If a gun you have malfunctions, would you retire it....

[DustyGmt]

Thread title is just the beginning of the question: If you have a gun that malfunctions, would you retire it from carry or self defense.

I'll expand a lil more on that, most of the time a gun malfunctions its because it's dirty, damaged and of need of maintenance or parts replacement, but if it were to still malfunction from time to time, would you consider it unfit for SD?

Just wondering in general but to be specific to my particular issue and gun, I've got a couple 870's that I'm really fond of, one is a sporting/trap gun mostly and the other a HD/SD gun and I haven't had any problems until recently some failure to extract and inadvertently slamming a live round into the spent shell in the chamber.

I replaced the extractor and within the next 25, 50 and 75 shell intervals (total of 4 FTE's), I continued to have the issue periodically. The chamber is very well polished and the spring and extractor seem and feel to be in good working order, but I guess I need to shoot it more and see if I can work it out but needless to say it's back in its case and the mossberg that's beat and well beyond its prime and in need of some new parts is still going strong and sits close by.

I know it's a minor issue that can be troubleshooted, just curious if anybody would do the same. Have faith a lil shaken and retire it until say 1000ish shells trouble free?

I think I would choose a stone cold reliable .380 handgun over a shotgun that has had malfunctions (at least recent) even though you're unlikely to need more than one 12ga 00bk to address an issue.

Just the way my brain works, that 870 is tainted in my eyes until I get ALOT more trigger time with it.

 

[Mosin77]

I’d feel good after 50-100 reliable rounds, once (and if) I identified a clear cause and fixed it. If I couldn’t identify what was going on? I’d probably put it in the back of the closet or trade it on something else.

 

[Edaw468]

Agree with Mosin77. If I can tell why it malfunctions and fix it I’m ok.

 

[Old Dog]

Thread title is just the beginning of the question: If you have a gun that malfunctions, would you retire it from carry or self defense.

Nope.

I've owned handguns that couldn't feed modern JHPs, handguns that wouldn't get through a second magazine without being cleaned first, firearms (handguns and long guns) that demonstrated tendencies for jamming, failing to feed, failing to eject, failing to return to battery, but there was always a cause.

So, just no. I'm pretty confident in my ability to diagnose simple malfunctions in firearms, and I certainly wouldn't retire any gun I'd paid money for simply because it had a few malfunctions.

 

[Robert]

Depends on the nature of the malfunction and if it can be addressed or not. If it is a design flaw of the firearm and nothing can be reasonably done to correct it, no, it is a range gun now. Otherwise, I'll try to get it fixed and back in service.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Did you install a new OEM Remington extractor or go with the Volquartsen part? Prolly also gunna want a new extractor spring as well.

 

[DustyGmt]

Did you install a new OEM Remington extractor or go with the Volquartsen part? Prolly also gunna want a new extractor spring as well.

Volquartsem exact edge extractor, but yeah a new extractor spring is next.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

There're a lot of "depends" involved here.

If it's a gun I've historically not had any issues with, I'll fix it or have it fixed. Nothing lasts forever, after all.

If it's something that's "always" been a problem (there are firearms that are simply defective), then I'd likely put in some effort to resolve the issue but would ultimately get rid of it if it continued.

Guns are machines. I don't just toss any other machine when it acts up without at first looking into why and how to fix it, so I don't see why that philosophy wouldn't apply to any firearm I own.

 

[The Night Rider]

Thread title is just the beginning of the question: If you have a gun that malfunctions, would you retire it from carry or self defense.

I'll expand a lil more on that, most of the time a gun malfunctions its because it's dirty, damaged and of need of maintenance or parts replacement, but if it were to still malfunction from time to time, would you consider it unfit for SD?

If I couldn't diagnose and permanently fix the problem I would never carry that gun for self-defense again.

 

[jmorris]

Only if, once I found out why, it couldn’t be rectified.

 

[Thomasss]

Of course, if you can't figure it out, may be some else can. Know a gunsmith you trust or a gunsmith that specializes in a paricular type of firearm, like psitols of shotguns.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

A friend has been experiencing repeated feeding problems with two of his older CCW autoloading handguns.

The eventual conclusion we came to, after ruling out mechanical or ammo issues and anything else we could think of, is that he's developed a subtle form of limp-wristing due to arthritis. This problem hasn't manifested itself yet with his S&W Shield or either of this SIGs, but he's been slowly transitioning to revolvers for CCW carry.

 

[entropy]

Thread title is just the beginning of the question: If you have a gun that malfunctions, would you retire it from carry or self defense.

I'll expand a lil more on that, most of the time a gun malfunctions its because it's dirty, damaged and of need of maintenance or parts replacement, but if it were to still malfunction from time to time, would you consider it unfit for SD?

Just wondering in general but to be specific to my particular issue and gun, I've got a couple 870's that I'm really fond of, one is a sporting/trap gun mostly and the other a HD/SD gun and I haven't had any problems until recently some failure to extract and inadvertently slamming a live round into the spent shell in the chamber.

I replaced the extractor and within the next 25, 50 and 75 shell intervals (total of 4 FTE's), I continued to have the issue periodically. The chamber is very well polished and the spring and extractor seem and feel to be in good working order, but I guess I need to shoot it more and see if I can work it out but needless to say it's back in its case and the mossberg that's beat and well beyond its prime and in need of some new parts is still going strong and sits close by.

I know it's a minor issue that can be troubleshooted, just curious if anybody would do the same. Have faith a lil shaken and retire it until say 1000ish shells trouble free?

I think I would choose a stone cold reliable .380 handgun over a shotgun that has had malfunctions (at least recent) even though you're unlikely to need more than one 12ga 00bk to address an issue.

Just the way my brain works, that 870 is tainted in my eyes until I get ALOT more trigger time with it.

When you replaced the extractor, (hopefully with a Volquartsen made one) did you replace the extractor spring and extractor springe guide? Normally I replace all 3 components when I replace an extractor. Cheap insurance.

 

[trackskippy]

This is one, if not the main reason to have duplicate spares of what you use and carry. If something goes down or has issues, ect, you just swap it out and continue on. If its something simple, you can fix it and put it back in the mix, or dedicate it to a practice gun.

Guns that have issues arent a total loss and can also be great training aids. What you learn in practice dealing with unintended and random malfunctions will likely be a big help if and when you really need them.

I use a couple of guns as dedicated "practice" guns just for that reason. The guns I carry/use, while still shot regularly, arent put in the position of being "somewhere" out there where things "might" start happening and be a problem. Not that something bad cant happen with the very next round with anything, but you can reduce that likelihood.

Im also a big proponent of maintaining and taking care of things, to basically an anal level. If you dont take care of your guns, how can you expect them to take care of you? I couldnt care how long you think you might be able to go without cleaning and maintaining them, you know how Murphy can be and almost exactly when he will decide to screw you when you need it most.

 

[CapnMac]

Short answer: Yes. Qualification on that answer: Not keeping it, either.

I'm not a fan of tools that do not work as a general rule, hammer, drill, firearm.

I bought a NIB Taurus 945. It was a single shot for no discernable reason. Went back three times for repair. Third time lucky, they discovered that the frame was drilled wrong at the factory. Three times was one too many after twice returned "fixed." No thank you.

I feel the same way about a tractor withe e reman engine--if that goes bad, it will be when I need it the most.

Now, were it an heirloom or hugely collectable firearm, there's a "maybe" there. Wall Hangers have value, too (if with a lot of asterisks).

Used firearm with a known repairable thing? Then, yes, repair and keep using. My Series 70 busted a finger off a collet bushing. I replaced the bushing and carried on. Known uh-oh, known fix. Make repair and malfunction goes away.

 

[StrykerByte.45]

If after examining the root cause there is no fix for the issue, then yes, I would retire it. However, I have never found a problem that I could not fix.
I pretty much became a local gunsmith that could fix anything, even guns that were unreliable out of the box and were never fixed by any gunsmith.
Mind you, shooting was never a thing for me, but I have repaired all kinds of equipment in my career life. I'm more of an expert reverse engineer and reengineer.
Eventually I did get into shooting.
So no, there is nothing I cant fix as long as I have the tools or can make the tool.

 

[AK Hunter]

No would fix it myself or have it fixed. Nothing that is man made that can't be fixed.

 

[N555]

Nope fix it or sell it. I ain't got room for safe queens.

 

[Crosshair]

If your gun hasn't ever malfunctioned, you haven't shot it enough.

 

[.38 Special]

My general opinion is that it's a mechanical object: it can break, and it can be fixed. So no, if a gun becomes unreliable, it will be fixed, and go back into service.

Having said that, there are guns I simply don't trust: either ones that let me down badly, or ones that just seem to be infested with evil spirits and are constantly going wrong. I could put a thousand trouble-free rounds through one of those and still not shake the feeling of bad ju-ju. That - even though admittedly irrational - would still be enough to keep me from entrusting my life with it.

 

[trackskippy]

No would fix it myself or have it fixed. Nothing that is man made that can't be fixed.

Obviously, youve never owned a Springfield or a Kimber.

 

[CDW4ME]

If I have a proven pistol that malfunctions, the cause is usually a worn mag spring from a "range mag" - replace the spring, problem solved.
At some point, the recoil spring will need replacement if you shoot enough.

 

[GBExpat]

I'll expand a lil more on that, most of the time a gun malfunctions its because it's dirty, damaged and of need of maintenance or parts replacement, but if it were to still malfunction from time to time, would you consider it unfit for SD?

Yes, unless I could determine & permanently correct the Issue.

 

[DustyGmt]

If your gun hasn't ever malfunctioned, you haven't shot it enough.

I haven't shot this particular 870 a ton, it's an Express mag from 2007 and I snagged it new so it's been shot pretty little. I think less than 1K rounds but the spring and plunger look good and new. I just replaced the extractor since they are known crap and the barrel on it is a nice shiny polished blue wingmaster "brushmaster" IC slug bbl.

I could put a thousand trouble-free rounds through one of those and still not shake the feeling of bad ju-ju. That - even though admittedly irrational - would still be enough to keep me from entrusting my life with it.

Basically exactly how I feel. If I'm shooting a filthy gun or feel reasonably confident that I was able to correct the issue I can move on and chalk it up to maintenance or parts wear. This gun is basically just starting its life and is clean. I can make simple repairs but I'm not an engineer or an expert of any kind

 

[JTHunter]

Dusty - for about 10 years, I had an Astra Constable in .380 that was missing all 4 parts of the extractor. I didn't even know about it as I don't shoot much until somebody in a forum spotted that problem and alerted me. With some research, a gunsmith and I were able to find the parts and got the gun back in working order. I have owned this gun since the mid-70s and, for the longest time, was the gun I kept handy at home for SD/HD. It sits in a concealed location conveniently close at hand but isn't the only gun I have now for SD/HD.
Having no access to an actual range, I don't shoot much at all any more.