would you buy a gun to fit in?

[rbb50]

Frank Abagnale jr was always a well dressed man

Once I showed up for a job interview after having to mow the lawn and do a bunch of yard work

It was late and no time to clean up I just had to go make that interview anyway with dirty hands

Figured I would explain it to the manager interviewing I was really busy that day and just did not have time to clean up and sorry

Five people showed up including me and the manager was looking for some good help that could do the job

Everyone else was all clean and manicured and had suits and ties so I thought I might not even have a chance in my blue jeans dirty tee shirt and fingernails

At the end the manager said, OK lets see everyone’s hands and he inspected everyone’s hands front and back with me being the last one

When he got to me he said, Ok interview is over I found the man I want

It was old dirty fingernails blue jeans and tee shirt me

Some bosses know a good man by the things that show that they can see

Cover yourself up with a fancy suit tie and a manicure and it can hide a lot of facts just as it worked in favor for Frank Abagnale to do the same

I sure hope a lot of employers start realizing that soon.

Being honest is one thing all bosses will look for no matter how you are dressed

Just tell him, Hey ya know what I do not have all that fancy gear or guns and such but I can bring what I have.

If it is not good enough or something is not allowed maybe you can loan me one of your guns to shoot and if ya have an extra suit and tie or what ever is required loan that to me also for the day

Otherwise it might not be a good ideal for me to come if I might embarrass you in someway in front of your friends that might look down on a poor boy like myself

I have a feeling he will say, No problem bring what ya have and dress how ever you want

If not gezzzzzz I would start looking for another job knowing my expertise no longer means a thing and he only wants someone that wears a suit regardless of their qualifications

Next thing you know you will be working right next to a Frank Abagnale jr want to be and you will be fired when he cons the employer into believing everything he says only because he wears a fancy suit and has a fancy gun and you do not.

[armsmaster270]

To me a Tacticool weapon is one with more bells and whistles than a person can use, or knows how to use. Wood or plastic or fiberglass stocks mean nothing they all work the same. wood gets wet and can swell or warp not too bad on a duck gun but on a sub M.O.A. Deer rifle it may mean no meat today. With a synthetic stock moisture is no problem. All my guns are "Functional" be they wood or Synthetic and I will shoot them with pauper or Prince. I have an old wood Remington 740 30-06 and a Synthetic Browning Stalker in 7mmWSM. I also have a 12ga Weatherby Synthetic SAS Semi Auto duck gun and a wood 12ga Remington Model 11 Semi Auto that I changed to Stnthetic as the wood forends and stocks kept splitting.

[lockedcj7]

I once invited a friend who hadn't hunted since he was a kid to hunt deer with me. He showed up with a Ruger .44 carbine. I didn't ask any questions since I consider that to be a fine woods gun and he would be hunting a stand with shots out to 60 yds. max.

He missed several shots because the rear sight was folded down and then the rifle jammed. The deer spooked while he was trying to clear it. Come to find out, a co-worker loaned him the gun and he had zero experience with it. I learned a few valuable lessons that day.

I would have gladly loaned him an accurate, reliable, scoped rifle and gone over the basics with him before the hunt if I had known the Ruger wasn't his. At the least, I would have inspected the rifle to make sure that it was in order and if possible, I would have had him check the zero.

If you can't beg or borrow a more appropriate rifle and learn to use it, fess up. The boss likely has a loaner he would be happy for you to use.

[wyobohunter]

Nothing wrong with having a cowboy gun fetish. But Fudds won't like those either.

You sound like a bona Fudd expert

Looks like somebody would like to dredge up the good ol' Fudd VS. Mall Ninja war. Have fun with that... I'm going to the range.

[bottom rung]

Guns are guns. One gun can accomplish many tasks. I would not buy a gun to fit in. No, not even for a hunt with my boss.

My friends that I shoot with own primarily Com-Bloc surplus guns. I do not own any. I am the one with the hunting rifles. The difference? I accomplish with one shot, what they accomplish with three or four. Either way, we all still have a great time. I have never seen a guy break out an AR or AK that lead me to think "mall ninja". I have never thought "Fudd" of another man either.

If a guy shows up for skeet with a Saiga, he will be good company for me with my $300 Remington 870 Express.

The man with a gun for every application is lucky.

Every gun is unique. Wood can be beautiful. Plastic can be strong. Every style and type of gun is worth a "shot" in my opinion.

[Wishoot]

Real men shoot trap or skeet with a .22lr anyway.

All kidding aside, I know a guy who slays clays using nothing but a stubby, old Wingmaster. This thing must have a 20" barrel.

It's the only gun he owns and he uses it for everything from deer, birds, home defense and clays (he has a slug barrel for the deer).

He makes the rest of us with our fancy O/U's and semis look like chumps.

If you can bust clays with a tactical shotgun, then so be it. Bring it and have some fun.

[rbb50]

If you can't beg or borrow a more appropriate rifle and learn to use it, fess up. The boss likely has a loaner he would be happy for you to use.

Yes that is correct

I loaned my 7mm-08 to my brother once all sighted in and ready to go for a deer hunt he was going to

He came back and complained how it shot high and he took five different shots missing every time until he said he aimed at the ground in front of the deer and finally took one and hit it in the back bone

I was like Huhhhhhh????

They were all talking about the damage that 7mm-08 did to that deer and how it turned a couple of flips when it got hit

I took it to the range that weekend and shot three holes right though the bulls eye at 100 yards so I was still thinking Huhhhhh????

Figured just because he is my brother does not mean he can shoot I surmised

Later he gave me some of the deer meat and the package was marked in his own hand writing and said "Dear Meet"

Then I knew the rest of the story LOL

By the way he is one of those real estate multimillionaires with the fancy college degrees all over his walls and wears those fancy expensive business suits every where he goes LOL

[olyinaz]

would you buy a gun to fit in?

Yes, if I saw that I was the only guy at a party without a gun I'd ask to buy a spare off of someone packing two.

Oly

[Skyyr]

Skans wrote:
I'm really skeptical of all those folks who respond by saying something like "I am who I am and I don't do anything to fit in....sheeple....lemmings...."

Yeah, right! Unless you are as anti-social as the Unibomber, this is a bunch of BS.

What do you wear when you play golf? What kind of clubs do you use? Even if you've only played golf once or twice in your life - did you show up with a 6 iron and use it for everything from T-ing off to putting?

I see lots of pictures of real pretty guns on this site. Anyone who has ever posted a picture for the rest of us to look at can rule themselves out from the "I don't care what other people think about me or my guns". Yeah you do, or you wouldn't have cared enough to take a picture of them, upload the image and post them here!!

Everyone cares about fitting in, to some degree, when getting together with a group of people for a particular event. Whether it's hunting, sporting clays, watching a sporting event, fishing, or attending a formal wedding. Unless you can say that you would show up at your son or daughter's formal wedding dressed like you are ready to spend a few days in the woods, YOU CARE ABOUT FITTING IN. You might not like wearing that tux, but you'll do it because that's what's expected of you and you'll do it for your son or daughter. And if some yahoo shows up in a T-shirt and shorts, I'll bet you will be one of the first to make that guy "fit in".

I'll admit, I care about what folks think of me if I'm invited to go hunting with them, especially if I don't know all of them real well. I'm not going to show up with a gun that is ridiculous for the occasion.

I see where you're coming from, but you've made some incorrect assumptions.

Not everyone does things to "fit in."

- Wearing a tux to a wedding. I'm not wearing a tux because of what people think, I'm wearing a tux because that's middle/upper-class protocol and respect. Respect and being responsible in your role is not the same thing as caring what people think.

- Pictures posted to this forum. If people ask you to post a picture of your gun and you do it, that has almost no correlation to caring about what people think. I don't know anyone on this forum personally, but I'm willing to be helpful and to extend them the courtesy that I would like if I were to make a request from them. This has nothing to do with caring what they think.

Now, I will say that someone who posts "Look! What do you think of my rifle!" probably cares what others think. Then again, people with a personality like mine might actually do it so that those who have experience with it might be able to give it a once-over and confirm that everything is as it should be. The same could go for anything, really.

Back to my point, you've made a blanket statement lumping in responsibility and respect into the same category as bandwagoning. They are not the same, just as I'm not replying to this post because I care what people think of me, but rather to ensure that the people I could potentially encounter in life are educated enough to know the difference between opinion and fact, because God help them if someone who doesn't ends up in a place of leadership.

[Uncle Billy]

I posted this here back in June. It seems to fit this thread:

"My Dad and I were trap shooters in a winter skeet and trap league they ran at our local club which also had skeet fields. Both Dad and I had Winchester Model 12 trap guns, and did pretty well- I won my division a couple of years. For some reason the membership was divided between the skeet guys and the trap guys so there was always a lot of (usually) good-natured needling between them. Once, on a dare, I shot a round of skeet, but not with my Winchester which was expected- I used my Rossi coach gun- SxS 20" barrels, IC chokes, 2 hammers, 2 triggers- my then-wife bought new for $125 for me as a joke. It looked ridiculous in the rack next to the Citoris and Krieghoffs and other $3000-and-up guns that were common among the skeet snobs... I mean, skeet guys. Well, I shot a 24/25 with it, hammers and triggers notwithstanding. Boy, did that give me a lot of currency in the ongoing debate with the skeet shooters- my usual retort was "How difficult is skeet when you know exactly where the bird is going to go every time? And a $125 riot gun shoots as well as one worth 6 months' mortgage payments?". It was a good laugh all around."

I used the Rossi because it was choked better ("Improved cylinder") than the Mod. 12 is (full choke) for the close targets in skeet relative to trap; and being a lot shorter makes it easier to swing. Some of the skeet guys looked down their noses at it because it was so cheap, but it worked, and I didn't care any more than that about it.

[Skans]

- Wearing a tux to a wedding. I'm not wearing a tux because of what people think, I'm wearing a tux because that's middle/upper-class protocol and respect. Respect and being responsible in your role is not the same thing as caring what people think.

I respectfully dissagree. Protocal, respect and caring how your behavior is received and impacts others is all one and the same. If you are invited to be in a wedding and the groom asks you to wear a tux, and you don't just because you don't care what other people think about you, then that is dissrespectful. I happened to be a groomsman in a wedding once where another groomsman refused to wear a tux because he was trying to make some kind of statement...."I am who I am..clothes don't matter..." The guy thought he was just too cool to give the groom and his good friend (bride's friend) their day. The families wanted certain kinds of pictures taken and he F-ed it up because he felt that he shouldn't be required to fit in or conform.

I'm not talking about buying guns to impress others. What I'm talking about is trying to be appropriate and respectful when you are invited on some kind of outing, whether it's hunting or sporting clays by someone who thought you were worthy of the invite. Acting like a dumbass is like spitting in your friend's face.

If a person is invited by an acquaintence, his boss, or even a friend to shoot sporting clays with a group of people and you show up with a Tromix-Saiga with a wraithmaker drum, knowing that this may not be well received, then that person is an idiot and dissrespectful. It shows that you have no regard for those that invited you, no regard or interest in the sport, and are just there to make some kind of antagonistic statement. Like others have said, you can borrow or rent the appropriate shotgun. Regardless of how you show up with the right equipment, when you are graciously invited to something I feel that you need to make every effort to show the appropriate respect for the invite.

I'm actually surprised at the number of people who seem to completely dissagree with me on this. I guess some folks don't get invited to much, and therefore don't know how to respond appropriately. I'm just not a hermit - I enjoy getting invited to varous outings, and I enjoy inviting those that I meet and like to sometimes participate with me in things.

My Dad and I were trap shooters in a winter skeet and trap league they ran at our local club which also had skeet fields.

This is a different scenario entirely. You were already members of the club, been involved in shooting clays and well known by the other members. You weren't some new guy showing up with a club member, toting along a Streetsweeper to do a little skeet shooting with. If I regularaly shot at a club, was known by the other members, I could see myself whipping out my USAS-12 just to see how I'd do with it.

[Uncle Billy]

No, it's not all that different, the OP asked this:

"would you buy a gun to fit in?
Say for example, a person only had black plastic tacticool shotguns and rifles, and they had friends or co-workers who hunted or did traditional clay trap and skeet...".

It wasn't about being a "new guy", and it wouldn't have made any difference to me anyway if that was the situation. I would use the Rossi any time I was shooting a round of skeet because I could shoot it well enough to be competitive, and that's all that mattered to me. Actually I rather enjoyed that I was pretty successful at it totally outside the established paradigm, but that wasn't what I was trying to do.

I make no more effort to "fit in" with strangers than I do with people I already know- I am who I am and won't misrepresent myself to anyone to gain or to maintain their acceptance.

[Skyyr]

Skans wrote:
I respectfully dissagree. Protocal, respect and caring how your behavior is received and impacts others is all one and the same. If you are invited to be in a wedding and the groom asks you to wear a tux, and you don't just because you don't care what other people think about you, then that is dissrespectful. I happened to be a groomsman in a wedding once where another groomsman refused to wear a tux because he was trying to make some kind of statement...."I am who I am..clothes don't matter..." The guy thought he was just too cool to give the groom and his good friend (bride's friend) their day. The families wanted certain kinds of pictures taken and he F-ed it up because he felt that he shouldn't be required to fit in or conform.

Again, I think you're confusing responsibility with 'caring.' I was raised to be a responsible person and, as such, I'm going to do whatever my obligation is to meet the requirements of that situation. If I knew beforehand that I was the only person to be wearing a tux at that wedding, I'd still come in one, regardless of how out of place I was. That's respect for the event and for my friend, even if he isn't wearing one.

Let me make another example: the president. God knows I have literally zero respect for him and it's obvious he has zero respect for anyone who's against socialism, but I DO respect his office. If he makes a decision that I disagree with, then I'll still follow it not because I give a crap about what people think about me, but because those are the laws in the country that allow me the freedoms I possess. I don't have to respect the man, just the office.

[Skans]

Skyyr, you and I are probably on the same page - My intention is not to split hairs over this issue. It's easy for people who have been members of skeet / sporting clays clubs to say that they will shoot whatever they want to. It's another thing when someone who has never shot sporting clays or has never gone hunting with a particular group of people asks whether having the "right" firearm is important from a perspective of "fitting in" rather than pure effectiveness of the gun.

I guess if you've never been invited to shoot sporting clays at various clubs by your boss, a client, or acquaintence, it's easy to say "I shoot what I want and I don't care what others think". Those of us that have been invited on such outings know that there is a certain etiquette involved. I guess you can choose to ignore it or deal with it.

I am certainly not saying that anyone should go out and buy some expensive gun "just to fit in". I hope no one got that idea from what I posted. All I'm saying is that people should be aware that some firearms (more pertaining to shotguns) may not be appropriate for particular events. This seems like plain old common sense to me.

[44 AMP]

They won't let you play certain reindeer gamers without one. Try Cowboy Action Shooting with your GLock "Fo-tay" and you aren't going to be very welcome.

Bring your tacticool guns hunting? I don't care, just don't aske me to carry a 10lb .308 while hunting deer when I could be carrying a 7lb one.

Show up with your laser, floodlight, can opener and coffee pot all mounted on rails and you're going to get some looks, especially where the game doesn't need them.

If somebody shows up with an uber-tacticool swat stomper because that's all they own, I'm cool with it, provided they know how to use it!

Show up with a tricked out black gun and don't know how to use it, unless you admit it in advance, and beg instruction, you lose points with me.

Everybody starts out without skill or knowledge, and these days, a lot of beginners didn't get started out as children the way some of us did. No shame in my eyes to admit you are not well experienced, better than the other way around, by a long shot!

[rbb50]

I wore a tux to a couple of weddings

My brothers furnished them for me

Other weddings my friends know I wear tee shirts and blue jeans and not out of disrespect but because that is what I wear.

I have some nice shirts I will wear now but I still wear blue jeans with them

I tell some friends like GW and Rick when I get an invite to one of those black tie events

HAHAHA sorry but unless you want me to show up in my bluejeans and a tee shirt have fun there as I'll be working here

Once GW invited me to his church and I came in my bluejeans and tee and the secret service would not let me in saying stuff like, "Yeah right buddy you know GW and I'm santa clause" LOL

I think they got a reprimand for that but like I told GW that was what I was talking about how the churches are full of the money changers now days and that was a good example how that was true with his own church when they turned me away only because of what I was wearing and nothing else.

He assured me it was just a mistake and the church was not like that then I presented him with about ten examples where I dressed like a homeless man and was turned away from church services only because of the way I was dressed and no other reason.

Hey I didn't smell or anything I was just dressed in some worn out bluejeans some worn out shoes and a tee shirt with about a two day whisker growth is all when I experimented with it at other churches and when I went to GWs church I had some nice bluejeans and a nice shirt but they told me "NO BLUE JEANS ALLOWED IN THAT CHURCH AT ALL and if I didn't have a nice suit do not even come back

Clothes do not make the man nor do they show any of his life experiences

If people judge people on what they wear I would be glad to show them many multimillionaires around the austin area that dress in old bluejeans, tennis shoes and tee shirts everyday they go to work to prove them wrong.

They could also care less what you wear no matter what your doing well unless you start wearing only a speedo to work I would surmise then they might say "Hey put some jeans on over that thing that looks gross" LOL

[raftman]

I've never bought a gun just to "fit in" I have the ones I have because I like them. It's of no consequence what others may think of my guns. In that same sense, I don't look down on anyone for their choice, never thought "Haha! What an idiot, you own a Jennings!" If you like it and it works for you, then it's fine by me. I avoid certain guns, but that's because they have a poor reputation and I don't wanna get burned, not because I'm afraid what others will think if they know that I have it.

[stubbicatt]

I actually like the feel of wood over plastic, and the qualities of a good double barrel shotgun over that of the tactical types.

I don't think I would stress the budget by going out to purchase a firearm just to fit in, unless it was an investment in my future... i.e. the Boss called the party...

[onthejon55]

I would use it as an excuse to buy a new gun.

[brockgl]

I'd say no, but I'd be lying, because I bought a 30.06 so that I could hunt big game with my boss and some co-workers when I use to live in a state that allowed 30.06's for hunting (Indiana doesn't)...

[SR420]

would you buy a gun to fit in?

I bought a Ruger 10/22 to fit in, but it didn't work so I sold it.

[oneounceload]

I guess if you've never been invited to shoot sporting clays at various clubs by your boss, a client, or acquaintence, it's easy to say "I shoot what I want and I don't care what others think". Those of us that have been invited on such outings know that there is a certain etiquette involved. I guess you can choose to ignore it or deal with it.

Exactly - especially if you ever want to get invited BACK a second time. and since, in this instance, the inviter was his BOSS, "fitting in" is always a good idea to enhance employment......

There are places where not only is your gun looked at, as is your dress, but your manners and style are as well. It is what it is.....I guess some folks just wouldn't want to bother themselves to act appropriately

[Skans]

Clothes do not make the man nor do they show any of his life experiences

I guess I just see things differently. Clothes may not make the man, but they are an indication of whether he has any respect for the people he is associating with. You wear what you wear to prove a point, it seems. I guess that I never felt that I needed to make a statement or protest by wearing inappropriate clothes at various functions or events especially when I can afford to dress appropriately. Even if I couldn't afford it, I'd figure out a way to dress appropriately out of respect. To each his own - that's the beauty of Freedom.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Slap some wood on your 870P--and call it a day.

[precision_shooter]

and since, in this instance, the inviter was his BOSS, "fitting in" is always a good idea to enhance employment......

If I have to buy a gun or anything to impress my boss on MY day off that the "boss" wants me to spend with him/her, then I don't need the enhancement in employment. If I get an enhancement in employment I want it to be for what I am capable of doing ON THE JOB. Not outside of work during recreation. It's basically sayin that if you kiss A$$ well enough you will get promoted over someone who is clearly a better candidate for the job, due to work experience and performance. But that person gets passed over as he wasn't willing to kiss A$$ ("buy appropriate gun") outside of work. Those are the jobs I leave and go find another one. I don't and will not work for those type of people no matter how well the enhancement may be. I will not sell myself out for career advancement and neither should anyone else.