Handgun that will eat ANTHING!!!

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JeeperCreeper

JeeperCreeper

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Hello THR members,

I'm a long time reader, first time poster... But having searched far and wide, I have not been able to find a specific thread on my current issue: finding a firearm that will digest even the gnarliest/dirtiest/crummiest of ammo/handloads.

Long story short, here is my situation: I have a large (very, very, very, very large) collection of 9x19mm and 45 ACP handloads that I inherited from my grandfather a few years ago. These rounds include cast bullets, semi wadcutters, wadcutters, and other contraptions of death that havent been used since the 40's. The rounds themselves are dirty and nasty, but after some cleaning they are very shootable (range use only).

However, my ParaOrdnance P14 1911 .45 struggles with anything that is not factory ammo. My Ruger Blackhawk .45 convertible even has a hard time squeezing the .45 ACP rounds out quickly. In 9mm, my Star 30M (my go-to beater pistol) has even choked on a few of the 9mm rounds that have no less than crippled any other mortal firearms.

My question to you all is: what autoloader can digest any type of round you can throw in it?? Obviously, Glocks need not apply due to their rifling, but I am open to all sugestions as I want to sling some lead at the range. I'd appreciate specifics such as chamber dimensions, feed ramp angles, extractor strength, etc. to further validate your Point of View...
 
Your only complaint about your Ruger is it's not fast enough?

If they are choking your most reliable gun then. I would suggest a 9mm revolver and slow down... :)
 
The problem with the Blackhawk is that it doesnt use moon clips... the cylinder has a ledge that the casing rests on. The ammo is reloaded which has caused the brass to be slightly lengthened. This causes the brass to grind slightly on my Ruger when the cylinder rotates... which makes me nervous. Not sure if that makes sense, but without dropping about $700 on another .45 or 9mm revolver that takes moonclips(I'm a poor grad student, which means I'm a poor college kid with bigger bills), I am SOL.

I just want some peoples opinions on good autoloaders
 
My brother use to have a SIG P228 that was my test gun for 9mm. handloads.This gun fed everything, from light loads to ones where overall case length was a little over or a little under, without a single problem.
 
Sounds to me like your "reloads" are out of spec. For semi auto cartridges to feed reliably, they need to be in spec: Cartridge overall length for the bullet in question and proper loaded round case neck diameter. Cartridges that headspace on the forward edge of the case need a taper crimp (as opposed to a roll crimp most older dies sets offer) and then just enough to remove case flare.

Before you go blaming the guns, get a $25 caliper and do a little measuring of grandfathers OAL and neck diameter.

Since 1970 I've loaded more rounds than most people will believe. Unless the chamber is defective, proper case specs solves many feeding issues. You have to understand though, not ever gun will reliably feed every bullet profile. Some guns are just picky, and the first thing you need to do is eliminate dimensional problems. Then you can concentrate on what works/doesn't work for a given gun.
 
In my experience, the old Ruger P series guns would "eat ANYTHING."
Might be worth finding a P90 and a P89. Those guns just plain can't be stopped.

A few others have similar reputations, but I don't have experience with them.
My M&P9 ate anything I ever fed it, but I only ever fed it good quality factory stuff, so that's not really indicative.
 
Get a glock. If you are worried about the barrel rifling, get an aftermarket barrel.


-Freq
 
finding a firearm that will digest even the gnarliest/dirtiest/crummiest of ammo/handloads.
Click to expand...
No such thing exists. Even a revolver, can be tied up if, for example, an unburned powder granule (because the powder is so old/deteriorated) gets under the extractor star. And for all we know, the next round you fire might be a squib (the powder doesn't burn at all) or, worse, a gross overload.

Personally, I recommend you put the rest of it away as a keepsake, pull the bullets and powder and salvage the cases (if they aren't excessively corroded) for reloading or whatever else floats your boat, but keep it out of your guns. Every time the gun malfunctions, no matter how much your rational mind tries to tell you otherwise, it decreases your confidence in it.
 
In all seriousness, if I had all that ammo to use, I would get a Hi-point. They are reliable, cheap, and you won't worry as much about old reloads, since Hi-point will fix just about anything you can do to it. And they are darn near indestructible anyway.


Of course, it it was me, it would be a carbine...
 
Thanks for all the posts everyone. The knowledge and wisdom of THR never ceases to amaze me. To answer some of the posts, my uncle checked the specs on some of the cartridges and they are borderline. However, I want a range toy gun and the guns I rely on get the good ammo treatment. I just see it as a waste not to try and shoot the many years worth of ammo I have sitting around.

If any one else has other garbage disposal pistols, feel free to post :). And if anyone wants to question my judgment, feel free to critique!!!
 
+1 on a Hi-Point. It might get dirty and need a cleaning, but as the other post mentions, warranty outstanding . If it breaks they fix it.

Another option for 9mm is a Canik or Tristar if you find one on sale. I have a Tristar C100 and it eats everything I put through it. - cosh
 
Don't forget about Beretta 92 series as they are made to eat just about any 9x19. Our troops depend on them.

Also, the glock also has a fairly loose chamber and it should be able to chamber even out of spec 9mm. Resizing cases for reloading shot by a glock requires some muscle to get the brass back into spec.
 
My Taurus PT99 will eat anything I have stuffed in the mag. Lead bullet reloads, milsurp, +p, even a mag full of .380's (oops).
1911's can be pretty picky about what they will cycle. I would think a 3rd gen Smith or Ruger P90 would be more reliable with a variety of ammo.
 
I find this common complaint interesting. I have well over 40+ handguns old and new designs. All brands. All calibers. None choke on any ammo. I often wonder if this is more often than not a reload issue not as much of a factory ammo brand issue?
 
My 2 bits; "bullet puller".....

I would go the other way & look for a S&W 625 .45acp DA revolver. ;)
Author, sworn LE officer & tactics trainer, Massad Ayoob once wrote that a good .45acp revolver was handy as a bullet-puller ;) for .45acp rounds that may be old, dirty or sketchy.
.45acp revolvers aren't cheap or easy to find but a few used guns may be out there or you can order one from a FFL holder.

HK USPs are decent. They are milspec & can handle many types of .45acp. They got the Mk 23 mod 0 .45acp spec ops contract. The big Mark 23 wasn't very popular with tier one units, but it shot nearly any kind of .45acp. ;)

Ruger's out of production P90 .45acp is well known for its robust design. It's been compared to a Ford F150 pick-up. :)

Rusty
www.gunsamerica.com www.slickguns.com www.gilbertsguns.com www.gunsinternational.com
 
There is no way to say for sure that something will eat anything, but I have never owned a more reliable firearm than a Ruger P90. It did eat everything, including reloads that stopped up every other pistol on the line one day years ago.
 
Sounds like you're looking for a weapon to abuse just because you have this "free" ammo. It isn't free if you have to buy a particular firearm in which to shoot it and then commence to beat up that firearm.

Analogous to this would be if your Grandfather had given you a bunch of old/drain oil or gas and you needed to go out and buy a crummy old pickup truck that doesn't care about fuel/lubricant quality.

Pull the components apart, save what you can identify and drive on.

I just finally started shooting (and stopped) a pile of .38 wadcutter that came my way on the cheap. It was so gawd-awful that I figured free was too expensive and salted it away again till I feel like dealing with it.
 
The Lone Haranguer said:
JeeperCreeper said:
finding a firearm that will digest even the gnarliest/dirtiest/crummiest of ammo/handloads.
Click to expand...
No such thing exists.
Click to expand...
They do exist.

JeeperCreeper said:
If any one else has other garbage disposal pistols, feel free to post
Click to expand...
For 45ACP, RIA Tactical/M&P45/Taurus PT145.

A friend's RIA Tactical has generous tapered chamber that will feed and fully chamber sloppy lead SWC reloads. Even more surprising is that it will maintain accuracy with my tight chambered Sig 1911 out to 15 yards (~1" shot group). I consider RIA "Glock" of 1911.

My M&P45 and Taurus PT145 SA/DA will also feed and fully chamber sloppy lead SWC reloads. Both have more generous chambers and slower start of rifling with longer leade to allow this.
 
Back to the future.....

As a teen in the 1980s, I recall a Guns & Ammo issue that had a cover article about the "new" Smith & Wesson third generation series of semi auto pistols.
One of the big points, the magazine writer added was how the new S&W models could cycle(feed) empty cases. :eek:
That was impressive.
My friend in Penn Hills PA owns a few Ruger pistols. A P97 .45acp, a P89 9x19mm & I think he has a either P94 or P90. ;)
He's very happy with the P89 & P97 saying they can fire nearly any factory or reloaded round he runs thru them.

Rusty
 
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