The old flat tops were hand fitted and smooth as silk. The new one's with their CNC machined parts, you can feel every burr and rough spot in their way too heavy trigger pull. You used to be able to shoot one right out of the box. Now, it must be smoothed up just to get a decent shot off. The blueing used to be so good, you could sware you could see right into it. Now it's just a rough blue-black. Yes even the new S/A Rugers are a little bit of what I speak of. Have you ever looked inside an old double shotgun or double rifle where the parts, screws and springs were hand made. It's awe inspiring to think of the craftsmanship the old time gunsmiths had.
Now, take apart a Glock. You'll only need a pin tool with a plastic handle. You can replace the connector, put in a new guide rod and instead of a creepy 5 pound mushy pull, you'll have a 3.5 pound mushy trigger pull.
No, it's not practical to make firearms like they used to, but I sure do miss them. I was born 100 years too late. Yes there are some nice quality firearms made today, but few of them are worth a damn out of the box without work or aftermarket parts that have been precison machined and hand fitted.
Times and things do change and people and their ideas change with them. That does not make anyone a bad person. Sometimes the new ways are better or more convienent, sometimes they are not. It's all a matter of perspective.
Hand any older gunsmith an old weapon and watch him get a tear in his eye as he looks at the hand work, the fit of the wood, the smoothness of all the parts and the genious that went into the design, and the hand cut checkering. Yes, those were the good old days.
Yes, metals are better today, bullets and loads more accurate and todays weapons can shoot better groups, but they don't have the appeal to an old gunsmith that weapons of bygone years do.
Best wishes my friend, John K
