Do You Like a Handgun You Used to Dislike?

[EMC45]

Tallball

I suppose for me that would be most Glocks in general. Had a G17 Gen.1 that I never really cared for all that much. Didn't like the ergonomics, from the grip frame to the overall width of the gun. Felt the same way about all the other
Glocks until I had a chance to try out the Glock G43X and the G48. Here I found a whole new ball game...Glocks that actually felt great in my hand and were a little over an inch in width! And yes, I know I'm giving up considerable mag capacity (though a Shield 15 rounder would make up for that) as I would rather have a gun that I enjoy carrying and shooting than one that I don't like and have no pressing need to even take it to the range.
View attachment 1142461
View attachment 1142462

My thoughts here too. Never was a Glock fan due to grip width and my tiny hands. I do like them now though.

 

[mcb]

I was not a fan of revolvers in my younger years. I have since become quite the fan of revolvers, especially moonclip fed revolvers.

 

[lee n. field]

For me it's the SP101. I owned a couple and didn't like them. The triggers were stiff, the shape of the grip was awkward, they didn't fit my hand well, etc. And I couldn't shoot them worth squat.

It honestly took me a while to warm up to my Taurus 856 Defender. I had to shoot it a bunch, and find the right grip and holster.

These days 9mm is dirt cheap, so the SP101 has been going to the range with me a lot. I've been using it for snubby practice while 38 is so expensive.

I'm reminded of that every time I go for ammo. 9mm can still be had for under $20/50, while plain old 158 grain lead round nose .38 is $32/50.

 

[CapnMac]

I was not a fan of revolver in my younger years. I have since become quite the fan of revolvers, especially moonclip fed revolvers.

And, I've managed the reverse of that
Perhaps is having to scrub the bore and all six cylinder holes, too

 

[lee n. field]

For me it has to be Glock pistols. I never could stand the Gen 3 or Gen 4 Glocks due to the finger grooves. They just did not fit my hands. But then again I have not found any pistol or aftermarket grips with finger grooves to fit me or be comfortable for me to shoot.

I took the finger grooves down on mine until they're "only suggestions". Not a problem now.

My first pistol purchased after getting out of the Army was a Star Firestar M40 in 40 S&W. It has been a very reliable and accurate pistol for me. The only issues I ever had with it was when using Remington/UMC ammo which stoved piped rally bad or failure to lock the slide back on an empty magazine when using Triple K mags. The pistol always works when using OEM mags and good quality ammo.

I later bought a 9mm Firestar M43 from a guy who had nothing but issues with it. The only thing wrong with the M43 was the cheap ammo he was using. All I did was give the pistol a good cleaning and used good ammo to include my own reloads and have never had any problems with it.

I traded into an M43 Firestar from some guy on Firing Line. And, honestly, never did really warm up to it. It was reliable, but I never got a handle on shooting it accurately. I eventually had a local FFL gunbroker it for me.

(BTW, I still have a .40 and a 9mm magazine for it. Hint hint.)

 

[lee n. field]

And, I've managed the reverse of that
Perhaps is having to scrub the bore and all six cylinder holes, too

A patch cut from a copper Chore Boy scouring pad, will rip that crap right out the bore.

 

[CapnMac]

will rip that crap right out the bore

Yeah, but you're still doing that six more times than with a self-loader

 

[dogtown tom]

Used to dislike:
J frame 5 rounders, in particular the humpback Bodyguard Model 49.
Any revolver with more than a 4" bbl.
Glocks
Long slide semi autos
Stainless steel guns
Any semi auto without a thumb safety

Now I have:
four Model 49's
Glock 17, 17C, 17L, 19, 19C, 22C, 23C, 24, 26, 44, 48.
Kahr K9 and MK9 stainless


Continue to like since day one:
Ruger 10/22's
Colt Woodsman
FN/Browning/Inglis Hi Powers
S&W .357 round butts
Star .380 pistols



Still dislike:
Taurus.....for many reasons.
Diamondback.....crap guns. Just returned another one.
Mossberg 715T .22's......should have stuck with shotguns, except for the Roadblocker and other videogamer models which are silly.
High Standard revolvers because of that one I bought in college.
AK style shotguns with huge magazines. But.......why?

 

[Coyote3855]

The first Glock in our family was a Gen 2 G19 that my wife picked out for her first centerfire. Didn't appeal to me. Then I won a G26 at a Glock match. She appropriated that one. I bought a Gen 2 G23 to shoot in competition. Sort of liked it. Fast forward, I now EDC either a G48 or Gen 4 19. Who knew.

 

[Showman]

Always liked:
Browning BDA/Sig P220
Colt Python
Practically every .44 magnum ever made
Charter Arms .44 Special Bulldog
Large frame Smith .44 Special, .45 ACP, and .45 Colt revolvers
Single-action revolvers, especially Rugers
Browning Hi-Power (looks, not caliber)
Walther PPK
Pretty much anything .45 ACP


Used to dislike or not care for:
Anything, and I do mean "anything", 9mm
Glocks and all other striker-fired pistols, especially Colt All American 2000s
3rd generation S&W semi-autos
All metal-frame Sig pistols except P 220s
Hi-Point/Jennings/Bryco
Space Brick Ruger semi-autos
Beretta and Beretta-style semi-autos (I thought they were overrated movie guns everybody was supposed to be impressed with)
Charter Arms Undercover
Ruger Security Six (looks, not performance)
All 25 semi-autos
Derringers
Thompson/Center Contenders
Tec 9
Desert Eagle
Anything with the Llama name on it
Ruger Mark 2s and 22/45s
Taurus
Colt Detective Special with shrouds, S&W Chiefs Special
Dan Wesson revolvers

Now:
Respect Sig pistols but can't hit with them, don't like the ergos/high bore axis
Respect Pythons/Anacondas and like the looks but can live without them
Like some .44 mags, don't care for others (Taurus, Ruger Redhawk) but don't feel a need to own one
Not as impressed with .44 Special pistols as I once was
Respect single-action pistols but not as impressed as I once was
Still like some .45 ACPs but not as impressed with them vs .40 S&W

Changed my mind about:
9MM. I've really grown to like the 9mm Luger round as well as it's taller brothers .38 Special and .357 Magnum.
Glock: like them a lot!
Beretta 92/96. Taurus PT 92/PT 100
Taurus revolvers
Charter Arms Undercover
Ruger 22/45
Walther PPK...don't care for the .380 round or the way PPKs shoot
I don't like the way Browning Hi-Powers feel in my hand...I always feel like I'm holding on to a piece of 3/4 inch plywood when I'm shooting one, but that's just me. Can't hit with them,either

 

[Riomouse911]

My first experience with Glock was an early Model 21 in .45. It was a 2x4 in looks and feel, I absolutely hated them and equated that to every other model/caliber in their line.

16 years ago I was issued a Glock 19. A couple years later I bought a Glock 34. I shoot that gun very well and carried it for almost a decade on our SRT unit.

I still do not like the feel of the large frame Glocks, but the 9mm-.40 sized frames work for me now. (And the 48/43X feels even better! )

There are still several I don’t like the way they fit, feel or shoot. H&K USP .45’s, AMT back ups/Automags, “Ring of Fire” zinc guns, Hi Points, and a few others are guns that I won’t buy. (Even the Walther PPK .380, which kick me unmercifully, would only be a James Bond nostalgia purchase.)

Stay safe.

 

[desmobob]

My first experience with Glock was an early Model 21 in .45. It was a 2x4 in looks and feel, I absolutely hated them and equated that to every other model/caliber in their line.

I was lucky enough to buy the G22 first. I loved it; felt like it was made for my hand. So then I bought a G21. I felt exactly the same about it: 2x4. To this day, it was the only handgun I've sold. Too bad... was a heck of a shooter. But I hated the feel of it.

 

[Archie]

Used to dislike Glocks. After I was issued one and carried it on duty for several years, I have come to think it 'adequate'. Still not a fan, but do recommend them to those who want a good pistol for home defense but aren't 'gun people'. Still don't own one and likely never will. They have no soul.

On a similar note, I used to scorn .38 Special as a cartridge. I found decent loads and now a S&W M10 is a constant carry when I'm not carrying my .45 ACP Commander.

 

[Rexster]

My most notable shift, in dislike-to-like, is the Ruger SP101. In the early Nineties, I tried the SP101, but shooting Magnum ammo was just too much, plus, the trigger pull was quite stiff. I wanted the SP101 to serve as a back-up gun, because I was carrying a GP100 as “primary,” on police patrol, and during personal time, but, decided to resume using enclosed-hammer .38 J-snubs in that role. Then, in hindsight, I realized that I was not holding really high, on the SP101’s grip, so, in 1997, I bought another 2.25” SP101, new*, with a spurless hammer, that had been customized with the Tame the Beast package, by Jack Weigand, so, had a sweet, clean trigger pull. I shot this one with a much higher hold, and, all was right with the world, even with Magnum ammo, and no porting.

In 2002, I bought another 2.25” Tame the Beast SP101, also non-ported and spurless, soon followed by a new, totally factory-spec 2.25” SP101, with a hammer spur, that had an amazingly clean trigger pull. I wanted to be able to use shoulder holster with thumb-break retention, some of the time, therefore the desire for the spur.

I had been shopping for a 3-1/8” SP101, when I had bought the previous one with the hammer spur, and been distracted by its amazingly clean DA trigger stroke. So, the search for a nice 3-1/8” SP101 continued, and in 2006, I found one, and bought it. I had been sitting on a spurless hammer, that I had acquired as a “take-out” part, somewhere along the way, and when I tried it, in the 3-1/8” SP101, its nice trigger stroke became even cleaner. (That was lucky! Not all such swaps produce a good result.)

Somewhere along the way, I acquired a 4” SP101, .32 H&R, with a nicely clean trigger, and put it into the back of the big safe, to be an “old man” gun, for the time that .357 and .38 might become too much.

Since retiring from the PD, with declining reflexes, and declining eyesight, my emphasis has shifted from fightin’ guns, to get-off-me guns. A local dealer acquired, in succession, several pre-owned, but VERY well-preserved SP101 revolvers that had been customized at Gemini Customs, where Mark Morganti has been carrying-on Jack Weigand’s Hybra-Porting, and Gemini’s interpretation of the Tame the Beast, and other custom work. I acquired two of these, both 2.25”, with the porting, one with the original ports along the top of the barrel, and the other with a row of ports along each side.

Then, because there is nothing quite like having a brace of nicely-matched pistols, I recently felt a compulsion to add another 3-1/8” SP101, that I found pre-owned, but well-preserved, with a clean, but stock, DA trigger. So, yeah, I have changed my mind about the SP101, from highly-annoyed, to enduring affection. Life is good. (“Brace,” in this context, means a “pair” of pistols, and yes, revolvers are pistols; “Revolving Pistol” is what Sam Colt patented, back in the day, and, we Texians have not forgotten. )





*For a while, Jack Weigand would get SP101 revolvers directly from wholesale/distributor, do his Tame the Beast package, with or without his trademark Hybra-Porting, and then sell the guns to dealers, to sell as new guns. I got both of these through Alan Yoast, a dealer in higher-end handguns, in Texas.

 

[Pat Riot]

No I get rid of them a reason.

Same here.

 

[bangswitch]

No I get rid of them a reason.

Same here.

Me three.

I didn't think I'd like a 1911, before I decided to buy one. Now I have 5 of them, and sold my plastic semiautos with no regrets.

 

[stonebuster]

Tallball - your experience with the SP 2.25" mirrors mine. I had a DAO SP for two years and never shot it well(understatement). I put a 12# mainspring, hammer shims, hammer dog shims, polished spring strut, tried a variety of grips and sanded all the sharp edges. I got the trigger pull very smooth and 100% reliable. I got frustrated, sold it but missed it and last week, after a year, bought another older SP 2.25" DA/SA. After replacing the compact grips with a Hogue and doing the same work as the first SP took it to the range. I started at 7 yards single action 50 rnds 38spl until I could consistently hit center. Last 50 rnds DA. I never shot the other SP even close to as well. I think starting in single action helped immensely and which I couldn't do with a DAO. I'm determined now to master this little gem and like it a lot better now I know I can hit with it. Current an previous DAO pics

 

[Capybara]

If they're guns and reliable, I like 'em. Haven't met too many guns I dislike. I have a Remington 870 based 12" AOW, sort of a handgun.. I never hated it but I did think it was easily my most useless gun.
I recently discovered the Crimson Trace integrated laser saddle and now I am excited to buy one for it because it will make a previously useless firearm into something that can
actually be used to hit something so that's a huge step up. It shines a green laser down the barrel from the receiver so once sighted in, being able to make accurate hits from the hip or waist
will be pretty cool.

I've watched a few YouTube videos on cheek shooting with a Shockwave and I'm not to hyped to try putting my AOW to my face. This gets around all of that.

 

[SeanSw]

My wife purchased an sp101 for her first firearm. I tried to talk her out of it. It seemed like so much gun for being so small. The trigger was long, heavy, and groaned when pulled. Despite this she used it for her ccw class and was the top shooter that day. She was the only revolver user in the class and was shot double action. I was impressed! However, when I tried her sp101 I just hated it. In spite of all this we purchased a DAO sp101 for potential ccw purposes and it was the same thing. I just couldn't shoot the darn thing. I did the fluff and buff for both of them (no spring changes) and just can't get along with them. Ccw didn't work out for my wife so the dao model was sold and we kept the standard model as a momento but I've found the LCR to be a superior snub nosed pistol. I've been strongly tempted to get a 9mm Ruger LCR for ammo compatability but the .38 is trucking along just fine. Personally I don't think I've ever come full circle on any firearms. I can usually tell very early whether or not it will work out and move it out the door soon after coming to my senses.

 

[Brubz]

Well when I first got the S&W M&P Shield 9mm,
I hated it because of the grip safety. Then I accepted that the problem was me. After I went back and reviewed grip handling basics the problem went away. Now it is one of my favorite 9mms

 

[.308 Norma]

Well when I first got the S&W M&P Shield 9mm,
I hated it because of the grip safety. Then I accepted that the problem was me. After I went back and reviewed grip handling basics the problem went away. Now it is one of my favorite 9mms

It was the same way with my wife and her S&W M&P Shield .380. She had to train herself to grip her new pistol "high enough."
I still worry that she won't grip her M&P Shield "high enough" if it ever come down to a time when she really needs it. She practices a lot though, and I don't think her little pistol has hickuped even once in the last couple of years.

 

[Brubz]

It was the same way with my wife and her S&W M&P Shield .380. She had to train herself to grip her new pistol "high enough."
I still worry that she won't grip her M&P Shield "high enough" if it ever come down to a time when she really needs it. She practices a lot though, and I don't think her little pistol has hickuped even once in the last couple of years.

Does she have the Bodyguard .380 or the older M&P?

 

[.308 Norma]

Does she have the Bodyguard .380 or the older M&P?

I'm not sure, but I think it is one of the older ones because she bought it not long after Smith came out with the M&P Shields. In fact, I'm not even sure Smith had come out with the M&P Shield in 9mm when my wife bought her .380.
Why? Does it make a difference?

 

[Brubz]

I'm not sure, but I think it is one of the older ones because she bought it not long after Smith came out with the M&P Shields. In fact, I'm not even sure Smith had come out with the M&P Shield in 9mm when my wife bought her .380.
Why? Does it make a difference?

I just heard that the trigger was better on the older model. I have the Bodyguard and the trigger is not good

 

[JohnKSa]

The first time I held a Glock I couldn't put it down fast enough. A few years later, I decided I wanted a 10mm, and the only 10mm pistol that was getting decent reviews was the Glock 20. I finally bought one and was impressed with it enough that I bought a G17 almost immediately. Glocks still aren't my favorite pistols, but they do seem to get a lot of use compared to my other guns.