[SIGfiend]

I'm trying to figure out the general concensus on the reliability of these guns so start with listing them in order of which you think is the most reliable, ending with the least reliable:

Glock 17
H&K USP 9mm
SIG P226 9mm
Walther P99 9mm

[Kjay]

I've several Glocks and the Sig 220 and 225. They've fired every time. You can't go wrong with these two brands.

[MrTuffPaws]

This is a tough question. They are all stellar firearms.

[Zip06]

I doubt that there is a practical difference in the reliability of the firearms you listed.

[JeepDriver]

I own all 4 models listed (the USP is a 40 though)

All of them have been perfectly reliable. I don't think I could rate them one over another.

[Soap]

Tied? I've never had a malf with any of them and I've shot them all extensively except the USP.

[Norton]

JeepDriver,

No benefits to working in a gun shop is there? :D

As to the question, I doubt that you could find a sizeable difference in any of the listed firearms. I can't speak to all from personal experience, but I do have a USP9 and it has been boringly reliable with over 2000 rounds through it.

[DMF]

This is a tough question. They are all stellar firearms.
+1 to this and all the similar responses.

From that list I'd just get the one YOU shoot best.

[P95Carry]

Can only speak for my SW99 - which is to all intents the Walther. And my new 226 ... the choice for which was in part at least based on reliability feedbacks.

They are both IMO well up there. I know also from the Glock guys at the club .. that too is in the same ranking. No USP experience whatever but yet to hear bad.

[sharpie613]

I've had a Walther since April of 2002, and it's never had a problem of any kind, except that mags are ridiculously overpriced (but that's not what you are looking for :) ). It eats everything with a smile, and after 100 rounds at 15 yards, I have one big ragged hole.

[SmershAgent]

I've never had the opportunity to fire a USP or that model Walther, but I've used several Glocks over the years, and I own a model 22. Gaston really won me over, and it will take some doing to change that.

Sigs are great, but just not quite my forte` as much.

I'd recommend the model 17 from your list.

[XD Niner]

The only one of those guns I've actually fired was a couple of Glocks (19 and 23) that I rented at the gun range. It looked like these guns were cleaned every 3000 rounds whether they needed it or not. :what:

I had a FTF with the 23 that seemed to be cured by a couple of drops of oil on the slide. I had 4 FTFs with the 19 that seemed to be corrected with a little cleaning.

By no means would I consider these typical of a Glock. Most of us keep our garage floor cleaner than these two pistols.

I have an XD-9 Service that I have taken care of properly. I've put 650 rounds through it without a hiccup of any kind. I consider this a pretty reliable firearm. :)

[chevrofreak]

They are already in order.

[10-Ring]

Looks like a ranking of 1, 1a, 1a' and the Walther I have no opinion because I haven't shot it much.

[Onmilo]

SIGfiend,
I think the order you have them listed is right on the money.

[Coltdriver]

With guns of the quality of those in your list I believe ammo becomes the major culrpit in any malfunction.

You stick with premium ammo and you going to have excellent reliability from any one of those you listed.

[SIGfiend]

hehheh I actually was listing them in alphabetical order and hoping to keep any other sequence from prejudicing peoples vote

[cslinger]

In my exp. SIGs are the most reliable handguns I have ever owned or operated.

That being said they are all uber reliable firearms.

I own the P226 and the P99. Neither have ever malfunctioned.
I have owned a Glock, it had a very few malfunctions.
I have never owned but shot many HKs and never had one malfunction.

So based on my personal exp.

SIG #1
Walther #1A
HK #1B
Glock #1.2A

[TheFederalistWeasel]

All that you mentioned are dead reliable in their ability to go boom when you pull the trigger.

Although I’m a SIG man at heart I’d take any of them to a gun fight.

[cslinger]

If it came right down to it and you told me I had to defend my life with an out of the box semi automatic the ones that would alleviate my fears the most would be.....

Beretta
SIG
HK
Glock

I have had hit and miss with the Walther brand although our personal P99 has been 100% reliable.

[JMag]

As a group I'd expect the group to perform on a par. I've owned only one of the group, the P226. It has never bobbled and is highly accurate.

BTW, another I've never had a problem with was a Beretta 92. Single-stack wise the HK P7M8 is another that has never bobbled with me.

[JohnKSa]

I have owned 2 Glock 17s and neither of them has ever malfunctioned.

I have owned 1 USP and it has only malfunctioned twice. I attribute the malfunctions to ammo, however. Two failures to extract from a single WWB bulk pack--never anything before or since.

I have never owned a Sig of any kind.

I have only owned one Walther (not a P99) and it has never malfunctioned.

Using reliability as a criteria for choosing from your list is not going to provide much discrimination since they should all provide flawless service.

[JeepDriver]

JeepDriver,

No benefits to working in a gun shop is there?

I never thought getting a discount could be so expensive. ;) If my wife ever opens the safe I'm gonna be in big trouble!

I made $7000 working there part time last year and didn't bring a penny of it home!

[Stevie-Ray]

How do they feel in your hand? That's what it came down to between the H&K and the SiG for me. I'd probably rank H&K #1 due to never having a malfunction of any kind and actually never hearing of it from anyone else. :cool: It's really a toss-up with the first 3, but I can't comment on the last.

[SAG0282]

1) SIG P226
2) HK USP
3) Glock 17
4) Walther P99

[greg700]

The USP definately shoult take #1

I stopped counting after I put 5,000 rounds through my USP (though it is a .40). I have had no failures of any kind. At all.

I have put every imaginable type of ammunition trough it, from premium defense ammo, to the el cheapo stuff, to my own handloads (lead, fmj, plated, etc.). Without fail, every time I have pulled the trigger, the weapon functioned flawlessly.

For pure reliablity, I wouldn't want any other weapon.

[SAG0282]

You likely know this already, but conventional wisdom says that shooting lead rounds out of a barrel with polygonal rifling (like that of the USP) is not good.

[armoredman]

1) Glock, as much as itpains me to say so.
2) SiG
3)Walther
4)HK
Based on rental guns i saw while working on a range. the USPs fell apart quickly, the Walther also didn't handle the abuse well. The SiG P220 and P226 we had worked OK, but the P232 blew a bunch of springs early on. The Glock 17 ran on for 200,000 rounds or so, even after the slide cracked! Nope, didn't happen on my shift.
The autos that didn't break you didn't list, the Rugers and the CZs. Well, to be totally honest, I don't know when the CZs would have broken - got stolen....I know MINE runs like a champ.

[orangeninja]

I'd say in all enviroments given:

Cold, heat, sand, water, mud, dumb-assed cop handling:

Glock
Sig
HK
Walther

[greg700]

Siegfried: Yep, I know, now. But I didn't when I started. I started reloading on .45 colt and .40 probably about 2 years ago. The lead bullets worked, but they leaded the barrel really badly (I guess that should have been obvious) and the accuracy was horrible. I still have several hundred assembled lead rounds and about 500 lead bullets in .40 if anyone is interested :) But my point was that the weapon was able to handle them. The fed well and were chambered without incident even after a couple hundred rounds at the range.

[Big Mike]

If we had to split hairs, I would say the order you listed them in. Mike

[Boats]

All this type of listing does is bring out the fanboyz. :rolleyes: That list could be put in any order and not make a whit of difference.

The 9mm is not particularly destructive to a weapon, and I think that one would find that the reliability of a brand will be entirely dependent on the individual example. I have seen flawless examples of each, and I have seen those same types of pistols fail in other examples. Since they are man made, they can't all be perfect in all conditions, grips, angles of fire and other innumerable variables.

That said, I'd take any of them and be happy, except maybe the Glock because of its funky grip. I'd also take some not on the list and put them right up there amongst them if reliability is the only criteria, namely Berettas, CZ, Ruger, the XD9, the BHP, and possibly the Steyrs, and not lose any sleep over it. It is extremely unlikely any decently built 9mm from a large pistol company is going to be a jammomatic in even a mild way by design rather than in the individual execution of fit and finish on a particular example.

[natedog]

They're probably equally reliable, in addition to the Browning Hi-Power, Beretta 92, CZ-75, Springfield XD....almost all the popular pistols from reputable manufacturers are equally reliable.