user serviceability

Depends on the part, depends on the model, depends on the company. Some companies won't even sell parts to gunsmiths except their own authorized repair services. Some won't sell certain parts which they feel have to be installed at the factory for one reason or another. Some won't sell some parts because they don't have them for obsolete models.

Some will sell parts to parts dealers (Brownells, Gun Parts) but don't want the nuisance of dealing directly with the public for reasons of cost.

If you need a specific part, I would say to go to web sites like Gun Parts, Jack First, etc. If they don't have the part and it is for a current gun or for a reasonably new gun and the company is still in business, call, write or e-mail them with the model, serial number and the correct nomenclature for the part. If the nomenclature is unknown, provide a picture or drawing of the part.

If the company is out of business, and parts are not available on the parts market, the part may have to be made. Sometimes, a simple substitute will do; every gunsmith has made pins from a piece of drill rod or even a nail. But for a complex part, the cost would be far too high for the average customer, especially if it would exceed any reasonable value of the gun. (Example: Would anyone pay $300 to have a gunsmith make a hammer for an RG-10?)

Jim
 
Which companies are best known to sell parts to the public without having to return the handgun in for repair?
Click to expand...

Bersa has all their parts for sale. And they're cheap.

Glock parts are easy to obtain. Now, XD parts are available, except for the extractor.
 
As James K said, it depends on the parts. I recently bought a S&W Shield with multiple divots in the feed ramp, I asked S&W if they could send me a new barrel and they said it had to be sent in because it was a fitted part, so off to the factory it went.
 
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Here's a crazy idea... go to the Brownell's website, click on handgun parts, then check the left side of the screen for manufacturers, then compare the one's with the most parts and see if the part you plan on wearing out is included in the mix.
 
All of the major companies will sell at least some parts. All of the major companies that I'm aware of will decline to sell at least some parts directly to the consumer--generally because the manufacturer believes those parts must be properly fitted to insure safety.

You may find one or two manufacturers that will sell every single part (other than the receiver) directly to customers, but the norm is that there will be at least one or two parts besides the receiver that are excluded from direct sale.

As pointed out by others, the fact that you can't get a part directly from the manufacturer doesn't mean it's unavailable. It usually just means you'll have to buy it from another source.
 
The problem with 1911 parts is that many of those sold at gun shows and on the internet are junk. Cast hammers that break notches, cast sears that shear off, grip safeties that won't fit anything, safeties so far out of spec they won't block the sear, extractors that have no spring and break the hook in a few rounds, cast slides that batter the breech face in 50 rounds, etc.

Jim
 
Answering the OP's question in strict terms yields an answer of Kahr Arms and Bersa. Both of those companies sell any and all parts to the end user (with the exception of the serial-numbered/restricted frame) on demand and for reasonable prices. Glock makes available all the parts, but only through distributors (still, they are widely available). Certainly, other companies do this as well, but perhaps not as commonly (so they are not as "well known" for this, using the OP's phrasing).

If the question is expanded, however, to include which brands are the most USER SERVICEABLE, in addition to parts availability....then I think the winner is Glock, no question. Parts are very widely available, relatively inexpensive and the pistol(s) are ridiculously easy to service/ repair.
 
Smith & Wesson, specifically their revolvers, and especially their older revolvers before the company went to hell in 2000.

You can get just about anything you need either from the company or from a third-party vendor.
 
The 1911 isn't really user serviceable in my opinion. The majority of parts in it require smithing to fit and I sure as heck am not confident in my ability to fit them. Even drop-ins aren't truly "drop-in" the majority of the time for 1911s.

Glocks are the only weapons I'm comfortable doing work on myself. I'm sure there are other guns I could swap parts out on no problem, but I haven't really tried on many. HKs are supposedly pretty easy to swap factory parts in. I'm just really comfortable with Glocks, though, and they almost remind me of a set of Legos with how easy they are to work with.

And I don't even currently own any Glocks!

But I've had 1911s, and I actually love a well built 1911, but I sure as heck don't want to have to swap any parts out myself short of springs.
 
That was not the original idea with the M1911. GI guns (and their Colt-made counterparts) were intended to have totally interchangeable parts, so that they could be repaired under field conditions.

It was not until recent years when every second backyard mechanic started turning out 1911 clones, usually with a "specs, what are specs" attitude and often without even understanding how the guns worked, that gunsmiths and owners found that parts needed to be fitted, and too often found out that no available parts could even be made to fit and replacements had to be made from scratch. Add parts made from poor quality materials (e.g., cast extractors) and the excellent reputation of the "real" 1911 took a nosedive.

Jim
 
You can build an entire 1911 from quality parts bought off of the internet. Readily available and since there's no patent laws, everyone makes them and you can pick and choose what works best--and there are endless books and videos. Same goes for anything AR.

You can build an entire Glock from plastic knives and forks you find in a KFC dumpster.
 
A lot of parts for many guns are just not available over the counter.
Many manufacturers don't sell them, preferring the parts only be installed at their facility.
Unless there's an aftermarket source, not always the case, the gun has to go back to the source for repairs.
Not at all handy for those who are accustomed to working on their own stuff.
Especially if the gun needs to be back working in a hurry, like for the match next week.
It pays to check before buying a brand or model.
Especially the aftermarket sources.
 
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Why did I get the impression that there is a little bit of difference between the material in Glock's polymer frames and the plastic in KFC's spoons? Just my error, I guess.

Jiim
 
Probably the best handgun for the average owner to work on/modify/repair
is Glock. Darned things only have 30 some parts, and every one of them
is available from multiple sources---Yes, even the frame.

A pin punch and Youtube are all a person needs to strip, clean, assemble
or replace about 95% of the parts. It would really take a thumb fingered
moron to screw one up to the point that it couldn't be repaired for $20
or less, and for under $50 you could put together a kit of parts that
would keep one running darned near forever.
 
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