A boring gun sounds awful. After all, a gun is nothing but boring. It is loud, jumps in your hands upon firing, and has half of its parts moving during the cycling of the action for a semi-auto pistol, or the cocking of the hammer for a single or double action revolver. Still, whether because the design of the gun has become so prevalent that all excitement about it has gone stale, or because the gun itself has nothing that particularly stands out when compared to other more tricked out guns, some guns become boring.
A gun design that has become boring because of its popularity is far from a bad thing. This means that this gun has innovative features that made it popular because they work and that people like them. In fact, people like them to the point that other manufacturers start emulating these features, dulling the edge of the original design. The best example in my opinion is Glock pistols, and I mean absolutely no offense to them, quite the opposite.
Born from the ingeniousness of an Austrian curtain rod maker, these guns are, to me, the epitome of boring guns. No matter the chambering, the generation (we are up to five now), the possibility of attaching optics or other accessories and the more recent color offerings (exception made for the Cow pattern Glock 48), the Glock is about as boring as it gets.
They are boring because of their lack of surprise. Glock pistols will never surprise you, at least negatively. They are beyond reliable and will shoot and cycle all but the most out-of-specs ammunition. Pull the trigger, the gun goes bang – unless the ammunition is faulty. Their big extractor will pull out the case every time. There is no external safety to engage and disengage, and no unexpected excitement following forgetting about it (always follow the rules of gun safety!). Their trigger, as disappointing as it is for many, works. Despite its spongy feeling, it is predictable and easy to work adequately. The magazines feed the gun without a hitch and have become a standard for many non-Glock firearms. The sights are just right, and the guns are very accurate.
Glocks became boring because we grew used to how good they are. They ushered the era of light, high capacity 9mm polymer handguns four decades ago. Like that car that will forgive irregular maintenance, the watch that never needs batteries and always tracks time, or the friend that will help you move your Piano collection for the n-teenth time, Glocks will be there for you, hoping you never have to use them. The omnipresence of their blocky signature silhouette will attest of their success. They work.