This one is easy peasy.
Seriously. Has anyone ever said a bad thing about a Remington 870?
It is the only shotgun I saw fail in combat. The 870 used to have a proclivity to double shuck shells.
They split the lifter at one time and sold it as a feature. “You can now get you knife blade in there to clear the double feed jam. In the New Remington 870.” Would not want to talk bad about that now would we?
Yup, great gun. In Vietnam it was one of the shotguns that were avoided by name and model. The earlier Remington’s were fine. The 870 Like the M16 got folks hurt and dead. Particularly because a shotgun in those days wasn‘t used for breaching. Normally, by the time you are using it, they are up close and personal. Usually you were in the act of being over run. Not a good time for your weapon to head south. It was a real bitch to clear too. (that’s why the split follower was sold as a feature)
I came to prefer the Ithica’s and the early model 12 Winchesters. Personally I never got in a fight while carrying one of the shotguns. I did not carry one very often. More than one Remington 870 got “disappeared”, in my two tours in WestPac.
So like that Black Plastic POS I don’t trust the 870 either. That is at a very basic primal level. And it is emotional. Once again, when the gun gets friends hurt and dead, it effects you. Particularly when those specific and very personal deaths were avoidable. My personal Mossy 590’s ain’t ever failed.
Most of the folks that didn’t like the Hipower were the 45acp only crowd, over the years.
the Hi-Power's slide it too light be heavy use, the thumb safety is too diminutive and the magazine safety make the trigger pull horrendous
AS the most deployed/used military sidearm in the world, for a very long time, the Hipower doesn’t have to prove it’s chops to anyone. There ain’t a damned thing wrong with it’s slide. It has been proven over and over and over again to be a reliable, accurate, effective military sidearm.
When I was attached to the 42 Commando, Royal Marines, in Malta almost 40 years ago, they were carrying the Hipower or P35 as they called it, and were very happy with it. I did talk with them about it, as I was carrying a 1911 of course. (Note: Both designed by St Browning and the more controversial Hipower the engineering and designing was finished up by the “other guy”.) I found none that would rather be carrying the 1911.
Most notably the British SAS in the last ten years gave up their Hipowers for the SIG 228. (funny the 228’s daddy is carried by the SEAL’s [226]who now carry a bunch of 228’s now too, since the SIG 228 entered the system as the M11)
Many folks who put that new fangled 40 S&W (for short & weak, I think) may have problems, but then so have many gun manufacturers who have tried to make a 9mm hand gun work in 40.
Look at the problems the Glock 23 and 22 are having. Many agencies are leaving Glock and finding S&W (S&W’s M&P may have been the first major production pistol DESIGNED from scratch to be a 40. In fact the only FTF type problems I am aware of were with the 9mm versions.) , SIG, HK, etc…
Rule three of selecting a fighting gun for yourself. Choose it in the caliber it was designed for. With very few exceptions that weapon will be intrinsically more reliable in that design specified caliber rather than any other.
That is not withstanding that the 9mm is the most reliable of the semi auto major fighting calibers. (with apologies to the 357SIG). It has something none of the others possess, a tapered case.
One of the reasons it is every ones submachine gun caliber. With just enough exceptions to prove the rule.
No there ain’t a damn thing wrong with the Hipower in 9mm. As St Browning & Co. designed it. If you think the 40 makes a difference, get a S&W M&P. (at least SIG reengineered all their guns to handle the 40.)
Go figure.
Fred