What is your "Lemon Gun/Guns" ?

Thanks Radagast

Thanks for showing me how to upload these photos. In the left side with the two circles, the one on the barrel is where the gun is stamped "Colt 38 D.A." and the one above the grip is where the horse logo is located. On the "right side" photo, you can see the screws and those numbers are on the "butt plate" photo.
Again, thanks for telling me how post these photos.

JTHunter:
You appear to have a commercial Colt Model of 1903 New Army & Navy revolver, manufactured in 1903.
That year Colt downsized the bore from .371 to .357 to make it compatible with projectiles designed for the .38 special, but I wouldn't be surprised if you have the old style bore. Best solution is to have a gunsmith slug it with an oversized soft lead projectile, then measure it with a micrometer. I think you will find it's a .371 bore, which would explain the inaccuracy.

I had a 20 ga. pump made by Mossburg for Sears and can't remember the name they put on it. It had a pully choke that couldn't keep a decent pattern and the timing was off so bad that it double shucked the shells with every pump. Had it fixed and within 25 more rounds was doing it again. Sold it.

The only other gun I got rid of was a Kel-Tec P40. It fuctioned flawlessly and was accurate for a DAO CCW. The problem was the recoil was so violent that after a few rounds your palm was bruised and wrist was sore for 2 days and I have forearms like Popeye. Sold it to my brother to use as a hiking gun because of the light weight. He shot one mag worth of rounds and sold it to his buddy. Kel-Tec discontinued the gun for that problem. I guess .40 S&W just isn't meant for guns that weigh 13 oz.

Hi everyone, im wondering if anyone can help me i've been reading the phrase "stove piping" alot on this thread and was wondering if anyone can tell me what this means, thanks

Regards
LandieLover

Taurus Millennium Pro PT-140

The trigger felt like it had sand in it even after multiple cleanings. The pull of the trigger was extremely heavy. I sent it back for repair and it came back the same way. Sold it for a Ruger GP-100. Best thing I ever did.

LandieLover:
When a cartridge is extracted from a semi auto pistol, sometimes it does not eject and the slide runs forward, catching it so the open end of the case is sticking vertically between the partially closed breechface and the chamber end of the barrel. It's supposed to look like the pipe (chimney flue) from a pot belly stove.

My lemon guns...

Two Ruger Vaqueros, 45 Colt caliber. Severe leading. Cause - cramming .452 diameter bullets (spec size for 45 Colt) thru a .4505 cylinder throat.

Ruger's response - in spec. Yeah right. Talked to one of their engineers. The boob didn't even understand the fundamental concept of tolerance stack which is why they considered those undersize cylinder throat diameters in spec.

Bite me Ruger!

Beretta .22 - ftf every third or fourth round - traded it for glock magazines.

Ruger single six .22 - couldn't shoot a full cylinder without the cylinder pin coming loose and binding the action - traded it with some cash for a Browning Hi-Power.

Love all the rest of my guns.

Thanks again Radagast. Good info. Will try to find a gunsmith that can do that. Being in Illinois, easier said than done! *LOL*

I had aggrivation with a new Kahr MK40, the "repaired" same gun they sent back to me, and a new replacement MK40 that I paid them an extra $50 for. The two new guns always suffered to fully feed a round into the barrel about once in every 20-23 rounds. Too bad....what an accurate little power house it would have been! I replaced it with the slightly bulkier 10 shot 40cal Glock model 27 which works perfect without a single malfunction.

To Kahr's credit however, my main carry gun; an MK9 loaded with hot corbons has worked almost flawlessly since new. I had a single malfunction at about 140 rounds if I recall. I have only about 200 rounds now through it in 10 years because I dare not practice with it too much for fear it will break..... and I'd never find another one that works!

Also had a Glock model 23 which I could rely on to malfunction at least once or twice in every 50 round box of ammo. No such problem with my sig 229 that replaced it and has not a single malfuncton in 400 rounds.

I also had a beautiful Colt 5" Stainless series 70 that I used for target and almost always suffered at least one jam in every 50 rounds. Surprisingly; I replaced it with a Para 14 which works flawlessly except for a single stovepipe once during the 350 hand loads I've fired through it.

PS I too once owned a 380 backup. But come on....does anybody really expect it to work?

I've got a Smith & Wesson Model 1.5 or Model 2. I don't know exactly which, but I do know that these models were popularly referred to as "Lemon Squezers"

DustyVermonter:
The S&W Lemon Squeezers were the .32 & .38 Safety Hammerless or New Departure top break double action only revolvers.
These had a grip safety that apparently reminded people of a lemon squeezer of the time.
The model 1.5 (.32) & Model 2 (.38) top breaks were spur triggered single actions.

I bought an RG Model 14 .22 revovler back in the mid '70s. It would randomely ftf frequently. Couldn't even get through the 6 shot in the cylinder without at least one and usually two or three ftf. A buddy took it and did something to the firing pin and it solved that problem, but it would go off very easily if you bumped the hammer while it was on a round in the cylinder. Could have been a tragedy, but never was. I paid $19.95 new in Jax Florida. Here's a photo of a gun just like it.

I'm not sure I'd call it a lemon, but I used to have an Egyptian Hakim in 8mm. The gun was in nice shape, but it wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn at 50 yards. Personally I think the gun was OK and my knowledge at the time let it down. I didn't know about slugging bores and that some of those military rifles used odd sized bullets. I probably could have gotten that thing to shoot now, 18 years later. I'd love to have that gun back.
Now I specifically go after lemon guns, I really enjoy working on them. You get a lot of satisfaction buying an old, beat up, or non functioning gun and making it work reliably. I almost like that more than shooting or reloading.
Incidentally, if you have old military or semi auto pistols that you hate, can't work on, gave up on, and want to make room for something else PM me. I'm always looking for a new project. I do have a C&R also.

chaplain Tom,
That RG brings memories back from when I was a young man working at a gunshop, and the private shop joke was that "RG" stood for "Rotten Gun". The RG was the typical target for all the proposed "Saturday Night Special" legislation of the 1970's.
Better those were out there in the hands of career criminals, instead of a S&W or Colt.

Re reading this post, Hank reminded me of the Kahr, that was another one that I had when those suckers first came out, it was the first model, pm9 I believe, that's when the rumor was that the moonies owned the company, those guys that used to beg at the airports, "remember". That was another disaster, no one could get it to work right. Misfires, hag ups, FTF's , you name it. That turned me off to the brand forever. Worse that the pk's, at least that one would shoot for a year or two between problems. I think it was a slide problem it just kept getting loose, too loose. Probablly not the guns fault, the gunsmith who customized it may have compromised the integrity of the metal. He nickeled it, although told me it came "new" that way.

Diamondback 380 - not mine, but a friend's. It consistently jammed every 3-4 rounds with factory or handloaded ammo. Definitely not a good CCW.

I'd have to say it's a Beretta M21A. I thought it would be neat to slip in my pocket for a quick trip to the corner store. Very disappointing. It's a jam master. Maybe it needs to be broken in more but I have read these same complaints about this model Beretta. Maybe it will do better with Stingers. I'd hate to stick anyone else with it or it would have been gone long ago. The worse part it's to small for even a boat anchor. It's probably only had 100 rnd (+ -). Once it gets dirty after a few rounds forget it.Might as well use it as a rock.

Hi,

Just found this site, (I like it) and this thread caught my attention.

1. As previously mentioned above Jennings J22. (Bought out of curiosity mostly).

2. Ruger Mini 14 Stainless ranch rifle (bought new about 1982). 6-8" groups @ 100 yds, my new Norinco (in cosmo) SKS would out shoot using open sights with 3-4" groups.

3. Brand new Ruger P85, (had to wait until 87 I think, to get it), shot like crap. A buddy got his same time it shot good, I could clover leaf shots at 10-15 yds with his. Mine 3-4" at same distance.

4. 70 series gold cup. Shot awesome, trigger stop screw backed out gun did not fire, let off trigger gun fired. Fit and finish poor for a high dollar pistol. Colt fixed no charge great afterwards, but you shouldn't have to send something like that back. It should be right the first time.

5. S&W 645, bought used had been magna-ported, shot poorly, maybe someone messed it up?

6. Some sort of take down "survival rifle", maybe Charter? Chunks of aluminum would fly out of the receiver when you shot it.

The ones I love, Every Thompson Center I ever owned, cheap Wyoming arms 10mm, 44 Desert Eagle, High Standard "Sport King", and "Double Nine", early 1980s M77 25-06, mid 1960 model 70 30-06, just to name a few.

Nice web site, glad I found it.

Kevin

Tuarus .357 mag, dont remember the model #. the cylinder would lock up while shooting, it made driving home from the range interesting since the gun usually had a few live rounds in it! After this happened a few times i traded it in for a Ruger SP101. Now thats a gun i love...and trust my life with!

Colt .22, (auto) FTF, and FTE not as bad now, but it took several thousand rounds to loosen things up.

gym said:

[...]
that's when the rumor was that the moonies owned the company...
[...]

Click to expand...

That "rumor" is true.

Kahr Arms is owned by Kook Jin "Justin" Moon, son of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, who currently serves as CEO and President.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahr_Arms

10/22 :/

Remington 702 Plinkster.

Firing out of battery = very not cool. I still have one of the two cases that it fired out of battery, just to remind myself. I just haven't been able to bring myself to get out my hacksaw and cut the thing into pieces.

Lemon Gun

The only real lemon I've had was a Llama Mini- Max. The trigger was about 15# and it would not feed hardball til the ramp was polished. Then that was all it would feed, and took a divit out of the nose of GI ammo. I've had good luck with the AR-7 and the Para 12/45.

Colt Anacoda 45 4" bbl constant misfires
Colt Anacoda 45 6" bbl constant misfires: bought both guns at the same time after 3 trips to Colt and a year wasted, colts response: Due to our large return volume at this time, since its only a few misfires per box of ammo ,and we have not been able to find, or repair the problem, don't use them for defense purposes just enjoy them at the range.(paraphrased) I finally figured out the problem, returned them yet again to Colt, they repaired them within another 4 months.

Henry AR-7 failure to fire, failure to feed, extract, eject, name it. Given the reputation of the company, the price and quality of the weapon, at least i wasn't that suprised. I returned it to Henry just for a laugh, they managed to knock the front sight loose, break the stock, and send it back unrepaired, no problem found. Its for sale now, cheap, but it won't even work as a boat anchor, it floats.