Reliability

P

PKN

New member
A lot of the debates on this board seem to center on the reliability of various semi auto handguns. Now, is it really fair to compare one handgun to another without an accurate sampling? I do agree that generally modern DA and DAOs are more reliable than 1911s and P35s(not to say those fine weapons can't be just as reliable, they just don't come out of the box that good as often). However, isn't arguing that Glocks are more reliable than Sigs or Berettas or vice versa kinda like splitting hairs?
 
I have witnessed (pun intended) virtually every manufacturer's guns jam in the heat of USPSA competition.

Ammo, grip, lubrication, cold......all can affect reliability.

(can't think of any brand I haven't seen fail...)

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
I've yet to get a modern handgun(ex. S&W Sigma,39,59,5906,Baby Eagle,SA P9,P14-45,G24c etc) that had a reliability problem "out of the box". I'd be willing to bet that most of the problems come from trying to make a "silk purse out of a sows ear". Buy what you need in the first place then LEAVE IT ALONE !! Don't try and get match winning groups from a PD pistol and don't be suprised if a target pistol can't take a trip into the field or a weeklong PD class. Most if not all of the modern pistols would work fine if use as intended. Yes it comes down to splitting hairs in an Apples to apples comparison. Pick what you need and shoot the best and don't worry about the latest fad or trend.

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Be careful what you ask for..You may get it.
 
I have yet to have an out of the box reliability problem with a 1911...the only 1911 with which I had problems was a Frankenstein parts gun.
IMHO the main reliability problem people face is cheap ammo, followed by cheap magazines.
 
PKN: I also often wonder about some of the big hoopla about "reliability". Especially when I see some claim about a handgun going 500 rounds without a jam, or why a pistol that won't go 500 rounds without a malf is a p.o.s. Where is the logic is this? How many guys do you know that carry around 60 plus spare mags for their tricked out 1911? And when was the last time somebody needed to do 30+ hi-cap mag changes in a gun fight? Maybe they're expecting to hold off Janet Reno and her tanks with their ....Glock? Stay safe.
 
RikWriter,

You may have hit it on the nose, sir. Although I'm buying my first handgun(Springfield Armory "loaded" with target sights for USPSA) later this month, I've noticed handling the various brands that almost all of the factory mags are junk. Amazing they include a $6 mag with a $500 gun. We won't get into the advisability of using "gun show special" reloads.

nwgunamn, according to the High Chuch of Glockers, you CAN hold of the tanks with a Glock :rolleyes:
 
Rule #1: A clean, properly maintained pistol will fail less often than a dirty, unlubricated or mistreated one. Same goes for all machines.

I'd say 80% of the failures I've seen could be traced back to sloppy maintenance. 10% could be poor design or manufacture, and the other 10% operator error.
 
I've only bought one 1911 pattern, a 1994, blue, Colt Govt. model enhanced. I bought it new. Out of the box reliability? Let's see. From the beginning, several times per magazine, the hammer and sear would mate in such a way that the trigger could not be pulled. You could stand and yank on the damn thing until the cows came home, and nothing would happen until you thumbed the hammer (yes, the gun was cocked, not half-cocked or uncocked, it just wasn't cocking properly). After a few months, and less than 500 rounds, the firing pin stop cracked, the cheesy white paint spots on the lousy sights fell off, and I experienced occasional failures to feed with ball. The slide would also lock back on a loaded magazine from time to time. I didn't keep logs at the time, so I can't be more specific than that. It works now, after replacing the sear, hammer, and disconnector, the thumb and grip safeties, and using Wilson mags. It should have worked when I bought it, though. My P7, in contrast, didn't have it's first malfunction of any variety until 1800 rounds, and that was caused by an underpowered handload that didn't cycle the slide far enough to chamber another round from the magazine.

Most problems with autos are caused by operator error or bad ammunition, but sometimes it is the gun, and that's far more frequently the case with 1911s than with Sigs or Berettas. Just a fact.
 
It is the case w/ 1911s b/c there are so damned many of them, and not every manufacturer doe it right. I'd be willing to bet that a Colt of the Golden age or a Kimber is n the same reliability scale as any modern pistol, except, maybe, for Glock. I own a Gold Cup and can second the reliability issue. I do think it is the mags, and now mine are all Wilson converted.
 
Any modern design, that is not overly cheap, Lorcins, Jensens, etc, is reliable. And should generally be so out of the box. There are exceptions, that's why I say, you really can't go wrong with the top names: Beretta, Glock, Sig, Ruger, etc. With those mentioned you are splitting hairs.

Piece...

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"Vote with a Bullet."
 
I think you may be right. The INS/Border Patrol passed on the Glock, went Beretta/SIG for general issue. The DEA has signed contracts w Glock, SIG, and HK for 40s, passed on the Beretta (so far, last I heard). INS/BP passed on the SIG and Beretta to issue USPs to plainclothes agents, Secret Service prefers the SIG, FBI the Glock...

They all work. Just because brand X was better on this day in this T&E does not mean brand Y wouldn't be better on another day and/or a different set of guns.

I will say I was issued M1911A1s in the military, and have owned many myself, and IMO they are not as reliable at the issue grade level (especially w JHPs) as the newer stuff (Beretta, SIG, Glock, HK, BHP, CZ75) though they are reliable enough.

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