What's the worst handgun you ever bought and still have?

Ummmmmm, and still have?! That would be my SIG P6 I guess. Its not a bad handgun at all, in fact its great, but it has 30 years of North Westphalia police holster wear, so I use it as a truck gun. I don't mind well earned wear and tear on my guns, but I won't keep an unreliable firearm.
The worst I ever had and kicked to the curb? A Rossi model 13 Princess. After about 30 rounds of Remington Golden Bullets, the zamak topstrap was cut halfway through! Too bad too, because it was a really neat and not unattractive little revolver let down by poor materials.
The worst auto? An American Arms PX-22. Good looking rimfire knockoff of the Walter PPK, but simply would not feed. At all. Ever.
The worst rifle? A "tanker" Ishapore Enfield. The crown must have been cut poorly because the first 20 rounds were tumbling and keyholing at 50yds. After the third stripper clip, everything forward of the lower band came off and flew downrange......fun fun!

A Grendel P10, purchased on a LE purchase order in 1989 or so. The company was marketing the product to LEOs as a potential OD/BU weapon to replace the .38 five-shooting revolver. Officers had skepticism over small semi-autos having levers and buttons that could be inadvertently actuated during duty, especially when the gun was worn on an ankle. The P10 offered the same simplicity of a DA-revolver, with more than twice the firepower, in a package that was thinner and lighter than the snub .38 wheeler. Since most of those said wheelers were carried without a reload, the idea that the P10 had no means for a rapid reload was of little concern.

But, the gun was marketed before it was perfected, and was typically unreliable. Almost all of us who got in on the deal (about 15 of us) reported issues with jams and misfeeds, though we figured out that most of that could be resolved with a good feed-ramp polish. Still, the guns are so tightly built that they foul quickly. Mine will now run two magazine-fulls flawlessly, then start failing to fully extract or eject. That wouldn't matter much in a fight, though, since one magazine is all you get (unless someone calls a time-out!)

Iver Johnson .22 Auto. One of these days I'll get the sucker running!

Well its a 1911 i made a few years ago. I bought the parts and registered the serial...i dont know if that matters for the purpose of the convo. Any how, i cut the front novak cut too deep and I've had problems with the front sight height. So i stripped the gun, sand blasted it and cerakoted it, hoping maybe the extra tolerance would help...never did. Maybe ill just do another slide one day. Or get an oversized sights and try to fit them to the right height...if that is possible to find oversized in height. Havent really looked into it.
Next would be my glock 30. It's shoots good, just not very ergonomic for me and probably the most uncomfortable to shoot out of my cache.

What's the worst handgun you ever bought and still have?

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Sorry can't help you. Not to say I haven't had a few "lemons" over the years (like a Colt Agent and a Colt Officer's ACP that were both poorly assembled and wouldn't function properly right out of the box); it's just that I didn't keep them around for very long. Had an Astra 600 that was certainly the worst handgun I ever shot but there was nothing wrong with it from a reliability perspective. I had it for a number of years before I finally sold it when I needed some extra cash.

A Polish P64.

They have their fans, but I am not one of them. Not enjoyable to shoot with a snappy recoil. Not a big deal, but the gun is a huge PITA to detail strip. My example, while clean and attractive on the outside, had a problem with not decocking with a chambered round. It also has a horrific DA trigger pull, which many can attest to. I have since managed to dislodge the trigger bar and possibly other parts while trying to clean the gun, and haven't even cared to get it back together, however it goes it's not obvious.

People like these because they are cheap and have a military background. I personally think the design is poor and it is one of the worst post-war service pistols ever adopted. It fares badly against its contemporaries such as the Makarov PM, which is an excellent shooting gun that is probably the easiest semi auto pistol to detail strip ever and has been proven 100% drop safe by the state of California.

To top all this off, the P64 is absolutely not drop safe and there are SEVERAL accounts of these guns firing when dropped chambered, resulting in at least one injury.

So harsh recoiling, complicated, and unsafe to carry with a round chambered even with the 30 lbs double action trigger... but for some reason the P64 is supposed to be great... yeah, that's your wallet talking, not the gun.

The worst i bought and still have would be my Glock 23- because I don't care for 40. But I have numerous other Glocks in 9 and 45 I am 100% happy with. All the junk I got out of my life.

I buy used guns occasionally and usually know what I'm getting into. I have bought some jewels that just needed minor repairs but I have one now that's testing my patience.
An FM Hi Power 9 mm I acquired a few months ago. Was in rough but tolerable shape when I found it and thought it was worth a shot to try my magic at the price. New springs, extractor, new factory magazine and a couple other things improved it some but it still has gremlins. Frustrating but haven't given up. Yet.

A Sig Mosquito. I didn't know they weren't real Sigs. I got through a whole magazine maybe once. Usually it wasn't even close. My FiL is very skillful mechanically. He spent hours working on it. He improved it to the point where it will shoot about eight rounds out of ten without malfunctioning. I let my BiL have it "on loan" so that he can help his sons practice clearing malfunctions. With as many inexpensive guns that I've bought over the years, it's ironic that the worst one would be a "Sig".

1980s? used 357 Taurus 462 ss snubnose. Thought I got a good deal at $280, then later it failed. Sent it back once at $66 shipping! and when I got it back it still had same problem! That brings cost up to $344, so now it just sits on the shelf all by itself alone and dejected.

Shortly thereafter replaced by new 357 RUGER sp101 with no problems in years of use!

My Helwan Brigadier.

Cooldill said:

A Polish P64.

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The 64 gets my vote for the gun that combines the worst and best features into one package.

Best;
It has a very nice, crisp single action trigger pull.

Worst;
It has the heaviest double action trigger of all the guns I have owned.

Best;
It is a small, snag free design and is small enough to pocket carry.

Worst;
It is so heavy you need a belt and suspenders and a strong back to carry it.

Best:
Sights are rugged and near impossible to damage. The rear sight blade is well protected by ears on top of the slide.

Worst;
Can you say small? On a military combat gun? They are even more inadequate for civilian self-defense. In the dark? Forgit it. It is impossible to replace the sights and they are too small to improve even with paint.

Best;
Excellent craftsmanship and quality. The checkering on top of the slide is excellent.

Worst;
They forgot to put a beavertail on the rear of the frame. This dang thing just plain HURTS when I shoot it.

Best;
It is reliable.

Worst;
I think. It hurts to shoot to darn much to give it a true ammo test.

Best Overall Feature;
It looks cool next to my Makarov and CZ82.

Two of them, both Armscor: An RIA compact 1911 that won't feed, and a Citadel 1911 on which the metal is so soft that the lug for the barrel link has to filed back into shape every hundred rounds. I think I can fix the RIA compact with some re-shaping of the extractor, but the Citadel has been taken down to its frame for a future build (maybe).

A lot of folks here have had good experiences with their RIAs, but not I.

All of my 1911's, even the expensive ones. The gun and 45 ACP are both highly over rated. I'd never make one my 1st choice in a life or death situation. But like them well enough to keep a few around.

I don't keep guns I don't like. There is far too much variety to hold onto a firearm you don't like for anything other than sentimental value. I only have two firearms I have a sentimental attachment to, and neither are bad shooters fortunately.

Worst firearm I have owned (and got rid of) has got to be an AMT backup 380. Mine functioned great compared to some of the horror stories I have read about. It only liked one or two types of HP ammo, the rest would stovepipe. That particular firearm does not have a slide stop, so clearing jams required a third hand. The trick I found was to have a nickel or dime in my pocket. The notch in the slide that was cut for the hammer was perfect size for a nickel or dime to hold the slide open against the frame. Not an ideal solution, but easier than growing a third hand. The grip safety would also pinch my hand and start bleeding before a full box was fired. It would throw brass at my face. Was inaccurate as all hell, even firing from a rest. It wasn't heavy so much as it was DENSE. It was a pain in the butt to clean. And finally it was very difficult to sell as most gun shops know of AMTs reputation for lemons.

Eaa tanfoglio witness all steel wonderfinish compact in 10mm. Also have a 40 barrel for it but it just has never fed reliably. Its very accurate and points very naturally. I may buy an aftermarket double recoil spring and rod assembly to try to get it running properly. Had it for close to 15 years now.

herrwalther said:

The notch in the slide that was cut for the hammer was perfect size for a nickel or dime to hold the slide open against the frame.

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When I first got my Weatherby Vanguard, it functioned fine, but seemed to have a very long bolt throw. Turns out the bolt stop had broken and someone had jammed a penny into the slot as an expedient, lol. It DID work, but I replaced it anyway.

bnolsen said:

Eaa tanfoglio witness all steel wonderfinish compact in 10mm.

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I'm surprised! My .45 Witness was a bulletproof feeder.....

I bought a used Raven .25 online. It shoots, but the web in the frame has a crack in it. I put the parts in a ziplock bag and haven't done anything with them.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

I'm surprised! My .45 Witness was a bulletproof feeder.....

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My full size 10mm witness works much better, although its not quite as reliable as my glock 20.

10mm is high pressure and hard on pistols. I hope the newer dual recoil spring technology helps tame the round.

I have a couple that others have listed. Neither are winners, but I have kept them.

The Helwan Brigadier I own is rough, but it functions well.

The AMT Backup .380 in the safe is a real pip. Neither accurate, nor ergonomic, and only occasionally reliable; it tops those marks by having a trigger pull that's best measured in tons.

Riomouse911 said:

The AMT Backup .380 in the safe is a real pip. Neither accurate, nor ergonomic, and only occasionally reliable; it tops those marks by having a trigger pull that's best measured in tons.

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Which is an impressive feat if you had the SA backup. I did not have a trigger gauge at the time I owned mine but my calibrated trigger finger put it around 4.5 to 5 pounds after I did some work on it.

The worst handgun I ever had was a Keltec P11, and I actually thought it was great. One of the perks of being a regular visitor to a forum like this is that I tend to dodge the duds pre-purchase thanks to the wisdom I've absorbed from everyone else in threads like these!

I don't like keeping unreliable, or unsafe guns, so like a revolving door, so when my Norinco 213. Decently built, liked all kinds of 9mm, and was more accurate than I am. Problems? Well, the side safety flopped around, magazine could pop out, worst was, when I shot it, no matter how tight the grip with both hands and different kinds of ammo, the empties kept hitting my in my face! No thank you.

Pistol that I won't get rid of? My Star 9mm Largo Super Star, as it was my first semi auto and my favorite, once I figured out how to take it apart that is.

Argentine Sistema 1927. Its mechanically fine and very reliable, although the bore has seen so many rounds it has what might properly be called just a hint of rifling. What makes it the worst is the cosmetic condition--it is hideous looking. Clearly at some point in the past it was just thrown into a tub with a bunch of other metal parts because even the checkering on the mainspring housing is dented.