American Firearm Directory
  • Home
  • LONG GUNS
    • AR RIFLES & PARTS
    • SEMI-AUTO & AK
    • BOLT ACTION RIFLES
    • LEVER & PUMP ACTION RIFLES
    • TARGET
    • RIMFIRE
    • SHOTGUNS
    • MUZZLELOADERS & BLACKPOWDER
    • GUNSMITHS
    • AIRGUNS/AIRSOFT/PAINTBALL
    • ARCHERY, CROSSBOW & SLINGSHOT
  • HAND GUNS
    • SEMI AUTO & PARTS
    • REVOLVERS
    • RIMFIRE
    • SBR/SBS/PCC/CCU
    • DERRINGERS/OTHER
    • LESS-LETHAL
  • AMMUNITION
    • CENTERFIRE
    • RIMFIRE
    • SHOTGUN
    • AIRGUN
    • RELOADING
    • CHRONOGRAPHY
  • ACCESSORIES
    • ARMOR, SAFETY & PROTECTIVE
    • CAMS, COMMS & NAVIGATION
    • CLEANING & CARE
    • FOOTWEAR/CLOTHING
    • GRIPS/STOCKS/BRACES
    • HOLSTERS
    • HUNTING & FISHING, CAMPING, SURVIVAL & DOG CARE
    • KNIVES
    • MAGAZINES
    • OPTICS/SIGHTING/LIGHTS
    • SAFES/RACKS/GUNCASES/RUGS
    • SILENCERS/BARREL ACCS
    • SLINGS & BELTS
    • TRIPODS & GUNRESTS
    • TACTICAL
    • TARGETS, TRAINING & RANGE
  • MIL/LE/CONTR
  • RESOURCE
    • WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURING & BUSINESS SERVICES
    • ONLINE GUNSTORES, BLOGS & YOUTUBERS
    • TV, MEDIA & PRINT
    • NON-PROFITS, GROUPS & EDUCATION
    • TRADESHOWS
    • PHYSICAL GUN SHOPS BY STATE
    • GUNSMITHING, FINISHING & ENGRAVING
  • BLOG

NEW FIREARMS & ACCESSORIES

We make every attempt to only preview new products when they are actually available on the market. This spares consumers from wasting time trying to locate an item to buy when it hasn't yet left the prototype phase. Please note that during SHOT Show (January of each year) manufacturers often announce new items that are several months from stores: we still announce these despite not being immediately available for purchase.

AMERICAN GUN SNOBBERY AND THE PASSING OF THE SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

12/8/2016

 
Picture
The Saturday Night Special (SNS) is dead and buried. But regardless of their reputation, I don’t believe any SNS manufacturer ever set out to make a crappy gun that wouldn’t function and that’d break after 6 months of use, I think they were constrained by budget, availiable technology and the desire of many citizens for cheap protection. It's a fact that any gun can fail at any time, how the gunmaker handles your request for repairs is the new benchmark for quality and from what I can see all the budget guns today come with a lifetime repair warranty. Having said that, I don’t think there’s any such thing as a bad gun - it’s true not all guns were made equal in the past (stamped parts, inferior metals, poor fit and finish of molded parts), but guns are just wonderful feats of engineering regardless of cost or durability (personal opinion). Nowadays with the ubiquitousness of good steel, glass filled polymers, the ease of adopting CNC (and the risk of crippling litigation) it’s only a matter of time (if we’re not there already) before every gun from every gunmaker pops out with all it’s finger and toes. I’m seeing this now from makers who were formerly considered questionable: thanks to the boom in our industry those same budget gunmakers are upgrading production processes because costs to do so have lowered, and can now provide a better gun for those of us who don’t earn much money.

I’m a staunch conservative but I've watched socialism growing like a cancer in this country. I remember the Reagan years where people made money and everyone celebrated that, now I see people make money and immediately get elaborate home security systems and armories to protect themselves. America has changed. It’s sad to see we now have a terrible habit in this country of resenting the wealthy (a very socialist practice that historically leads to revolution), and yet we love to look down on folks who are less fortunate and this snobbery is beautifully exemplified in the gun world. Social media is strangely void of enthusiastic espousals from the people who buy the cheap guns and yet the manufacturers of those cheap guns are selling them like hot donuts so it’s not like they aren’t numerous! The shortage of coverage on cheap guns is because buyers are made to feel ashamed for choices governed by their finances. Remember, not everyone who buys a gun is an enthusiast, and they probably can’t afford range dues, or three boxes of ammo every weekend, and costly accessories, in fact those budget pistols may never fire a single round but they provide critical peace of mind and they’ll go bang if and when they need to.

So let’s not knock the gunmaker for meeting a need or the buyer for their purchase, having options is what makes America free and great. Gun snobbery is cruel, and very un-American, let’s curb the inclination and get back to a more tolerant firearms community where your neighbor with his Cobra 380 is as American as you with your custom Glock 42: a 380 round from anyones barrel will do the same job in the end no matter how fancy your apparatus. ED


Comments are closed.

    the afd blog

    Previews and reviews on newly available items are written-up by our team as quickly as we can find them. Please let us know if we've missed something debuting on the market. As a firearm enthusiast or an AFD listed company you are welcome to submit a blog entry about a new product. You may also submit a firearm related commentary, idea or nostalgic musing: we like things celebratory of American ingenuity and manufacturing. All entries are subject to editing and/or fact-checking.

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016

    RSS Feed

Are you a Firearms, Sporting Goods or Veteran owned business?
Donate $500 to the
DV Farm for Homeless Veterans and receive a DV Farm Donor Coin
plus a year of FREE advertising on the American Firearm Directory!
Type "AFD referral" in
special instructions to seller at DV Farm donation portal.

HELP HOMELESS VETS

    subscribe to afd updates & newletters

Subscribe

Support

Contact Us
Promote Your Company
Picture
© COPYRIGHT AFD 2016-2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Founded in Vermont, USA
Unless otherwise specified, all images are Copyright & Courtesy of the Manufacturer highlighted in each post.
  • Home
  • LONG GUNS
    • AR RIFLES & PARTS
    • SEMI-AUTO & AK
    • BOLT ACTION RIFLES
    • LEVER & PUMP ACTION RIFLES
    • TARGET
    • RIMFIRE
    • SHOTGUNS
    • MUZZLELOADERS & BLACKPOWDER
    • GUNSMITHS
    • AIRGUNS/AIRSOFT/PAINTBALL
    • ARCHERY, CROSSBOW & SLINGSHOT
  • HAND GUNS
    • SEMI AUTO & PARTS
    • REVOLVERS
    • RIMFIRE
    • SBR/SBS/PCC/CCU
    • DERRINGERS/OTHER
    • LESS-LETHAL
  • AMMUNITION
    • CENTERFIRE
    • RIMFIRE
    • SHOTGUN
    • AIRGUN
    • RELOADING
    • CHRONOGRAPHY
  • ACCESSORIES
    • ARMOR, SAFETY & PROTECTIVE
    • CAMS, COMMS & NAVIGATION
    • CLEANING & CARE
    • FOOTWEAR/CLOTHING
    • GRIPS/STOCKS/BRACES
    • HOLSTERS
    • HUNTING & FISHING, CAMPING, SURVIVAL & DOG CARE
    • KNIVES
    • MAGAZINES
    • OPTICS/SIGHTING/LIGHTS
    • SAFES/RACKS/GUNCASES/RUGS
    • SILENCERS/BARREL ACCS
    • SLINGS & BELTS
    • TRIPODS & GUNRESTS
    • TACTICAL
    • TARGETS, TRAINING & RANGE
  • MIL/LE/CONTR
  • RESOURCE
    • WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURING & BUSINESS SERVICES
    • ONLINE GUNSTORES, BLOGS & YOUTUBERS
    • TV, MEDIA & PRINT
    • NON-PROFITS, GROUPS & EDUCATION
    • TRADESHOWS
    • PHYSICAL GUN SHOPS BY STATE
    • GUNSMITHING, FINISHING & ENGRAVING
  • BLOG