Impulse control & discipline...low prices = crap guns

S

StainlessSteel215

Moderator
Had to share from personal experience that it took me probably 3 years to FINALLY learn that a low price sticker usually means trouble....

I have since learned to be patient, wait at least 5 days after my initial impulse at the local gun shop, and restrict myself to a certain number of firearms at a time. Right now my limit is 5 pistols and 1 rifle that I have not decided on yet....most likely a Ruger Mini 14 or a Mossberg 308. As of now I have 3 pistols in 9mm and 45acp and working up to my next pistol purchase.

Looking back, here are a few junk guns that I bought (used) completely on a whim because of an attractive sale sticker.....and eventually traded back at a net loss of nearly half. **FACE PALM**

-Taurus Millenium PRO .45 (snappy as hell, fingers kept grazing the mag release and constant feeding issues)

-Smith & Wesson SW9VE Sigma (the biggest garbage semi auto I ever bought.....even at a cost of $280!)

-Ruger P95 (horrible trigger, bulky, cycling issues due to weak spring and crappy sights)

-Kel-Tec 9mm (I dont even remember the model but it developed a stress fracture on the slide in a very short time!)

Anyone else learn the hard way like I did in the beginning? I estimate a net loss of $700 after returns, etc. Lesson learned - buy quality guns with a strong history of good standings & reputation......IGNORE THE STICKER!
 
Yup, bought a Diamondback DB380 for a good price. Last time I ever trust a newish brand that hasn't been around a long long time to prove its reliability. Everything I own now is Ruger, S&W and Beretta.

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It happens, at least you understand you had a problem.

Personally, I never had a full blown case of it but a nice Taurus M85 caught my eye at a decent price and I was hooked. After that puppy froze up solid after 250 rounds, I was pretty much cured from ever buying a cheap gun simply because it was cheap.
 
When I was a little kid traveling to my grandparent's farm, there was a billboard I always remembered seeing for a marina that said "Buy the best and only cry once". For whatever reason, that has always stuck with me and that's a practice I"ve always tried to follow especially when it comes to firearms and accessories for them. For me, the level of "pride in ownership" is as equally important as an accurate and visually appealing gun. It may take a little longer to get one and I may not be able to put an optic on it right away or be able to buy as many in a year as I would like, but when I open my safe and realize there isn't a single one that I'm tempted to sell or trade tells me I'm doing something right...at least for me anyways. Buy the best and only cry once!
 
love my p95. the da trigger is the only down fall. its heavy as heck but you only go through it once if you want too. other than that its been a winner. not a low prices means junk.
 
That's funny, I had a Kel-Tec PF9 and after 1200 rounds I got tired of shooting it and sold it to get a...

Sigma 9mm! Over 1000 rounds and going strong. Neither of them gave me any problems. Go figure.
 
Freak Daddy thats a truly great quote...I like that alot. Beex and Oyster please dont take offense to my opinions. If those guns brought you enjoyment and reliability than who am I to call them junk. Those were just MY personal experiences with them....but you gotta admit those guns in question are a bit low on the quality spectrum, all things considered.
 
Anyone else learn the hard way like I did in the beginning?
Click to expand...

Yes, but, my Sigma 9VE is still a very good gun after 3000 rounds. What was your issue?

TBS, I would have bought a different gun if I knew better, but I would trust my life with it every time. One thing I found out is, it's a great rapid firing (17 rounds) gun just point aiming it, up to about 15 yards, what else do you need? All the gun anybody really neads, but maybe not want.
 
RedHawk, admittedly I think I had a lemon. Its the only logical explanation. Bought it used but looked new and probably didnt even break 1000 rounds. I literally bought it because of the sticker price....I think it was like $275. My reasons for trading it back weeks later:

-Developed a small fracture in the slide on the left slide at the rail. I only ever used 115 grain JHP ball ammo at the range

-Hated the cheap plastic grip.....if you work up a little sweat the gun jumps around like a wet fish in your hand

-Trigger was hands down the worse I ever shot. Long, stiff, felt grainy.....etc

-Multiple feeding AND ejection failures

I literally traded it right back a few weeks later and lost half up front. But the part thats concerning is that I read up a bunch of reviews AFTER I bought the gun and saw a few common themes with the Sigma SWVE models. Cheap in my opinion
 
Every manufacturer will have lemons, that's why they have warranties. Just dumb luck you had.

My Sigma had a hard trigger but I fixed that. :cool:
 
Out of all of the guns I own, I've only had problems with my Remington 597. It's an older model, so it has the plastic magazine and it hates cheap ammo. I think with CCI ammo and the new aluminum magazine, it will be fine. I own other cheap guns, almost none of my guns are expensive guns. The price isn't the question, it's the quality. Some of the cheaper guns are made great, and some of the expensive guns are absolute garbage. Just because you pay alot doesn't make it a great gun. Same holds true with anything in life. At the same time just because it's cheap doesn't make it great either. You just need to know what you are buying and recognize junk and quality.
 
Yeah 215, I think you would have been better off calling S&W on that one, but it's history.

I finally just replaced my first poly gun, S&W SW9VE for my second poly gun, a Glock 20 short frame 10mm.:eek:
 
Sorry to hear you are having problems.

Agree with the earlier comment about every manufacturer will have some problems. It's how the manufacturer deals with it and their resulting reputation.
As such, I've gotten to where I'd rather pay a measurably higher price and not have to deal with the issues.
Good luck.
 
I only have 2 rifles to my name: A Browning A-Bolt Hunter .270 win and a Winchester 9422 XTR, both of which were alleged safe queens. I have no regrets buying the Winchester 9422 but in hindsight I probably would've saved a little more money and purchased either a Winchester Model 70 Super Grade or a Sako 75 Hunter instead of the A-Bolt. I don't think the A-Bolt is a bad rifle by any means, but ergonomically speaking, I probably would've been better served buying a rifle with a Monte Carlo stock (which the A-Bolt lacks).

Nowadays, I do a lot of research before I commit to buying. There are so many guns i'd like to own so i'd rather have a quality firearm that will last me a lifetime than one that could break down on me in a year. quality over quantity I say
 
Only cheap gun I ever bought was a Kel-Tec PF9 for $250. Over 500 rounds and it’s still rock solid. I wouldn’t brag about the trigger, but I have a replacement trigger I still haven’t installed. It’s not a range gun. I take it out once every few months and run a few rounds thru it. Never missed a beat.

I’ve had a couple of lemons, and neither of them were cheap for what they were.
 
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