While no gun are perfect, some certainly have a lot to improve on, and a few may be a lost cause. The prior post scratched at the surface of the many calamities that can befall a gun, to its owner dismay. In this second part, we add on to that unwelcome pile and continue our modest attempts at helping the owner of a sucky gun make wiser decisions than we might have made… go as far as to give some hard earned advice that may or may not have come from unfortunate experience.
Durability
That issue rears its ugly head after some time and use. All is well with the gun for a while, but things start to go down the drain faster than the normal wear-and-tear once the honeymoon phase is over. Whether the reliability, accuracy and/or finish decides to take the easy trip downhill, this sucks, especially if we like the gun. To some, this feels like a betrayal, to others, a philosophical reminder that change is the reason for all suffering on earth. Sometimes and with luck, this can be remediated by replacing the offending parts, but if the gun is made of the same quality throughout, something else is likely to fail elsewhere in short order. Worse is if the important parts of a gun are not durable. Cheap is expensive when your gun spontaneously disassembles itself under the convincing argument of a few grains of powder and their thousands of PSIs. Some brands are better known than others for durability (or lack thereof). Doing a bit of research before a purchase can save a lot of grief, and stay away from the cheap stuff, for your safety and everyone else around you. Waiting for a brand-new gun to go through the ironing of its kink phase can be a good idea too, if we can afford patience. If the gun we bought is not durable, it can always be sold, but at a pittance: the word travels fast.
Manual of arms
We bought a gun because we liked its aesthetics and feeling. Once at the range and after having read the user manual (you read the user manual each time you acquire a new gun, right? This is important. Do it.), it turns out the gun is not fun to operate or own at all. It could be for some awkward controls, an weird type of action, its disassembly or reassembly requiring a graduate degree in engineering (and cussing) or something else, but the gun sucks. That is a bummer, because nothing can be done to fix this with the gun. Like the empty words of a social media influencer, the change has to come from within. If we are not willing to part with the gun, we will have to embrace its quirks and live with it.
Wrong gun for the use
While there might not be anything wrong with a gun, it still can suck. This is when it is bought with the wrong intentions in mind. Nothing criminal here, rest assured. I am talking about using a gun for a purpose it was not designed for. Without going as far as using a .50 Barrett rifle on a trap course, this can simply mean too bulky of a gun to be carried comfortably under summer garments, too heavy of a rifle to lug over ridges and ridges, or a self-defense gun with a so-so trigger in a target competition. Nothing wrong with any of these guns, but they will not do well for what we are asking them to do. Choosing a specific gun for a task means spending more money, but it also mean owning more guns. There is a silver lining to every cloud.
Recoil
Whether we admit it or not, recoil sucks. It may not be macho to complain about it, but it is true. Offer the choice between a .458 Winchester Magnum rifle or a 22LR carbine for an extended range session and you will separate the demented from the sound of mind. Recoil and loud blast will feel bad, force us to take more time between shots and can quickly invite a flinch. Bad. Some guns require power, like the ones for self-defense in large Bear country. There is no way around it and for the common man, these guns suck to shoot. However, not having them while facing a charging grizzly bear sucks more, and the choice is easily made. There are guns, however, that have unpleasant recoil because they are too light for their chambering. This may be a featherweight mountain rifle in 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum or a wee pocket pistol in 380 ACP. These light guns will offer less mass to dampen the equal and opposite action of ejecting the bullet and the propellant gasses forward. There is no escaping physics. While we may not think that these guns shoot be shot lots and often, think again. A hunter should practice with his gun, crossbow or bow extensively, for they will be taking a shot at a living animal in unexpected circumstances at unpredictable distances. Anybody relying on a gun for protection should practice extensively as well. Doing so with these guns will not only suck but bring negative consequences like developing a flinch or simply not practicing enough. In such cases, it may be good to consider a different gun or lighter chambering.
Hard to find chambering
Owning a gun without being able to shoot it sucks. The pandemic has shown us what panic buying is, and the toilet paper aisle had a lot in common with the ammunition rack at the store, which is literally nothing. I heard a story of a man walking in a gunstore during the pandemic gun draught, grabbing the last box of ammunition that was left on the shelf, and asked the clerk for the gun that shot it. I wonder how regularly this gentleman is enjoying shooting his rifle chambered for the hard to find .38-55 Winchester/Ballard… It is good practice to choose a rifle chambered for a commonly available cartridge if one travels for hunting. One misplaced box of ammunition or a zealous TSA agent might ruin the trip, and finding out that your PH in Mozambique does not carry your .373 Uncommon & Rare Semi-rimless Magnum may make you regret leaving your 375 H&H in the safe back at home. Unless you handload, it might be good to stay away from rare cartridges. Yes, they may stay longer on the shelf during the next pandemic, but there will only be one overpriced mangy box of it.