Most durable handgun you can think of?
- Thread starter David spargenator
- Start date
roashooter
Moderator
Ruger Old Army...been shooting mine continuously since 1974....still as tight as day one....have polished the scatches out of the stainless steel so much it now looks like the new high polished ones...
When you look at how much it costs to buy enough ammo to wear out a good quality gun, it becomes obvious that agonizing over the durability differences in various quality designs is pretty pointless.
It's also worthwhile to consider the fact that if one owns multiple handguns the shooting wear will generally be spread over more than one handgun which increases the lifespan (in years) considerably compared to what would be expected if one shot a single handgun exclusively.
It's also worthwhile to consider the fact that if one owns multiple handguns the shooting wear will generally be spread over more than one handgun which increases the lifespan (in years) considerably compared to what would be expected if one shot a single handgun exclusively.
eviltravis
New member
H&K pistols are built like tanks. Big, heavy, and... big.
Glock 17 has been shown to put up with a bazillion rounds while frozen in mud shot from a paratrooper dropped from an airplane in a winter typhoon while gorilla glued together or some such. 
Seriously though the G17 has proven itself to be extremely durable.
Not that there are not a great many others it's just that the G17 seems to really bring out the lions share of "hold my beer and watch this" level of testing and it appears to shake of the abuse of most all challengers. I, myself have had mine frozen in bat guano, 400 feet under the Atlantic Ocean, with bloody meat attached to it for the past 11 months.......
Seriously though the G17 has proven itself to be extremely durable.
Not that there are not a great many others it's just that the G17 seems to really bring out the lions share of "hold my beer and watch this" level of testing and it appears to shake of the abuse of most all challengers. I, myself have had mine frozen in bat guano, 400 feet under the Atlantic Ocean, with bloody meat attached to it for the past 11 months.......
Model12Win
Moderator
Just don't do any Jerry Miculek speed shooting with it.
The cylinders on the .357 Redhawks are so massive and heavy, that the shear momentum of them impacting the cylinder stop during rapid fire can and has thrown these guns out of time.
Mike, God love you, man. In a world of uncertainties there is one thing I can absolutely count on. No matter what I say on this forum you will disagree.
I got a lemon once, too. It happens. They are the exception. For the vast majority of shooters a 92 will last a long, long time. This is true with any quality made firearm. Sometimes a bad one slips through, but we can't make that the norm. I deal in general terms, not aberrations.
I got a lemon once, too. It happens. They are the exception. For the vast majority of shooters a 92 will last a long, long time. This is true with any quality made firearm. Sometimes a bad one slips through, but we can't make that the norm. I deal in general terms, not aberrations.
Any gun can "last" until the frame fails to the point where it is non-reparable.
The amount of normal wear that this takes costs multiple times the cost of complete replacement of the gun. So, like Joey says "its what the cow says, its a moo point".
100,000 rounds through a gun? fine. How many barrels? Springs?, other parts? Not an issue, same frame, same gun, right?
Against normal wear from operation, they will last a long, long time. Factors beyond that (abuse, neglect, maint., etc,) THOSE are dependent on the owner.
The amount of normal wear that this takes costs multiple times the cost of complete replacement of the gun. So, like Joey says "its what the cow says, its a moo point".
100,000 rounds through a gun? fine. How many barrels? Springs?, other parts? Not an issue, same frame, same gun, right?
Against normal wear from operation, they will last a long, long time. Factors beyond that (abuse, neglect, maint., etc,) THOSE are dependent on the owner.
leadcounsel
Moderator
If you google torture testing for Glocks, Sigs, CZs, you'll see some incredibly impressive postings.
I recall one where a Glock was soaked in sand, mud, water, frozen, dropped from an airplane, left out to rust, shot with a .22LR (on the slide), drug behind a car, run over, etc. Still worked after each individual test and that was pretty impressive.
CZ P01s went through some series testing - can't recall but it was impressive.
Recall similar Sig tests.
I don't think modern revolvers would stand up to that. I'd fear the barrel or chambers or hammer would become bent or unusable.
Having said all of that, the biggest torture any of my guns will experience is a fall from about 4', being bumped against another gun in the safe, or not being cleaned after shooting them! The horror...
I recall one where a Glock was soaked in sand, mud, water, frozen, dropped from an airplane, left out to rust, shot with a .22LR (on the slide), drug behind a car, run over, etc. Still worked after each individual test and that was pretty impressive.
CZ P01s went through some series testing - can't recall but it was impressive.
Recall similar Sig tests.
I don't think modern revolvers would stand up to that. I'd fear the barrel or chambers or hammer would become bent or unusable.
Having said all of that, the biggest torture any of my guns will experience is a fall from about 4', being bumped against another gun in the safe, or not being cleaned after shooting them! The horror...
Like many other here, I take care of my equipment including my firearms. Therefore, I am not one to make recommendations on durability. I do know every firearm I currently own is a solid firearm or I would not have a use for it.
Most of us have seen the despicable way some have torture tested various firearms to see what they could handle and then sent the mangled object back to the firearm company for a warranty replacement. Hi-Point seems to come to mind. I have an old Haskell which was the predecessor to the Hi-Point .45 ACP. I got it used and it still goes bang with every loaded squeeze of the trigger. If it ever does fail, I will send it in.
The oldest firearm I have is a S&W .38 SAFETY HAMMERLESS FOURTH MODEL that was shipped from the factory on May 2, 1901. The action is still very tight and the revolver shoots good. It has seen a lot of wear/use since it was delivered new with a nickel finish and has marking proving it was sent to the factory for a renickel in May 1929. The current and second factory nickel finish is wearing through. The original design on the hard rubber grips is almost worn off, but the matching serial number is still scratched on the inside the grip on the left side.
Most of us have seen the despicable way some have torture tested various firearms to see what they could handle and then sent the mangled object back to the firearm company for a warranty replacement. Hi-Point seems to come to mind. I have an old Haskell which was the predecessor to the Hi-Point .45 ACP. I got it used and it still goes bang with every loaded squeeze of the trigger. If it ever does fail, I will send it in.
The oldest firearm I have is a S&W .38 SAFETY HAMMERLESS FOURTH MODEL that was shipped from the factory on May 2, 1901. The action is still very tight and the revolver shoots good. It has seen a lot of wear/use since it was delivered new with a nickel finish and has marking proving it was sent to the factory for a renickel in May 1929. The current and second factory nickel finish is wearing through. The original design on the hard rubber grips is almost worn off, but the matching serial number is still scratched on the inside the grip on the left side.
Ignition Override
New member
Three middle-aged friends have carried the Polish P-64 (9x18) for several years. One never leaves home without having it in his pocket.
Although a bit larger, many also swear by the CZ-82 or 83 (twelve rounds of 9x18). Very smooth DA/SA trigger, ambi mag release, ambi 'safety', but no decocker.
Although a bit larger, many also swear by the CZ-82 or 83 (twelve rounds of 9x18). Very smooth DA/SA trigger, ambi mag release, ambi 'safety', but no decocker.
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