Reliability is relative. Some designs are better than others (Glocks are one of the best). Typically, guns that are designed as duty arms are expected to run for years with minimal breakage. Note that all guns are mechanical devices and as such, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. That is, everything will break something at some point.
Apart from the inherent engineering of the the specific design you choose, the amount of wear and/or breakage you can expect will depend on the amount of abuse it is subjected to. High round counts will wear guns sooner so just be aware that the more you shoot, the more you fix and replace.
Be aware that on these forums, some people will tell you that "brand-X" gun is dead-nuts reliable and has never failed them whereas, others will tell you that they break stuff all the time with the same platform. What often goes unmentioned is that pesky little round count thing. For someone who shoots maybe a thousand rounds a year, the likelihood of a failure is pretty low. Take the same gun and put forty thousand rounds a year through it and your failure rate will increase dramatically.
Glocks: durable and replacement parts are everywhere. Triggers are heavy but consistent. It's probably your best bet.
CZ SP01 Shadow: Best IPSC competition platform out there right now. Older design (1975) but a steal frame and a durable, accurate gun with pretty good triggers out of the box and amazing triggers with a little tlc applied. Parts are available. Use Tanfoglio magazines (they're better).
Sig: Another solid duty platform. Expensive and parts are harder to find but generally a very accurate and well made gun.
S&W M&P: Mags not as reliable and more fragile than Glock. Some examples I've seen have horrendous triggers. Stick with Glock if you like polymer framed, striker-fired guns.
There are a number of others mentioned above and most are fine. Just look at availability of parts and people who can repair them. Nothing is worse than having to wait six months for your gun to be repaired.
Try before you buy if you can.
Apart from the inherent engineering of the the specific design you choose, the amount of wear and/or breakage you can expect will depend on the amount of abuse it is subjected to. High round counts will wear guns sooner so just be aware that the more you shoot, the more you fix and replace.
Be aware that on these forums, some people will tell you that "brand-X" gun is dead-nuts reliable and has never failed them whereas, others will tell you that they break stuff all the time with the same platform. What often goes unmentioned is that pesky little round count thing. For someone who shoots maybe a thousand rounds a year, the likelihood of a failure is pretty low. Take the same gun and put forty thousand rounds a year through it and your failure rate will increase dramatically.
Glocks: durable and replacement parts are everywhere. Triggers are heavy but consistent. It's probably your best bet.
CZ SP01 Shadow: Best IPSC competition platform out there right now. Older design (1975) but a steal frame and a durable, accurate gun with pretty good triggers out of the box and amazing triggers with a little tlc applied. Parts are available. Use Tanfoglio magazines (they're better).
Sig: Another solid duty platform. Expensive and parts are harder to find but generally a very accurate and well made gun.
S&W M&P: Mags not as reliable and more fragile than Glock. Some examples I've seen have horrendous triggers. Stick with Glock if you like polymer framed, striker-fired guns.
There are a number of others mentioned above and most are fine. Just look at availability of parts and people who can repair them. Nothing is worse than having to wait six months for your gun to be repaired.
Try before you buy if you can.
