Guns You Love But Didn't Work Out

[bannockburn]

A Browning Hi-Power, vintage T Series, with gorgeous bluing, perfectly checkered walnut stocks, and a ring hammer. Really loved the ergonomics of the gun and it was just so good looking! Those of course were the positives; the negatives were the real deal breakers! A trigger pull that was over 12 pounds, a thumb safety that required a plastic mallet to put it on and off, and then there were those oh-so-tiny sights! Accuracy was definitely lacking as in Minute of Barn with this one so down the road it went.

Runner up to the Hi-Power (if indeed that's some kind of an award!), was a stainless Walther PPK/s which had the dubious distinction of being the only gun I had that not only frequently jammed but also dropped it's magazine without any effort on my part. The double action trigger was also terrible. Again I was probably more in love with the Walther mystique but it just didn't work out. Said goodbye to this one as well.

 

[ATLDave]

The first handgun I bought: A Browning BDM. Interesting design (switchable between DA/SA and DAO), and still the thinnest double-stack 9mm I've ever seen. But the safety/decocker lever is in an odd place and far too low on the grip. Back when I didn't know how to shoot pistols well at all, this was fine, but as my grip improved, it just became borderline unusable. Still, it was my first, and it's an interesting gun, so it sits in the back of the safe and comes out to play at the range about once every couple of years.

 

[MidRoad]

I loved my Glock 17. My first polymer. I even liked how it looked. And the idea that if it fell and hit cement or got beat up, it was always just a utilitarian type of firearm. No deep blueing or sentimental value with my Glock. Just a rugged tool.

That said, it didn't work out. As much as I practiced, I just never got used to the trigger. I did the aftermarket path a smidge. Even bought a book on "customizing" Glocks.

I'm back to single actions. I owned a Sig p320c that I shot well enough. Sold it off for a Blackhawk. Those polymers sure are sweet...in other people's hands.

Op, I loved my two polymers but I just couldn't get used to them. I'll try again one day.

Almost exactly the same situation in my case with my first handgun being a g17, and thought the same as you did about it. But instead of a sig it was a cz p01 I traded for a Blackhawk.

 

[Riomouse911]

My HKUSP45C. When I was first getting my CPL, I decided to purchase the perfect carry gun. It came down to two for me, the other being the Sig P220C, and both were touted as two of the best. Found them both at Gander mountain, so I could pick them up see how they pointed for me. Sights cleared immediately on the HK, not so much the Sig. Later, even my instructor, when he saw the HK, said "You won't find a better carry gun." Seemed it was the one to have and I was stoked. After I got my permit, I carried the HK for nearly a year, but never really warmed up to it. OK accuracy, but nothing special, fairly harsh recoil for a .45, and frankly, I thought it rather ugly for a gun 300 bucks more than a Glock. I did like the way it felt in my hand, but that was about it. The 1911 that replaced it simply blew it away in every respect. Should have known that, since I already knew I was a pretty much a 1911 guy. Just figured I should have a double-action for carry. Now I know better, as the 1911 has served me perfectly for over 16 years. HK's been unfired since.
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I totally forgot about the H&K USP .45 I bought! I tried to block that out of my mind, that gun was such an expensive waste. Even the duty holster cost me a ton, the gun had just come out when I bought it and holsters were all in-development prototypes at Bianchi, Safariland and Tex Shoemaker...I went with Tex because they had made me other duty holsters that no one else had cataloged.

I carried for a few months on duty and then sent it packing. The gun was waaay top heavy when the mag was getting down to the last few shots, and the trigger was absolute oatmeal-mushy.

Stay safe!

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

The first handgun I bought: A Browning BDM. Interesting design (switchable between DA/SA and DAO), and still the thinnest double-stack 9mm I've ever seen. But the safety/decocker lever is in an odd place and far too low on the grip. Back when I didn't know how to shoot pistols well at all, this was fine, but as my grip improved, it just became borderline unusable. Still, it was my first, and it's an interesting gun, so it sits in the back of the safe and comes out to play at the range about once every couple of years.

Always thought they looked cool.......

 

[Alte Schule]

Handgun: I've bought several handguns over the years that didn't work out for one reason or another but the Springfield EMP 9mm is at the top of that list. I EDC a Colt Detective Special and wanted something in 9mm to either replace it or at least put into a rotation with the Colt. The EMP not only looks good, IMO, but it also came with a rebate and four extra magazines (six total), retention holster and a dual magazine holder. I bought a separate leather holster and was very happy with the whole setup. Except for one thing. Tried as I might I couldn't shoot it worth a dang. Son could shoot it just fine and the same for my grandson. I lied to myself for three months before I had to admit that it wasn't a good fit for me. I still carry the Colt.
Long Gun: I like pistol caliber carbines and when I came across a Kel Tec Gen 2 SUB 2000 that accepts the Glock 19 magazines, for which I have several, I couldn't resist. Lightweight and the fold up feature makes it an excellent firearm to carry in a backpack, truck or in the trunk of a vehicle. Before I shot it I ordered an aftermarket 50 round drum magazine I saw on sale.
I go to the range and with the first pull of the trigger the latch tab, witch is at the end and on top of the shoulder brace and used to lengthen or collapse the stock, dug into the right side of my face below the cheek bone. I soon found that I could not shoot it without the same thing occurring which was more annoying than painful. Since then I have read that others have experienced the same problem. To some it isn't really an issue and to others, like me, it was a deal breaker. I was told that there is an aftermarket foam insert you can buy that supposedly helps but the heck with that. I have other Kel Tec's and believe they put some innovative firearms on the market but the SUB 2000 isn't for me.

 

[SwampWolf]

My disappointment was with a Winchester Model 97 pump shotgun. The gun was in very good condition; had a very smooth action and had the tightest full choke I've ever patterned. However: because I used the gun mostly for waterfowl hunting in cold weather, the rather small trigger guard opening made it difficult to access the trigger with a gloved finger. Too, the shallow checkering on the hammer spur made it a sketchy business when lowering the hammer. And, finally, the mandated transition to steel shot made me wonder how well the barrel would hold up if I couldn't use lead.
I eventually sold the gun but with much misgivings. I really did like everything else about it.

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

Winchester 9922 Magnum. I thought I wanted this as a kid. It ended up being loud and too powerful for the small game I was taking then. I sold it after the trigger gouged my finger as I worked the action in the cold. That was my fault entirely; I may or may not have been trying to replicate what I saw on The Rifleman. Wish I had it back.

Bought an S&W M19-3 Combat Magnum while in college. The ejector rod kept unscrewing, and I sold it. Wish I had it back. It's an easy fix.

Mosin M44. Dammit, all the classic issues that I later fixed on an M91/30 and formed a business on. Wish I had it back.

Charles Daly 1911. Early model; CD009051 serial number (or thereabouts). Frame was warped and the entire gun was falling apart. Don't wish I had it back.

Regards,
Josh