What do you consider acceptable reliability?

C

ctrlaltdel

Inactive
I would love to carry my Makarov for CCW but I am averaging 1 malfunction every 162.5 rounds fmj. What is considered acceptable? 1 malfunction per 250, 1 per 500, 1000, 2500? Any thoughts or comments appreciated. Thanks
/Chris
 
My first question would be, what type of ammo are you using. Not FMJ, JHP, RN or whatever only but what brand and what weight bullet are you shooting. Some guns are very ammo sensitive and you've got to find the right combination or you are doomed.

I've had malfunctions every 5 rounds. But it was due to a major reloading mistake. :D Recently I had a malfunction every round with my 92FS. What was the problem? My Dad loaded some 9mms down so light for his Benelli that they would cycle the slide on my Beretta. Gun's fault? No way. Just live and learn.

For CCW I only use High Quality factory lik Gold Dot, Silvertip or Hydra Shock. If you are getting malfunctions often, then I would hesitate to carry the weapon. Remember, your life might depend on it.

What I would do is the next time it malfunctions, stop shooting, load it up and carry. That way you know you've got the 162 shots before she hangs up again. :)
 
Hello. I do not remember the last malfunction with my defensive Browning HP 9mm so it's been thousands of rounds and my Glock 26 has never malfunctioned, but I only have several hundred rounds through it. If your problem is not specific ammunition that is "right on the reliability edge," then there's likely some little minor something wrong with your piece. I am certainly NOT a Makarov expert, but these things are supposed to be very, very reliable and the one and only Mak that I own is. It could very easily be an ammo problem. If it's not, you might try a different magazine if by malfunction you mean a failure to feed. If it's not extracting the fired case, it could be a chiped or broken extractor or weak extractor spring.

Best.
 
Never fired a Mak but have heard only good things about them. My only comment, though, is based on my experience w/my PPK/s. Both are blowback pistols which use the detonation to help eject the cartridge.

Even after polishing the throat and ramp I was having trouble w/the slide coming back into battery. The problem went away as soon as I realized I was limpwristing. I relearned the grip and now hold on for dear life while I fire. No jams anymore.

If it isn't limpwristing, then you got a problem w/the Mak.
 
It all depends on what you can accept. Are you willing to bet that you will have enough time to clear the chamber and cycle a new round in that often? If so, it's acceptable. If not, then it is not acceptable.
 
revolvers never jam,I cock the hammer on each rd. and make sure primers aren't a hang up,bullets are crimped tight for the SP-101 .357 I carry.1911 or BHP when CLEAN should fire
3 mags no trouble with jhps or fmj. maybe 8 mags on a 1911
before I might get a stove pipe or hang on the feed,I had a
Mak that would shoot factory all day, but reloaded .380s
would jam about every other mag.162.5 rds 1 jam, sounds like
good odds that it won't fail you for at least 80 rds.good
cheap gun that can do its job? HMMM! I think I asked about
3 cheapos on a post?first shot counts more than the 163rd.
 
ctrlaltdel,

My first handgun was a S&W M39 9mm in 1974. It jammed frequently with three different types of S&W ammo but has been flawless with other ammo and handloads.

Try different ammo. With most handguns you will find some ammo that is very reliable and other ammo that is not very reliable.

Good luck!

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona
 
Realistically, I always recommend a minimum of 200 consecutive rounds WITH THE CARRY AMMUNITION. The latter point is important; there is no use running up thousands of rounds of ball ammo without a hitch, then going on the street with a hollow point load you have never fired. This seems silly, but it is pretty common, because of the cost of quality HP loads. It scarcely needs to be said that this is false economy.

If you don't get 200, correct something and start over. I said 200 consecutive rounds.

Needless to say, every round above that increases confidence. 200 is my MINIMUM; 2000 is better.

Jim
 
There is no such thing as 100% reliability. You haven't had a problem - yet. A part will break, an out-of-spec round won't feed, etc. How many/how often is the question. Based on what I see at the range, most handguns can't get through even 100 rounds without a malfunction/stoppage of some kind. That includes handguns of all types and brands.
 
100% for 200 consecutive rounds of the ammo that you plan to carry...there are NO exceptions when it comes to carry ammo. i also recommend that you shoot your carry ammo (both in the gun and spare ammo in mags)regularly at the range
 
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