What makes a handgun reliable?

K

Kurgan

New member
Rating - 100%
21   0   0
Location
Canada
From a design perspective, other than proper maintenance and good magazines or ammo, what makes a handgun reliable?

Is it generous tolerances, less moving parts, proper fit and finish?

Can a reliable handgun also be accurate?

I was speaking to a gunsmith in the U.S. who was told by an individual returning from Iraq that the slide of his SIG 226 jammed open upon firing 1 shot from all the grit and sand.

He felt a so-called worn out 1911 would be a reliable choice.

What ya think?
 
Larger tolerances and less parts would definitely help in reliability, and although I think at some point you have to trade accuracy for reliability or vice versa, it's only at the extreme ends that you really do that (such as the finely-tuned 1911s, for example). Most modern pistols seem to have a good balance of reliability and accuracy, such that the pistol will shoot better than whomever holds it, yet will function quite well also (e.g. Glocks, which I hate but respect).
 
phatns2pid said:
Larger tolerances and less parts would definitely help in reliability, and although I think at some point you have to trade accuracy for reliability or vice versa, it's only at the extreme ends that you really do that (such as the finely-tuned 1911s, for example). Most modern pistols seem to have a good balance of reliability and accuracy, such that the pistol will shoot better than whomever holds it, yet will function quite well also (e.g. Glocks, which I hate but respect).
Click to expand...

100% agree with this. Glock has quite large tolerance between the flame and the slide but work great. Shoot pretty good too. I love my Glock now:) Most of the guns that we use here in Canada pretty much won't have a chance soak into the sand and dirt.

Trigun
 
I think that what makes YOUR particular hand gun reliable is YOU shooting it frequently so that you get good at doing so AND you can see how reliable it is.

I wouldn't want to be counting on some 'safe queen' in a crunch, but rather on some 'old faithful' that I shoot relatively often. It's like a car you drive daily, and can trust vs. some specialty vehicle that lives in a garage - which would you trust more to get you somewhere when the chips were down?

If you can trust YOUR own gun, and YOUR own shooting, then you're there. If you can't, then work on it until you can. This brings a certain level of CONFIDENCE that is crucial vis-a-vis the reliability issue as a whole.

Oh yeah...."I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY...IT'S BETTER TO BURN OUT....THAN TO FADE AWAY....(INSERT SINISTER LAUGHTER)...THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!"

(Sorry Kurgan - couldn't help it) :)
 
It's repeating some things which have already been posted here but a simple but rugged gun is more reliable than the finely tuned race gun with all the bells and whistles. Like the car analogy, take it out and drive it. Sitting around can make an over lubed gun sticky and over lubing is a common problem. The more you use it, the better you know it and know where the shot will impact. You also get to know the little quirks that each gun has.
THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT THINGS FOR RELIABILITY no matter what type of gun you shoot are:
1 Keep it CLEAN. some folks will say they've put 2000 rounds through the gun without cleaning it and it still works fine. For their type of shooting it may be fine but for others it won't be. rule of thumb is the more fouling in the bore, the less accuracy down range. You also increase your risk that something will hang up, a slide will jam, etc.
2 GOOD AMMO A lot of people shoot the inexpensive commercial target loads because you can get a lot of range time for fewer dollars but it can come with hidden costs. My 9mm BUL will jam on a fairly consistant basis with the Remington target loads and will foul up quicker, yet I've never had a jam with it using Winchester target loads. My Springfield XD doesn't seem to care what you feed it, it just spits them out every time I pull the trigger and both these guns have about 4000 rounds through them.

Clean gun, good ammo and lots of quality time together. A perfect recipe.
 
Clancy Brown, now that was a villain!

"I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY...IT'S BETTER TO BURN OUT....THAN TO FADE AWAY"

I remember this from Def Leppard but it also goes back to a Neil Young song Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) and of course Kurt Cobain's suicide note.

Please forgive my digression. Back to the matter at hand.

Would it be possible to enhance the accuracy of a handgun without affecting reliability? Does adding a match barrel to a Glock affect it's reliability?

An IPSC Master shooter told me one time that the term "Race Gun" was an appropriate name because like a race car they were great when they worked but not always reliable.
 
I think it has to do with the feeding design, and extractor (IMO),...
My HK USP had an excellent mag to feed ramp angle....I could ride the slide ever so slowly and the gun would always feed. It also had a huge extractor. The chamber was not too tight, and the frame to slide fit was not too tight either. The mags were simple and had strong mag springs (although if you go too strong, it can slow things down).
Same for recoil spring, too weak and it may not feed as well.
MY Tanfoglio stock2 also has an excellent feed angle,...maybe this is why I hardly see any jamming...
 
Kurgan said:
Can a reliable handgun also be accurate?
Click to expand...
What do you consider accurate? Seriously, do you have any preconceived notion as to how handgun accuracy should be defined?
If you can hit center of mass 100 times out of 100 at 7 yards, is that accurate?

I would like to be able to group 10 shots in a 4 1/2" circle at 25 yards, but not many handguns can do this 6 times out of 11.

If an intruder didn't cut your throat before you unlocked and loaded your handgun, you'd just want the old reliability factor, so you could squeeze off 3 rounds at 6 feet.
 
So if feed angle and recoil spring weight makes a difference than does caliber also?

Is a 45ACP more reliable than a 9mm?

Is a single stack mag less reliable than a double stack?

Is a polymer frame more likely to gouge and keep running than a steel frame that may bind?

I have to say that most if not all malfunctions I have seen were either training issues/operator error or ammo/mag related. This just reinforces the above post of practice and familiarity with your equipment.

I guess is the same with AR-15s. I have never had any problem that was not traced back to me, ammo, or mags but the piston uppers seem all the rage now citing reliability concerns.

But then again I only shoot at a range and then go home by the most direct route, not stopping for chicken wings!

P.S. I'd post a happy face icon now but I don't know how!
 
I whole heartedly agree with Vic777.

How accurate does it need to be? What are you using it for? Home defense is pretty much negated by the safe storage law. By the time you get it loaded it’s probably too late to have any effect, at least in my case. I do know of some people who have much quicker access though, but in my case with 2 small boys the more difficult it is to get into the safe the better, statistically at least!

Now when you line up at the 20 yard line it’s nice to be more accurate than the guy beside you! But does it really matter? The accuracy potential of the firearm may be compromised but the squishy organic bit holding it!

Is it a compromise situation? Do you have to weigh your needs? Target shooting= accuracy, ideally bull every time, and combat=reliability, ideally bang every time?

Is it like an SUV? A compromise between on and off road?

Is there a handgun that excels at both?
 
I think there can be a lot said for the KISS principle when it comes to design, function and reliability.
 
Ya, I got the quote.

I just mentioned that the other sources pre-date the movie and have a Canadian connection. I don't know about you but for me there can be only one! The first one, the other movies and series just didn't do it for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom