A commenter over at Say Uncle‘s asks the following question of those of us who dare to modify our firearms for comfort and/or usability:
How will you answer when the policeman asks you, “Did you pimp this up especially to enjoy shooting that 15 year old kid in your hallway? What’s with the folding stock and pistol grip? It looks like a drug dealer’s gun. May I have permission to search your home?”
Given that this hypothetical conversation will probably be taking place after you just shot someone in your own home, the last question seems to be somewhat superfluous – your house is now a crime scene, and subject to being searched, with or without your permission (at least that is my understanding). Furthermore, a police officer at the scene has no business asking those kinds of questions, and I would, in all likelihood, refuse to answer them without my lawyer present.
However, assuming I was of the inclination to answer those questions, or assuming that those kinds of questions came up during a trial and my lawyer did not object to them (in which case I need to find a new lawyer), my answers would be relatively simple:
“No, I modified this firearm to make it easier and more comfortable for my wife and I to use. The collapsible stock is there because her requirements for length-of-pull are different from mine, and I wanted us both to be able to use it accurately. Likewise, the pistol grip affords us better control of the firearm, while simultaneously being part-and-parcel of a recoil-reduction system built into the stock – another requirement for my wife’s use of the firearm, given she is much smaller and lighter than me. Finally, the flashlight allows me to confirm my targets before I pull the trigger, decreasing the probabilities of shooting the wrong person.”
In the end summation, I am simply on the other side of the fence from this other commenter on the same post:
I’ll never understand why folks think they have to attach all kinds of crap to a firearm. I can see a minor modification like what I did with my Bushmaster carbine, I just changed the grip and trigger guard. Otherwise it’s exactly as it was when I got it brand new out of the box, it puts the rounds where I want them very nicely as is.
Every other gun I have is the same way, no fancy (and unnecessary) do-dads.
I will just never understand why folks think they have to conform their own bodies to the ergonomics of the firearm, rather than the other way around. I will just never understand why folks think all modifications are unnecessary. I will just never understand why people would not want something customized to them – after all, are you in the ergonomic range the firearm manufacturers built the equipment to?
My wife and I have very different body construction, and the ranges of our comfortable lengths-of-pull are very, very different. When ti comes to the Knoxx stock I have on my 870, while I can use the shotgun at all settings (though my nose might be beat up on the lowest two), I still prefer it out at the last two settings and find my shooting to be more accurate there. My wife, on the other hand, can only comfortably, and, more importantly, accurately, use the shotgun at the lowest setting. Would you have us own two separate firearms just to avoid “unnecessarily” modifying them? Or would you rather us own a single firearm that one or the other (or both) of us is not 100% comfortable with, especially when that lack of comfort may also result in a lack of accuracy?
“But, we were not talking about those kinds of modifications!”… I can already hear people saying it. Yeah, so which ones were you talking about? Laser sights? Help some people with accuracy and target aquisition. Flashlights? Help with target identification in dark areas (you know, like houses after dark). Pistol grips? Increase some people’s control of (and thus accuracy with) firearms. Folding stocks? Decrease the amount of storage space a firearm takes up, which can be important in apartments. Forward vertical grip? Can provide a more comfortable and controlling grip on the firearm for some people. Barrel shrounds? What, do you want to burn your fingers? Extra magazine/shell holders? Well, I cannot think of a time anyone ever said, “Darn, I wish I was not carrying this much ammunition…”
If we let our lives be dictated by public perception, none of us would even own firearms. Likewise, if no one ever bothered to try out new and different ways of putting lead on targets, we would all still be using single-shot bolt-action beasts… or worse. And for those of you who think that might be a good thing, cut the pointless condescension already. Sure, believe as you like, and do as you like with your firearms, but guilt tripping people into believing a similar way, or using boogey-men-built-from-straw to scare them into thinking your way? Give me a break.
Small addendum: After saying all of that, I would still recommend against investing too much money into any firearm you plan on using for self-defense, should a situation call for it. That firearm will end up being evidence, and may be confiscated for a very long period of time… and, in reality, you may never see it again. If you are comfortable with losing a $1300 Wilson Combat Uber-Shotgun to a police evidence room, more power to you. Me, I am going to stick to a mundane 870… admittedly with a few “fancy, unnecessary doo-dads” attached.
Well, think about how most people are with most anything they purchase.
But of course, some go with stock, but the ride, comfort, and performance is not the same.
We buy clothing off the rack and just wear it. It works “good enough”. But then, there are those that get tailor fitted suits and understand the difference such things make.
We buy our cars off the lot and most people drive them “as is” until they get another car. But then, there are those that like to work on their cars, customize them, and make them fit just right.
Now those of us that ride motorcycles tend to be the customizing type.
Lots of people buy food already made… be it a frozen dinner you just heat and eat, a can of soup you just open and dump into the pot, or whatever. But then some people know how to buy raw ingredients and make some fantastic cuisine.
So you just have to consider that our society tends to just buy what’s given to us and we go with it. Not that this is always a bad thing… sometimes “good enough” is all we need and is truly good enough. But then, some of us in some aspects of life aren’t satisfied with “good enough”.
Oh, I certainly understand that there are those people for whom “good enough” is… well… good enough. But those same people looking down their noses at folks who dare to modify firearms to suit their own personal desires? That is just plain silly.
Life is made for the average, if we are lucky, and if you do not fall in that narrow definition of average, then it is incumbent upon you to either adapt, or adapt the item in question.
Dunno about you, but I am all about customizing the tool, and not my body or comfort factor.
the apparent evil of choice… again?
Well, it would seem as though Mostly Genius took a little exception to my previous post concerning modifying and accessorizing firearms. That, in and of itself, I do not mind, and in fact I encourage it – after all, everyone…
Everyone’s gotta feel superior (or at least good) about their position because well… otherwise why hold that position?
But hey, I got no problem with customizations. My motorcycle is far from stock, and then there’s this:
http://hsoiblog.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/back-from-springer-precision/
In the end this is like most things. Do what you want with your life, just don’t tread on me. Gotta keep consistent in our beliefs and behaviors, right?
Why have that position? Because it basically boils down to personal comfort, satisfaction, and feel. Sure, that decision is superior… for you. But arbitrarily deciding that it is superior for all possible people in all possible situations? That is silly.
You need to put up a picture of that thing, by the by… and I so should not have clicked on that link for Springer Precision… *sigh*
As for your last comment, that is the real irony of the situation, is it not? Here we fight for personal independence and the right to do as we damned well please, and then we get around to telling people, “You are doing it all WRONG!” I agree with Heinlein – it must be some root defect in the human design.
To say that “this way is right for all, period” generally doesn’t hold. Sure some things could be said of that, but on the whole no, everyone’s going to work a little different and what’s best for you may not be what’s best for me.
That said, we can make some broad statements that some things may be generally better or worse than others. In the realm of firearms, in general a good trigger will help you shoot better than a crappy one. In general, having a good set of sights will help you shoot better. But are the best sights XS Sights? Heine Straight 8′s? Dawson Precision? BoMar? Well, that becomes a matter of choice, but again I do believe that, based on mounds of experiences of thousands of shooters around the world, you will shoot better with better sights. I think it’s reasonable to make such an assertion. But again, which sight work better I would say depends upon your application. You won’t see the IPSC guys with the XS Sights, but a defensive-handgunner probably could care less about precision adjustable rear sights with sharp edges that snag when they draw from concealment.
But I think Brillianter/Mostly Genius does have a point here:
http://brillianter.com/2009/06/firearm-modifications/
The feel I got from his side of things was that unless the modification has a true purpose towards your desired end goal, don’t bother. Like his bipod suggest. If this is a home defense gun, what do you need a bipod for? What advantage are you gaining and what disadvantage are you getting? Of course, if your home is a lot of country acreage and you may well be shooting at folks 300+ yards away to keep them back from your fenceline well then, yeah maybe a bipod is useful there.
Anyway, this is the joy of the Internet. Everyone’s got a place to share their opinion.
Springer…. I thought I had put up a pic but I guess not. But in the end, there’s no reason to. The gun looks stock save for the Dawson Precision sights. Nothing really sexy to look at. Sure is sexy to shoot tho.
But the problem is, what are “better sights”? Ahab apparently loves the hell out of black-on-black sights, whereas I would just be completely lost on those, and that is regardless of their style or manufacturer. As it is, I happen to like my stock Walther sights, but if it came with black-on-black, I would have to replace them.
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Is that a bad thing? I would contend not. Obviously others disagree with me, and my only complaint with that is the manner in which they disagree.
If that is what Mostly Genius wanted to say, then he should have said it, and I would have brooked no argument with it. However, as you may have guessed from my response to that post of his, what he said could be interpreted in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, if that was his core message, it got lost somewhere in the attitude accompanying it…
And, dude, gun porn is gun porn, and there is no such thing as “bad” gun porn
If you own the firearm, do whatever the hell you want (or don’t want) to it within the law and to hell with anyone who disagrees.
Too many gun owners like to tout how much they’re individualists, then spend countless hours ripping into each other because their choice of firearms or firearm accessories doesn’t conform to what they prefer.
Different strokes, folks.
Yeah, well, that was basically what I was trying to say, Graumagus, just a lot shorter and a lot more to-the-point. Bah.
Man, you need a way to “notify of follow-up comments via email” or some such like that.
As for the gun porn well… I’ll see if I can get a pic up eventually. Trust me tho, it’s nothing sexy to look at.
Huh. I had one of those… seems to have magically disappeared. Anywise, it has been re-added, and might work.