Most disappointing gun you've owned?

@BASIL

I wanted a Solo. Despite all the bad reviews. Dang pistol was just the right size to slip into a front pocket. I still want one.
Some of life's lessons can't be taught by others, you just have to touch the red-hot thing before it sinks in.

@Squanchy

I have the SIG P938 SAS as my EDC. Spooky accurate. Never had a misfeed. I hope it stays that way!!! Cheers
 
Last edited:
Browning A-Bolt in 30/06 I bought new early '90's. Wouldn't group better than 2" with no less than 10 different factory loads I tested. That got me started in reloading. I got it down to 3/4" groups then.
 
BASIL said:
Kimber Solo, never fired more than 3-4 rounds without a malfunction.
Click to expand...
I got one in a trade, range day it ran 5 mags like a sewing machine. The accuracy was great. Got home, cleaned it and got online and found a review about failure to feed being a bad issue. Went back to the range and it showed me what they meant. I tried six different magazines and twice that many different types of ammo. Failure to feed was almost every other shot. It looked great, felt great, trigger was, yes, great. Sad day to have to face reality. It was cast into outer darkness.
 
GLOCK.
9mm, 10mm and .45. They all were reliable. They all pinched my trigger finger and were uncomfortable. Worse, they had horrific, gritty trigger pulls. Their biggest sin, they ain’t a 1911. But wait, they look like a kids squirt gun.
Ain’t a gun unless it has wood grips. John Wayne said so🧐
 
Hoss said:
Marlin 1894 44 Mag.
Click to expand...
My marlin in 45-70 was absolute garbage, fit and finish was great, but I tried every load I could get my hands on and it still would not shoot a decent grouo(they averaged 5+inches)


The second most disappointing gun was also a rifle, it was one of the first cz Brens to come in, it didn’t want to feed, didn’t want to group, and didn’t want to extract. It was terrible
 
Cluck Norris said:
My marlin in 45-70 was absolute garbage, fit and finish was great, but I tried every load I could get my hands on and it still would not shoot a decent grouo(they averaged 5+inches)
Click to expand...
Just curious to know… was this a Remlin / Marlington era firearm? Seems like the older models shot well, but the late Remington produced guns were not great for accuracy. A buddy had a Remlin 336 and it was less accurate than you mentioned above.
 
Pop N Shots said:
Just curious to know… was this a Remlin / Marlington era firearm? Seems like the older models shot well, but the late Remington produced guns were not great for accuracy. A buddy had a Remlin 336 and it was less accurate than you mentioned above.
Click to expand...
It was a bran new production from ruger, one of the first 1000 off the line
 
rdinatal said:
Believe it or not...
An M1 Carbine

Ammo was really expensive if one didn't reload. I ended up hardly shooting it and eventually sold it.
Click to expand...
I'll add another.. M1 Garand

Disappointed as I can never find enough ammo for it.
 
Last edited:
crebid said:
I got one in a trade, range day it ran 5 mags like a sewing machine. The accuracy was great. Got home, cleaned it and got online and found a review about failure to feed being a bad issue. Went back to the range and it showed me what they meant. I tried six different magazines and twice that many different types of ammo. Failure to feed was almost every other shot. It looked great, felt great, trigger was, yes, great. Sad day to have to face reality. It was cast into outer darkness.
Click to expand...
Definitely Kimber Solo for me. I bought one new probably 10 years ago that was the CDP with laser grip. First shot out of the box jammed. After that, I couldn't get through a mag without an issue. It went back to Kimber and they replaced some things and included a couple new mags. I didn't notice a change and it still had issues at least every mag. My dad loved the look of the gun and traded me something for it knowing the issues. He ended up sending it back to Kimber 3 times for issues. To their credit, they included a couple new mags everytime and the last visit back seems to have corrected whatever was going on. He now has the Solo stashed in one of his cars and also has around 10 mags that all seem to work just fine in it.
 
Can I list more than one?
1. Had an NY made Bushmaster ACR - QC was horrendous, it was heavy - like double digits for an mostly polymer gun - just didn't live up to the hype at all
2. Swiss Import SG 553 - it litterally is just an expensive AK
3.H&K Mark 23 tied with FNX45 tact - just....big and uncomfortable

The M1 Garand - like after the first couple *ping* sounds, it loses its novelty fast. Historically awesome, but it ends up being a wall hanger since it's just a wierd middle ground between a 30-06 hunting rifle and a 308 semi-auto battle rifle
 
Beretta Nano was by far the worst I've ever had. They had a known FTE issue that was supposed to have been corrected prior to the one I purchased. Gun felt great, carried well and was accurate when it would actually shoot. It was rare to make it through a magazine without a failure. I contacted Beretta who told me i needed to use high dollar HPs in it until breakin was done, approx 500 rounds. I shot a ton through it with no change so i tried getting them to look at it. They wanted me to pay all the shipping back and forth so I held onto it for a little longer.The last time I shot it was Friday after Thanksgiving. It failed so I dropped the mag and threw the gun as far as I could into the woods and finished my range day with the XDSC I have. Went and found the pistol afterwards and took it to Gander Mtn. Traded it along with some cash and got the M&P Shield in 40. Beretta came back several weeks later saying they would pay shipping so I informed them what a hunk of garbage they made and that I no longer owned it. I'll never buy another gun with known issues regardless of whether they have "corrected" the issue or not.
 
Years ago I bought a Keltec pf9 because at the time it was the lightest and smallest 9mm on the market . Once I shot it I hated it. It killed my ring finger knuckle when firing
 
Mine was a Devil Dog arms 1911 in 9mm, 4 different mags and many types of ammo, refused to cycle and not even two rounds in row without malfunction, sent it back and they had to "shave and polish" feed ramp and still did not run two rounds in row without hiccup, what an expensive junk(paid $1400 for it). I have fairly decent size 1911 collection and all are without exception are great shooters, but this one was literally insane and a waste of ammo and range time.
Second was a live free armory AMP Glock clone, same as above, I have a quite few Glocks, a couple of Shadow systems and even a Bul armory AXE, all are wonderful in their own way but this "live free" was anything but "Live free".
It is such a shame and disappointment when some companies try to copy old and proven firearms such as 1911 and Glocks and produce nothing but junk, and to top that, they ask ridiculous amount of money for them, but at the end of the day, as long as morons like me willingly hand out their hard earned money, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
 
I didn't own it long but i bought a tec 22 from a guy in gunsmithing under the condition that it actually worked.

Gave him $180, took it to the range and tried to shoot it. It would eject the spent casings back into the gun behind the recoil assembly. It would continue to work until one of the shells would jam up the bolt spring.

Took it back up to the shop and got my money back. That had to be the shortest time i have ever owned a gun for. From start to finish was around 20 minutes.
 
I’ve had more than a few guns that didn’t live up to the hype. I read about how bad a few (like the P64) were so while they sucked the suck was expected. Some though I had much higher hopes for. Kahr K9/K40. Beautiful styling and craftsmanship but the trigger was godawful. A lot of the Euro blowback guns in .380 (looking at you Sig P230) they look sexy, great craftsmanship, they’re stupid expensive new, you think they’re going to shoot super smoothly, and after a magazine you’re thinking “it’s bigger and heavier than some 9’s, shoots a weaker cartridge and jeez it was expensive, why does it kick like this?” Blowback kinda sucks, go locking breech if you can, at least over .32 ACP.
Taurus guns and customer service are certainly in the running as I sit waiting for a replacement for a 942 which didn’t shoot out of the box, and per Taurus was so badly made that it couldn’t be repaired and had to be replaced, and now I’m 6 months into a “6-8 week lead time” on a gun I don’t even want anymore and they literally have no idea when it’ll be available.
 
Last edited:
somethingwolfpack said:
Can I list more than one?
1. Had an NY made Bushmaster ACR - QC was horrendous, it was heavy - like double digits for an mostly polymer gun - just didn't live up to the hype at all
2. Swiss Import SG 553 - it litterally is just an expensive AK
3.H&K Mark 23 tied with FNX45 tact - just....big and uncomfortable

The M1 Garand - like after the first couple *ping* sounds, it loses its novelty fast. Historically awesome, but it ends up being a wall hanger since it's just a wierd middle ground between a 30-06 hunting rifle and a 308 semi-auto battle rifle
Click to expand...

The Mk23 is a SBR, especially with a suppressor. Huge pistol.
 
B&T GHM9. I really wanted one but once I had it in hand it just didn't do anything for me.

They are great guns and have a growing aftermarket but I just like the TP9 more.
 
Steyr M9-A1 was one I completely forgot about. Not a bad pistol, but completely underwhelming considering it's a Glock without all the benefits of being a Glock. The meme trapezoid sights, poor extractor plunger design, no aftermarket, and Steyr's competition with Walther to see who exist without anyone knowing led me away quick. Lucked out in finding a Steyr fan who didn't like his Glock 19, so worked out in the end.

Wilhelm Bubits is now on his 3rd "Not a Glock, but a Glock" Glock-Killer after Steyr and Caracal with the BubiX Bro. I reckon he will collab with another company in a decade for his Gen4 when Glock releases the Gen6.
 
LCP shop had a special on them. I picked one up went to the range with my wife. Shot one magazine, handed it to her she shot one magazine and sold that crap.
 
My wife hated her Taurus millennium G2. One trip to the range and she sold it.

Mine is a Hatfield SGL 12. I shot it once. The guy I sold it to had to replace the firing pin because that one shot apparently broke it somehow.
 
My buddy got one of those cobra derringers in 38spl from a pawn shop. It was $79 new. Took it to the range fired one round and the rotating firing pin had broken and locked itself up so that it wouldn't move.

He said $79 sounded cheap. They didn't tell me it was for one shot.
 
TRaGiK said:
I've had two.

First was a S&W AR. Back before they manufactured them themselves ...when Stag Arms was manufacturing for S&W. 2006ish.

I was pretty poor at the time, and spending $1k on a gun took a long lay-a-way wait.

Finally got it home, and it was nothing but problems. Would malfunction every 2 to 5 rounds. I assumed everyone that said AR's was junk were correct. Sent it back to s&w to be repaired, got it back, and sold it without firing another round. Swore off AR's and S&W for the next 5 years.

Second was a Springfield EMP 9. Man was I in love with that gun. Till I got it home and it wouldn't feed a single hollow point. Sent it to Springfield and got it back and verified it worked. Couldn't get over a brand new gun needing repair and sold it. I didn't trust the gun. Was like a wife that cheated on me during the honeymoon.
Click to expand...

Has the same issue with an EMP 9. Only it would also happen with FMJs that weren’t “hot” by most standards. Regular range ammo wouldn’t cycle it reliably. Sent it back to SA and they tuned it and polished the feed ramp and replaced some stuff and it works fine now but for $1000+ new….disappointing
 
Has to be the SOCOM 16. Bought it brand new. Was so excited about a .308 package like that. Ran probably close to 500 rounds through it. Broke it in. Cleaned it. Wouldn't group for anything. All over the place. No consistency at all. Gave it to a buddy to use. He found the same thing. Very disappointing
 
Mine was a Savage A-17 17HMR semi-auto rifle. It was one of the first production guns made. The problem was the magazine kept falling out. Bought 3 more mags same result. I still have the d**n thing, don't ask me why. It just sits in the back of my safe, never to see daylight again.
 
1. FN 509 - many small issues, FN was uninterested in fixing it.
2. keltec RFB (308 bullpup) - never reliably ejected until keltec replaced it.
3. sig mosquito - never functioned even w CCI minimag.
4. M&P 9mm early model around 2012 - reliable but shot patterns not groups.
5. walther ppk - beavertail painful as hell to web of hand.
6. kahr CM9 - every metal part rusted to hell despite barely being carried, and Kahr’s CS has (unsuccessfully) tried to charge me twice to replace corroded parts.
7. Kriss vector - awkward controls particularly mag release and bolt drop lever.
8. Sig P320 - overly complex design, dangerously short trigger travel, no thanks
 
I've had several Taurus semi autos. All were POS.. One of the best revolvers I ever had was an old model 85 ,5 shot 38 revolver like a j frame smith . I loved the gun but my department would not approve Taurus revolvers as a back up weapon so I sold it Bought a Smith mod 60 and wish i still has the Taurus.
.
 
Last edited:
Was coming back from deployment in 2005, I had finally turned 21 and was in the market for a handgun. I had been researching all trip and had my heart set on a Glock 23. (.40 was all the rage in 2005…..). I ended up letting the old boomer that taught my CCW class into talking me in to buying XD 40. Biggest POS I’ve ever owned; just terrible ergonomics, awful trigger and the most top heavy gun ever. Feels like you’re shooting a Dewalt Drill.
 
I’ve had Glock 17, 19, 42, and 43. They all functioned well, but I just don’t like them. I don’t like the triggers, and won’t change the trigger on a carry gun. I know they’re fine pistols, just not for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom