most durable handgun

[ByAnyMeans]

Steel: 1911
Polymer: Glock

I know nothing about revolvers so I will defer to others on that.

[au2183]

I don't recall seeing a caliber. Or did I miss it? That would have a HUGE affect on my recommendation.

[MisterMike]

Oops. Posted in wrong thread. Sorry!

[John Parker]

Berreta 92. My brother was an armorer for the Air Force. There were a lot of 92s or m9s if you will, that he was responsible for and no matter the age or appearance they all cycled and put lead down range.

After several deployments to the Middle East and Central Asia, I must heartily disagree with this statement.

[Dambugg]

I understand your disagreement. I must say the guns functioned well on the base and had no malfunctions that were attributed to the sidearms themselves. Please pm me with what problems you had with the m9, as I am a fan of them and would like to know what to be weary of.

[-v-]

Ruger P- series.

[Gibbles]

I useto say my GI 1911, but while out deer hunting and bored as crap waiting for the sun to set I took my gun and ran it into the dirt real good, I managed to lock up the action through the barrel lockup, I had to clear it on a good solid fence post.

Right now my vote goes to my G21 until it proves other wise to me.
It passed the dirt test with flying colors.
(I got my deer in the same spot on sun rise still packing the same 1911 )

[frankiestoys]

Ruger gp 100 , sp 101

[HcadetK]

Glock

[John Parker]

I understand your disagreement. I must say the guns functioned well on the base and had no malfunctions that were attributed to the sidearms themselves.

Okay, I'll have to give you that. I'm not a fan of the M9. I think it's too large, bulky, and heavy for the cartridge it fires. I don't like its ergonomics. However, I've never had a malfunction with one, though I've seen numerous failures to fire, eject, stovepiping, etc. I've always done some digging in the magazine boxes and grabbed factory Beretta mags. And since I wasn't the one using the pistols that I saw with problems, I really shouldn't be attributing that to the gun itself.
What I'm really trying to say is that I wish I could bash the Beretta on something aside from personal preference, but I've never had a real reason to do so.

[mljdeckard]

As am armorer in the army, I DID see more than one Beretta break, from various causes.

I have a Kimber 1911 that I use for everything and I trust completely. HOWEVER, there is such thing as a 1911 that needs help to run well. There is a BIG gap in reliability in 1911s.

If I had to pick a gun, sight unseen, history unknown, to just pick up and use, I would take a Glock every time. I'm a 1911 guy, but I think that after the nuclear dust settles, it will be cockroaches and Glocks left.

For revolvers, all of them will outlast most shooters, but if I was to instigate a head to head torture test, I think the Rugers and S&Ws will keep banging long after the Rossis, Charters, and Tauri have had failures in their lockwork.

[Dambugg]

I completely understand. I am five foot four with smallish hands and the m9 is cumbersome at times for someone as small as myself. That being said I've had 92s since I started shooting pistols 15 years ago. I have handled much better feeling guns but I would take the 92 into the gates of hell.

[Gibbles]

I love revolvers but while messing around with dirt revolvers just had to much to go wrong.

Even after cleaning my 1911 well I had a FTF after 4 rounds in my 1911 calling my group that were moving on while I checked one last spot for my deer, I think the issue was that I used the extractor to remove the main spring housing and in the process I changed the tension the night before... (I was tired and my gun was full of sand )

I love 1911's but my glocks are my trusted guns for now.

I made some cuts on the slide of the 1911 a while back to help with dirt and they worked like a charm, I just need to figure out what to do with the barrel lockup... that seems to be the big weak point right now (no room for error).

And I got the tension reset on that extractor now.

[.45&TKD]

I think the issue was that I used the extractor to remove the main spring housing and in the process I changed the tension the night before...

Ya think?

[Confederate]

If you can replace parts like pins, springs and extractors, almost any gun will meet your requirements. If you need a SHTF gun that will go for the rest of your life with no parts replacements it's going to be a Ruger revolver followed by a Ruger .22LR auto. Regular autos need maintenance like spring and extractor changes, but when sanctions were leveled against Rhodesia and South Africa years ago, shooters in these countries bought up all the Rugers they could. Why? Because Rugers can last a lifetime with no parts replacements.

The Security-Six is still a favorite for people, and of course the GP-100 and others will stand up just as well. (I'm partial to the Security-Six because, without the grips, it still looks like a gun. The GP-100 is a combination of the frame and grips, and both are needed to make the gun complete. It's not a real issue, but it's a cut corner.)

The revolvers and the .22 autos are designed to last a lifetime. A Beretta, Colt or other big-bore auto, requires magazine and recoil spings and small parts replacements to remain functioning over a long period of time.

[qwert65]

another vote for the ruger blackhawk

[easyg]

If I had to pick a gun, sight unseen, history unknown, to just pick up and use, I would take a Glock every time. I'm a 1911 guy, but I think that after the nuclear dust settles, it will be cockroaches and Glocks left.

For revolvers, all of them will outlast most shooters, but if I was to instigate a head to head torture test, I think the Rugers and S&Ws will keep banging long after the Rossis, Charters, and Tauri have had failures in their lockwork.

I agree 100%.

Autoloader: Glock

Revolver: Ruger

[Revolver Ocelot]

would a polymer gun really out live me? I know they are reliable and can be shot plenty but plastic breaks down over time.

[John Wayne]

I vote for Glock. Not my personal fave by any means, but there have been documented cases of Glock pistols with over 100,000 rounds through them. Also, Glock sells factory replacement parts at dirt cheap costs, something most manufacturers don't do (replacement front sights are $1.99, recoil spring assemblies are $5.99, for example).

Also, polymer won't rust, or dent if you drop it. The Glock slide is steel, but I can honestly say that I've never seen a rusty one. There are very durable revolvers (like Ruger, don't think I'd put Colt or Smith in the same category), but they also weigh a lot more than a Glock and hold less rounds.

If you get dirt or crud in the mechanism of a Glock, it takes all of 30 seconds to field strip it and swish it around in a bucket of water. The mechanism of a revolver is closed, but eventually dirt, lint, or residue from firing will work its way in there and clog it up.

Cleaning the lockwork of a Glock requires opposable thumbs and a can of brake cleaner. A revolver requires precision-fitted screwdrivers, a well-lit bench and special tools to keep springs from flying everywhere.


I disagree with the revolver outlasting auto pistols. You run into top strap cutting, cylinder alignment problems, endshake, timing, etc. after a while, and the parts rely on much closer tolerances. It's a far more fragile mechanism by definition of its much more complex design.

*edit*
Yes, polymer guns will outlive you. Plastic breaks down over time but at a much slower rate than the human body
And yes, there are probably original Colt SAA's out there that still shoot well. But I'm betting they have either sat in a safe the last 75 years, or had lots of replacement parts. There is nothing particularly robust or user-friendly about the SAA design.

[easyg]

would a polymer gun really out live me? I know they are reliable and can be shot plenty but plastic breaks down over time.

If you believe the environmentalists, it takes a very long time for plastic to break down.

My mother still has some Lego's around the house from when I was a kid and that was nearly forty years ago.

[Sheepdog1968]

Though not my favorite, I also think Glocks are very durable.

My personal favorite are Sigs. I specifically like their 45 ACP, the P220. I've over 8,000 rounds through mine. There is a bit of wear on the aluminum frame. Nothing that concerns me. I plan to resend to the factory for a once over somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 rounds as I'm a big fan of prevenative maintenance. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably purchase the all stainless steel version to reduce wear.

I think just about any modern firearm will never wear out for the average user. Sure, my favorites will have high round counts but the others don't get much use. I wouldn't base my purchase decision on how many rounds till it wears out. I just don't think it is an issue most are likley to experience.

[Just One Shot]

Here you go:

http://springfield-armory.primediaou.../SPstory11.php

[medmo]

This Sig 220 torture test preview on Youtube is interesting and just seems wrong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpl0ZJkikNA I'm not sure if it makes the 220 the most durable but it's fun to watch them get incredibly abused.

[C-grunt]

I would say if its the Glock it has to be the 17. The 22s frame will crack after a lot of shooting.

How about a Single Six? Simple design with a low pressure round.

[Cosmoline]

A Single Six firing .22 LR would be very hard to wear out.