Are there any actual reliable handguns available? If you read this forum, there are potentially serious issues with practically every single model of firearm now available.
-Glock Gen 4
-Now apparently Glock Gen 3.5 (My new term for a Glock Gen 3 with some Gen 4 parts)-Which by default means any Gen 3 Glock since all future spare parts will most likely be the new “updated” design.
-SigArms any non-German produced model (How do you get German spare parts?)
-S&W M&P sears and striker problems (Maybe fixed now?)
-S&W revolvers, unless it is a pre-MIM no lock revolver
-Any 1911 less than $2,000 from the factory (And probably not even that)
These are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure there are lots more, but you get the idea. (And don’t even get me started on ARs or AKs or others…)
So, if someone was going to start fresh and purchase a quality defensive arm that is going to be used to potentially defend himself/herself, what would should they buy?
A Glock 19 Gen 3 pre-2010 and try to scrounge enough spare parts of the “correct” generation to last indefintely?
A HK something? Is ithey truly better, or are there just not enough in the hands of serious shooters to ferret out problems?
there is no such thing as a truly reliable weapon.
You can’t really go wrong with any of the top tier manufacturers: HK, Sig Sauer, Glock, S&W…however I would give the edge to HK over all of them with my experience.
You want a reliable handgun, get a single shot. :blink:
Seriously though, S&W or Ruger revolvers are pretty reliable. Not much to go wrong. Taurus, YMMV.
For autos, H&K, Glock, Sig, S&W (though no personal experience) all are reliable firearms. Are there a few bad ones out there, sure. The likelyhood of getting a bad one is pretty remote. Also, you have to take into accout who’s complaining and how many similar complaints there are.
If several people had issues with Brand X not extracting properly, there may be something there. If someone says they bought Brand X as their first handgun and it’s a piece of crap because it’s jamming, I wouldn’t read too much into it.
BTW, what would you do if you bought a car that broke down?
There’s no 100% reliable line of handguns on the planet, and if you’re holding out for one, you’re just wasting your time.
If you’re doing your due diligence when reading this forum, you should quickly be able to find which handguns people are generally having fewer issues with.
Every forum is subject to the statistical pitfall of self-selection bias and hearsay.
I agree there’s no absolutely reliable weapon in a universe where things run down, rust out, and fall apart.
But there’s RELATIVE reliability within a certain frame of time. With pistols–though none is absolutely failsafe–the probability is that, during the years that you’ll be using one, certain pistol brands are going to run far longer and better than others before they fail. And I think those patterns of probability are what forums like this help to establish. Yes, Glocks, M&P’s, even HK’s have problems. But, these guns are also relatively easy to fix, plus they tend to have LESS problems than other competing pistol platforms. In an imperfect world, you gotta run SOMETHING if you don’t want to throw rocks, and I think you’re still better off researching and going with pistols that have the best reported track records.
And FWIW, I’m not of the tribe that thinks it’s impossible to get a duty-reliable 1911 for under $2K. I agree it’s not easy and the odds are against you, you’re far better off just going with something like a Springfield Pro, which runs $2500. But I still think it’s possible. There are some threads in the 1911 forum that discuss some possible options.
Flawed premise. Great pistols available. It could hardly be easier to get equipped with the finest combat pistols. Plenty of options. But you have to do your own work beyond just plunking down the cash.
HK USP 45 compact Built like a tank and if I run out of ammo i use it the beat somebodies skull in:sarcastic: it is that tough
But being serious I have never heard of many Problems with the HK But all things Mechanical can and will break down a one point
As the owner and hard user of three of the “unreliable” handgun models on your list (pair of M&P9s, Gen 4 Glock 17, MIM/lock S&W M637 and M65) I can say with all certainty that all five have been as reliable as any other handgun I have ever had.
Both M&Ps were flawless. The hardest used of them had over 2000 rounds when I sold it to friend.
The G17 has 2200 rounds and has had a grand total of 3 FTEs. None since upgrading the original spring with an 021.
The 637 has been flawless in the just under 1200 rounds I’ve fired through it.
The 65 had some issues with FTF due to the length tolerance of the firing pin, necessitated by California’s stupid safety regulations. Once I shitcanned the part and replaced it with an Apex firing pin, the pistol was flawless. It now has just north of 5400 rounds fired.
However, handguns, like all machines, will not be perfect. I’ll just +1 what has been said about buying from reputable makers who will stand behind their products when you need it and taking the time to wring out any infant mortality issues before relying on the weapon for real.
IMO, you can keep wringing your hands or you can live in the real imperfect world.
I am not looking for a pistol myself. I have owned and shot Glocks for nearly 15 years and a G19 is my daily driver.
I discovered what worked FOR ME after owning nearly one of everything available in the late 1990’s and trying to carry concealed and shoot with an acceptable accuracy level.
I was just commenting on the fact that if someone who has no experience who got on a gun board and started reading, how would they ever make a decision?
There is always “something” wrong with every gun out there. Even my favorite G19 Gen 3 is now developing warts. (Of course this was after surviving the NY Phase III fun…)
Just wondering what others thought.
Especially since people ask me all the time what gun to get and I always tell them to get a G19 and if they don’t like it, I’ll buy it from them.
I was wondering if I was about to get a gun safe full of G19’s.:blink:
I have owned a lot of Sigs that ran great with me
I had a glock 30 which i carried for about 9 years,
One day I helped Loss prevention at a store chase down a shoplifter (I use to do that for a Living) running in the parking lot My Glock hit the ground and slid at least 10 feet the only thing that happen was the rear popped off.did not even scratch it
a easy fix but i didn’t like the feel of the Glock in my hand and sold it but it never gave me a problem and i had about 3000 rounds through it
As has been mentioned above, no gun is perfect. You can mitigate the problems by sticking with the major manufacturers (Glock, HK, Sigarms and S&W) and learn as much as you can about whatever model fits you best. If available, take an armorers course for your particular brand/model.
I always recommend a used Glock. Initial price is low, parts are plentiful and inexpensive (if needed) and their armorers course is available to practically anyone.
Don’t worry about scrounging for parts, Glock will release “updates” as needed.
For the 40 years of handgun shooting and study I have observed, the unanimous advice from the SMEs of the time was to choose a quality pistol from a quality manufacturer but frakkin get out and test YOUR specific gun thoroughly because any gun can be an exception to the rule. And if it doesn’t run, you fix it or get it fixed. It’s not that complicated.
Somewhere along the line, maybe from some SMEs saying that IF they had to pick up a strange pistol and carry it without a test fire, they’d probably pick a Glock 9mm - maybe this started to create this syndrome of seeking absolute certainty before making the purchase.
We can see from threads right here on this board that this isn’t even true of HK’s costing near double the econ polymer guns. But IMO it’s just not that big a deal.
If I prefered the features and function of the M&P, or P30 or Sig, I’d buy one and get to proving it trustworthy or getting it so. I’ve seen multiple threads on multiple forums with folks reporting problems with all these guns but a large majority of users reporting none.
I own two HK’s and own two glocks, and I’ve owned more than that but the four is what I have currently. The two hk’s have 2k rounds a piece with no failures,the glocks have more rounds and one failure per gun. What’s the definition of reliable? Research, buy, practice, maintain, and you will net reliability.
my current daily carries are a glock 19 and an HK p7 psp. the glock has 14,000 or so rounds through it. the only issues i’ve ever had were related to the crap magazines i train with (a couple old ban era mags with #4 followers. ) I’m kind of on the fence about getting rid of those mags, because they’re 95% reliable so they’re not annoying to shoot with, they just give me the occasional surprise tap rang bang drill, which really isn’t a bad thing.
the p7 i’ve put 2200 through. that thing has been outright flawless, even worked with some crunched mag feedlips. The old p7’s are built like a W123 mercedes benz. Downside is finding parts.
I like to keep new springs in my guns…
I guess the key really is buy one of the guns that tends to have less issues, and shoot a good 500+ rounds through it to work out any bugs. (including as much carry ammo as you can afford)
as a wise man said-people tend to go on the internet when they’re angry. a few bad reviews doesn’t necessarily mean the product is crap.
