What Constitutes a Classic?

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pmh
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What Constitutes a Classic?

Post by pmh » Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:34 pm

I suppose everybody will have different ideas on this.

For me it's the unique styling of a gun, along with age.

Webley are probably the only company that made a large range of similar pistols, but  were different enough to be identifiable and noticeable.

Everything today seems to be the same gun re-branded,  or the same internal mechanism in a different outer casing.

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Ian
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Post by Ian » Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:28 am

Broadly speaking I think it would be something that fits into one of the following

1) A pistol design that has stood the test of time over decades

2) Pistols still in production that follow traditional lines and quality of manufacture

3) Inovative or unusual pistols that are no longer made

So, in my view something like the Weihrauch HW45 or HW75 is a classic although it still being made. Slightly more controversialy I would say that the the Umarex 8 shot CO2 pistols that have been in production since the 90's are as well though I have to admit that the quality of the ones produced now is rather inferior to the earlier ones.

Whether or not the current crop of BB replicas will ever be considered classic is open to debate. They feel like rather low quality disposable items to me, I have owned a few (and found some of them fun to shoot) but my interest faded almost as quicky as their reliability. Taking into account poor or non existant spares availability and the quality of manufacture I doubt whether many will be around in years to come. I would add however, that these type of guns have drawn new shooters into the hobby some of whom have gone on to buy higher quality and classic pistols.

:)

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Post by Rincewind » Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:40 pm

From Wikipedia



The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. The word can be an adjective (a classic car) or a noun (a classic of English literature). It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts. In commerce, products are named 'classic' to denote a long standing popular version or model, to distinguish it from a newer variety. Classic is used to describe many major, long-standing sporting events. Colloquially, an everyday occurrence (e.g. a joke or mishap) may be described as 'an absolute classic'.
"Classic" should not be confused with classical, which refers specifically to certain cultural styles, especially in music and architecture: styles generally taking inspiration from the Classical tradition, hence classicism.

-oOo-

I guess that covers all bases,  as long as it is not a brand spanking new design

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