DeSantis Gunhide Question of the Day: What’s the Biggest Change in the Gun World You’ve Seen?

All I can think about for this video is “Paul McCain.”

Moving from So. California to Wyoming in 2006. After that, the elimination of the CC “permit” here in Wyoming, and then in a lot of other places. Since then, California has just gotten worse and worse, on far more than RKBA issues. I’m so glad I escaped in time!

I am fairly new to pistols within the last year so maybe this might give some perspective of a different sort.
Let me start off by saying I shoot regularly and research a lot about about both pistols, ammunition, shooting styles, etc. but know that though my shooting skills are above adequate I am no expert.
Now to the point(s):
1. I was and still am surprised at how much snobbery there is regarding gun ownership. I have seen this with all makes I have looked at and strongly directed at Hi Points of which I own a 380 and 9 but again no manufacturer is left out. I have also seen in direct contrast some extremely intelligent conversation of which this site is the best I’ve seen so far.
(2) From my perspective again…I am wondering why there seems to be few real world shooting exercises being shown. Most appear to be about target shooting or military style tactics.
(3) From $200.00 guns to $1200.00 guns there has been no discussions on what makes an expensive gun expensive vs. a less expensive (take your pick and price point) gun when they all shoot though differently, accurately and all I have seen and used are safe in all but the most extreme circumstances ( see the destructive you tube videos ).
Just a few thoughts and thanks.

More firearms per household, acceptance of pistols as viable hunting firearms, more semiautomatic firearms, and better ammunition. Also more wemon using guns

biggest change since I started shooting in 2001, spotty availability of .22lr ammo since 2008.

That freeze frame of the video looks like “another day of quality control at the dildo factory”.

Well done.

First change I think of is the internet. 25/ 30 years ago I had to rely on word of mouth dead tree magazines or local gun stores for reviews or new product information.
Second, is prices, 1985 a sub M.O.A. rifle was several thousand dollars, new handguns are about half of what the comparables were. In 1990 ish I paid around 1 grand for a S&W 1006 and Galco shoulder rig, today a Glock 20 is what 500.?

Customization and the ease of home gunsmithing. I credit the ar for most of it, but most pistols are easy to customize too.

Nah

The days of dubious reliability are never over, not for my arsenal of 1911s

Change from wood/steel to polymer/steel. As a subset of that, the flip from revolvers to semi-autos, especially in LE. I started out in 1977 being issued a 6 shot S&W and ended in ’09 with a Sig 226 although my agency went to Glock in ’11.

Watching the price of some of my favorite warhorses (and in some cases their ammo) skyrocket over the past five years : (. Hearing stories from old timers at my lgs about the palletes of milsurp goodies available in the 50’s and 60’s has me lime-green with envy every time.

The biggest change I have seen in the past few years is the growing gap between gun owners who truly understand the second amendment and those who do not. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a (usually older, but not always) person who is a big hunter, nra supporter or former military talking about how “nobody needs ____” or “why would anyone take that ____ class” or even “____ shouldnt be available to civillians”. It is absolutely disgusting and frightens off new gun owners who want the best gear and training to protect their family.

Having an AR/AK or taking it to a range without someone freaking out and saying something like “Jesus what do you NEED that for?” Or “What are you gonna shoot the place up with that thing?” Or “What the hell is that thing!?”. Even among gun owners, semi auto rifles with scary looking banana clipazines were once frowned upon and feared. I remember going to the range with an AK shortly after the ban ended, and getting dirty looks from everyone. Now you can’t go to a range without it being awash in AR/AK and everything in between. It’s beautiful.

The price of ammunition skyrocketing in tandem with booms in ownership. .22 LR’s used to cost a penny.

The increased use of polymers in pistols. That has been the biggest change in handgun variability I’ve noticed. Lighter, smaller, higher-capacity, cheaper, more reliable, etc. That led to the revolver being a less ubiquitous sidearm for personal defense and law enforcement.

Law enforcement with military firearms and supplies. There was a tangible shift in the environment of firearm ownership when the police suddenly needed the 10mm/40 S&W cartridge and surplus assault/sniper rifles.

Hmmm… since I started shooting? Probably the advent of smokeless powder.

In my youth guns were primarily for hunting and if you lived in farm country, as I did, pest control. Most handguns I saw were revolvers and most of those were .22 or .38. WW2 bring backs were not uncommon.

I believe gun ownership and usage was in decline then. Machine guns were legal and available in just about every state but people didn’t buy them. This was way before the registry and no new mg’s.

The NRA was involved in hunters safety programs and marksmanship training.

And then the 68 gca. That’s when we started to get active about protecting our rights. Couple this with viet nam and a growing distrust in .gov and gun ownership began to radically change.

A new group of gun owners began to emerge. Folks that did not live in the boonies and were not hunters. Simple defense of self and family could be achieved with a revolver or two but these new gunnies were stocking up on AK’s and AR’s and the like.

Where is all this leading? I haven’t a clue. But it certainly is an exciting time to be a gun person.

More states allowing constitutional carry and permitted carry. More court decisions going pro gun. A growing feeling that gun rights are just an extention of the civil rights movement.

I think the good old days of gun rights are just ahead of us.

Off topic. But has anyone got eyes on Ralph?

Rifled barrels.

But I’m kinda old.

Firearms are such antiquated tools.
When was the last time you saw a Star Trek Phasor or Klingon Disruptor run out of ammunition?

The Renaissance of carry rights beginning in the late 80’s, Florida was one of the first ‘shall issue’ states…

For myself over the previous twenty years it has been the willingness of gun owners to acknowledge that they own firearms. When I first got into the shooting sports now one talked about their collection outside of the the local gun shop or range. There were few people wearing shirts or hats advertising their interest and almost now stickers in car windows.

Oh sure, we all knew the one guy who had the ‘Keep Honking I’m Reloading’ but he was the exception. Today there are more people willing to talk about the hobby around the water cooler, more stickers or hats, more people at work who Are wearing an empty holster as opposed to removing it when they tuck the pistol in the glove box. That is the biggest change I’ve seen over the years.

Additionally, we’re more willing to acknowledge each other. I was standing in a Starbucks shop a before Christmas wearing a BCM hat when another customer stated that he was also a fan of Bravo Company as well.

Another example happened about a month ago in a Crest grocery store. An older gentleman was walking down an aisle wearing a S&W shirt that said ‘Bullets Make Me Happy’ and I can tell you twenty years ago very few would have worn that shirt.

The switch from “muh bolt action hunting gun” to “muh ARs”.

The other is static shooting to having tactical bays where you can actually practice and train. Rather than one shot every 5 seconds nonsense.

Me buying a gun 5 years ago. And caring about guns/rights. Around here having CC in Illinois…

I’ve noticed that cheaper guns are getting better, expensive guns are getting fancier, and innovation has been disincentivized because of the above.

The biggest cultural difference is that crazy people used to be institutionalized. Now they are either elected to high political office or left free to shoot up movie theaters.

Fifteen of the big changes I’ve seen:

Incorporation of CNC machining permitting production firearms better fitted and more accurate than the full customized guns of yesteryear.

Explosion in concealed carriers and all 50 states now with concealed carry, Never thought Illinois would allow it.

More realistic firearms training/qualifications for military and police

Lights in more general use on or with firearms

Many times more ARs and AKs in widespread use and now seen as mainstream and widely used for hunting.

Explosion in AR manufacturers and accessory makers.

ARs in a couple of dozen calibers.

Perfection of the budget priced MOA accurate bolt action rifle, almost every manufacturer has one.

Gunbroker.com

Endless varieties of firearms training easily available.

3 Gun and Cowboy Action Shooting.

Species specific hunting rifles as opposed to Varmint, Deer, Elk/Moose and Safari.

Amazing proliferation of options in optics for handgun, rifle and shotgun.

Specialization in hunting ammo.

Wide acceptance and use of suppressors.

If in 1980 you told me civilians would embrace the AR platform, I would have chuckled for a week.

“What’s the biggest technological and/or cultural change you’ve seen in the gun world since you started shooting?”

Beginning to understand the political fight they / we are in, and to sometimes respond effectively. Finally.

The rest availability of tactical training for armed civilians.

Since I’m only 18, I have not seen decades of change. But, I noticed that the we seem to be winning right now. In just the last few years we have gotten more constitutional carry, some court wins, and more people are getting into shooting. I hope and pray that we get a good leader in office this coming November and that the momentum continues.

Striker fired + polymer frame.

Gone from “weird Euro trash” to “new category” to virtual hegemony within the market space.

I love these old Army training vids from the 40’s. And actually, it does a decent job of explaining the absolute basics of gun operation, although it doesn’t really go into modern semi-auto guns.

As for trends, three things stand out to me.

First is the trends toward buying modern sporting rifles like AR and AK pattern semi-autos. Lots of people are enjoying these great guns and that’s a great thing.

Second, is the massive ‘tacticool’ trend. It seems like people are completely enamored with all things tactical. Vests, gun accessories, knives, clothes . . . you can literally get anything in a tactical configuration. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either, but equipment alone does not make the warrior.

Which brings me to the third item . . . training. Back in 2004 when I started working high risk security, there weren’t that many training facilities and opportunities for the average person. Most catered to LEOs and a select crowd of civvies. But that has also changed. The average gun owner is now provided with a wide range of training opportunities, some better than others but still there is lots of choice. I conduct HEAT courses (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) for people who are going to work in high risk environments (read that Third World countries, now PC called ‘Developing Nations’), and it used to be that there was limited choice of facilities to take clients to. Now, I have a wide range of choices and will be conducting HEAT training next month that includes vehicle ambush response, reaction to fire and IED and active shooter survival, and it isn’t difficult at all to find good places for training.

Given the current environment, i would recommend training like this to anyone who hasn’t had military training, and even they could benefit.

I’ve been a shooter all of my adult life and I’m on the downhill side of 60 so I’ve seen a lot of changes – I think that most have been positive. Let’s look at technology and politics as separate issues.

Technology: The big change has been the movement from traditional steel and wood to polymer with steel and/or aluminum construction. When I left Uncle Sam’s employment in 1974, guns were steel with a little aluminum thrown in for lightness. Furniture was birch or walnut. There were still plenty of WW2 era military surplus weapons on the market and you bought a Mauser or Enfield with the idea of cutting the stock down and building a nice deer rifle. Pistols were wheel guns by Smith and Wesson or Colt and only wierdos or real shooters bought automatics. The automatics were 1911’s, Browning Hi Powers or those new Smith and Wesson model 39s. Anything else except a P-38 or Luger (Okay because they were made by Germans who knew how to kill Commies) was “furrin” and indicated that you were a Commie and didn’t love Jesus.

So the whole polymer vs wood and steel thing has changed. People who carried a Model 19 Smith or Colt 1911 now hang a Glock, M&P or XD on their belt. Do they shoot better? We’ll save that argument for another day but we’ll agree that the tools have changed. Is that a bad thing? After all of our arguments – and as an old timer I’m a believer in the 1911 package – we need to remember that pistols and rifles are tools that put a chunk of lead on the target. Whatever tool you feel comfortable with works.

Now let’s talk politics. When I was growing up there was a split between city and country people. City people seemed to be afraid of guns (“that will go off”) , didn’t hunt or fish, and were more willing to see big government as the solution to problems. Country people hunted, fished and solved their own problems without intervention from the state capitol or Washington. When I grew up carry permits were rare and restricted to people who were politically connected.

The biggest change I’ve seen in 30 or 40 years is the acceptance of the firearms culture. Many states now use the “must issue” protocol for carry permits. Its possible to legally carry a weapon in many states based on a permit from another jurisdiction. Is that what the Constitutionalists want? Probably not – but its better than what we had 40 years ago when we hoped that we wouldn’t get stopped or prayed for “professional courtesy” if we were law enforcement. For the record I thank the Jersey trooper who stopped me back in 1994 and said “I’m not going to ask you if you’re carrying a gun, because I would have to do something about it.” I shook his hand, wished him a good day and we went on our way.

Optics and the transition back to smaller calibers.

Tough choice for me (43 years of ownership).
The change to two-handed handgun shooting might be it, or the near-disappearance of the revolver as a common self-defense tool. (Round gun guys- relax- I’m one of you.)(But I carry a Commander 95%)(Sorry!)

With the proliferation of synthetic and laminated stocks I think I’ve finally seen the demise of ebony forend caps with white line spacers and in front of the recoil pad too. I may have just dated myself.

First technology shift for me was when my dad brought home a first gen Glock. Cultural shift video Games, sparking a lot of the tactical interest.

“…What’s the biggest technological and/or cultural change you’ve seen in the gun world since you started shooting?…”

I started somewhat recently but from my perspective, two things:

1> President 0bama – He brought me into this world of RKBA

2> The internet – As we all know, the MSM did not go out of its way to tell the many stories of DGU’s that happen every day in the US. The internet slowly uncovered the reality of how often this happens (as well as how the outcome may have changed…..had the victim exercised their right). The internet also let it be known that there are many many great folks out there from all walks of life that support the RKBA.

i would say the biggest change to culture i have noticed is the conceal carry market. it has literally exploded over the last 10 years.

Prices plummeted from the beginning of the last century until now (adjusted for inflation) along with how much needed to be done via semi-manual/craftsman manufacturing processes. The new machines that replaced the craftsmen were increasingly precise and parts interchangeability went through the roof. Hand fitting became truly a thing of the past and so did some of the things that we held dear like hand cut checkering, deep rich bluing, lack of tool marks, durability, hand lapping and unnecessary variability in the actual end product in character, quality and capability. New designs have cropped up that are more manufacture friendly and resource efficient while at the same time being hugely more capable than the off-the-shelf equivalent of the past. At the same time as the average rifle’s probability of simply being able to shoot under 1MOA has gone through the roof so has the consistency of quality being reflected in price. There are distinct price bands in the marketplace now which divide the most basic from the bespoke and every level in between.

This is all supported by big and continuous gains in ammunition manufacture, performance and component consistency and variety. Not only do we have more choice and a hugely broad spectrum of price points for everything from guns to ammunition to accessories but also these things are available to more people than ever before because of the increase in number of price points. Even the very poor can with very little effort afford to be able to defend themselves.

The biggest area of improvement in actual performance though has to be optics. More choices with more precision in calibration and adjustment and light transmission abilities that previous generations had never dreamed about. From lens coatings to ultra high precision machining, it’s all improved so dramatically it’s sometimes hard to believe we ever made do with the first few generations of optics.

Tannerite!

The technology is probably old but when you can walk out of Academy Sports with ten pounds of big fun, that’s a change for the better.

I’d say the biggest change has been the ascendancy of the AR15. When I first got into guns and started learning about guns, the AWB had been dragging on for as long as I could remember, the M16 was the disgrace that’d let us down by jamming in Vietnam and not knocking guys down in Somalia. The AK-47 was the world’s best assault rifle our own troops wished they could carry and did whenever they could get away with it. Civilians didn’t have AR47’s. Then something happened. The AWB ended. The M4 came on the scene and then came the XM8, the SCAR, the ACR, and the HK416, but regular Joes still didn’t own “assault weapons”. Then came the Obama campaign and then presidency. AR’s, AK’s, and everything tactical exploded. Simultaneously, for a period of about 5 years, mostly in Obama’s first term, the consensus came to be that the AR15 and its descendants were unreliable, aging poorly, and needed to be replaced. So replacement after replacement was tested and ultimately forgotten about as hype died down. Then first came the new consensus, that the AR did in fact beat the AK, which had been secretly junk all along. Then the AR15 hit true ascendancy as people first tried to wed the piston alternatives systems to DI but ultimately gave up, deciding that the AR15 as it is with direct impingement is actually the greatest rifle ever and has been the whole time. And now thanks to the Obama years having been a cavalcade of panic after panic and price hike after price hike, AR15 competitors can no longer really compete on price. Couple that with the older brothers of my generation coming out of the military and getting enough capital as civilians to become big time shooters, and the AR15’s popularity exploded just at the same time as optics and accessories began to proliferate like never before. In the space of 10 years, we went from stock layouts and irons, thinking the AR was a moribund clunker, and not accepting black rifles. to having customization and accessories be the norm, have unending praise for the AR, and black rifles being the standard now.

I bought my first gun idk maybe 5 or 6 years ago. It was a handsome if neglected old English double barrel. The chokes had been cut off and the barrel had started to develop a patina. Damascus twist chambered in 10ga×2.625, dating I later found out to 1850-1863. I made new firing pins, custom black powder ammo, and tightened up the breach latch. Not a bad shooter for $180.

Despite all that I had not become a POTG. That occured 6/15 when I purchased my first handgun. In those short months since I have added another 10 to my collection with at least 3 more specifically on my wishlist.

I have watched my home state run headlong into tyranny while the rest of the nation seems to be catching on and reversing the tide.

Three words:
Three dee printer

A very successful firearms sales agent squatting at 1600 Penn Avenue

Doublestack handgun mags.