I got a Mosquito on a trade probably 10 years ago. I always defended them, because mine ran reliably, was accurate, and fun. It wasn't particularly fussy about ammo. You just had to run it oily. I probably put somewhere between a thousand and fifteen hundred rounds down it, and my kids all learned to shoot on it.
I hadn't shot it for 6 or 8 years, I got a S&W M41, and a Colt Challenger. Then 3 Colt Match Target Woodsmen and they are all just superior in every way. Anyway, the Mosquito surfaced the other day while I was going through the safe, and I figured it needed a range day.
So today, I put a mag of .38 gr target loads through it, but had to cycle every round manually. Too light. My friend had some Stingers, so I put a mag of those through, and it didn't like those either. So then I put a half magazine of Mini Mags through it. On the 5th round the front of the slide sheared off clean, and flew 7 yards down range, and the rear of the slide and guide rod/spring landed in front of the booth. No damage to shooter (me) so all good.
I can no longer speak nice things about the Mosquito.
Note to self. Stick to S&W and Colt .22 autos.
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