Friday, April 23, 2010

Styling

The comments on the KRISS KARD pistol got me thinking…

One mentioned that you can see the 'Glock Styling,' and that got me thinking further.
Guns DO have a styling. Sure, there is a lot of utilitarian function associated with a gun. Not a lot of place to tack something decorative on. Yet they do. That top vented rib of a Colt revolver isn’t really NEEDED. But it looks good. The taper and flare of a S&W barrel from back in the day.

I see the Lugar styling as an extension of the Mauser 96 which is an extension of the Borchardt-C-93. And led to the Colt Woodsman and the Ruger MkIII today. I could be way off of course. It wouldn’t be the first time. But they do have a ‘look’ that I think they lent to each other. Heck, that wiki article sorta bears out my theory.



People thrown on ivory or pearl or ebony or micarta grips on bunches of pistols.

There is definitely a different between the appearances of a Beretta 92, a Smith & Wesson 5946, and a Glock, just by looking at them. The function is essentially the same: throw 9mm’s down range, but they couldn’t look more different.

Well what about the painfully utilitarian plastic guns? Do they have style? Of course. Spareness is a look in itself. And there are differences between the major polymer brands. Plenty of room for variance in the shaping of the blocky slide by making it more blocky or slightly less blocky. You can change the stipling in the plastic. And Glock has between generations, even. And lots more than glock can change the shape of the gripping grooves in the slide. Most every 1911 clone has a different groove configuration, company to company.

Why change the look of your utilitarian tool? I HOPE manufacturers think they are making the best of what they make at that price. And they want their product to stand out a little bit, without being ostentatious or gaudy or adding to manufacturing costs too much. And humans NEED styling and design, I think. Something that’s only purpose is to please the senses and catch the eye. We aren’t emotionless automatons after all.

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