Which ones would you not trust?

[Oh Shoot]

On 7/4/2016 at 4:51 PM, nightrunner said:

Only thing I have had that wasn't reliable was a Marlin Model 60, it would not shoot Stingers no matter what. Not really relevant though.

Stingers should never be a test for any firearm, since besides the hyper-velocity,  they aren't even standard sized rounds.

Velocitors aren't a great all around choice either -- though the case is standard length, the driving band on the bullet is not standard.

- OS

Edited July 9, 2016 by Oh Shoot

[graycrait]

For self defense I would have to say the first production year CZ P0-1,that thing had a horrible double action trigger, but ergonomics were great.  It was OD green to boot - what was I thinking?  I would also say Taurus revolvers, of which I have owned 3 or 4, as well as a Rossi or two.  Ruger and S&W revolvers are so much better than Taurus. If you have to have a revolver for self defense save up and get Ruger or S&W.

[TNMP40]

My Sig P938 is not reliable all the time.  I have switched my carry to an M&P Shield 9mm and love how it shoots.

[glowdotGlock]

About 10 years ago I had a Springfield A1 1911 that just would not function right. I can't recall the exact problems I had. I think that's what turned me off from 1911's. I traded it towards my first Glock (26) and have had the bug ever since.

[Glenn]

On July 6, 2016 at 6:28 PM, tnhawk said:

AMT 380 Backup is the only pistol I've had a problem with.

 

On July 6, 2016 at 6:28 PM, tnhawk said:

AMT 380 Backup is the only pistol I've had a problem with.

I also have a AMT backup. It is reliable but is too small for my hands. Also the safety doesn't work. 

Long ago I had a S&W model 59 nickel plated that I really wanted to like but it suffered with every type of jam imaginable.

[DWARREN123]

AMT 22lr semi auto pistol. Worked for about 15 to 20 rounds then had to be cleaned.

[gunslinger_Griff]

Interesting....,

that I've put 100 rounds through.....

Short barreled 1911..... I'm a 1911 guy.. love them. Almost never say no to a good deal on one.... but as someone above said, when you try to turn the 1911 in to something it wasn't meant to be, then you're going to have problems. I'd never trust anything smaller than a Commander sized 1911. The 3.5" and bellow just don't cycle reliably...regardless of how much more has been done....on average....

 

Mr. Browning never meant for his beloved 1911 to be a compact or a super tight firearm.... Doing so is like giving Babe Ruth a tennis racket....

 

Edited August 5, 2016 by gunslinger_Griff
spel chek ;-)

[n0rlf]

Ruger LCP. Returned it twice. Never would fire more than 3 in a row without a jam. Finally traded it to a gun shop who said his smith could make anything run.  

Taurus 66.  Early model. I cleaned it and set it on coffee table while I went to get my duty belt. Dog knocked it off. It went bang. It went bye bye same day. Again to a gun shop with full disclosure about where the marks on hammer came from.

Only two I have had real bad experience with.

[10-Ring]

Any .22 auto until it proves itself otherwise.  Other than that the only thing I've had issues with are an LCP and a TCP.  These guns just have a tendency to be finicky because of their size.  The TCP took some TLC and became one of my favorite carry guns.  I had to polish the slide rails to get it to run right but after I did that it was all good.  These little guns don't like to run dirty either so if you have one go shoot it a lot before you carry it so you know it will run, then take it apart and get the carry dirt out of it once a month or so.

[Bassoneer]

Guns I don't trust, based on my first hand knowledge and negative experiences:

1.  EAA Windicator 357 revolver

2.  Old Colt 1911 (without lowered and flared ejection port)

3.  Springfield Loaded 1911

Guns that I have found 100% reliable:

1.  Smith & Wesson revolvers (no lock)

2.  Glocks

I like the way 1911's look, but carry Glocks because they work.  I don't think Glocks are pretty, but they work.

Kahrs are fairly reliable but I don't really like them.

best wishes, B

[RagTop454]

AMT 45 backup in stainless steel.  Suppose to be the smallest 45 semi-auto ever made but, because it's stainless it's too heavy for a pocket gun.  Bought new and couldn't get 20 rounds through it without a stovepipe or FTE using either ball or hollow points.  It also had a 20+ pound trigger pull and wife couldn't fire it.  Had a gunsmith work on it, polished feed ramp, got the trigger pull down to about 12 pounds but started having FTFire with light strikes on primers, about 1 in 5,  Found an original mainspring and got rid of lite primer strikes but regained 20 lb trigger pull, however it does now feed reliably with ball ammo.  Only drawback now is that due to it's small size, recoil is so harsh I can only fire about 25 rounds through it before my wrist says I have to quit.

[Dolomite_supafly]

The reason why Stingers can stick in the chamber is because the case is physically longer. And I bet the reason it won't cycle is the case mouth is getting jammed into the throat of the shorter chamber. 

 

CCI Stingers are worse than shorts out of a pistol. Stingers must have a rifle length barrel to get to the advertised velocity. In a short pistol barrel they rarely break 1,000 fps and with that tiny 32g bullet it has very little energy. 

The best for SD, if your gun will cycle them, is the Aguila SSS. Even out of a 2" barrel they will penetrate 8". And along the way the bullet will tumble creating a 5/8" wide wound channel as it does.  

The next best is the CCI Velicitor. It still has a relatively low velocity but it has a 40g bullet. The velocity is a lot closer to the advertised velocity than Stingers. 

[Handsome Rob]

On 7/28/2016 at 0:10 AM, RagTop454 said:

AMT 45 backup in stainless steel.  Suppose to be the smallest 45 semi-auto ever made but, because it's stainless it's too heavy for a pocket gun.  Bought new and couldn't get 20 rounds through it without a stovepipe or FTE using either ball or hollow points.  It also had a 20+ pound trigger pull and wife couldn't fire it.  Had a gunsmith work on it, polished feed ramp, got the trigger pull down to about 12 pounds but started having FTFire with light strikes on primers, about 1 in 5,  Found an original mainspring and got rid of lite primer strikes but regained 20 lb trigger pull, however it does now feed reliably with ball ammo.  Only drawback now is that due to it's small size, recoil is so harsh I can only fire about 25 rounds through it before my wrist says I have to quit.

If you ever decide you don't need it anymore, gimme a holler. Been looking for one for a while.....

[deafdogdief]

Hungarian PA-63. Just terrible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[94user]

On 7/7/2016 at 10:28 PM, Sidecarist said:

The 1911 design is just fine, I have several that are great and as near 100% as anything else I have. The real issue with the 1911 these days is that companies like kimber have tried too hard to make them into something that were never intended to be.

Match accuracy guns for defense.

To me those two are mutually exclusive. If you want to spend $1500+ on a 1911 go ahead but don't expect 100% reliability and match accuracy from a factory gun. The small gain in accuracy costs too much in reliability for a defensive gun. Serial production doesn't allow for the hand work it takes to make one run and be that tight. Plenty of gunsmiths have made a good living doing that for those that will pay the cost...

I used to carry a commander and would still be using it daily if 9mm ammo hadn't improved so much. Now I choose a P320 in 9mm same size more capacity and I don't care if it gets a bit uglier from daily carry. I didn't change because of reliability. 

My $400 RIA always goes bang.  Like you said, it's a defensive gun. At 20 - 30 feet it's more than accurate enough. That's what it was made for.

[DWARREN123]

Something I have noticed is that someone buys a new gun, usually a Glock, and starts making changes before even shooting it and then has problems.

A target or gamer gun, in my opinion, is usually not the best firearm for SD/HS.

 

[ma6907]

I have had 2 I wouldn't trust.  A Taurus Millennium .40, which literally fell apart in my hands at the range.  Sent it back to Taurus.  They kept it for around 3 months and it showed up one day in the mail with NO info on what they had done to it?  Traded it for a Glock 27.  Also a Diamondback .380, which I want to LOVE, and do when it goes "Bang", which is most of the time.  Keyword being MOST.

[Preacher357]

A SCCY CPX-2 (or CPX-1 either).  I actually am quite fond of the gun...when it is working.  It has great capacity for its size, carries well, and is surprisingly accurate for what it is.  I even like the long double action trigger because I am more of a fan of revolvers than semi autos anyway.  Unfortunately I have had one for about 8 months now and have had multiple issues with it.  So far I (or SCCY) have replaced the extractor, ejector, frame pins, firing pin, main spring, and trigger bar.  In fact, when the firing pin broke, they replaced the entire slide assembly.  Now it has started not wanting to reset consistently.  I believe this is because the trigger reset spring has gotten weak and needs to be replaced.  In other words, pretty much everything on the gun other than the barrel and frame have been changed now, and it is still not right.   A couple of these happened in the first month I had the pistol, and then it ran flawlessly for about 4 or 5 months afterward.  During that time I was carrying it and training with it regularly and really liked it.  Unfortunately, that did not last.  At around the 3500 - 4000 round mark, it just started falling apart.  I stopped carrying it a few months ago as a result.  I know guys on the forums that have had these for years without any issue, so maybe I got a lemon, or maybe it was just not designed to handle the round count that I put through it.  I am sure most people that buy a SCCY probably don't shoot them that much.  However, any gun that I carry I want to be able to train and shoot regularly.  I want to have plenty of experience with it if it is going to be on my side.  For that reason, I don't think I would trust the SCCY as a carry gun any longer.

[combatmed04]

An old Jennings 9mm that was my friend's dad's. Literally jammed every other shot. Also, a P22. Bought it around 2009, and it was reliable, fun to shoot since it actually had recoil for a .22, but it was so inaccurate past 10 yards, it just wasn't fun to shoot. I know it isn't supposed to be a target handgun, but it literally shot paper plate sized groups past 10 yards. It was weird, it literally became insanely inaccurate past that distance. 

Other than that, had good luck with pretty much any modern semi auto pistol. 

 

[suspiciousmind]

Anything made in Brazil.

[Glenn]

Seems like AMT shows up in a lot of these posts

[dcloudy777]

I'd never trust anything rimfire for defensive use, the ammo itself just isn't reliable enough.