We live in an industry that’s constantly pumping out new gear and guns. They try their best to tempt you to constantly upgrade your gear and guns to the latest and greatest. With that in mind, do you have to? If you do, how often should you be upgrading? At what point does your gun or gear become magically obsolete?
How to Know if Your Gear is Obsolete
I think in most cases, your gun is fine, your optic is fine, your light’s fine, and your holster is likely fine as long as you’ve invested in quality gear. If you’re rocking a Glock 26 for concealed carry, you don’t have to run out and purchase one of those snazzy micro compact 9mms. Your RMR likely doesn’t need to be replaced by a COA.
Most of the time, the gradual improvements of guns don’t warrant a complete replacement of your gear. Gradual improvements are great, but it’s one of those things where ammo and training would be more valuable than a new firearm. Although if you just want a new gun and the features associated with it, more power to you.
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So, when exactly do you need to upgrade your gun or gear?
When You Haven’t Invested In Quality Gear
We’ve all cheaped out on a thing or two along the way. Sometimes it’s simply because we can’t afford better, or sometimes it’s due to a lack of knowledge. People buy a lot of Olights, crappy holsters, and subpar guns. If you’re still putting a Raven MP-25 in your pocket, maybe it’s time for an upgrade.
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We want our gear to work and to work in the worst situations. This is why the initial investment into quality gear is so important. However, if you’re broke and can only afford what you can afford, you’ll have to make it work. Just know, sometimes, the gear and guns you’re buying can already be obsolete.
What’s critical to do as you consider upgrading is research. Watch reviews, read reviews, don’t just know specifications, understand them. This will help you know what exactly you’re shopping for and what it can do for you.
Safety Concerns
When your gun is unsafe, it’s time to upgrade. In the modern era, it’s rare for guns to have safety issues, but they happen. Sometimes a recall can fix it, and you can certainly pursue that route. Other times, the safety issues might have killed the company, and you’re left without a paddle. Good luck getting a Gen 1 Remington R51 fixed.
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There also might be a safety concern with carrying or using older guns. They may seem to operate fine, but might lack modern features like a drop-safe design. If your old revolver still uses a hammer-mounted firing pin instead of a transfer bar, you might consider updating to a more modern design.
Outside of handguns, there are lots of old firearms that might not be trustworthy. Marlin came out in 1999 and stated you should stop using their pump shotguns entirely. It’s smart to do a little research before you adopt an older gun for any serious use.
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Outside of guns, holsters can be a safety issue. This can tie more toward investing in quality equipment, but it’s wise to make sure your holster is for the gun you’re carrying.
Situation Changes
If your general life changes, you might be forced to purchase a new gun or piece of gear. If you go from first shift to third, a good white light might be a must-have. If you transition from casual clothes to more formal daily wear, a smaller gun or a new carry method might be necessary.
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If you move from a house in the country to an apartment in the city, then maybe your home defense firearm changes to acknowledge the presence of much closer neighbors. Mission drives gear is a phrase we love to shout from the rooftops, so make sure what you have matches what you intend it to do.
When Capability Outpaces Gear
A rare one you might encounter is that your skill exceeds the piece of gear you’re using. In most cases, a shooter can’t shoot faster than the gun. It’s rare that the average person will greatly benefit from upgrading their gun purely from a skill perspective. Sure, I’ve outrun a semi-auto shotgun a time or two, but that doesn’t mean I need a Beretta 1301.
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Your skill and ability to control a gun can increase. For example, my wife loves her LCP 2 in .22LR. It’s a fine gun, but .22LR isn’t optimal for concealed carry. If she were to train more, shoot more, and eventually feel more comfortable with higher-recoiling firearms, she might upgrade to something like a SIG P365 and its 9mm chambering.
What’s going to be more common is shooters outrunning certain pieces of gear. My first pistol red dot was a Burris Fastfire 3. I’ve had it for a decade and used it a ton, and it’s certainly reliable. However, emitter technology has improved greatly, and the slow refresh rate would make shooting fast more difficult.
In these cases, it might be time to upgrade.
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It Wears Out
One thing you should accept in the firearm world is that things wear out. Magazines wear out, leather holsters wear out, dots, sights, and more will wear out. Nothing lasts forever, but most stuff lasts a long time. When a piece of gear starts to wear out, it’s usually a good time to replace it.
With modern gear and guns, it can take a lot to wear a gun or piece of gear out, but it’s smart to keep an eye out for those types of things as you shoot and scoot. This doesn’t necessarily mean an entire product line is obsolete, but it does mean that your specific model is obsolete.
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New New New
You don’t have to fall into the trap of consumerism in the gun world. If you just like buying guns, great, so do I. However, from a need perspective, there are a few situations where what you have has become obsolete. It just doesn’t happen all that much. When it does, that’s when it’s wise to start upgrading.
