Tweet
The reason I am starting this thread is because I've seen too many newbie gun owners being taken advantage of because of the misuse and liberal use of the word "custom".
This happens way too often in many situations. One of which is auctions, where the pressure of winning the bid in combination of trying to score on a "custom" gun often trap unsuspecting buyers into an overpriced "custom" gun. The other happens on our home turf in the classifieds.
I am wondering if we can come up with different/better ways to use and/or define the word custom. As in, just because a few things are different about a firearm, they don't necessarily nominate the firearm as a custom.
For example, one of the recently emerged variation, "semi custom", conveys a lot more information to 1911 enthusiasts. We now know what to expect out of semi custom gun shops, and what to reject. We have more standardized qualifications for what constitutes a semi custom 1911. We know that it's unreasonable to expect a Colt custom shop pistol to be on par with a Wilson Combat. We also know that Wilson Combat can't necessarily compete with pistols built by Rogers or CT Brian.
The same can't really be said for other firearms. One of the most common and disturbing ads I've seen in the classifieds is "Custom Glock with Stippling". One of my best friends almost paid $200 above MSRP for a standard Glock that someone defined as custom because he took a $10 soldering iron and spent 45 minutes poking it.
Now I understand that as long as you make a gun fit you, it can be considered a custom. But let's set a market's/commercial's/layman's standard for what makes a custom gun so no one gets taken advantage of.
In my opinion, if you can't provide the work order by the smith/business that worked on your gun, you shouldn't advertise your gun as "custom".
What else does it take for a gun to be considered custom (at least in the calguns marketplace)? Share your thoughts below.
This happens way too often in many situations. One of which is auctions, where the pressure of winning the bid in combination of trying to score on a "custom" gun often trap unsuspecting buyers into an overpriced "custom" gun. The other happens on our home turf in the classifieds.
I am wondering if we can come up with different/better ways to use and/or define the word custom. As in, just because a few things are different about a firearm, they don't necessarily nominate the firearm as a custom.
For example, one of the recently emerged variation, "semi custom", conveys a lot more information to 1911 enthusiasts. We now know what to expect out of semi custom gun shops, and what to reject. We have more standardized qualifications for what constitutes a semi custom 1911. We know that it's unreasonable to expect a Colt custom shop pistol to be on par with a Wilson Combat. We also know that Wilson Combat can't necessarily compete with pistols built by Rogers or CT Brian.
The same can't really be said for other firearms. One of the most common and disturbing ads I've seen in the classifieds is "Custom Glock with Stippling". One of my best friends almost paid $200 above MSRP for a standard Glock that someone defined as custom because he took a $10 soldering iron and spent 45 minutes poking it.
Now I understand that as long as you make a gun fit you, it can be considered a custom. But let's set a market's/commercial's/layman's standard for what makes a custom gun so no one gets taken advantage of.
In my opinion, if you can't provide the work order by the smith/business that worked on your gun, you shouldn't advertise your gun as "custom".
What else does it take for a gun to be considered custom (at least in the calguns marketplace)? Share your thoughts below.
.
Comment