In the video above, Hickock45’s gargantuan son claims the GLOCK 43 is for lazy people. At least that’s what I assume; I’m too lazy to watch the whole thing. But I did watch it long enough to hear him repeat the old adage “there is no such thing as a perfect gun.” Au contraire, mon frère! My deeply sexy Wilson Combat Commander-sized X-TAC 1911 (full-size model shown) is the perfect gun in every way. As is my steadfast FN FNS-9c. And my minimalist GLOCK 19. And my cute-as-a-button Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight. I wouldn’t change a thing on any of them – although . . .

I put night sights and a GHOST trigger on the GLOCK. Perfection perfected. Again. Ahem. Then there’s my Benelli M2. And the Grizzly Custom Guns modified Marlin. Yum! And a few other guns that I consider perfect that I don’t own. Yet.

Anyway, am I not being picky enough? Deluding myself? Is the hirsute Son of Hickock right? Is there no such a thing as a perfect gun?

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122 COMMENTS

  1. The perfect gun is the one you need to go bang at the moment you need it to go bang.

    • Mike! You said that wrong! It’s the one that GOES bang when you need it to. Put that beer down!

    • but it has to be 45 caliber to make sure you destroy the soul!

      So i guess the 30s? I prefer the 30 though….

    • seriously though i agree. i have always said if i could only keep one of my guns (a horrible thought) it would be the 19.

      • Let’s assume we are talking about handguns since this article referenced a GLOCK 43 video. So the perfect handgun must meet certain criteria:
        1) Is the caliber sufficient for defensive use?
        I think 9mm is the starting point and everything up to .45 is essentially the same in effectiveness.
        2) Is the capacity sufficient for the unforeseen DGU?
        I believe more is better. Not only do I not want to run out of ammo in a DGU but I don’t want to think I am getting close to running out. I am not going to count shots so I don’t want to feel like I have to. 10 rounds with a backup mag are the least I feel comfortable carrying.
        3) Speed and accuracy is a must.
        Can you draw and fire the first shot on target in 1.5 seconds or less? Can you hit center mass repeatedly in rapid succession with split times in the sub 1/4 second range? Will recoil prevent this speed and accuracy?
        4) Is the gun reliable?
        All guns will have an issue. Yours just hasn’t had it yet, but some are near perfect right out of the box. There has been enough testing by independent folks to determine reliability without use of anecdotal results.
        5) Will you carry this gun every day regardless of attire?

        If your gun meets or exceeds your minimum requirements then you have the perfect gun.

        Not on the list:
        Is it comfortable to carry?
        Maybe not but getting jacked isn’t comfortable either.

        Is it good looking?
        No, so I hide it in a holster and under my shirt.

        Does it feel good in my hand?
        Actually yes but that is not why I like it. I carry a GLOCK 19 and the M&P or FNS9 feel so much better. But I shoot as well with the GLOCK. Something not many people mention is the standard polygonal rifling in the GLOCK barrel. It is literally bullet proof.

  3. Perfection to me is a stainless 1911 with pearlized grips and a muzzle covered in dark gunpowder residue.

    If you don’t agree with me, you’re a heathen commie turncoat traitor unworthy of everything. As such, your deportation paperwork is already being processed .Please remove your “GLOCK” hat before the black helicopters arrive. (/sarc)

  4. No such thing as the perfect gun. That is like saying the perfect wife, for an individual a perfect fit may vary from day to day. It may depend if I OC or CC, if I am going into the mountains, if I am going into the woods, if I am going into the city. Like with my women, I believe in a diverse collection of firearms to suit different needs as they arise.

    • Interesting, I feel EXACTLY the same way. Unfortunately, I can’t afford that diversity in my guns, and am nowhere near being able to afford it with the ladies. Even if I could, I’d need to spend yet more for security that the ladies could not get to the guns, for fear I would be perforated from many directions.

    • I agree with this comment 100%. There may be a perfect gun for you but that doesn’t make it a perfect gun for me.

      My idea of a perfect gun is the one that does what I want it to do, has the best feel in my hand and requires very few (if any) modifications.

      I always think it is crazy people stating Glocks are the perfect gun once you change the trigger, change the sights, change a few of the internal component. If it was so perfect, why do you need to change all the parts?

      • By this definition I have many perfect guns but if by perfect you mean if you only had one gun which one would you choose I would say that perfect rifle is the Winchester Model 70 featherweight in 243. Covers every situation from varmint to whitetail. And if I had to use it for self defense it is much better manstopper than AR-15. Pistol has to be the Browning Hi Power. Perfect balance, good capacity, reliable and accurate. It’s the only centerfire pistol that I have shot a perfect qualification score.

        • Win Model 70 in .243 was the deer rifle I grew up hunting with that was handed down to me, couldnt agree with you more, wouldnt have minded a featherweight though 🙂

          Hope to pass it on to my kids as their first hunting rifle.

    • If I could change anything on my vp9 it would be:
      45cal
      hold 30 rounds
      size and weight of a LCP
      Recoil of a 22
      Just kidding I love my VP9, I use a Stealth Gear holster almost forget I am carrying.

  6. “Question of the Day: Is There Such A Thing as a Perfect Gun?”

    No.

    Next question?

    (Goodness me! Could this be? Industrial Disease…)

  7. Robert, I assume you define perfection as the individual gun filling and excelling in a specific role or use case? That, or you are a hopeless gun-nut that enjoys every firearm for their unique personality.

    • “That, or you are a hopeless gun-nut that enjoys every firearm for their unique personality.”

      I think it’s more likely he just needed a topic for another ‘Question of the Day’…

      And he could count on the peanut gallery (yeah, that’s us…) responding.

      (I’m just waiting to see Ralph’s sarcastic response…)

  9. No, but there are plenty of bad ones, overpriced turds that look nice but don’t function worth a damn.

    • “No, but there are plenty of bad ones, overpriced turds that look nice but don’t function worth a damn.”

      They serve a valuable purpose. To wit: A Beavis and Butthead Parable:

      Beavis: “Why do we have things that suck? Why can’t everything be cool?”

      Butthead: “We must have things that suck. How else will we know what is cool?”

      The wisdom of juvenile humor animated cartoons.

      • ah, the philosophies of beavis and butthead rank up there with aristotle’s nichomachean ethics!

        • You do have to love the simplicity, though.

          “Fire, fire…fire.”
          “Eh he, ha, eh eh eh”

    • I discover it disturbing that I know of which you speak. I am now officially OFWG!

      As an aside, I have even served as a crew member, and on occasion observer, for this (these) gun(s).

  11. I dont know about perfect, but there are some things that are getting close I would say. Some things I could consider almost perfect in certain situations, I have yet to find the one ring in blaster form.

    “And a few other guns that I consider perfect that I don’t own. Yet.”

    Thats exactly how I felt about that Shaolin Rifleworks AR 🙂

    • Well now you have a choice. Which do you choose? Don’t wait until you need it then have no choice. Choose the perfect gun now and carry it all the time. The “one you have when you need it” might not be perfect and in fact may not even be good enough. What is wrong with being proactive?

  13. The perfect gun is one that meets its owners needs and wants.
    Maybe a hi-point for a poorer person
    Maybe a glock
    Maybe a rugger
    Or even a high end craft 1911

    What is perfect for you may not be perfect for another person.

      • A Hi-Point is not a bad decision and not necessarily for the poor. My first handgun was a Hi-Point C9 because I wanted to see if I liked and would stick with handguns. It was heavy, ugly, reliable and accurate. I could afford anything I wanted but I chose it and I am glad I bought it. I traded it even for a 70s era Taurus 84 38 special revolver after I replaced it with a S&W.

      • I have all sorts of high end super guns, but I still have a couple of Hi Points in my emergency stash. They are reliable and accurate for a very low price.

        Don’t be a gun snob. Better that a good person with a limited budget have a Hi Point than nothing at all. And a bullet doesn’t really care how upscale the gun that shot it is, just point it in the right direction and let it do its job.

    • It’s the one you have on you when you need it, and if you run into a bear hope you brought the big one, and not the pocket .380

  14. Perfect Gun? Nope, not one perfect gun, but there is that perfect gun for you. Maybe even more than one perfect gun depending on need (or want)

      • Exactly!

        That’s why I and I’m sure many others own one or more of every type they use both for purpose and for fit (though not near as many as my wife).

        • I just hate the “The perfect gun is the one you have when you need it” meme.
          Ask the guy free climbing Devil’s Tower if the perfect shoe is a pair of Florsheim tassel loafers on his feet.

        • to michael: your analogy makes no sense. No one is going to climb devil’s tower in florsheims, because climbing is a voluntary activity that can be planned in advance.

        • Michael is right. It’s just a stupid statement.

          The gun you happen to have in your hand when you need it isn’t perfect. You will just find yourself hoping that it is. If it does the job it’s “good enough,” if it fails, it was far from perfect despite the fact you had it with you when you needed it. Of course you might very well be too dead to have figured that out.

  16. I have some guns that perfectly jam. The way in which they jam is perfect. So yea – they are perfect guns.

  17. Is there a perfect gun? Yes – it is the next one I will buy. And the quest for perfection never ends …

  18. “… GLOCK. Perfection perfected. Again. Ahem.”

    Glocks are not perfection. Chevys are not built like a rock. Budweiser is not the king of beers. Nationwide is not on your side. The best tires in the world do not have Goodyear written on them. Wheaties is not the breakfast of champions. M&Ms will melt in both your mouth and your hand. What happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas. Gillette is not the best a man can get. And plenty of things run just like a Deere.

    Welcome to the world of corporate advertising.

    • Thank you so much for pointing this out, man. It’s depressing how easily otherwise intelligent people get suckered by clever marketing. I remember working at an Advance Auto Parts in college and having this conversation at least once a week:

      Them: “Do you guys have DuraLast batteries?”

      Us: “No sir, that’s Auto Zone. We sell Autocraft brand.”

      Them: “Oh, that sucks. I need to get a DuraLast.”

      Us: “Any particular reason?”

      Them: “‘Cuz they start better when it’s cold.”

      Us: “That has nothing to do with the brand. They turn over more quickly in low temperatures because of the battery’s cold-cranking amperage rating, which as you can see right here, is the same between theirs and ours.”

      Them: “Yeah, but it’s not a DuraLast.”

      Us: “DuraLast is their store brand, just like Autocraft is ours. Dollars to doughnuts, they both came from the exact same facility and just had a different label slapped on them at the end of the production line.”

      Them: “Oh. So… You don’t have DuraLast?”

      Us: “Nope.”

      Them: “Then I’ll try the other guys. Thanks anyway.”

  19. Perfection to me is having enough money to hire dudes in body army with guns between me and any potential threats like Bloomberg.

    But until/unless I’m rich, I think an XD does nicely.

    • I don’t own any revolvers. Never have. It’s not a “niche” I particularly feel the need to fill.

      But if I *do* get a revolver it will be one of these in stainless.

      • If you’re an auto guy and think you’d like to keep it that way, step it up a notch and get a .44 magnum. But if you’re looking for one perfect gun the GP works in spades. Extremely accurate and durable. Big enough for deer, small enough for concealed carry (although not necessarily with the same barrel lengths). The old style rubber grips with the wood side panels are the most comfortable grips I’ve ever shot with. And one of the best features with the standard models is that anyone with an IQ in the double digits and opposable thumbs can change out the front sight in about 10 seconds.

    • I would love one, just can’t justify spending the money for it at this point.

      LOVE my LCR .357 though

      • The LCR intrigues me. I’ve heard good things about the trigger but I’ve never tried it. I generally prefer a spurred hammer though which is only available on the .38 specials. With such a short barrel I wouldn’t mind .38 except I keep the console in my truck stocked with .357 ammo, which is where I’d plan on stashing the LCR. Probably would lean toward the SP101, but maybe I should try the trigger on the LCR first.

  23. Depends on the context. Would it be the perfect gun for a purpose, or all purposes? It’s like asking if there’s a perfect tool. My Leatherman Surge is pretty handy for most things, but I wouldn’t call it perfect. Sometimes you need a heavy hammer, or a fine screwdriver, or a wide-mouth wrench for specialty jobs.

    I consider my mid-sized Walther P99 in 9mm deadly accurate and adequately powerful for personal defense, but it’s also not perfect – just balanced. Sometimes you need a big-bore revolver, sometimes you need a precision rifle, or sometimes you need a blast-it-all shotgun for niche wetwork.

    A jack of all trades is a master of none.

  24. Nope, always compromises… Just like purses and shoes… That’s why I have several…

    • And if you find someone who calls their gun perfect, ask about the price… there is such a thing as an opportunity cost and the money you put into that “deeply sexy Wilson Combat Commander-sized X-TAC 1911” can’t go into other things like ammo, training, etc…

  26. I have “Favorites” but no perfect gun. Otherwise the other dozen or so would be hard to explain to the wife unit.

  27. My perfect gun cleans itself, never corrodes, never wears out, never scratches or loses its finish and fires cartridges that are unaffected by things like wind, gravity, the earths rotation, etc.

    It also fires semi, burst, and full auto in 30 rounds per half second without overheating. It has the capability of randomly changing its own serial number and even removing its own serial number thereby rending it a ghost.

    I haven’t yet found this firearm – but i’m on the lookout for it. It will be hard to find considering it is so ghostly.

    • My perfect cartridges fire inside the perfect gun. These cartridges are so cheap they are basically free. They have a small dial on the side that when adjusted – adjusts the expansion of the bullet on impact, or remains solid with no expansion. On the opposite side of the cartridge there is a select switch that selects tracer, incendiary, armor piercing, expanding, exploding, with option to seek (so I don’t need to actually aim).

      I’ve been on the lookout for these too but haven’t found them anywhere.

  29. Perfect gun………the functional, loaded firearm you HAVE when you NEED it.

    Anything else is………but a gun.

  31. My perfect gun is the Sig P226.

    It feels like they used my hand and fingers to design the grip.

    No other semi auto comes close.

  33. My perfect gun today might be a full sized semi-auto. My perfect gun tomorrow might be my cowboy revolver, my police revolver, my subcompact semi-auto or my little 22 semi-auto. It all depends on my mood and what I want to use the gun for that day.

  34. Yes. It’s called the Kel Tec RFB. Or maybe the Saiga .308? Well, waht3ver it is, it’s chambered in .308 because that’s the perfect cartridge. Except in my pocket, where we just re-arrange the numbers a little to .380. Yes. No. Yes. No. This is a stupid question.

  36. If there was a perfect gun, it would be designed by John Moses Browning, built by Smith & Wesson, marketed by Gaston Glock and fueled by recoil-free, inexpensive magnum ammo. And I’d have two of ’em.

      • Of the three M4s I own, my M&P is by far the best. Reliable, accurate, fun to shoot . . . perfect in my book.

  37. Phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range.

    But since my LGS is still out of stock, the perfect gun for CC is the one you have with you, that you can shoot reasonably well.

    • Phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range

      That’s kind of anemic. You should drop that kid’s stuff and go for 40 Kilowatt range phased plasma rifles.

      Seriously, 40 watts? What were the script writers thinking of? Are 40W laightbulbs luminescent enough to be dangerous? A tenth of a second pulse from a 40 watt anything delivers a whopping 4 joules of energy, which is a whopping 3 foot pounds, more or less. And I suspect that the pulse length is a lot less than a tenth of a second in Terminatorland from this “phased plasma rifle.”

      • “Seriously, 40 watts?”

        Yep.

        CO2 lasers are what they use in those tabletop (and industrial) laser cutter – engravers.

        http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/laserco2.htm

        Power levels can be in the hundreds of watt range.

        The type of laser you’re talking about are flash tube (or arc lamp) pumped lasers. Ruby rods fully silvered on one end and partially silvered on the other end. (consider the partially silvered end the ‘muzzle’ of the laser).

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pumping

        ” Are 40W laightbulbs luminescent enough to be dangerous?”

        Focused on a tiny spot with a 100% duty cycle will cut metal.

        • EDIT – Make that “Concentrated on a tiny spot with a 100% duty cycle will cut metal.”

          Trying to ‘focus’ coherent light at those power levels is really rough on lenses.

          As in melting – exploding.

    • TTAG meeting: “Hm, how can we get over 100 comments on an article?” “Mention gays?” “No, we just did that.” “Religion?” “Too similar.” “Pictures of women?” “Sara is already working on that.” “45 v 9?” “Well, it has been a little while, but we need to change it up. What else is subjective yet divisive?” “Oh, equating personal preference to universal perfection!” “BINGO”

        • Speaking of which, wife and I saw Hot Pursuit last weekend. One scene were they were fighting over the gun, the cop gets it and stands up, making the hammer-cocking noise. My wife recognized it as an M&P and leaned over and asked “If it doesn’t have a hammer, how did it make that noise?” I was over the moon that she noticed another Hollywood gun fallacy.

          The movie was… okay.

    • “Tomorrow’s question of the day: Is There Such A Thing as a Perfect Click Bait?”

      It can be found in Fantasy Land.

  40. Revolvers get no love. Smith&wesson model 19 or the Ruger Security Six. Four inch barrel either way. I’ve yet to meet anyone who couldn’t shoot and enjoy either.

  42. The fact that there are this many different answers to the “perfect gun” question sort of proves the guy’s point, don’t you think?

  43. Every decision entails a compromise. Size, caliber, capacity, accuracy, reliability, ergonomics, accessories, price, value, etc.

  44. it seems glock fans and glocks marketing team don’t really understand the definition of the word “perfect”. if it was TRULY perfect, no other gun would be made since they would all go out of business from not being “perfect”. Unless some people intentionally like to do illogical things such as buy “imperfect” guns when a “perfect” one exists.

    • Apply that logic to cars. Chrysler cant seem to figure out how to put a transmission in a car that will last 60,000 miles but people keep on buying them.

  47. As I have heard, there is no perfect pasta sauce, only perfect sauces. Same with guns. There is no singular gun to rule them all, but many guns to cater to individual tastes and needs.

  48. The marlin 795 with the sweet custom paint job I got my girlfriend for her birthday. She went through a metric ton of .22, giggling the whole time.

    Perfect.

  49. The perfect gun is the one I haven’t found/owned yet, hence I must keep looking for it.

  50. No perfect gun in this world-but ragging on Hi-point? better that than a JA.Cobra or other zamack ring of fire stuff. And their carbines are good for the money…

  52. Perfection can never exist since it depends only on the examples present and past can offer. The future may offer what could be called perfection, but even then, it’s only perfect until something more perfect comes along.

  53. To the anti’s, the perfect gun is one they can ‘turn off’ at their whim…like the Armatix.

    So, I’m going to say that perfection at least starts with the set “no they can’t.”

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