Name your biggest POS handguns.
- Thread starter albanian
- Start date
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allmons
Member
Worst handgun ever!
Iver Johnson TP22 - Walther lookalike, but certainly NOT Walther quality. Frame cracked while slide was being racked by hand!!!!!! Company replaced, but the gun never wanted to feed or fire. Complete waste of money!!!
:banghead:
Iver Johnson TP22 - Walther lookalike, but certainly NOT Walther quality. Frame cracked while slide was being racked by hand!!!!!! Company replaced, but the gun never wanted to feed or fire. Complete waste of money!!!
:banghead:
Any of you want to unload inaccurate guns for cheap, I'm always looking for cheap guns to use with blanks... especially revolvers, although I'm kinda curious about trying out restrictors on semi-autos as well.
I do some film work, and it's nice to have something besides the usual plugged-barrel blank guns available off ebay.
I do some film work, and it's nice to have something besides the usual plugged-barrel blank guns available off ebay.
30 cal slob
Member
I've never liked the (Springield, MA) S&W autoloaders I've owned, namely the 3913 (9mm) and 4506 (.45 ACP). I think my Ruger P-85 (9mm) was a better shooting gun.
Also, there was a DA-only Beretta 92-F in .40 short'nweak that just appalled me. I think I owned it for five days before bringing it back to the shop for a trade-in. Couldn't hit the side of a barn with it, even with practice.
And, you might cringe when you hear this, I had a Sig P228 (pre-ban) that choked on some winchester black talon hollowpoints at the worst possible moment. It shot very well but was fussy about non-ball ammo. So, I got rid of it.
Also, there was a DA-only Beretta 92-F in .40 short'nweak that just appalled me. I think I owned it for five days before bringing it back to the shop for a trade-in. Couldn't hit the side of a barn with it, even with practice.
And, you might cringe when you hear this, I had a Sig P228 (pre-ban) that choked on some winchester black talon hollowpoints at the worst possible moment. It shot very well but was fussy about non-ball ammo. So, I got rid of it.
Only handgun (in factory config) which I had a problem with was an early 90s Ruger auto pistol in .40 sw - it would fail to return all the way to battery sometimes. Maybe it would have loosened up with firing, but I traded it off before I could find out. Even my Llama worked great. I did have a POS gun for awhile, but it was a rifle - a Mitchell Arms in .22 magnum. Got light primer strikes (fail to fire) 1 or 2 of every 5 shots, and it would only give 5" groups at 50 yards.
BloodyThumb
Member
For me, the WORST by far was a Dan Wesson 1911. A PMDP I belive it was called. I took it in trade NIB. The only 1911 I have ever owned that I could not make run. I gave up and traded it off.
What kind of problems? Make a list of things that could fail, and cross off "cracked frame" and your real close.
What kind of problems? Make a list of things that could fail, and cross off "cracked frame" and your real close.
themic
Member
albanian, some Astra parts fit the RAP.
Magnuumpwr
Member
I only have one name brand pistol that I consider a POS and it is a Ruger Redhawk. It is more like a boat anchor weight wise. The only reason I still have it is because I refuse to sell it or any other gun that I own. Collector not a Dealer.
My Tomcat went back to the factory twice. Once for a cracked frame and once for a cracked slide. Service was arrogant at best. It was returned the last time with a note saying it would not be repaired under warranty again. They put my old barrel back on a new frame with a new slide. Cheap Jerks! I admit that I shot the snot out of the Tomcat. We had an active mousegun match going for many years. I won much of the time. It was very accurate if it was working at all.
edited for nasty language
edited for nasty language
Firearms made by EIG and RG. These were cheap imports. The RG 23 I had was a double action that only shot if fired single action. The spring was weak. The sight was screwed on the barrel. However I bought it when I was 15 for $15. I later gave it to a girlfriend......The EIG was just crap from the get go. Looked like a Smith & Wesson model 36 chief......but it certainly fell short. Luckily I think both companies are defunct. Tim
had a like new appearing s+w 5 shot airweight in .38 with a 3" barrel. With wadcutters, two hand hold over a rest, the gun would just barely put 5 shots onto a 10" paper plate at 5 yards.
Kimber eclipse pro 2- at kimber now for fix- every concievable jam known to man with factory hardball. Right now, about one jam per 50 to 100 rounds. At the start, two or three jams per mag. Also showers my head with casings. I hope they can fix it. I just do not trust it at all. and a very $ gun to boot.
Kimber eclipse pro 2- at kimber now for fix- every concievable jam known to man with factory hardball. Right now, about one jam per 50 to 100 rounds. At the start, two or three jams per mag. Also showers my head with casings. I hope they can fix it. I just do not trust it at all. and a very $ gun to boot.
Marshall
Member
I've never had a POS handgun, guess I've been lucky.
computerfrog
Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2007
- Messages
- 2
My worst POS...
I had always heard Llama made crappy guns and that the Spanish gunmaker used a sorry grade of steel to make them, which had been reported to have cracked on many persons.
I happened to be reading an issue of Guns N' Ammo, which had an article on the Llama .45 ACP. This article went on and on about how the Llama was a better made gun now, and that the metallurgical issues were nonexistent now. I wanted a .45 with a 5" barrel, so I bought one for about $265. I took it to the range and tried it out. What an enormous piece of crap that gun was!!! I had to laugh when I heard others here talk about getting beaned in the head by their spent brass from their Llamas, and I had the exact same problem! About every 4th round would hit me in the head.
If the gun had been the least bit accurate, I would have been able to live with the ejected brass issues, but it was horrible. I used CCI, Federal and Winchester ammo through it I could not get a shot to come within 3 inches of what I was aiming at from about 10 yards. I moved the target to about 5 yards, and the same thing happened. I had my Colt Recon with me as well, so I loaded it, picked it up and shot at the target. The Recon has 4.25" barrel, and was hitting what I aimed at with it. Then I'd go back to the Llama, and it was always about 3-4" to the left. I tried to overcompensate by aiming far to the right of center, and it would hit the center of the target, but always too high. I'd try and aim to the lower right of center and still couldn't find a way to consistently hit the center of the target.
I took it to the range another time with one of my buddies. He brought his H&K USP 45, and was putting in 1" groupings from 10 yards away. He picked up the Llama, fired at the target, and it was way off to the left. He moved it in closer to about 5 yards, and then at 3 yards, and that Llama was always 3-4" off to the left. He had similar issues with overcompensating that I had. He'd aim far to the right, and it would shoot high of center. Aim to the lower right, and he could get the occasional bullseye at 5 yards, but it was all over the place. After that, I was certain that it was just a piece of junk.
I wasn't about to keep using it to see if it would crack on me. After that second session, I took it home and cleaned it up again and sold it. Some fool gave me $385 for it. I ALMOST feel guilty about taking his money, but he said he was a Llama afficianado, so he'd experienced Llamas before. But what a total piece of crap that was. It was only good for a paperweight, and I certainly wouldn't bet my life on it.
I had always heard Llama made crappy guns and that the Spanish gunmaker used a sorry grade of steel to make them, which had been reported to have cracked on many persons.
I happened to be reading an issue of Guns N' Ammo, which had an article on the Llama .45 ACP. This article went on and on about how the Llama was a better made gun now, and that the metallurgical issues were nonexistent now. I wanted a .45 with a 5" barrel, so I bought one for about $265. I took it to the range and tried it out. What an enormous piece of crap that gun was!!! I had to laugh when I heard others here talk about getting beaned in the head by their spent brass from their Llamas, and I had the exact same problem! About every 4th round would hit me in the head.
If the gun had been the least bit accurate, I would have been able to live with the ejected brass issues, but it was horrible. I used CCI, Federal and Winchester ammo through it I could not get a shot to come within 3 inches of what I was aiming at from about 10 yards. I moved the target to about 5 yards, and the same thing happened. I had my Colt Recon with me as well, so I loaded it, picked it up and shot at the target. The Recon has 4.25" barrel, and was hitting what I aimed at with it. Then I'd go back to the Llama, and it was always about 3-4" to the left. I tried to overcompensate by aiming far to the right of center, and it would hit the center of the target, but always too high. I'd try and aim to the lower right of center and still couldn't find a way to consistently hit the center of the target.
I took it to the range another time with one of my buddies. He brought his H&K USP 45, and was putting in 1" groupings from 10 yards away. He picked up the Llama, fired at the target, and it was way off to the left. He moved it in closer to about 5 yards, and then at 3 yards, and that Llama was always 3-4" off to the left. He had similar issues with overcompensating that I had. He'd aim far to the right, and it would shoot high of center. Aim to the lower right, and he could get the occasional bullseye at 5 yards, but it was all over the place. After that, I was certain that it was just a piece of junk.
I wasn't about to keep using it to see if it would crack on me. After that second session, I took it home and cleaned it up again and sold it. Some fool gave me $385 for it. I ALMOST feel guilty about taking his money, but he said he was a Llama afficianado, so he'd experienced Llamas before. But what a total piece of crap that was. It was only good for a paperweight, and I certainly wouldn't bet my life on it.
Josh Aston
Member
Heritage Stealth. Don't even know if it was accurate or reliable or anything else. Never even got the chance to shoot it even once. It would never chamber a round. The striker didn't start to cock until too late in the forward movement of the slide, so the rim of the round would catch on the striker and stop there. Oh and the safety lever would have been worthless had the thing actually been able to chamber a round. With the safety engaged the trigger pull was about 15 lbs. With it disengaged it was about 6 lbs.
computerfrog
Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2007
- Messages
- 2
more POSs
I think most of us have bought at least one cheap gun before, just to see how bad it really was. I was never foolish enough to buy anything made by Jennings, Lorcin, or Phoenix Arms, but I did by that crappy Llama I just described.
My very first handgun was a Dan Wesson .357 Magnum. It was accurate as heck, but the firing pin wore down quickly to where I couldn't get anything but dented primers out of it after about 1,000 rounds.
It had one other significant problem. Those models were known for the ability to switch out different length barrels. Something must not have lined up between the end of the cylinder and the front of the barrel, because every time you would fire it, you, or the person next to you on the range, or even the 2 guys plinking 5 lanes down would get hit with flecks of lead (yes, that actually happened). I tried making sure everything was tight and seated as it should be, but it did not make a difference.
I can think of multiple occasions where lead pieces flew back at me and twice cut the right side of my forehead, as well as the back of my right thumb. And as I said, it ultimately quit firing. It is now a paperweight.
I once bought a new S&W Sigma .40 cal for my girlfriend. It was the one she picked out, and I had read good things about this model in 2 gun magazines, so I purchased the thing. We went to the gun range to test it out. It was a turd. It was essentially a copy of a Glock, just two toned with a nickel-colored slide and black plastic stock and trigger. It had a long trigger pull, which made it difficult for me to get good trigger control, so I couldn't shoot it accurately consistently. That stock and trigger felt flimsy to me, even worse than Glock plastic. I hate Glocks because the stock is so angled that they are not comfortable to me to hold, and this gun was just like a Glock. But it felt even flimsier than a Glock.
Another girlfriend owned a 9MM Glock. Her little dog got a hold of it and carried it out from under her bed. She chased after him and grabbed it from his mouth, then put it in her nightstand. The next time she went to get it out of the nightstand, the spot where the dog carried it in his mouth had rusted, and it had 2 small scratches. Keep in mind that the dog had it in his mouth for maybe 10 seconds, but that was enough to make it rust. To me, that is not very good quality. I know plenty of people swear by them, but I cannot make myself like Glock.
The weapon I was issued at work is a S&W M&P .40 cal. I don't know that I would say it is a POS, but having fired it, I don't think I'll ever go and buy one for myself. I'll stick with Para Ordnance, H&K, Colt, and Beretta weapons.
I think most of us have bought at least one cheap gun before, just to see how bad it really was. I was never foolish enough to buy anything made by Jennings, Lorcin, or Phoenix Arms, but I did by that crappy Llama I just described.
My very first handgun was a Dan Wesson .357 Magnum. It was accurate as heck, but the firing pin wore down quickly to where I couldn't get anything but dented primers out of it after about 1,000 rounds.
It had one other significant problem. Those models were known for the ability to switch out different length barrels. Something must not have lined up between the end of the cylinder and the front of the barrel, because every time you would fire it, you, or the person next to you on the range, or even the 2 guys plinking 5 lanes down would get hit with flecks of lead (yes, that actually happened). I tried making sure everything was tight and seated as it should be, but it did not make a difference.
I can think of multiple occasions where lead pieces flew back at me and twice cut the right side of my forehead, as well as the back of my right thumb. And as I said, it ultimately quit firing. It is now a paperweight.
I once bought a new S&W Sigma .40 cal for my girlfriend. It was the one she picked out, and I had read good things about this model in 2 gun magazines, so I purchased the thing. We went to the gun range to test it out. It was a turd. It was essentially a copy of a Glock, just two toned with a nickel-colored slide and black plastic stock and trigger. It had a long trigger pull, which made it difficult for me to get good trigger control, so I couldn't shoot it accurately consistently. That stock and trigger felt flimsy to me, even worse than Glock plastic. I hate Glocks because the stock is so angled that they are not comfortable to me to hold, and this gun was just like a Glock. But it felt even flimsier than a Glock.
Another girlfriend owned a 9MM Glock. Her little dog got a hold of it and carried it out from under her bed. She chased after him and grabbed it from his mouth, then put it in her nightstand. The next time she went to get it out of the nightstand, the spot where the dog carried it in his mouth had rusted, and it had 2 small scratches. Keep in mind that the dog had it in his mouth for maybe 10 seconds, but that was enough to make it rust. To me, that is not very good quality. I know plenty of people swear by them, but I cannot make myself like Glock.
The weapon I was issued at work is a S&W M&P .40 cal. I don't know that I would say it is a POS, but having fired it, I don't think I'll ever go and buy one for myself. I'll stick with Para Ordnance, H&K, Colt, and Beretta weapons.
TN Trapper
Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2007
- Messages
- 26
Biggest POS for me was a Charter 2000 Bulldog in .44 spl. . I had the gun ordered and was very disappointed in the fit/finish. The real problem was that the cylinder would not lock up properly. After closing the cylinder you could lightly press on the right hand side of the cylinder and it would pop open. I couldn't shoot it in this condition so I tried several times to contact the company via email and telephone. When I would call I would explain the problem and they would "transfer" me and the call would be disconnected. This happened seven times even after explaining to the person answering the phone what was happening with the calls. I emailed them three times and never received a response (they were opened BTW ). I finally ended up taking it back to the shop and the owner refunded my money even though he didn't have to.
ashtxsniper
Member
Grendel P30 would be my ugliest and most unreliable.
Kimber1911_06238
Member
Iver Johnson revolver, not sure of the model, but it's chambered in .32 short colt. been trying to get rid of it for years, but nobody wants it
Back in the mid-70's . . . and being totally new to handguns, I traded a COLT NEW FRONTIER in 32 S&W Long that my dad gave me for my 21st birthday to another guy in my Army unit.
You see, I wanted a faster-loading, more potent .38 special snubbie for protection rather than that single action "cowboy gun."
Thus . . . another serviceman who wanted a "cowboy gun" traded me his .38 revolver for my Colt . . . even up.
THAT .38 SPL. WAS A REAL P.O.S. . . . and wouldn't shoot accurately at any distance, unlike the Colt.
WHAT WAS THE POS I'D TRADED FOR . . .
An RG.
That's an embarassing story to tell too . . . as those familiar with that original "Saturday Night Special" understand soooo well.
It broke a couple of years later. I took it into a gunshop to see if it could be fixed (since I needed a pocket gun for defense in my night fuel oil delivery job).
Waiting until other customers weren't around I pulled it out, trying to make sure no one saw that piece of junk . . . and asked him if he could fix it.
IN A LOUD VOICE the old gunshop owner bellowed . . .
"Hell, it's a f___king RG!" The shop got REAL quiet, and all eyes turned to poor ol' me.
He continued, quite loudly, "Son I wouldn't work on that POS at any price."
Then he added, before walking away, "And if you want to tell someone you threw away TWENTY DOLLARS, just tie a $20 bill to that piece of junk and toss it in the RIVER!"
I've never been so humiliated in my life. Ahh . . . to be an Army vet, 24, going to college and dirt poor . . . and be that stooopid.
My friends, that RG was a REAL P.O.S.!
T.
PS: The moral of the story . . . I never, ever bought a gun again that wasn't an extremely well-regarded firearm. I learned to do my homework . . . and invest in quality!
You see, I wanted a faster-loading, more potent .38 special snubbie for protection rather than that single action "cowboy gun."
Thus . . . another serviceman who wanted a "cowboy gun" traded me his .38 revolver for my Colt . . . even up.
THAT .38 SPL. WAS A REAL P.O.S. . . . and wouldn't shoot accurately at any distance, unlike the Colt.
WHAT WAS THE POS I'D TRADED FOR . . .
An RG.
That's an embarassing story to tell too . . . as those familiar with that original "Saturday Night Special" understand soooo well.
It broke a couple of years later. I took it into a gunshop to see if it could be fixed (since I needed a pocket gun for defense in my night fuel oil delivery job).
Waiting until other customers weren't around I pulled it out, trying to make sure no one saw that piece of junk . . . and asked him if he could fix it.
IN A LOUD VOICE the old gunshop owner bellowed . . .
"Hell, it's a f___king RG!" The shop got REAL quiet, and all eyes turned to poor ol' me.
He continued, quite loudly, "Son I wouldn't work on that POS at any price."
Then he added, before walking away, "And if you want to tell someone you threw away TWENTY DOLLARS, just tie a $20 bill to that piece of junk and toss it in the RIVER!"
I've never been so humiliated in my life. Ahh . . . to be an Army vet, 24, going to college and dirt poor . . . and be that stooopid.
My friends, that RG was a REAL P.O.S.!
T.
PS: The moral of the story . . . I never, ever bought a gun again that wasn't an extremely well-regarded firearm. I learned to do my homework . . . and invest in quality!
tasco 74
Member
the worst POS handgun i have is a barretta 950 bs auto in ,22 short.... it just quit shooting one night when i was trying to take out a possum with it....
RIA full-sized I got in a group deal. Loosest, poorest fit, abysmal finish of any 1911 I've owned. I don't know how anyone brags on these pieces of junk! For a couple hundred more, you could own a quality basic pistol. Is money that tight that folks would buy a POS instead of saving a while longer?
pakmcc
Member
worce hand gun
It started with a 6" Colt Trooper in .22LR. I never could hit anything with it. It was just not accurate. After that a friend had picked up a case of Colt diamonbacks with 4" barrels in .22LR. I went through the whole case (took about a year) I'd buy one and shoot it. And then get rid of it. They were beautiful things Deep blue with nice lock work. But not anywere accurate. I don't shoot colts anymore.
later in life. I picked up a Tarus Tracker revolver in .45 ACP. They had a special 5 shot full moon clip for it. My gun wouldn't take the clip. One cyclinder was bored too small. IT was fine for a four shot revolver. (but it had five holes.) I haven't brought another Tarus since then.
My Brother gave me an Browning .22LR Buttbark. it was so bad, it wouldn't feed rounds, it wouldn't eject rounds, I don't remember if it was accurate, because I was trying to load and/or unload jams too much.(got rid of it real quick)(this was after I cleaned it and oiled it)
I worked in an Academy store in the Houston area and a young fellow came in and was bitching about a Makarov. I told him I would give him $200 sight unseen for his mak. He, looked at me like I was crazy, I did my concealed carry license with one and I embarrested the rest of the people there because it shot so well.(That's how I feel about Mak.s.) No, I did't get his gun, I think he had second throughts about it. I really like mak.s.
I picked up a browing High POwer years ago. The ramp was curved the wrong way and it wouldn't feed any thing(it was 9mm.)
Years later I was shown a High Power clone from Hungary, and the price and the gun was so good that I've keep the gun for the last four or five years. Then from the same store, the owner came up with another high power clone from Argentina. Nice little 9mm pistol. I've still got it also. I'm thinking, if the clones are so good I'll just try another browning HP, A month after buying it I turned it into a M1 Garand(slighty used, but very shootable.)The "Browning HP was not accurate at all with very hard triggers. The other two are very accuate.
The hungarians came out with a HP look alike in .45 and it's about as accurate as any .45 auto on the market.
My son introducted me to the CZ's, I've never had a bad one. I've also got most of the ones on the market. My wife and I love them. from .32 to .45.
A friend got a S&W sigmain .40cal. I was able to shoot it accuractly. The owner couldn't, he sold it the next day. The trigger was as bad as anygun I've ever shot.
I had a S&W 4506. The double action was horrable, I traded it in on a Russain SVT-40. (I don't do S&W auto's but I'll buy jsut about any "N" frame smith.
I do have a CETME, ane it had problems, I was able to fix them and turn it into a nice shooting rifle. But, it's not like it's supposted to be.
I like the bersa's, I've had one bad one,(I sold it to one of my customers) and it was unrepairable, the company sent the owner a new one.
I know of one problem with CZ's, the 75B in 40 cal. might come with weak exstracter spings. The cure is to replace the Exstracter sping. I've seen one of these. ANd one batch of CZP01's came with bad mag.s The company replaced all the ones I saw. This was when I was with ACademy.
When I was younger I brought most of the Walthers in .22LR. I got out of guns about 30 years ago and sold all the walthers because there is the same size .22 on the market that's better and more accurate. Bernadelli.
I don't buy or trade into Walthers at all. and I've been a 01FFL for the last two years and sold guns at academy for the last three years.
It started with a 6" Colt Trooper in .22LR. I never could hit anything with it. It was just not accurate. After that a friend had picked up a case of Colt diamonbacks with 4" barrels in .22LR. I went through the whole case (took about a year) I'd buy one and shoot it. And then get rid of it. They were beautiful things Deep blue with nice lock work. But not anywere accurate. I don't shoot colts anymore.
later in life. I picked up a Tarus Tracker revolver in .45 ACP. They had a special 5 shot full moon clip for it. My gun wouldn't take the clip. One cyclinder was bored too small. IT was fine for a four shot revolver. (but it had five holes.) I haven't brought another Tarus since then.
My Brother gave me an Browning .22LR Buttbark. it was so bad, it wouldn't feed rounds, it wouldn't eject rounds, I don't remember if it was accurate, because I was trying to load and/or unload jams too much.(got rid of it real quick)(this was after I cleaned it and oiled it)
I worked in an Academy store in the Houston area and a young fellow came in and was bitching about a Makarov. I told him I would give him $200 sight unseen for his mak. He, looked at me like I was crazy, I did my concealed carry license with one and I embarrested the rest of the people there because it shot so well.(That's how I feel about Mak.s.) No, I did't get his gun, I think he had second throughts about it. I really like mak.s.
I picked up a browing High POwer years ago. The ramp was curved the wrong way and it wouldn't feed any thing(it was 9mm.)
Years later I was shown a High Power clone from Hungary, and the price and the gun was so good that I've keep the gun for the last four or five years. Then from the same store, the owner came up with another high power clone from Argentina. Nice little 9mm pistol. I've still got it also. I'm thinking, if the clones are so good I'll just try another browning HP, A month after buying it I turned it into a M1 Garand(slighty used, but very shootable.)The "Browning HP was not accurate at all with very hard triggers. The other two are very accuate.
The hungarians came out with a HP look alike in .45 and it's about as accurate as any .45 auto on the market.
My son introducted me to the CZ's, I've never had a bad one. I've also got most of the ones on the market. My wife and I love them. from .32 to .45.
A friend got a S&W sigmain .40cal. I was able to shoot it accuractly. The owner couldn't, he sold it the next day. The trigger was as bad as anygun I've ever shot.
I had a S&W 4506. The double action was horrable, I traded it in on a Russain SVT-40. (I don't do S&W auto's but I'll buy jsut about any "N" frame smith.
I do have a CETME, ane it had problems, I was able to fix them and turn it into a nice shooting rifle. But, it's not like it's supposted to be.
I like the bersa's, I've had one bad one,(I sold it to one of my customers) and it was unrepairable, the company sent the owner a new one.
I know of one problem with CZ's, the 75B in 40 cal. might come with weak exstracter spings. The cure is to replace the Exstracter sping. I've seen one of these. ANd one batch of CZP01's came with bad mag.s The company replaced all the ones I saw. This was when I was with ACademy.
When I was younger I brought most of the Walthers in .22LR. I got out of guns about 30 years ago and sold all the walthers because there is the same size .22 on the market that's better and more accurate. Bernadelli.
I don't buy or trade into Walthers at all. and I've been a 01FFL for the last two years and sold guns at academy for the last three years.
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