Sport, similar to the Shadow 2 but cost over $500 less and I REALLY like it. At first, I didn't. Out of the box it shot 115 grain bullets terribly, often giving 5 or 6 inch groups at 21 yards. I talked to customer service several times and almost sent it back. But then I tried 124 grain loads and the groups shrank as if by magic. Suddenly the 8 inch steel plates I couldn't hit with 115 grain loads were ringing at 25 yards consistently.

Slide to frame fit is excellent and functions slickly. The sights are very good and fully adjustable. It's single action only with a two stage trigger that breaks cleanly. It has a beavertail, skeleton hammer and nicely designed safety and slide release controls. The magazines hold 17 rounds. The thing just feels GOOD in my hands. It clearly isn't the most expensive pistol I own or the most accurate but I just LIKE it. I often choose it over what some would consider to be much better pistols. Odd, isn't it?

 

[GOLDWINGS]

... find ourselves liking, even favoring, a gun though it's not the most accurate, expensive or has the best trigger of the guns we own?

I have some pretty nice pistols including a CZ Shadow 2. The Shadow is accurate, has a sweet trigger and is a joy to shoot. OTOH, I also have a Sarsilmaz (SAR) K12 Sport, similar to the Shadow 2 but cost over $500 less and I REALLY like it. At first, I didn't. Out of the box it shot 115 grain bullets terribly, often giving 5 or 6 inch groups at 21 yards. I talked to customer service several times and almost sent it back. But then I tried 124 grain loads and the groups shrank as if by magic. Suddenly the 8 inch steel plates I couldn't hit with 115 grain loads were ringing at 25 yards consistently.

Slide to frame fit is excellent and functions slickly. The sights are very good and fully adjustable. It's single action only with a two stage trigger that breaks cleanly. It has a beavertail, skeleton hammer and nicely designed safety and slide release controls. The magazines hold 17 rounds. The thing just feels GOOD in my hands. It clearly isn't the most expensive pistol I own or the most accurate but I just LIKE it. I often choose it over what some would consider to be much better pistols. Odd, isn't it?

Yeah, I have a lowly Gen three G19 that I picked up for $380 about nine years back that has that draw on me. It is worn but not abused, has a sweet trigger (Ghost Evo Elite hand fitted by me) and Glock night sights. It seems to know what I am aiming at.

 

[havanajim]

There's likely no other hobby as subjective as this one, nor harder to quantify in the logical sense. So much of it is individual perception and 'feel'. You can try to convince someone about how great 'XYZ' might be, but in the end, no one else can 'feel' what you feel with a particular grip, or trigger, or even weight and balance. Sure, we can appreciate looks, and pedigree, and craftsmanship, but none of those qualities guarantee that any particular pistol will be your most liked or preferred.

 

[fnfalman]

You like what you like.

 

[DWowner]

Hmm we should ask those guys with the $30k watches, which watch they like to wear the most? If it isn’t their most expensive one, then I’m going to say…..
No it’s not odd

And fnfalman, I dislike you a bit because you made me look at Blancpanes, I was happy in my innocence.

 

[fnfalman]

Hmm we should ask those guys with the $30k watches, which watch they like to wear the most? If it isn’t their most expensive one, then I’m going to say…..
No it’s not odd

My favorite watch to wear is an older Omega Seamaster Professional. It is far from being the most expensive watch in my stash.

And fnfalman, I dislike you a bit because you made look at Blancpanes, I was happy in my innocence.

I am a corrupter of youth and innocence.

 

[GOLDWINGS]

Hmm we should ask those guys with the $30k watches, which watch they like to wear the most? If it isn’t their most expensive one, then I’m going to say…..
No it’s not odd

And fnfalman, I dislike you a bit because you made look at Blancpanes, I was happy in my innocence.

fnfalman hasn't harmed any ones innocence. He sure does have good taste and the means to make what he likes his own!

 

[DWowner]

I am pretty sure he took it in the tongue in cheek manner it was intended, (of course I edited so it resembles something articulate) I could get another 1911 in the house no questions asked, a new BlancPane is going to require a couple of days planning, some good gaslighting and a maybe a replica.

 

[magazineman]

fnfalman nailed it: You like what you like.

Reasonable & rational aspects CAN be factor in that, but they are far from necessary.

The cost, value, or rarity of guns does not factor into which make my Favorites List. Some things I just dig. There's no explaining it.

 

[fnfalman]

I have guns that are more expensive, more exotic, more accurate, better made, ad infinitum.

However my three favorites are the Beretta M9, West Germany P220 .45 and the Colt Series 80 Goverment Model .38 Super.

Are my Swiss P210s better? Sure. Are my vintage Colt and SW revolvers more cool? Sure. Are my PDP/Masada/Steyr A2 more modern? Sure. Nonetheless these three are my favorites. You like what you like.

 

[Levian]

My Springfield Loaded is just a bog standard $800 1911, not the most expensive pistol that I own. No real reason to favor it, but when I'm looking at my carry options more often than not that is the go to. But that isn't really something I find odd.

What I find even more strange are the things that I dislike for no particular reason. Take the Girsan MC1911 that I picked up for example. The trigger feels good, the thumb safety has nice positive engagement and is wide enough to ride with ease, it's eaten all the ammo I've fed it without complaint, likes all the magazines I've used (except the 10 round mags that nothing seems to like), shoots accurately enough, and the FDE color is starting to grow on me. But for no reason at all I just don't like the dang thing.

 

[45ofcourse]

I had a pretty high speed pointer some years ago and figured I needed a midrange nice over/under to hunt her with. Pretty gun. Try as I did I couldnt hit beach balls with it. Sold it and went back to my favorite shotgun. Berreta pintail. I do pretty well with it.

 

[Boge]

My favorite watch to wear is an older Omega Seamaster Professional...

Being older & remembering winding watches and automatics I could never understand the allure of returning to automatics for daily wear once we had evolved into the quartz age. Mankind strived for centuries to develop more precise timekeeping and then all of a sudden horology decided to step back into the Stone Age by selling bulky automatics which could not best a Dollar Store kid's quartz watch for accuracy. The irony is that what saved the Swiss automatic watch industry was a Swiss.....................quartz watch. Swatch.

 

[YVK]

I am kinda confused with such threads. In you kitchen utensils do you guys like your spoon more than your fork? How's your coffee mug vs your chef's knife, which one is more favorite?
Aren't guns purpose built these days and doesn't purpose determine the cost? Doesn't the importance of purpose define how much affinity you have with a given gun?

 

[fnfalman]

Being older & remembering winding watches and automatics I could never understand the allure of returning to automatics for daily wear once we had evolved into the quartz age. Mankind strived for centuries to develop more precise timekeeping and then all of a sudden horology decided to step back into the Stone Age by selling bulky automatics which could not best a Dollar Store kid's quartz watch for accuracy. The irony is that what saved the Swiss automatic watch industry was a Swiss.....................quartz watch. Swatch.

Nobody is stopping you or others who favor quartz watches.

Just like nowadays with 10-speeds automatic transmissions, paddle shifters, programmable launch features, traction control…yet some of us still prefer that third pedal and a stick with several gates to row through.

 

[ether]

... find ourselves liking, even favoring, a gun though it's not the most accurate, expensive or has the best trigger of the guns we own?

I have some pretty nice pistols including a CZ Shadow 2. The Shadow is accurate, has a sweet trigger and is a joy to shoot. OTOH, I also have a Sarsilmaz (SAR) K12 Sport, similar to the Shadow 2 but cost over $500 less and I REALLY like it. At first, I didn't. Out of the box it shot 115 grain bullets terribly, often giving 5 or 6 inch groups at 21 yards. I talked to customer service several times and almost sent it back. But then I tried 124 grain loads and the groups shrank as if by magic. Suddenly the 8 inch steel plates I couldn't hit with 115 grain loads were ringing at 25 yards consistently.

Slide to frame fit is excellent and functions slickly. The sights are very good and fully adjustable. It's single action only with a two stage trigger that breaks cleanly. It has a beavertail, skeleton hammer and nicely designed safety and slide release controls. The magazines hold 17 rounds. The thing just feels GOOD in my hands. It clearly isn't the most expensive pistol I own or the most accurate but I just LIKE it. I often choose it over what some would consider to be much better pistols. Odd, isn't it?

This seems similar to this thread: Your 1 favorite handgun?

My favorite 1911 at any given time is the one that I'm closest to. I don't leave anything out that would break my heart too bad if it were smashed 'n' grabbed. But yeah, I think it's natual to form stronger bonds with guns that you trust your life with, vs. guns that might be worth more monetarily.

 

[Hawg1]

One of my favorites is my Browning 1911 22. It's by no means the most accurate handgun I own but it's the most funnest.

 

[ether]

One of my favorites is my Browning 1911 22. It's by no means the most accurate handgun I own but it's the most funnest.

Never tried one, but I've heard that those are fun to shoot and surprisingly reliable.

 

[scubadad]

Some of my most fun range days are with my "cheap" guns. I can sit out back for hours with my single shot handi-rifle and maybe shoot 100 rounds or my cheap cva wolf muzzie and maybe shoot 20.

 

[45ofcourse]

I am kinda confused with such threads. In you kitchen utensils do you guys like your spoon more than your fork? How's your coffee mug vs your chef's knife, which one is more favorite?
Aren't guns purpose built these days and doesn't purpose determine the cost? Doesn't the importance of purpose define how much affinity you have with a given gun?

Purpose does not determine cost. Probably the single bigest factor in determining cost is the prospective buyers wallet. Wallet size determines level of quality of labor and materials, that will be put into any item in the free market.