Looking back at old threads here got me thinking....

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Miami_JBT

New member
Man, a lot has changed! :D

But seriously, I remember when going to the local range back in the late '90s and early '00s before the Clinton AWB expired was a different experience. Most shooters had 1911s, revolvers, Hi-Powers, or a smattering of DA/SA hammer fired guns. Showing up with something like a GLOCK was like showing up in a Lamborghini to the local working-class neighborhood McDonald's.

I remember when having a GLOCK made you an outlier of a shooter. A polymer framed striker fired handgun was the outlier. It was not the norm that we see now in 2022. Sure, you had others starting to dip their toes into the market.

You had S&W with the Sigma, FN's Forty-Nine along with Walther's P99 and Steyr with the M Series. But for the most part, other than the Sigma, they all were commercial flops that didn't get any shelf space at the local gun shop. Yeah, the Sigma was not that great of a gun. But it was from Big Blue and they were the first to really attempt to challenge GLOCK.

On the long gun side of things, yeah, AR's were out there. But they weren't what we see today. I recall that most shooters at Trail Glades Range in Miami for example had rifles more like an SKS or a Mini-14 if it was a semi-auto center-fire rifle. Yeah, the guys with big bucks had a slicked up Springfield M1A, but those were few and far between.

But most shooters were out there with a Marlin Model 60, a Ruger 10/22, or a Winchester 30/30 or Remington 700.

You were high strutting if you had a pre-ban AR and a few 30rd mags.

The only cost affordable option towards the end of the Clinton AWB was a Romanian SAR-1 with a pile of surplused DDR 30rd mags.

Now, ARs are dirt cheap and AKs go for a pretty penny and post '64 Winchester 30/30s are collector pieces.
 
M

MarkCO

New member
I was the first person at my range to show up with a G22 to a IPSC match. I got a lot of stare downs. I did okay in Limited. What was funny was that within a year, some of those who were abhorred by the fantastic plastic had them. Hard to find a Glock in a holster at a USPSA competition these days, but most have them.
 
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Miami_JBT

New member
MarkCO said:
I was the first person at my range to show up with a G22 to a IPSC match. I got a lot of stare downs. I did okay in Limited. What was funny was that within a year, some of those who were abhorred by the fantastic plastic had them. Hard to find a Glock in a holster at a USPSA competition these days, but most have them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the hate for GLOCK back then was something else. I remember hearing from a buddy of mine that it was .45 ACP and .30-06 Springfield, that 9mm and 5.56 was for weak wristed poodle shooters.

He was all about his 1911 and M1 Garand then, now a days, he all about his factory Colt 7.5" 5.56 and a SBR'ed FN PS90 in 5.7x28mm.

What was funny, when I went through the police academy, in our class, we had folks from different agencies. One of our classmates was from Miami-Beach PD. Back then they issued SIG P229s in .357 SIG. The instructor in the academy was all for the cartridge, but hated SIG. Told that student, "go get yourself a GLOCK 32 and with a silver sharpie, write SIG on it. Your supervisors will never know the difference anyways."

FHP issued their folks a DAO Beretta 96D in .40 S&W. Miami-Dade PD issued a SIG P226R DAO in 9mm. Everyone from my agency was GLOCK and we had the choice of caliber. I went with a GLOCK 22, some of my other classmates went with a GLOCK 21. The rest went with GLOCK 19s.
 
M

MarkCO

New member
Yeah, true that.

Shooting 3Gun, several years ago I switched to He-Man, so named for Eddie Rhodes.

Here is a memorial Ron Avery (who has also passed) wrote of Eddie.
http://www.practicalshootingacademy...des-tribute-to-a-real-american-cop/index.html

Eddie used to say "9mm makes you weak!". He-Man Nationals is one of my favorite matches. Have to shoot a .308, Pump 12G and .44 or larger handgun (Most shoot single stack 1911s in .45ACP). It is not easy shooting 2 to 4 minute stages with targets from 2 yards to 700 yards...7 times in 2 days, but I love it.

I have one LEO friend who carries a G21, one a G20, but yes, the rest almost all carry a G22 or G17 with a few G19s and G23s mixed in. My buddie who carry the P320 are all freaked and some are requesting of their departments to go back to their Glocks.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
There are few who remember today, but early on, part of the "hate" for GLocks was simply "returning the favor".

back when GLock was still trying to conquer the LEO market, they got the reputation for not treating civilian customers well, or seeming to care, particularly when some kind of warranty work was involved.

Real or not, the perception at the time was Glock just didn't give a rip about civilian sales, and customers who had issues with their pistols (any issues) were simply told that they had violated the warranty by shooting reloaded ammo, (whether they did, or not) and "go away" or "pay for the repairs" was the usual response. So more than a few folks responded in kind, generally disliking GLock for its business model more than its product.

And then, there was the "Glock Perfection" ad campaign, which bothered more than a few of us....

Anyway, after they sewed up the LEO market and turned full attention to ongoing civilian sales, they became a lot more "friendly" to customer issues than they had been. That's what people remember, today, mostly.
 
M

MarkCO

New member
I think the launch of GSSF, which has been very heavily patronized by Civilians, was a big turning point for Glock and the public perception. Frankly, I am surprised that Ruger, SIG, CZ, S&W, etc. don't have their own brand shooting sport in copy of the GSSF.
 
H

HiBC

New member
I don't factor " Approval of the people at the range" in my firearms purchases.

I just don't care what the crowd thinks of my gun. I might even get contrary.

Glock seems to have come up. I long ago accepted they are a good tool,choice of professionals. The Glocks I have picked up just did not feel right in my hand.
Had they felt like home, I may have bought one,. Good gun. But then,yeah, after a while I got tired of hearing about Glocks. Your Glock may be great for you but I'm not hungry for one.

Enjoy yours! I went S+W M+P

I just do not get the question " What would you think of ME if I bought this gun?"

Why care?
 
M

Mannlicher

New member
I visited Trail Glades and Markham Park often back in the day. I usually had an AR, an AK or a .30 Carbine. Don't remember being the Lone Ranger with those at all.
At the handgun side, I was more of a revolver man.
 
5

5whiskey

New member
I've never argued that a Glock isn't a reliable, accurate, effective defensive pistol. I've largely never been a fan, partly for not liking the grip geometry and partly for generally being in favor of plucky (yet entirely serviceable) underdogs. I still maintain my stance. I'm issued a Glock 19x for duty. I do not feel undergunned one bit. My personal choice is a CZ P07... a much more refined and elegant weapon.
 
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Trevor

New member
In 1986-88 the Glock 17 gained popularity here (the Reno area). It was the pistol of yuppies. When Glock introduced the model 19, popularity jumped again. I agree GSSF did a lot for the brand name because it gave many types of Glock owners a place to hone their skills without enduring the snobbery of the 1911 folks. Yet Glock owners soon joined them with the proliferation of the aftermarket for Glock pistol modifications.
 
F

FITASC

New member
Remember where he came from - civilian handgun ownership is a lot more restrictive. He was focused on mass sales to police and military, and he succeeded at that very well
 
T

TruthTellers

New member
I think the internet and youtube did a lot to change perceptions about things, especially caliber wars where 20+ years ago the .45 was still king and .30 caliber rifles should be standard.

Not gonna say .223 is the best, but there aren't any better options that are as cost effective. At least the worship of the .45 is slowly, but surely fading; I think once magazine capacities are struck down in the courts the 10mm will replace .45 as the standard big bore semi caliber.
 
W

Webleymkv

New member
Early 00's was when I started frequenting public ranges (grew up in the country and shot in the back yard before that). I saw a lot of the same guns back then that are still popular today like Glocks, AR's, and AK's. What I did notice back then, however, was a wider variety of guns and calibers being used. I used to see a lot more revolvers (mainly .38's and .357's but .44's and .45's weren't exactly rare) and a lot more milsurps like SKS's, Mosins, Mausers, and Enfields. You also seemed to see a lot more commercial bolt-actions and lever guns although the lever guns were almost always 30-30 and usually a Marlin. Even in semi-autos, you saw a lot more diversity in caliber with .40's and .45's being very common (seems like everyone only wants to shoot 9mm or the occasional .380 pocket gun these days). You also saw a lot more DA/SA hammer-fired semi-autos like Berettas, Sigs, 3rd Generation Smiths, and Ruger P-Series. Of course there were always plenty of .22's, but I don't know that they've necessarily gone away. Seems like I used to see a lot more sporting guns too, particularly in the fall for a few weeks before deer season.

Honestly, I kind of miss those days as a trip to the range or gun shop was a lot more interesting as you never knew what might turn up. These days it seems like an endless sea of striker-fired 9mm's and AR's. Not that those are bad guns, but I just don't find them all that interesting after being awash in a sea of them.
 
S

Skans

Active member
I used to go to indoor ranges back in the early '80's when I was 18. My Uncle would let me take his 357 to shoot. Range time was cheap. Bullets didn't cost much and it made for a fun afternoon.

Now, if a 18 year old tried to do that today, he'd probably be arrested.
 
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