What does it mean to say a gun has "soul"?

mcb

mcb

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
8,738
Location
North Alabama
So in the thread https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/who-doesn’t-own-like-ar’s.926044/ we wandered on the notion that AR's do not have "soul" and conversely it was implied that a blue steel and wood guns (or similar) does.

In the resulting discussion I realized I don't think I understand what is commonly meant by that saying, "a gun has soul". At a high level it seems that older more traditional models made from older material and manufacturing process have more "soul" than modern designs made from more modern materials and modern methods? The engineer in me bristles at that definition if it's to be the right one. Though I am happy to be corrected.

What the gun is or what it is made from has very little to do with it in my personal interpretation of it having "soul" or not. To me when someone says a gun has soul, what I think of is its a well used gun that brings with it good memories or at least interesting tales of its use in the owners hands (and possibly those that used it before them). To me "soul" is not a measure of the quality or manufacturing process used to create the firearm but what that firearm has been used for and the resulting history it has been part of, told or not.

IMHO a cheap mass produced gun that has seen heavy use and been on many adventures with it's owner has far more "soul" than a finely crafted custom gun that has only ever sat in a gun cabinet and gone on the rare trip to the range.

Happy to hear what you think of when someone say a gun has "soul."
 
My favorite gunsmith has a sign in his shop that says "Chassis rifles have no soul".

But, it's in jest.. but then again he's made quite a bit off of me bedding carbon fiber stocks..:(

Usually the "no soul" connotation is used for synthetic, non-blued/non traditional stuff. Personally I don't sweat it, but I don't name my guns either.. They're all tools, some are just nicer than others. Function over form every time.
 
Well for me the term soul speaks to something having a will of their own can substantiate things of this world have a certain amount of intellect, emotion, etc, an animal has a soul, they cannot have a spirit. We humans have a body, soul, and a spirit (the key difference between us and animals among other obvious differences) either subdued or alive depending on one’s connection with God. And to further differentiate, inanimate objects have no soul.

So to me when people talk about inanimate objects having a soul MY thoughts go to my belief and understanding of the true meanings.

But I get what everyone is trying to convey so I don’t get wrapped around the axles over misusing a defined term that speaks something that can act on their own desires.

Now that I got that out of the way. My thoughts on what you are asking is. I would be more inclined to believe something has higher worth, value or connection to me through the experiences I shared with it. It just is the way it is, spend lots of time with something and then try and do with out or use something in it’s place and you’ll feel that connection that was developed.

I will say that there’s a certain nature expressed from a nice piece of figured wood. But I enjoy woodworking and that is probably born out of that with the understanding that that piece of wood was once alive and one can see in the grains how figuring grew into that piece.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mcb
I agree with it doesn't matter if it's mass produced or hand made and fitted.

If you don't use it, how can it have any "soul"? Those rub marks, nicks and scratches all add to it.

Anyone can have a safe queen, doesn't give it any soul.
 
I suspect that "soul" is nearly synonymous with "history". Either the model of gun goes back many decades and can be associated with big events, or the exact gun itself has seen a long and interesting life. That old guns are by default blue and walnut rather than stainless and plastic is probably incidental.
 
From Cambridge Dictionary, more than one meaning. How you choose to use it is up to you.

dictionary.cambridge.org

soul

1. the spiritual part of a person that some people believe continues to exist…
dictionary.cambridge.org dictionary.cambridge.org
 
mcb said:
So in the thread https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/who-doesn’t-own-like-ar’s.926044/ we wandered on the notion that AR's do not have "soul" and conversely it was implied that a blue steel and wood guns (or similar) does.

In the resulting discussion I realized I don't think I understand what is commonly meant by that saying, "a gun has soul". At a high level it seems that older more traditional models made from older material and manufacturing process have more "soul" than modern designs made from more modern materials and modern methods? The engineer in me bristles at that definition if it's to be the right one. Though I am happy to be corrected.

What the gun is or what it is made from has very little to do with it in my personal interpretation of it having "soul" or not. To me when someone says a gun has soul, what I think of is its a well used gun that brings with it good memories or at least interesting tales of its use in the owners hands (and possibly those that used it before them). To me "soul" is not a measure of the quality or manufacturing process used to create the firearm but what that firearm has been used for and the resulting history it has been part of, told or not.

IMHO a cheap mass produced gun that has seen heavy use and been on many adventures with it's owner has far more "soul" than a finely crafted custom gun that has only ever sat in a gun cabinet and gone on the rare trip to the range.

Happy to hear what you think of when someone say a gun has "soul."
Click to expand...
I like to think they are only fooling themselves but there are lots of folks who say this gun has “character” or that gun “has a soul”. It’s all emotion driven, and honestly no different than gun hoplophobes who say guns are “evil”.

Again, I am NOT knocking preferring one style, brand, cartridge, etc. over another. And thinking highly of Sam Colt, John Browning, or Eugene Stoner is fine…they actually had souls…but their guns do not.
 
The concept of "soul" is pretty deep. I have trouble understanding it in relation to anything, but especially in relation to guns.

Regarding guns, "soul" is like "provenance." But as a collector, I've always been told to "buy the gun, and not the story." You appreciate the gun for what it is, and not for the penumbra surrounding it.

That's why I don't agree with those, for example, who won't touch Nazi guns because they were designed / used by Nazis. Heck, the Israelis, in the early days, themselves used ex-Nazi guns. Even Messerschmitt fighter planes, when they could get them. The evil of the Nazi regime did not, like a curse, rub off on the guns. They're just inanimate objects.

The minimum requirement for a "soul" is that the underlying subject must, at some time, have been alive. Guns don't qualify.
 
But if you want to go even deeper, guns do come alive, when you pull the trigger.
 
I hear this often from customers that "Gun X" has no soul, usually directed at a firearm that has plastic furniture.

I can attest that AR's have enough soul that guys try and clone the exact rifle they were issued in the service. That clone has as much soul as any steel and wood Model 94.
For Secret Service Special Agents, its having the same handgun in retirement as the duty weapon they carried on the job. (feds can't keep their issued handguns)
Guys who had firearms stolen and lament the loss of the Glock given to them by their father.

Any gun that gives one comfort, brings good memories, has saved your life or the lives of others and can be trusted to function when and how you need it.....has soul.
It's not whether the gun is made from wood or steel or grips of rubber, gutta percha or the latest polymer.


That said, Taurus & KelTecs have no soul. :rofl:
 
Chief TC said:
MHO, inanimate objects cannot have souls but they can have a history and echo of time on them which can make them interesting.
Click to expand...

Exactly this. I like my little S&W EZ, but it sparks no interest beyond its utility.
Pick up my 1912 SMLE though, and all kinds of things, that have nothing to do with the prosaic act of my shooting it, come crowding in.
 
I agree with the sentiment that guns cannot have a soul hence this thread trying to figure out what that phase meant.

I also agree with @AlexanderA in that you buy the gun not the story. I buy most of my guns used and care little for what their previous owner did with them. The exception being the few that have been passed down through the family, those stories have value to me, especially the ones I was involved in. The guns I find most valuable and enjoyable are the guns that have lots of my own personal stories tied to them. That usually hurts their market value as it means I am using them alot and they worn and sometimes damaged in that use but those are the ones that would have a "soul" if any of mine did.
 
dogtown tom said:
I hear this often from customers that "Gun X" has no soul, usually directed at a firearm that has plastic furniture.

I can attest that AR's have enough soul that guys try and clone the exact rifle they were issued in the service. That clone has as much soul as any steel and wood Model 94.
For Secret Service Special Agents, its having the same handgun in retirement as the duty weapon they carried on the job. (feds can't keep their issued handguns)
Guys who had firearms stolen and lament the loss of the Glock given to them by their father.

Any gun that gives one comfort, brings good memories, has saved your life or the lives of others and can be trusted to function when and how you need it.....has soul.
It's not whether the gun is made from wood or steel or grips of rubber, gutta percha or the latest polymer.


That said, Taurus & KelTecs have no soul. :rofl:
Click to expand...

😂 Much as I like my Tauri (Plural of Taurus), I'll agree with that last statement.

And I agree with the one about recreating one's service rifle. (minus the giggle switch in my case). When I finally got a receiver with the right markings (H&R) and they put my service rifle's serial number on it, it was right about when the A1 Retro kits flew off the shelf......😡 I keep looking for them, or individual parts, but at this rate, it's going to be a while....
 
mcb said:
Happy to hear what you think of when someone say a gun has "soul."
Click to expand...
.38 Special said:
I suspect that "soul" is nearly synonymous with "history".
Click to expand...
Yep, I agree with that - synonymous with "history" or "memories." I've posted too many times about why I chose a custom-built 308 Norma Magnum rifle as my retirement gift to myself when I turned 62 (almost 14 years ago) so I won't bore everyone again with stories about when I was a 16-year-old, rifle crazy kid with a girlfriend whose dad had a custom 308 Norma Magnum rifle. All I'll say is this: I got over that girlfriend many, many years ago. And now that I have a custom 308 Norma Magnum rifle of my own, I'm over her dad's rifle. Yeah, my custom built 308 Norma Magnum rifle has soul. 😁
BTW, my custom-built 308 Norma Magnum rifle is stainless, with a shock-absorbing, granite-grey synesthetic stock because I ordered it that way. I reckon I like looking at deep blue and rich walnut as much as anyone. But for using, I'll take stainless and synthetic every day of the week. :thumbup:
 
A related question is, "Would you buy a gun that you knew was used in a suicide?" No soul in the gun, but bad karma for sure. I don't think I would buy such a gun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcb
AlexanderA said:
A related question is, "Would you buy a gun that you knew was used in a suicide?" No soul in the gun, but bad karma for sure. I don't think I would buy such a gun.
Click to expand...
Yes and the reason I say that is for 2 reasons. Many firearms owned have taken a life or exacted suffering on humans and/or animals justly or unjustly. Secondly, suicide is a sad and tragic circumstance for someone who is miserable and desperate to the point they thought they could not endure life anymore. So even if one believes in bad karma attaching to an inanimate object, the object was used by a soul that mentally incapacitated. I don't believe in karma or force or energy attaching to a metal tool but I will say this - If I knew a Mauser or an Arisaka killed Americans, I would grealty hesitate in acquiring it. Not placing any judgement on anyone. Just kinda how I feel about it. I only have one foreign milsurp - M96 from 1900. I don't know if I will ever pursue a Mauser or Arisaka from WW2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mcb
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Guns with Soul
2 3
Replies
56
Views
3K
Ridge
R
D
  • Locked
Soul.....
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
Dave McCracken
D
S
  • Locked
Madonna Says No Hunting
2 3
Replies
51
Views
4K
Brian Williams
Brian Williams
M
  • Locked
Guns with "Soul" (or presence, or character, or personality, etc...)
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
woerm
W
D
  • Locked
GOP 'Lost Its Reaganite Soul,' Conservatives Say
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
arthurcw
A
Back
Top