Another stupid poll. Most overrated handgun?

[Jart]

I vote springfield because XD's and their fans are out of control.. dont get me wrong, i like them, but its almost like a cult.

Given my admittedly offbeat definition of "overrated", I very nearly added the XD to my list of handguns that inspire overly exuberant positve comments bordering on proselytizing.

However, poking back over the last month, it appears that there are only a very few of what I would call "Evangelical XD Fans". The rather impressive number and tone of the posts obscures the relatively mundane number of posters.

But I am watching...

 

[18DAI]

Where is Kimber? I had to vote "other". Overrated, over hyped, and over priced.Yea, its a Kimber. Regards 18DAI.

 

[UH1-D Rotorhead]

I voted Glock...

....only because there are many more, and equally impressive, as well as just as reliable, polycarbonate pistols on the market that would go un-noticed if not for some of these forums; the CZ 75 is one of those pistols...until I actually had an opportunity to handle one and shoot one, I was of the opinion that a pistol made in the Czech Republic was not worthy a first look...I was wrong. Same goes for guns made in Brazil...bad rep in the early days, but not so today....my Springfield Mil-Spec SS is just as competent, if not more so, as well as better made, than many of the 1911 clone offerings...Colt included.

Now, the 1911, as someone pointed out earlier, has a fanatical cult followng, that in my mind, drives the prices up for custom and semi-custom pistols. I cannot see spending close to $2000 for a Wilson that is "painted" with a finish, that at best, will look good only if you don't holster it or shoot it...replacing MIM and cast parts with "hardcore", or machined parts, along with (though absolutely Un-necessary with a new gun) a new barrel, say Bar-Sto, should only add about $300 to the cost of a 1911...that would mean my Springfield would have cost me about $800...not the $2000 that some would have you believe should be charged for a similar 1911 set up.

So, what is the most over rated gun out their? I suppose if you say anything that may be construed as negative about a particular manufacturer, that brings a vitriolic rage from an individual or a group of folks, than I would say that gun is over rated...just tell a Colt fanatic that there are many 1911's that are better made for the money and see what you get.

 

[Lord_Nikon]

I vote Glock. Yes, they're very reliable and durable. Yes, they're simple. But that doesn't make them the end all and be all of autos. There are just too many people shouting "Glock!" from every roof top to be justified by anything less than a perfect design, and we all know that perfection doesn't exist. Oops, I forgot: "GLOCK Perfection"...

 

[litework]

Overrated to me means to rate something too high. I don't think a higher price means the item is overrated. A higher price, in some instances, is a way to limit production...so I won't use price to determine if something is overrated. I'll use word of mouth to determine what is overrated. What gun manufacturer receives more non-quantifiable accolades than any other? What gun manufacturer boasts of perfection? I like Glocks enough to include them in my collection, but they have failed to establish themselves as the premier firearm in my diversified compilation of handguns. When you claim perfection, how can you not be overrated?

 

[slystad810]

Notice that the best and most reliable pistols are the ones that are the "most overrated"

BTW I voted Glock.

 

[Half-Price Assassin]

I voted 1911.

why do you folks hate the GLOCK so much? who claims to GLOCK to be so wonderful? i dont claim it to be one of the best overall pistols in the world, I KNOW IT FOR A FACT, THAT IT IS. why do people like them, it works everytime, its cheap, and there tough. what can't a GLOCK do????? if the gun was made in America, by Gaston Smith, instead of an Austrian guy, the same people that say JMB is a genius, would say Gaston Smith was a genius too. just because you like 7 shot single action 1911s doesnt make you more of an american then me.

 

[BobK]

Guys, thanks for keeping this topic civil when it could very easily get ugly. Remember, it's only an expressed opinion of which we are all entitled. The results so far are very interesting. Meaningless maybe. But still interesting.

 

[Half-Price Assassin]

ok ok, i guess my comments may have gone alittle over board. i love 1911s too, but i dont have $700 to buy a stainless one

darn tax return wasnt what i thought it would be

 

[BobK]

Assasin, a little cheese with that whine? I too feel your pain. When I leave the gun shop they have to wipe my drool off the display case!

 

[IM_Lugger]

Glock is probably the most overrated, but HK is close second, definitely the most overpriced... so I voted HK

 

[slystad810]

I don't hate Glocks, in fact my next purchase may be a G19. But some people act like they are the be all end all of handguns. If Glocks were not as popular, they would not be as overrated. Although this is all subjective, so take it for what it's worth.

1/2 Price... You don't have to have $700 for a stainless 1911. I got my SA Milspec for $545... and you can get a stainless GI for about $450 if you look around.

 

[r.w. schrack]

Glock won't even make a good fishing weight.

 

[Gazpacho]

Lumping all 1911 makes ISN'T fair in this poll. Let's say company A makes 75% of all 1911s on the market, and makes a durn fine product. Then let's say companies B, C & D make 25% of the market 1911s, but they are all crap. Through no fault of company A, a quater of all 1911s are crap, and the model suffers in reputation because of it.

Now if you were to replace "1911" with "Kimber" then by all means, let's crap on Kimber. ( Sorry, just had to get a little dig in there. )

 

[The British Soldier]

I voted for the 1911.

Everyone enthuses about them but when you get down to the bottom line:

• The design is over 100 years out of date
• The magazine capacity is pathetic
• Too cumbersome
• Sights are dire
• Single action - how 'retro'
• .45 ACP - so what?
• Too complex to fieldstrip by comparison to modern weapons
• Too many parts when stripped

 

[Laserlips]

Rohm RG 14

Wait, was that a choice?


JP/

 

[PATH]

I like my new Glock but some folks give it mythical powers. Yup! Most over rated is the Glock!

 

[steelheart]

Overrated? Kimber 1911s

Most overrated? Kimber. They build their 1911s as cheap as they possibly can, using as many MIM parts as they possibly can to cut their costs (this info. was told to me firsthand by one of the top 1911 builders in the nation, who refuses to work on Kimbers for these reasons).

They have a great marketing campaign and nice photographs in their ads. Their marketing people are very good at presenting the appearance of quality.

Go with Colt or Springfield Armory 1911s if you want a good quality 1911 is the info. I got from my source, who has forgotten more about 1911s than most of us will ever know.

I recently bought a Springfield Armory loaded "Champion" (3.9" barrel) in stainless. Yes, the frame and slide forgings are made in Brazil, but I looked this gun over hard before I bought it and could find no problems as far as workmanship - it is flawless, and is a very handsome gun.

Range report is forthcoming, as I haven't yet had a chance to shoot it.

As far as Glocks being overrated, I don't see how a gun that has established the track record that Glock has can be considered overrated. They are to-hell-and-back reliable and go BOOM 100% of the time, if fed good quality ammo.

From what I've heard, Glock has a first generation model 17 at their Symrna, GA facility that has fired over 300,000 rounds of 9mm and has not broken down.

Overrated? Not in my book.

 

[dirksterg30]

Sig

 

[bclark1]

well, i don't see how people can say sig or HK. pricey, comparatively, but if you see how much people who have them like them (and granted, i'm one of said biased folk), you go to the thought that you can't put a price on something that's near-perfect straight out of the factory. again, my opinion, but i'd just be curious of those who voted how many have owned one. neither here nor there, i just couldn't resist pouring a little gas on one of the many fires.

on the 1911 stuff, that's really what i wanted to address, just to justify why i agree with lumping them. of course some manufacturers have done the model a disservice by putting together crappy ones. however, except maybe springfield, maybe para, a lot of people would agree that finding a mid-priced one that works well is a difficult thing to do. there seems to be a secret formula a lot of manufacturers just can't nail. they require a bit more effort in maintenance than do a lot of the increasingly-idiot-proofed service pistols of today. that is most definitely not saying that 1911s aren't great guns. they are. and in able hands, yes, they can remain just as good as any other. however, to deny that technology has done anything in the past 100 years is just naive. i'll defend the 30/06, i love the cartridge, and i really like 1911s. i don't hate on the classics, especially when they still do their job well. and yes, 1911s have been updated. but, there are guns that will shoot just as well as them, both in metal and plastic. and some of those guns that shoot just as well can do so just as reliably, if not more so. and some of those guns can do all that with less in the way of tinkering, maintenance, and will just eat up abuse, and are less likely to fail under equal or greater stresses. these multi-million-dollar research and development programs are not smoke and mirrors, the engineers of today have so much more at their disposal, and it's unfair to assume that they've accomplished nothing in the past century. given the way 1911 fans follow, then, i felt like it was fair to transcend manufacturer and put them together. yes, some people will judge the 1911 on the worst made ones, and some on the best, but the average will fall in the middle, with most people understanding that there are more of them out there than the entire production of some of the other manufacturers being debated out there. the 1911 is a breed apart, something on its own, which is why it's so frequently cloned, and which is why it's safe to look at as a whole.

i really do apologize, too, i'm in single-digit hours of sleep in the past 48. plunking me down in front of computers is a big mistake right now. i hope i'm remotely coherent. the gist is that something can be great, but still be held in an unrealistic respect. they're not mutually exclusive, and i don't think that just because someone has voted against "your" gun they're saying it's bad, so there's no need to take it that way.