Guns you’ve owned, that you’d never buy again (and why?)

[IndyBeerman]

KelTec Sub2000 in 9mm, total piece of crap, felt like I was shooting a stick and could never get the thing to stay locked in place even after sending to the factory 3 times.

I now have a Hi-Point 995 in a ATI stock that can run rings around it and glad to have it.

 

[Kagnew]

I’m interested to know about other people’s bad experiences with particular handguns they’ve purchased that they’ve been disappointed with? What did you get and WHY did it suck?

P.S.
I don’t mean to turn this thread into a discussion as to why someone’s opinions about a firearm are or aren’t valid – I simply want to know WHAT you didn’t like and why YOU didn’t like it. Heck, I know a lot of people will disagree with the reasons for my disliking of particular firearms, but they are what they are… and with that, here they are:

First, let me preface this by stating I’m a small guy (5’6”, 130lbs).

H&K VP70. – This thing was so incredibly front heavy for a handgun! It was well balanced when it was loaded, but as the mag emptied the front sight would tend to creep lower and lower. Guess they hadn't quite figured out the polymer frame thing yet.

S&W Early Semi-autos – Two words. Magazine Safety. Hate ‘em. Anything that makes a self-defense handgun less likely to fire is BAD in my opinion.

H&K P7 PSP – Re-read the last sentence in the last paragraph. Oh, and I’ve never been terribly keen on European-style mag releases.

Davis Derringer – I think somebody once called this the easiest gun the world to accidently shoot yourself with. ☺

Walter PPK/S – I loved this gun, BUT it’s old skool “carved from a hunk of lead” design made it impractical for what I wanted it for. Pocket carry. Without a belt on I’d lose my shorts with this in my pocket and no one wants to see that! Still, I suppose it did double as a small hammer/club.

I'd always wanted a Walther PPK, and found a good deal on an Interarms stainless version of the PPK/S. Beautiful little gun, and I was happy as a pig in poop until I took it to the range. Despite all the warnings which I had read, and trying to watch how I was gripping it, the little bastard still tried to chew my hand off. Fortunately for me, the original owner had decided that he wanted it back. I guess his hide is tougher than mine!

 

[dwp9mm]

Anything Springfield. Had 2 of them and sold them both. Wannabes!!!!

 

[abmears]

My worst buy has been a kel tec pf9. It felt good, and was the right size to conceal carry. However, the rear sight seemed to move on me, and it jammed multiple times. I just couldn't trust it.

 

[patience0830]

yup

Para-Ordnance P10...I don't know if I ever got a full magazine to fire through that thing without a jam!

+1 besides the fact that the HUGE grip didn't fit my medium sized hand very well, but that wasn't the guns fault.

Oh yeah +1 on the Hk VP70z thing. Looked cool at the time. No competition for my Sig's now though.

 

[flyboy727]

Walther PPK/S

Very unreliable

 

[Amishman44]

TAURUS Titanium 850 in .38+P...stupid thing would jam up on me while shooting! It'd go 1-2 rounds, and then lock up so that you couldn't pull the trigger, rotate the cylinder, or even open it! Had it repaired twice (2x) and still had the same problem...finally traded it for a Ruger! (The person who bought it had the same problem!) Every person, that I know, who's ever owned a Taurus, has had to send it in for service for one thing or another...save one (1) friend who's Model 85 has functioned flawlessly. I once bought a Taurus PT145 to have a 'pocket .45' and it kept falling apart. I had to lock-tite several small parts to keep them in place...and finally sold it too. I know people who love them, but Taurus is off my list, period...if you gave me one, I would simply sell it or trade it for something else!

 

[Amishman44]

Walther PPK/S

Very unreliable

That's surprising...the Walther PPK/S that I once owned (and wish I had back) was one of the most reliable, and accurate little pistols I ever owned...in .380acp that is!

 

[Amishman44]

Gotta respectfully disagree.

Super Redhawk DA revolver in .454 Casull - fantastic hunting revolver and 1/3 the price of a Freedom Arms SA.
Ruger .357 Mag. Security-Six revolver still going strong after decades of use.

Just love my Ruger Gov't MKII .22 LR (an industry classic) pistol & P89DC in 9mm.

Got the MKII pistol from a guy who said it malfunctioned & jammed constantly.

Took a whole afternoon cleaning the impacted dirt & grit out of the action & magazine slot. Looks like he dropped it in a mud puddle and didn't bother cleaning it.

The barrel had NEVER been cleaned since it came off the assembly line at Ruger and needed a copper wire brush and an hour to scrub the accumulated crap & crud out of it........it was essentially a smooth bore from the fouling when I first inspected it.

for Ruger Revolvers! I own five (5) of 'em...and no problems what-so-ever! They are awesome! I've owned three (3) others, but sold them for various reasons other than quality or performance, such as I just needed the cash!

My favorite Ruger Revolver is a 4" fixed-sight, stainless, GP100 in .357mag...with the smaller factory Ruger grip! It just fits well in my hand, is very accurate, and points naturally for me! I installed a XS Sights, tritium front night sight and, wha-laa...it handles Hornady 158 grain JHP's very nicely!

What I would really like to find is a Ruger Redhawk in .357mag...they are out there, but very rare!

 

[lane440]

walther p 22 , it could shoot fine all day long as long as a target was within 5 feet. Might as well ben an airsoft.

 

[Yamaha]

springfield xd40sc.......I sold it due to not liking the effects of fragging .40 cal rounds with water tests(and cleaning the surface rust twice), friend knocked it off his nightstand, gun AD'd.....he sold it promptly thereafter.

this is why I won't recommend those brazilian heaps to anyone....

 

[jontheturboguy]

walther p 22 , it could shoot fine all day long as long as a target was within 5 feet. Might as well ben an airsoft.

This surprises me. Again, I love my little p22. What exactly was wrong with yours? Ammo? Shot out? Worn? Or was it the shooter?

Thought of another one that I sold because the gun, although well put together and the craftsmanship top notch, would not function so save any ones life...

STI LS9. Actually had the extractor blow out the side at the range and hit the lane next to me in the head.

 

[CampingJosh]

I had a Davis .38 derringer for a while. Trigger pull was somewhere around 20 lbs. It was accurate enough that you could hit a building as long as you were shooting from the inside.

It found its niche with .38 shot shells. I lifeguarded a waterfront area for one summer, and those shot shells did a good job of "eliminating" any water snakes. Oddly, the swimmers seemed more startled that there were snakes in the lake than that the lifeguard was carrying a gun in his swim trunks.

But I sure don't miss it.

 

[jd4320t]

springfield xd40sc.......I sold it due to not liking the effects of fragging .40 cal rounds with water tests(and cleaning the surface rust twice), friend knocked it off his nightstand, gun AD'd.....he sold it promptly thereafter.

this is why I won't recommend those brazilian heaps to anyone....

Brazilian?

 

[ThrottleJockey]

springfield xd40sc.......I sold it due to not liking the effects of fragging .40 cal rounds with water tests(and cleaning the surface rust twice), friend knocked it off his nightstand, gun AD'd.....he sold it promptly thereafter.

this is why I won't recommend those brazilian heaps to anyone....

WOW, this post means to me exactly what it cost. ALL my XDs were made in CROATIA and are pretty clearly marked that way. I really don't think you've ever even held one much less owned one. Sounds more like anecdotal BS passed down 3 times twice removed to me. Also, I don't think I've ever even HEARD of any sort of AD from a gun with both backstrap safety AND trigger safety. The odds of that are worse than the odds of hitting powerball twice in a row. The fragging thing sounds more like poorly cast bullets from your buddies friends basement, would you mind linking some proof or studies or something? Seriously, show me these "water tests" and then explain why one would shoot at water or why it would matter.

 

[jd4320t]

WOW, this post means to me exactly what it cost. ALL my XDs were made in CROATIA and are pretty clearly marked that way. I really don't think you've ever even held one much less owned one. Sounds more like anecdotal BS passed down 3 times twice removed to me. Also, I don't think I've ever even HEARD of any sort of AD from a gun with both backstrap safety AND trigger safety. The odds of that are worse than the odds of hitting powerball twice in a row. The fragging thing sounds more like poorly cast bullets from your buddies friends basement, would you mind linking some proof or studies or something?

I wonder if he meant a Taurus

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I wonder if he meant a Taurus

That or Rossi would at least explain the "Brazil" part of the post, but not anything else he said. I didn't mean to sound confrontational in my post, but BS is BS. Have you ever owned a gun or ANYTHING in that price range and not known what it was?

 

[jd4320t]

That or Rossi would at least explain the "Brazil" part of the post, but not anything else he said. I didn't mean to sound confrontational in my post, but BS is BS. Have you ever owned a gun or ANYTHING in that price range and not known what it was?

IDK. I've had two xd's and they are good to go. I've never heard anything about ad's with them either.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

IDK. I've had two xd's and they are good to go. I've never heard anything about ad's with them either.

Yeah, I carry my XDSC.40 daily IWB, at least a thousand rounds down the pipe and never a problem of any sort. My full size XD.45 doesn't get carried or used nearly as much, but same story. Heck, I've never even cleaned either of them and no rust either. There's got to be SOME reason they're the hottest selling guns on the market.

ETA: Just for the record, when I first got my .45 and had no experience with the safety features I did have a ND (negligent discharge), but that was all me, no AD.

 

[Bluedragon]

For me the gun I wouldn't wanna get again would have to be the Kel Tec P11. I bought one brand new, and it had a terrible trigger pull, it recoiled more then I liked compared to a Glock 26 or S&W M&P9C. Also all the mags I had for it that were all brand new mags, rattled like crazy and nothing I did could fix that.