The "Look" of Your GUN

[Tanzer]

No, I'm not asking how "mean" or "cool" it looks, and I'm not one for vanity.

On Martha's Vineyard, you can spot a tourist because their Black Dog T-shirt looks less than five years old. At the Yacht Club, brand new topsiders make you look like a novice sailor. A shiny and waxed ATV looks uncared for, while a muddy one looks loved. On the other hand, so much as a "ding" on your BMW ruins your day, and a spot on your tie from a business lunch makes you seem unkempt instead of being a seasoned professional.

So, as for your carry piece, it gets holstered and unholstered (hopefully you practice this). It gets fired and cleaned. You love it, but as it settles into a comfortable part of your life, you can't avoid a few nicks and a little holster burn, can you?

I guess that's what I'm asking; Do you mind the wear on the finish? The little scratch you put in the frame when you dissassembled it for the first time? Or do you expect it to be immaculate?
I am of course asking about cosmetics, not functional issues.

Attached are a few pics of mine. I use Hoppes #9 and Eezox and do my best to keep it looking new, but it's NOT new, and I personally don't mind it looking like I use it.

 

[Tanzer]

By the way, old camera! I had to cut the resolution to make the file fit. The gun isn't actually fuzzy!

 

[VA9mm]

You can't avoid holster wear. My carry gun is not a safe queen. I expect it to have wear, to me it gives it character.

 

[CajunBass]

I wouldn't drag mine behind my truck, or toss them down the driveway, but if they get scratched they get scratched.

 

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

I do the best I can to keep all my weapons in top shape, inside and outside. I have dropped one (P95) and am considering getting it re-blued...signs of normal wear don't bother me. It just reminds me that they're doing their job..WELL.

Probably the most unfortunate thing I had happen to me was with a Bersa .380 Thunder. I carried it in a leather holster one summer day, took my son to the park and to play mini-golf. I got home, removed it from the holster (after about eight hours) and was horrified to find the entire left side of the slide (against my body) rusted.

I cleaned/oiled it ASAP and hopefully minimized the damage. I spoke with a local gunsmith about getting it re-blued or even re-finished. I could buy a new slide (almost a new gun) cheaper. It's still a tack driver out to 15 yards so I carry it and am much more generous with lubrication on the outside now.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I try to take care of mine as best I can... my hands sweat alot, so most of my guns are alloy or stainless...

worst thing so far carrying mine, has been, once after I 1st got my carry license, my 1st carry gun was a new black air weight J Frame, in 32 H&R Mag... well they didn't have thew kind of holster I was looking for, so I bought a cheap Uncle Mikes IWB holster... the holster would not stay in place getting out of my truck, & I got out once, & the holster cocked, & my new J Frame ejected the holster & skittered across the parking lot... um... new aluminum gun, concrete parking lot... I almost cryed... I actually had to file some burrs out of the aluminum...

it's not so pretty any more...

 

[VA9mm]

I made sure my 2 iwb's have a sweat shield. Wipe down and lube slide every day.

 

[David Armstrong]

As long as it goes "bang" when I want it to and hits where I aim it, I don't much care what it looks like. I've got a nice pretty engraved thing to show off when appropriate, but other than that the gun can look like hell as long it it shoots like a jewel.

 

[JGIORD]

A handgun is a tool not a trophy piece. Wear and tear are normal and add character , just my 2 cents.

 

[cryption]

I don't mind how my XD looks. It's worn from many draws at IDPA matches. It also has a nice scratch on the slide from a rivet in my jeans the first time I tried to holster it. It's a bit scratched, it's a little rough, but it's MY XD and I wouldn't change it.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

You wanna see wear?

Do ya?

 

[bigghoss]

hmm almost as bad as my S&W 19

 

[MyXD40]

The holster I mostly use won't scrach or wear down my guns. I expect them to look new all the time, and they do. Takes me about 45 minutes to clean juse one gun on a basic field strip, after each shooting.

I was homeless right after highschool, so I know the value of a dollar. And everything I have, I bought, and I intend to keep them fresh and clean being I earned them. I spent a lot of money on my truck, and you bet if that got a dent on it I'd be TICKED!!!! and so what if it's 4x4 doesnt mean it needs to see mud or be dirty!!

I figure you show off your gun and shoot it at the range more than anything. So if someone wants to see it, I'll be sure it's good lookin

 

[BikerRN]

I take care of my guns, but they do show wear.

That doesn't bother me, neglect does. I've dropped more than one gun, and probably will drop another one or two in my lifetime. Oh well, stuff happens.

Right now I'm carrying a 4" N-Frame Revolver in blued steel. Six months of daily carry and "practice' has the gun showing signs of "holster wear". I figure I will need to have it refinished in two more years, if I'm lucky. I may just keep it "as is" for ten years or so since it's honest holster/use wear.

I'll probably switch my EDC to a Stainless Steel 3" GP100 after the new year.

Biker

 

[NCHornet]

If you carry a gun everyday like I do they are going to show some wear.
WEAR DOESN'T EQUAL ABUSE it simply means the gun has been used for what it was designed for. Because of these wear marks I don't carry all of my handguns. The finish on a Glock will withstand being holstered more than the bluing on a Colt Python. When looking for a carry gun a little holster wear doesn't bother me, if I am looking for a safe gun I look for something that doesn't have these marks.

 

[Mountie]

I wear mine every day......like your favorite leather jacket, it gets that "worn in" look from the holster and useage. I can account for most of the nicks and dings though....some scratches from using a cinder block wall as cover, I think I still have drywall in the grip from learning to wear the thing years ago.....for a time there wasn't a drywall corner in my house that wasn't damaged at holster level.....

Point is there's no corellation between a sidearm which looks used and one that not maintained......I had a guy on the line once who's sidearm was immaculate. During the cleaning portion of the lecture he disclosed that he cleaned his pistol by putting it in the dishwasher.....

 

[MyXD40]

If you carry a gun everyday like I do they are going to show some wear.

I hope you mean that as in a holster or way you physicaly carry your gun..

cause my gun looks as new as the day I bought it and I carry everyday for at least 10 hours a day..

 

[Tanzer]

Pretty much what I was figuring so far. When you think of the forces involved, it all adds up. Putting your gun in a holster once or twice makes little difference, and a little Hoppes never wore down a finish. But it's like the old question; "Can a man eat an elephant?" Yup, One bite at a time.
It seems most agree that normal use means repeated exposure, and that leads to the "broken in" look. From my pics, you can clearly see the grip safety has been squuezed many times, and the side safety is worn from riding against the thumb break. The little scratch on the dissassembly latch happened on day 1 when I found out that breaking down a scaled-down 1911 is an art form. Haven't dropped this one yet, but I sure have bumped it. I'm on the ocean a lot, so it gets oiled and rubbed a lot. What you can't see in the photos is that the coating is a shade lighter than it used to be. It shows up in the slide hashes as shiny spots. All okay to me, That's what it took to put so many rounds through it that I trust it with my life.

 

[Archie]

Most of mine are pretty nice. I do try to avoid marking them and have the Marine Corps aversion to rust.

But my daily revolver reminds me of 'forty miles of bad road'.

 

[Raytracer]

Wear is fine. Nothing looks better than a deep rich blue job that's worn off of all the high spots.

Scratches and nicks, however, bother me. Rust and tarnish is totally unacceptable.

Joe