German Made Stuff: Quality Superb

[Ankerson]

Weatherby's are very nice rifles.

I had two of them in my life.

Mark V in .340 Weatherby (With a Muzzle Break) and Vanguard in .300 Win.

A very good hunting buddy of mine who is one of those guys who feels he must have the biggest of everything has a Weatherby Mark V like you mentioned in .460 Weatherby Magnum. The two times I shot that monster I thought I had a "Howitzer" on my shoulder :eek: That and another big gun another buddy of mine has which is a .375 Holland & Holland. I guess if I were hunting T-REX or Brontosaurus I might need something that big.

But that Weatherby .460 Magnum was surprisingly accurate for as big of a caliber as it is. That .460 had an Accubreak Recoil device. I'm glad it did but it still kicked me like a Missouri Mule :eek:

The only thing I don't like about Weatherby is that it is hard to find brass for re-loading and their factory ammo is up in the stratosphere price-wise. I guess if I were in Africa around Cape Buffalo, or a Bull Elephant I would probably like to have a gun like that. However Jack O'Connor hunted all of those monsters with a .270 Winchester if you can believe that.

I used to shoot a lot of the BIG ones when helping my gunsmith get his people ready for Africa about every year or ever other year depending.

Yeah, it can be brutal, even with a 50# bag of shot between the butt of the rifle and my shoulder. :eek:

.458's, 460's, 378's, 416's and some double rifles in .375 H&H and a few Nitro Express Caliber's.

Then some of what they considered small guns like the .338's, 340's and 300's.

One thing for sure, I would never own anything larger than a .340 Weatherby again if I ever got back into it again.

It's just like I said brutal.

And the .340 was bad enough even with the muzzle break. :eek:

The .375 H&H isn't really all that bad depending on the gun, not as sharp as some of the others.

The .378 Weatherby is absolutely painful compared to the .375 H&H recoil wise.

About Jack O'Connor and others Like Jeff Cooper hunting the Big 5 with small guns:

Yeah, I read and heard all of those stories too over the years, gain of salt in the end I believe.

It's real easy when they have guides with Large Bore guns backing them up in case they miss etc.

If one of them starts a charge stopping them with a small bore just isn't going to happen.

[Naperville]

I enjoy Volkswagens - I've owned three at this point, and will probably own at least one more.

VWs are OK, but nothing to write home about.

My father owned two and my brother owned a Passat. VW replaced the top of the Passat's engine and the complete transmission to fix a problem and nothing they did worked. It intermittently stalled when accelerating. It was a $35,000 to $40,000 dollar lemon. He still has the car and doesn't know what to do with it...it's been sitting for years.

[MacLaren]

We had a couple VW Rabbits & a Golf in the 80's up until the mid 90's.
All 3 were diesel and were awesome.
Front wheel drive and would go very well in the snow, not to mention the excellent mpg
I miss those VW's

[JD Spydo]

I enjoy Volkswagens - I've owned three at this point, and will probably own at least one more.

VWs are OK, but nothing to write home about.

My father owned two and my brother owned a Passat. VW replaced the top of the Passat's engine and the complete transmission to fix a problem and nothing they did worked. It intermittently stalled when accelerating. It was a $35,000 to $40,000 dollar lemon. He still has the car and doesn't know what to do with it...it's been sitting for years.

Back in the early 1980s I worked for a pretty wealthy family and they had 3 sons who were in my age range. All 3 of the boys loved their flamboyant, expensive cars. The one who was my age was fascinated with German cars. He owned two Mercedes Benz 450 SL models that were a joy to ride in. I rode with him on errands on a few occasions and they were nice.
But he bought a couple new BMW models ( for him and his wife) and he told me that he found out that the BMW models were made with better quality than the Mercedes Benz models were.
And that was in the early 80s. Over the years I've spoke to several people who have owned BMW models and almost all of them said they were much better overall quality from the early 80s till about the late 90s. Now I'm just repeating what those owners told me. Myself I wouldn't turn down either one of them.

[JD Spydo]

One item that is German made that I've been fascinated with for years are superior German optics technology. For the people who are into scientific and medical vocations I've seen people in those endeavors use Carl Zeiss optic equipment like microscopes and other magnifying devices almost exclusively.

Every hunter who I've talked to over the years and myself included absolutely insist on using Leupold rifle scopes. Ever since I got my very first Leupold scope in the early 80s I've never looked back. Leupold is an American company but it was started by Marcus Leupold who was a German optics expert.

[TomAiello]

The older Sig Sauer made in W. Germany or Germany are excellent pistols. Triple serial number pistols.
Stihl pro saws are really nice /although I prefer Husqvarna :D

Have you had bad luck with the later (made in USA) Sigs?

I own both German and American made Sig pistols and honesty I've been just as happy with the USA versions.

On the subject of high quality, while I do realize there is a bit of a 'Gucci' effect, I have never owned a pistol with nicer fit and finish than an HK. I think my HK is my highest cost pistol, though, so that might have something to do with it. I'm not a 1911 guy so I've never had one of the high end American 1911s, which probably have even better fit and finish.

[MacLaren]

The older Sig Sauer made in W. Germany or Germany are excellent pistols. Triple serial number pistols.
Stihl pro saws are really nice /although I prefer Husqvarna :D

Have you had bad luck with the later (made in USA) Sigs?

I own both German and American made Sig pistols and honesty I've been just as happy with the USA versions.

On the subject of high quality, while I do realize there is a bit of a 'Gucci' effect, I have never owned a pistol with nicer fit and finish than an HK. I think my HK is my highest cost pistol, though, so that might have something to do with it. I'm not a 1911 guy so I've never had one of the high end American 1911s, which probably have even better fit and finish.

Its the triggers with the new ones Tom.
Thats why Robert Burke, The Sig Armorer offers his carry package trigger job, as he states to get back to original German Specs.
These USA Sig triggers are just atrocious imo
For the money you pay, there shouldn't be any creep
But, everyone I've fired or dry fired in the store, they all whether a Stainless Elite or whatever had tons of creep
Heck, Ive got an old S&W 910 that is very cheap with a lot of plastic and that trigger is 10x better than any US Sig I've fired. Or dry fired. Not a bit of creep.
There's more to the German Sigs too, like proofing houses, no mim, but I'd rather not get into a long conversation about that.
I dunno, to me it all starts with a good trigger.

[benben]

My HK pistols, incredible polymer pistols, and I think the best polymer pistols on the planet! I don't have it anymore but years ago I had a German made Sig P220 .45 that was a 1984 issued Illinois Highway Patrol service pistol, good Lord knows how many thousands of rounds went through that pistol? It was a very "Loose" pistol that had a slight rattle when you would shake it, that .45 shot like a target pistol, just one big ragged hole at 30' and it was so easy to do it with! I'm a complete idiot for selling that Sig!

[TomAiello]

Its the triggers with the new ones Tom.

Ah, ok. I see. I have a Gray trigger on my P229, and it's been a long time since I had the factory trigger.

[MacLaren]

Its the triggers with the new ones Tom.

Ah, ok. I see. I have a Gray trigger on my P229, and it's been a long time since I had the factory trigger.

Yeah, your GTG with that Gray trigger.

[Pancake]

I have Muhle STF synthetic shaving brush - excellent piece, I am using it everyday.
I am driving a 2019 VW Polo, great little car.
And some various little things like set of Wiha torx bits, and some LUX Made in Germany tools.

I think that sometimes are german things a bit overrated, but, QC is more in todays world as a place of origin.

BTW, does music bands also count? Redscale from Berlin are awesome.

[kennethsime]

We had a couple VW Rabbits & a Golf in the 80's up until the mid 90's.
All 3 were diesel and were awesome.
Front wheel drive and would go very well in the snow, not to mention the excellent mpg
I miss those VW's

Two out of three of mine have been diesels, including the current Mk4 wagon. Going to be hard to give up one day.

[kennethsime]

I enjoy Volkswagens - I've owned three at this point, and will probably own at least one more.

VWs are OK, but nothing to write home about.

My father owned two and my brother owned a Passat. VW replaced the top of the Passat's engine and the complete transmission to fix a problem and nothing they did worked. It intermittently stalled when accelerating. It was a $35,000 to $40,000 dollar lemon. He still has the car and doesn't know what to do with it...it's been sitting for years.

That sounds pretty rough!

I've never had a serious problem with mine. Generally speaking, my experience has been that if you treat German cars well, they'll treat you well. But the more complex the system, the harder it can be to diagnose problems I guess. I've found that a good independent German car mechanic goes a long way. Hope he figures something out with that thing!

[kennethsime]

Back in the early 1980s I worked for a pretty wealthy family and they had 3 sons who were in my age range. All 3 of the boys loved their flamboyant, expensive cars. The one who was my age was fascinated with German cars. He owned two Mercedes Benz 450 SL models that were a joy to ride in. I rode with him on errands on a few occasions and they were nice.
But he bought a couple new BMW models ( for him and his wife) and he told me that he found out that the BMW models were made with better quality than the Mercedes Benz models were.
And that was in the early 80s. Over the years I've spoke to several people who have owned BMW models and almost all of them said they were much better overall quality from the early 80s till about the late 90s. Now I'm just repeating what those owners told me. Myself I wouldn't turn down either one of them.

To compare the two, I think it largely depends on the era - early BMWs were stripped-down compared to Mercedes, but drove real well. If I were a car salesman, I'd sell a Mercedes to a boring older guy who appreciated excessive build quality, and the BMW to to a younger guy looking to have some fun on the road. But I'm with you, I wouldn't turn down either one!

[Naperville]

That sounds pretty rough!

I've never had a serious problem with mine. Generally speaking, my experience has been that if you treat German cars well, they'll treat you well. But the more complex the system, the harder it can be to diagnose problems I guess. I've found that a good independent German car mechanic goes a long way. Hope he figures something out with that thing!

We still believe very strongly in German products but VW? Meh, it is what it is.

He's had it to highly rated VW specialists, and 2 different VW dealers. He had an extended warranty, and he reached a limit on the warranty for work...well over $15k. Maybe the car was somehow sabotaged! We have no idea.

[austrian_spyder_fan]

Beer, German beer.

I specify: Bavarian beer is very good.
Austrian beer anyway! :D
Also Czech beer (Pils).

[Naperville]

Beer, German beer.

I specify: Bavarian beer is very good.
Austrian beer anyway! :D
Also Czech beer (Pils).

I agree, buy the beer!!!

[austrian_spyder_fan]

I don't drink alcoholic beverages anymore. But the problem I had with German beer is that they drink the stuff at room temperature :confused:

who is telling that?

[Sharp Guy]

I don't drink alcoholic beverages anymore. But the problem I had with German beer is that they drink the stuff at room temperature :confused:

I used to work for a German company with it's headquarters in Bavaria. It's been a few years since I've been there but we drank plenty of beer when I was there. I'm pretty sure I remember being surprised that it was actually more chilled then I expected.

I'm mostly German and have plenty of German family and friends. Like I said, I worked for a German company for years and we made/sold very high quality equipment for the dental industry. Things went downhill fast after we were bought out by an American company. Sad but true. They still make very high quality equipment but some aspects of the business really took a nose dive. I have friends in Germany and the U.S. that still work for that company and it's unfortunate how things are run

I still like buying German products when I can. Among many items one of my favorites a German .22 rifle that's extremely well made and very accurate. Been to Ulm where it was made a couple times. Beautiful city! I also have a German car. I have to say it's one of the nicest cars I've ever had. Fast little bugger too :)

[austrian_spyder_fan]

Hey "austrian_ spyder_fan" I'm so glad one of you guys over on that side of the globe chimed in. I used to have a guy I knew in Berlin who I got to know from >> www.ebay.de<< that I kept contact with but he died unfortunately and he was also a big fan of the D.A.M. Quick reels and fishing tackle as I have been ever since the late 60s. I've heard that there are models accessible over there that you can't get here in the USA for some strange reason.
Interesting as well that you mention "Austrian made" tools as well. Because I've heard that you guys and companies in Belgium also put out some really good quality stuff as well.
As I said in my intro there is just something about high quality tools and toys ( I consider my fishing stuff toys :D ) that really intrigue me.

Thanks for the compliment!