Telling people to quit being Fudds isn’t the best way to make it happen, but sometimes it feels like the only option left. In case you’ve been living under a rock in the gun world, the term “Fudd” is meant to apply to gun owners who refuse to stop living in the past. They don’t acknowledge the advancements in technology, the usefulness of newer cartridges, or the fact that their deeply held beliefs might be wrong.
The classic Fudd has a closed mind, a judgmental approach to the firearms world, and tends to be part of an older generation…but that isn’t always the case, trust me. Fudds keep Fudding, and it does more damage than they might realize. So what can we do about it?
First of all, full disclosure. I’m super equal opportunity when it comes to guns and gear. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking revolvers, lever-actions, bolt-actions, AR-15s, striker-fired, hammer-fired—I’ll shoot them all. Yes, I have my personal preferences, but I’ll also shoot anything I can get my hands on.
That also applies to sticking to a shooting stance like isosceles. The longer you shoot, the more you discover there’s no cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all option. Some body types do better shooting a modified Weaver and some excel with isosceles. Same goes for thumbs down or thumbs forward. It depends on the person and the gun. As always, I’ll put out the You’re Welcome to Fight Me mat in the comments.
Back to the Fuddery. Even though it’s 2024, there’s still a heavy presence of people in the gun world who think their preferences are the only ones that work. I see it on a daily basis in my social media feeds. There are the proclamations that the best rifle cartridges in existence are those that are a century or more old and that the only handgun you should focus on is the revolver. Anyone who dares to disagree is dismissed as a fool and ridiculed (or just seriously condescended to). That mindset still even persists in some publications, some of which are very well respected.
I know what you’re thinking: “When the old guard retires or dies off, the Fuddery will end!”…and you’d be wrong.
Don’t be confused, though. Being a Fudd isn’t reserved only for men of a certain age or shooters who only care about their duck guns and deer rifles. Not anymore. The modern Fudd can easily be defined as gun owners with narrow viewpoints and a refusal to admit or accept that anything but their particular preferences are legitimate. Maybe they’re hotly anti-revolver or think lever-actions are only for idiots.
In the past we’ve called these guys as Tactical Timmies (or Tammies), but think about it. It’s the same kind of unwavering commitment to Only My Guns are Right. It’s the predilection for gunsplaining and attempting to force your gun opinions down someone else’s throat. It’s the refusal to acknowledge your favorites don’t need to be everyone else’s.
I propose we redefine Fudd to encompass any and all gun owners with closed, territorial minds. Unless something is a safety issue, why isn’t it okay? Does the guy doing the modified Weaver on the firing line hurt you in some way? How about the guy running a revolver. Did his wheel gun preference somehow render your GLOCK inoperable? No? Then get over it.
Climb down off your holier-than-thou pedestal and let the grownups talk. I don’t care what your chronological age is, if you can’t have an intelligent, non-assholish discussion, you’re a child. The same applies if you’re incapable of considering that other firearms platforms or cartridges might be fun and useful. Except 380 ACP. Screw that one.
Show me on the doll where other people’s gun opinions hurt you. I’ll wait.
If you’re part of the Fudd community—and please be aware you might be, because it’s very Dunning-Kruger-esque—this next part is for you.
Maybe your son/grandson/best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend prefers GLOCK pistols. They are Plastic Fantastic after all. The greatest tactical Tupperware in existence. Or maybe there’s a person in your life or field of vision who likes 9mm more than 45 ACP. Perhaps they hunt with an AR-15 (gasp). As a result, you feel the need to properly “educate” them and you can’t figure out why they don’t immediately fall at your feet in awe of your vast knowledge and brilliance.
For the love of Saint John Moses Browning, knock it off. If your brain is so one-tracked that you only pay attention to older platforms and cartridges, there might be something wrong. If you think proselytizing to the masses, proclaiming that .30-30 Win or .357 Magnum as the end-all, be-all, it might be time to hit the pause button. Open your mind to newer possibilities. Does that mean giving up your levers and revolvers? Of course not. You couldn’t force me to hand over my own rather eclectic collection, not even under threat of taking away my coffee.
I’m not asking you to worship at the altar of Gaston Glock or make blood sacrifices to the gods of Daniel Defense. I’m simply suggesting you remove the stick from a certain orifice and admit there’s more to life than the platform you grew up using.
This can be difficult for all of us. We all have our favorites and biases. My first handgun was a GLOCK and it took years for me to get into revolvers. Of course, my first rifle was a bolt-action, so there was a learning curve getting into AR-15s. I suppose in many ways my preferences are like the Gen X of the gun world thanks to my having one foot in each world. There are pros and cons to that, too.
For all you non-Fudds, remember that one day, that’s going to be you. If you’re not careful, you’re only a few years away from being that annoying guy who only shoots GLOCKS. The dude who refuses to admit the new triple-stack Ice Hammer 4000 is a good gun and that the 8x27mm FFS is the greatest defensive caliber ever to come along. If you refuse to keep your mind open and grow with evolving technology, you’re going to be the latest generation of Fudd.
Maybe it’s not your personal shot of whiskey, but that doesn’t make it bad (again, unless it’s .380 ACP, I refuse to budge on that one).
In short, don’t be a Fudd—and don’t set yourself up for being a Fudd 2.0 either.
12 Responses
Shouldn’t need it’s own article but yeah. Love the first pic being a BFR with a scope as it doesn’t matter what caliber it is in it will trigger someone on something if they have blind strongly held beliefs in firearms. With that said caliber wars are always fun and a great way to learn about edge loadings of particular options as part of the what aboutisms that get thrown around (also useful to learn why they are edge case loadings). In the end I suspect a lot of it is limited exposure to other options/disciplines that drive the narrow strongly held beliefs which can be taken all kinds of fun ways that may or may not apply. Points for tactical Timmy haven’t heard that one in a while (similar timeframe to tactitard)
I don’t care if anyone thinks only their guns are right. I care then they think only their guns are my right.
Getting lectured by a twit….lol
Super great, thought out reply ya got there!
I just wish I could get a micro RD on my Gen 2, G21 for less than $200. However, I will leave the Ruger .357 Blackhawk convertible untouched!
In my experience the term “Fudd” refers to men and women (usually but not always of advanced age) who:
1) Only support our right to keep and bear arms for hunting
2) Only support bolt, lever, or pump-action long guns
3) Often do not support handgun ownership and only revolvers if they do
— and —
4) Support nearly all “gun control” laws as long as they get to keep their lever/bolt/pump-action long guns.
Is the narrow mindedness of Fudds annoying when it comes to claiming that certain platforms or calibers are the only correct choices? Sure. The much greater aggravation, though, is how Fudds support gun control and help bolster the “street cred” of civilian disarmament advocates.
I support the 2nd amendment but ……..
See also I served in the military and no civilian should have access to……..
Either one tends to have fun reactions to being called a commie and told to fuckoff.
Don’t know that I would call many people in the Shooter 2.0 camp “Fudds”.
But many are jackasses about what other people shoot.
They’re not looking for acceptance of their preferred pieces, they want you to revel in their brilliance for being the one who enlightened you.
I like guns for gun’s sake. They are interesting in their mechanics and operation.
I may carry a modern rendition of a semi auto for defense but I may also carry a wheel gun or older auto design on occasion.
Those that say “all handguns should be 9mm and all 9mm handguns should be a Glock” are often the biggest jackasses of all.
They have found their one tool and it’s all about training and tactics after that.
I’m carry a gun for defense, and sometimes I stick a 38 snub in my pocket or waistband. Live with it.
I’m not a rifle guy because rifles are not as portable as handguns.
The rifles I like usually have levers and short barrel because they are the most portable.
My home defense carbine is a 94 trapper in 45 Colt loaded with Corbon ammo.
If I want .223 then I go with mini 14 as I don’t care for pistol grips on long guns. Nothing against them, just not my preference.
On new calibers – there isn’t much that hasn’t been done. Is 6.5 creedmore superior to .308? Don’t care. At 100-150 yards it doesn’t matter.
If you shoot long-range sniper matches? Sure – get the latest hot shit. Just looking for a hunting rifle? Just about any center fire cartridge in a bolt rifle will make a whitetail fall down when you pull the trigger.
So if you find a cool rifle – 300 savage Remington 700 – buy 200 rounds of ammo and you are set for many years.
Saying you have to have the newest shiny thing or you’re a Fudd is just as bad as saying you’re a moron for buying the newest shiny thing.
I have been shooting for 50 years or so. I hear people say the same stupid stuff now that I head when I was 10.
I was told a handgun could not possibly kill a deer. And yet the first two deer I killed fell to a 357 magnum. Was it the best choice? It was for me.
Couldn’t hunt with a center fire rifle where I lived but the game warden told me a handgun was acceptable.
Now people tell me I can’t possibly defend myself with a 7 shot automatic (43) let alone a revolver. Makes me laugh.
Hard to know what you don’t know.
Now you see your first mistake was coming into this with well articulated thoughts and reasonable discussion on the mind😉. But seriously I have been continuously surprised with just how adaptable the 357 magnum can be if you have powders available regardless of barrel length (above 3″ anyway)
1911s suck and need to be cancelled.
There. Is that Fuddish??
“1911s [that aren’t .45s] suck and need to be cancelled.”
Now it is.
To me a Fudd is someone who believes that a gun (or features or accessories) proven in combat to be more accurate, reliable, ergonomic, adaptable, maintainable, handy, etc. will be worse in some way if one is not in combat. People who believe their guns are the best because of experience and reasoned arguments tend to be open to experience and reasoned arguments, vs. those who become angry if you attempt to counter “that’s the way we’ve always done it” or “I jus like it” with facts and logic.