The autoloader reliability poll

[M2 Carbine]

with a failure % of 47% so far, are Kimber 1911s that bad?

I've got 5 Kimber and friends have another 9 or 10.
I wouldn't think twice about picking up any one of them if heading into a defense situation.

 

[Setzer77]

Glock ran flawlessly when I had it. SA 1911 had issues feeding originally, but apparently some extractor work has it back in proper functioning order.

 

[AZ Husker]

Nice extrapolation! Send your results over to the Kimber page on the 1911forum.com!

 

[siglite]

Nice extrapolation! Send your results over to the Kimber page on the 1911forum.com!

Ahahah, that'd start some fires. I'm not a member at 1911, but feel free to point them here

 

[siglite]

Wow, the dataset's really growing. I'll have to build another chart soon. Maybe in a day or two.

 

[Maximum1]

I have had NO reliability issues with my Springfield XD...none, nada, zero

 

[GunNut]

I must just be lucky.

Have had no issues with any of the following: Glock, HK, Sig, S&W 3rd Gen(no M&P's) XD/HS2000, Kimber, SA 1911 or Colt.

 

[Rokman]

I have had no problems with my G17, 23 and 26. I have also had zero problems with my XD45. My Glocks are all 2nd generation with numerous rounds fired. My XD is much newer with less rounds fired, but still rock solid. I can't vouch for the others on your list.

 

[CountGlockula]

Just because of this thread, I'm going to conduct a 100,000 round torture test on my Glock 23.

Time to collect my pennies.

 

[fletcher]

I have three autoloaders:

9mm Springfield 1911 - First (and only) malfunction happened about 1200 rounds in. It was a dark stage at IDPA, so I could not see what happened, but it felt like the slide did not return to battery. Has not happened since.

Makarov - No malfunctions of any sort in >2000 rounds.

Kel-Tec P32 - Three light strikes in the first box of ammunition. Still need to try a different brand/box to troubleshoot it.


Autoloaders I have previously owned:

Springfield GI .45 - Had no malfunctions during my ownership, sold to my dad, and I think he's only had one or two, both from the gun being dirty (shooting cheap ammo).

USP .45F - No malfunctions during my ownership, couple hundred rounds through it.

 

[Markbo]

This is not a scientific survey!

The problem with a poll like this is that you don't know so much information. How many individuals? How many of those individuals has more than one brand of pistol? How are those people defining 'serious reliability issues'? Have those issues been resolved by the manufacturers? Did those issues sort themselves out after some break in period? What were those issues?

47% SERIOUS RELIABILITY ISSUES? I am calling BS on that.
I don't believe it. I have 2 Kimbers and after some initial break in, they have run flawlessly - after the break in. Prior to that there were some hang ups, which is true of several other 1911's I have had. I think this is a good way to bad mouth products irresponsibly.

 

[redneckrepairs]

I couldnt vote since you did not have a choice that said " most modern autos are reliable and i know how to clear a malfunction " space .

 

[siglite]

This is not a scientific survey!

Never claimed it was. In fact, I flat out stated that it is not. However, I think it's a valid indicator of PERCEPTION. All it really says is the number of voting shooters on this forum who claim to have had a "serious reliability issue" with a particular line of firearms. There are ZERO controls on it. There are no counts of the numbers of a particular brand someone has. Someone with 20 sigs is more likely to have had a "serious reliability issue" with one of them than someone who's only owned one. Round counts are not accounted for. Obviously, someone with 75,000 rounds down the pipes of three 1911s is likely to have encountered a "serious reliability issue" at some point. However, the definition of a "serious reliability issue" is left to the respondent. This mitigates a lot of the round-count problem. If I had 50k rounds through a P226 and encountered, then fixed a problem, I really wouldn't count that as a "serious reliability problem."

This poll speaks to owners/shooter's perception, and nothing more. But I believe it's safe to infer many things in this poll and its results.

47% SERIOUS RELIABILITY ISSUES? I am calling BS on that.

You can call BS all you want. But at the time I built my graph on page 1 of this thread, 38 percent of the respondents claiming to have Kimbers, had reported having "serious reliability issues" with their Kimber 1911s. And that's a fact. It looks like the numbers have dropped some as the votes continue to pile up. But the data's the data. As long as you understand the drawbacks of the poll, and what it's NOT accounting for, you can certainly draw your own conclusions from what remains.

I, for one, am VERY surprised at how this is shaking out.

I couldnt vote since you did not have a choice that said " most modern autos are reliable and i know how to clear a malfunction " space .

Why? Do you not own any of the listed models? If you do, and haven't had any problems, why wouldn't you just add your $.02 and check the "I've had NO serious reliability issues with" boxes?

 

[AK103K]

I've owned or own SIG's, Colt's, Kimber's, Springfield 1911's, and Glocks. Of that list, the SIG's (all 12 of them) are the only ones I've never had an issue of any kind with. The Colt's were also very good, with only occasional minor issues, mostly personal preference, or a T&P on older guns. To be fair, the Colts probably have the edge, as up until about 5 years ago, (when I switched to SIG's) I'd been using one almost daily since the mid 70's.

My Springfield's, Kimber's, and Glock's, had major issues. Enough so I refuse to buy another. The Springfields were the worst, with 5 out of the last 5 having problems that required work.

 

[siglite]

AK 103 illustrates another reason why the poll is unscientific, and really only shows perception. There's no accounting for the fact that he had twelve flawless Sigs. And no accounting for someone else who may have had thirty flawless Kimbers.

Nonetheless, the "perception" shown above is neat.

 

[TimboKhan]

I don't own a single one of the pistols mentioned in this poll. I actually find that sort of wierd...

 

[JohnnyGrey]

I too was disappointed not to see any CZs in here. Anyway these are all 9mm...

Springfield XD: Zero problems
CZ 75D PCR: Zero problems
Taurus PT111: Serious problems

 

[AK103K]

It may be perception, but if I had just two Kimbers or Glocks that worked, I'd probably still have them. It would probably take all 30 Springfields to make the list though.

 

[siglite]

I don't own a single one of the pistols mentioned in this poll. I actually find that sort of wierd...

I do too!



I fully expect your next post to be "Everyone check out the pictures of the eight handguns I just bought!"

 

[Wilson 17&26]

Kel-Tec P32 - Three light strikes in the first box of ammunition. Still need to try a different brand/box to troubleshoot it.

Most light strikes with P-32s/P-3ATs/PF-9s are due to the shooter short stroking the trigger. These triggers must be shot like a revolver by letting it travel all the way forward to have sufficient energy to ignite the primer. Failure to do this will result in the primer being dimpled as the trigger fall from the half c0cked position. At that point the slide must be pulled back ¼” to partially cock the pistol again before it will fire or full eject the unfired round.

 

[siglite]

I added a graph to the first post so it's easier to find/see. I actually saved the spreadsheet this time, so it'll be easier to update.

 

[byf43]

Colt Gold Cup National Match - 100%+ reliable. So slick, it'll even feed empty cases. I'd trust this firearm with my life. No question.


Glock G21 and G19 - 100% reliable. Granted, the G19 is fairly new and hasn't been shot much. G21 is 100%+ reliable. Ditto on the trust.

Beretta 92FS - 100%+ reliable. Never an issue or problem. Ditto on trust.

 

[theP8riot]

I'm thinking that this poll will have to run for some time to get a clearer picture of what actually is going on. Of course it would still be an unscientific result.

The only autoloader I have ever had a problem with was a Sig P220.

 

[massglockman]

i have yet to have any serious problems with any of my guns

 

[LKB3rd]

Forget serious or not, i've had zero issues whatsoever with either of my xd's