Gun things that grind my gears

Buckle up kids, it’s time to rant. Welcome to Gun Things that Grind my Gears, or the alternate title “everything is stupid and dumb.” Whether it’s guns, gear, or people everyone has pet peeves. Here are some of mine.

Finger grooves on revolver grips
Who designed these? Seriously, whose idea was it to put a bunch of knucklebusters on revolver grips that only fit one guy with a very specific hand size? Do you have normal human sized hands? Tough noogies, these grips don’t fit you. Do you have freakish monkey-paws? These grips don’t fit. I can only assume that they were designed to fit the actual designer, and when he was done he was all “yeah, screw everyone else’s hands.”

People who say “I don’t want to rely on anything with batteries on my defensive firearm
Oh yeah, this makes loads of sense! We don’t want those fragile “electronics” on our guns! It’s 1988 and I’m scared of change! Seriously people, battery powered stuff is fine. When was the last time you heard about an Aimpoint crapping out, or a Crimson Trace laser failing? People who say “I don’t want to rely on batteries” are probably just too lazy to change the batteries twice a year. I bet their smoke detectors have dead batteries too.

Single action on DA revolvers
I’ve already covered this one.

most factory pistol sights
How hard is it to put good sights on your gun? Apparently quite difficult, because 99% of the time when I get a new pistol, the first thing I rip off are the sights. Sometimes manufacturers nail it, and then the rest of the time I guess they know that most people can’t shoot anyway, so they figure “screw it, let’s put these crappy sights on here.”

dynamic story

Tactical nuthuggers
“Oh man, Trainer X was a Tier Zero operator, so nothing he says could be wrong.” “That’s not how trainer X teaches it, and he was in Doorkickastan for 20 years shooting guys in the peehole!” There are plenty of trainers out there who have impressive military resumes and teach awesome stuff. There are also plenty of dudes who couldn’t teach their way out of a paper bag but surround themselves with uncritical yes-men to feed their ego. Here’s the only criteria that matters in a trainer: can they make you better?

Basically every shot timer on the market
How is that we can put a robot the size of a Mercedes-Benz on the surface of Mars but we can’t make a shot timer that’s worth a crap? I have a CED7000 that I’ve nicknamed Lazarus because I keep having to resurrect it.

People who open carry rifles in public to get attention
Stop it. I get that Daddy didn’t hug you enough or something, but now when you act out to get attention you’re making the rest of us look bad. You don’t need to OC your bubba’d SKS around, you need a good therapist to work out your abandonment issues.

Magazine disconnect safeties
Hey, I’ve got a great idea! Let’s design this gun so that you can totally and completely disable it by pressing one of the three major controls! That seems like an awesome idea. I totally love designs that can render my gun unshootable on accident.

And our final entry today: Arrogant bloggers who rant about stuff on the internet
God, is there anything worse than some pretentious douche who thinks he’s hot stuff because he has a blog that a few people read? He’s probably just some loser who can’t get laid writing angry rants while stuffing his face with Cheeto-crusted hot pockets. The only thing that could make these guys more annoying is if they had a brief stint as an also-ran contestant on some stupid reality show.

70 Comments

  1. I busted an Aimpoint Comp in 1996 on my Open gun 😀

    But it had nothing to do with the Electronics, it was the Windage Screw!!

    Oh, I just helped Peoria, AZ PD Get two Aimpoints Replaced, YES, they were Busted, but you can Imagine what they looked like, PD, SWAT Team.. You know, KAKA!!

    You are right though, I have yet to see the Electronics on an Aimpoint give out yet..

  2. I like finger grooves.

    Hogue revolver grips? Yup… Glock 17s? Yup, yup.

    They fit me perfectly. Not my fault your have weird hands……. 😉

    1. Thanks Chuck, Hogue grips are awesome. Love them on my shotguns too!
      I have yet to find finger groove grips that I haven’t felt comfortable with.

    2. My favorite revolver is my Smith model 57 4″. First thing I did was add some Pachmayer Pro grips without the back strap, cut off the bottom extra rubber and buzzed off the finger groves. Then ground off the groves on the trigger. Perfection!

      1. Yeah. It’s not that I don’t know how to spell “grooves”. It’s just that it’s my day off and I had 5 shots of good vodka before I tried.

  3. On the Timer, you must be buying Factory Seconds, I Purchased a PACT MKIV Timer/Chrono in 1994, that puppy is still alive and kicking!!! Yes it’s big, but WORKS!! And PACT’s Customer Service is PERFECT!!!

      1. I’ve resorted to cheap smartphones (without bothering to activate the phone connection) and apps for shot timers…they seem to work more reliably than many of the shot timers out there, and cost a lot less. Plus you get your wifi built in. Not sure about syncing, but I think that’s a feature on the non-free apps.

  4. ” I have a CED7000 that I’ve nicknamed Lazarus because I keep having to resurrect it.” That is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a very long time!!! Kudos on a great post!

  5. “Finger grooves on revolver grips”

    I feel the same way about the finger grooves on semi-auto grips. It’s why all of my Glocks are 2nd generation models.

    1. Same here. Back in my PSD days, when I had to shoot the Gen3 Glock 19 in training, I wanted to cry after the second mag. The grooves were perfectly aligned in a way that if i had a decent grip, then the third peek between the grooves dug into the middle of the joint of my ring finger. I always asked to be issued that Glock 17 Gen2.

  6. LIKE. Especially the shot timer thing… I’ve broken six CED7000s.

    But I actually think a well designed mag disconnect has benefits. Those benefits may not outweigh it for everyone, but if you’re having your mags randomly fall out of your gun then whether that one particular round in the chamber (if there is one) probably isn’t the thing you should be most worried about.

  7. For real, can someone please tell Glock to stop putting that damn U-bar on the back and put a decent pair of sight son there?

  8. I gotta say…the last paragraph totally declawed the statement that was going through my mind up until that point. Bravo.

  9. Finger grooves on grips? Depends on the grips. However, I have yet to find built in and nonremoveable finger grooves that fit…

    Don’t want to trust batteries? Even if you’re worried about it, internalize and actualize this dynamic word, Candidate Operator: “co-witness”.

    Done, problem solved. Worst case scenario, you’re right where you would have been without the gizmo installed. Now suck it up, drink water, change your socks, and quit OC’ing your WASR10 in a Dragaknockoff stock to the grocery store.

  10. I’ve seen two different eotechs completely fail on a sunny spring day, on a prairie in kansas. Can’t imagine what war could do to one. Also I’ve seen people not screw their aimpoint micro battery compartment down hard enough. After firing a couple rounds the red dot disappears. I’ll stick with fiber optics and tritium but I agree with most everything else.

  11. Depends on the electronics. Sure, if you’ve got the money for it, the high dollar items should correspond with high quality, but with those of us who can’t afford it, I’ve got a Centerpoint scope on my 10/22 that’s supposed to have a red/green illuminated reticle, but the battery needed to be changed after the first day at the range… (which wasn’t really 1 day, more like 1 hour)

    1. Also, I love the Hogue grips on my dad’s revolvers (686, 629, and GP100), and so does he; they fit us perfectly.

      But on the 617, it actually came with grips that felt like the Hogue material, but it doesn’t have finger grooves.But it’s just in 22LR. Larger calibers, I’m guessing, the finger grooves are meant to give you more contact surface area for better control.

  12. If you need an electric gizmo to hit a torso sized target at 1-7 yds., why not add a laser range finding 6×18 scope with night vision in case it’s further away and it’s dark?

  13. Hogue grips…not such a problem. Also, the last time I’ve heard of a crimson trace crapping out was not too long ago. That said, I’d accept nothing less than a nice RDS on a rifle and I am sincerely considering getting my glock milled for a MRDS. Batteries are in fact, the way of the future.

    My main gripe is people who still carry revolvers when the person they’ll need to shoot in the face is likely to be carrying a semi auto 😀

  14. I hate magazine safeties. The original P-35/Hi Power was produced with one ’cause the French contract it was originally produced for demanded it. Why Browning has kept it for the past 79 years is beyond me.

    Get rid of it. You’ll not only be able to fire a chambered round between mag changes if needed, the mags will more easily drop free, and it’s the equivalent of a free trigger job.

  15. Glock is the only outfit that gets factory sights right. So bad = so cheap. The serious are going replace anything sold OEM anyway. Even if they were Heine’s a bunch are going to switch to HDs or something and then the gun costs more. Those who are content with them; LCD, so?

  16. I don’t have as much a problem with grips that can be replaced having finger grooves, but I do when the finger grooves are molded into the polymer frames of handguns like Glock does. I finally had my grip frame shipped off to a custome gunsmith to have those annoying finger grooves ground off. Now my hand doesn’t hurt after firing just a few rounds of .40 S&W. I’ll probably do the same thing with my Glock 19, although with the gentler recoil it is not as painful with them still on.

  17. Gosh, I hope you didn’t burn your mouth on the Cheeto-crusted hot pockets. I hear those things are hot right out of the toaster oven.

    “Hey, I’ve got a great idea! Let’s design this gun so that you can totally and completely disable it by pressing one of the three major controls!”

    I have to say, you hadn’t cared one way or the other about magazine safeties, until you put it that way. Now I think I’m going to disable it ASAP.

  18. I like magazine safeties because of the famous cop who shot himself in front of the class. People make that mistake so often. OTOH, I don’t own any guns with one, so it must not be too important to me. This may be a big mistake on my part, considering how many different mistakes I have made using the espresso machine. On the gripping hand you can totally and completely disable the guns without one by pressing two of the three major controls in the right order….

    1. “I’m the only one in this room professional enough… to carry a Glock .40:” Classic. My all time favorite gun related YouTube Vid. If you haven’t seen it, don’t pass it up.

      1. Thank you for sharing this. I don’t know how I’ve never seen it before! I never would have believed it was real if not for the articles about the subsequent lawsuits.

      2. I buy cases of .40’s, pull the bullets, save the powder, and put it in my Glock 10mm. Just bought a Bar Sto conversion Stainless barrel 2 shoot .40’s in my 10mm. Why, yes you can. Just one little other trick,____________I’m not going to tell Ya!. Want a 32 rnd, mag 4 your Glock. Sand the base plates, 2-part expoxy glue, clamp in homemade jig tight, let dry 24 hrs. Now your double capacity. How about a flashlight, the cheap ones from harbor freight tools (Free when you buy something). Put 1″ Weaver scope ring on light at the switch. Cut down weaver base for 1 scope ring, use hose clamp around weaver base & Trigger guard (Not extremely tight) use smaller screw driver until it slips out of slot then plenty tight. Get a Longer threaded barrel; thread a piece of water pipe same makes a nice handle.

    2. I think you mean TJ Hooker?. Cops shoot them-selves when they play Quick Draw in the room before they go out on shift. Pull the gun, as it flys across the room, hits the desk, bounces on floor; and the poor Guy/Women is having a bad/day/night. And as the ready room Lieutenant says; OK!, who shot a hole in the Patrol Schedule–right through my day off note.

  19. Open carry keeps the topic of gun rights on the table it educates those who fear guns. funny how concealed carry does none of these things. hide your rights and get in line to register.

      1. If you think you can open carry a loaded AR around town on your back and expect not to be questioned then your part of the issue that makes firearms enthusiasts look like nut jobs to most people. Standing in Starbucks or on main street U.S.A. giving law enforcement a hard time in an attempt to prove a point isn’t doing anything other than alienating both the public and LEO’s.
        So applying for a C/C is registration to you? How about that trusty 4473 form you file on every purchase? Ever thought about that? It may not be registration by name but it comes closer to it than applying for a CCL

        1. Did you not hear what happened to the guy from Florida who was harassed in Maryland because an asshole cop was able to look up the fact that he had a concealed carry permit?

          I don’t prefer open carrying a long gun (and I don’t, since handgun OC isn’t prohibited in my state), but in Texas, open carry of a long gun is legal but open carry of a handgun is prohibited. The only way to open carry there is with a long gun.

          Hopefully Texas will remove the prohibition on handgun open carry soon.

    1. I know more about TOTAL Gun Registration than ANYONE on this Forum!! I lived under it for 21 years!!

      Pray tell me how carrying a Loaded AR15 in Public will prevent those who hate us from hating us more??

      And if the Shit hit the fan, who do you think will get shot in the back of the head first??

      The dude with the AR or a Floppy $10 Cordura Holster that has probably NEVER drawn or Practiced how to Draw his Pistol, or someone who has trained and is Carrying concealed??

      Just saying!!

      1. i am trained/continue to train and open carry i don’t own a 10 dollar holster i carry every day never had a bad encounter with anyone, i fail to see how getting a CC permit isnt registration.

        1. We don’t need a CC Permit in AZ, but were were warned that even in AZ, if you don’t have a CCW, and you get stopped within 1000 feet from a School, you are SOL!!

    2. Caleb only mentioned rifles. it’s one thing to go about your business with a handgun on your hip. it’s another for you and your buds to don your woodland camo bdu’s and wander around the TOYS R US parking lot with loaded AR-15’s.

    3. How does open carry keep the topic of gun rights on the table in a POSITIVE way? The problem with OC advocates is that they are under the false assumption that everyone else thinks like them. This misguided belief makes it hard for them to empathize with others, which in turn blinds them to the reality that their actions are hurting their position, not helping it. You may think that OC shows you are responsible, but, for the average person, when seeing someone walking around carrying a rifle, their first thought isn’t: “Oh, look at how responsible that person is open carrying. God bless America! From our dead hands. Come and take it. Don’t tread on me. Yada yada yada. Sheeple sheeple sheeple.” Instead, it’s more on the lines of having their life flash before their eyes while thinking: “Oh FML, there’s a wackaloon that’s about to shoot up the place. Quick let’s get the f’k out of here. OMG sweet little infant baby Jesus.” Yeah, sure, OC advocates educate the populace, but not in a way positive for gun rights. Take the open carry hero / douche, Dereck Simonsmeier, who was just arrested for making threats with his open carry handgun during a misunderstanding involving roommates. His 15-minutes of fame started when a manager at a store asked him to leave, because he was scaring the customers with his, self-described, responsible open carry. Being kicked out of a store allowed him to garner the spotlight by whining about how this experience made his vag hurt. Given the fact that he just threatened an unarmed guy with his open carry pistol does nothing more than educate everyone else that the store manager exercised good judgement by asking him to leave. So, you may think that open carry shows that you are responsible, but the rest of the population looks at your lot as loons and thinks that “responsible open carry” is a bit of an oxymoron.

    1. No, there isn’t, I carry concealed, and I DO carry more than ONE pistol. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to:

      1- Piss the natives off
      2- Tell the bad guy Shoot me FIRST!!

      My dad Carried Concealed most of his life and in 1985, at the age of 68 and months after an almost fatal heart attack, he Emptied his Colt Cobra on a POS that tried robbed my Mom, he missed, but the guy had to go change his shorts!!

  20. You Nailed It!. What else is there to Say?!. I had finger groove Mustang grips on my Colt Python; before I went over to the Up-right belt sander and sanded them off. I replaced it with some cross hatching instead. As for the other stuff; mostly true, but I believe from a post before that stuff is a CRUTCH for most people. I, We, Us, used to make Laser gun sights and sell them @ the gun shows in L. A., O.C. (Lasertronics) Lakewood, CA., 90808. Batteries do go dead because people don’t keep up on there status; and they carrode and wreck the product. Ask my wife, she never checks the batteries in anything until it doesn’t work anymore. Hun, can you change the batteries! NO, it doesn’t work anymore!. Flashlights, Smashlights, why add that extra weight just because everybody else has one on theirs. Well, On and On it goes–until Nobody Knows, so it goes–I’m GONE!.

  21. Count me in on all of these and then add novelists who make their living from writing police/PI crime procedurals, but still have their hero reloading his .45 with a fresh clip. Worse yet is when one of them decides to write a Western and has his hero swinging our the cylinder on his Colt SAA!

      1. I hate when you see them have 2 jack a round into the slide before they can shoot it. If you don’t already have one UP THE SPOUT already; your dead meat. Barettas’ are totally safe w/a rnd. in there. Can you say Hammer Drop–then they cock the hammer too. give me a break!. But you have to remember that these people are movie goers first and everything else second. My wife has a 92f full size, me 1911, 10mm. Glock ,it’s (UP THE SPOUT) & ready to go always. My 1911 is cocked and locked and UP THE SPOUT always too. I bought my wife 4 mags. when I got it 4 her 92f. For my Glock I have 8 mags, 4 on each side of my belt. This was back when you could buy the 16 rounders & all of them are. My Ruger Mini-14 I has 4 20 rounders, and 4 30 rounders. Can you say “Never Leave home without it!.”.

      2. Things do Change with the times. But, refer a Lot of these people to a book. Doesn’t cost a $01cent. Get it @ the Library. The Right To Keep and Bear Arms. They’ll be glad you mentioned it. Written quite awhile ago; but still valid most things. Have one with my Books. Take a guess what books?. All Gun Books and Magazines. I spelled out Magazines so no one would confuse it with Gun Clip Magazines.

      3. I like all these annomymous bloggers. Are they on a Wanted Poster or something. Is there wife looking to catch up on the Child support. There all wusses” . Maybe they’ll take this post off,but, tell it Like it is!. I like Sarchasm too, I’m good at it. But I don’t offend the purpose of this.

      4. Isn’t that called nerve impulse to Leg. Leg starts Twitching. Signal goes back to brain; brain says start walking. Legs start moving, first the right then the left. onetwo, onetwo, “Three four”–Ah–forget it. Couldn’t resist the Impulse.

      5. Enough, Already!. Dinner time, then a Nap. Big Day Tomorrow–Wifes’ out of town 4 2 weeks with the Daughter & Son-in-Law. When the Cats’ gone, The Mouse will Play. Have all my pages lined up with everything already in the shopping carts. Only have to press Check Out Now.

  22. I’d like to add “Urban legends, mangled stories, and decades old studies brought up as data in scientific matters related to firearms.”

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