What is the most useless handgun design?

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I would say a pen gun is one of the most ineffective firearms. Low power, short barrel, single shot, dangerous to user, akward to load cock and fire, very akward to aim, terrible range and accuracy.

I can't fathom for the life of me why there is a special federal law banning them as I can only wish all the bad guys would trade in their glocks and perhaps even their knives for this glorified pellet gun power level pea shooter.

It's the worst of all the belly guns.
 
As far as useless designs do, I would nominate the Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver. Big, ugly, overcomplicated and chambered in an anemic cartridge. But it was(is) British - need one say more?
 
JDBoardman said:
As far as useless designs do, I would nominate the Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver. Big, ugly, overcomplicated and chambered in an anemic cartridge. But it was(is) British - need one say more?
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You must be joking! The Webley-Fosbery is a great looking revolver. Anemic cartridge? I doubt you will find many knowledgeable people who will agree with you that the .455 Webley cartridge is anemic. You might as well say the .45ACP is anemic. Both have a long reputation of serving well at dropping opponents. I also don't think will find many knowledgeable people who think the .38ACP (the other Webley-Fosbery chambering) is anemic. You might as well say the 9mm Parabellum is anemic. While the Webley-Fosbery was a deadend for handgun design and not as reliable in adverse conditions as a Webley Mk VI or M1911 they do function well otherwise. Perhaps the Webley-Fosbery's greatest use and lasting fame with the general public is as a plot device in the novel The Maltese Falcon.
 
Gun Master said:
It is a 1895 Russian Nagant "Suicide Special".;)
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You are incorrect on you identification. It is not an 1895 Russian Nagant. I do not know yet what it is but I think it is French.

Edit: French Ordnance Revolver, Model 92. Modele d Ordonnance 92 a.k.a. Mle'92,
 
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Nom de Forum is correct. That is a french MLE 1892 that has obviously been photo shopped. They fired an 8mm cartridge commonly called 8mm Lebel.

Here's mine dated 1912. Though, it certainly isn't useless.
 

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Nom de Forum said:
Amazing! They didn't drill the firing pin hole in the modern copies! I had no idea. Are you sure this is true of all the modern copies? I can tell you I have seen a friend's real Liberator and it is a deadly weapon.
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Guns & Ammo magazine had an article several months ago by Gary James about Liberator pistols. New reproduction guns all have rifled barrels and thus aren't true copies of the originals, which had smooth barrels to speed the manufacturing process. Working reproductions with smooth bores would be NFA items, so if one was made with a smooth bore it could be classed as a non-firearm by not drilling the firing pin hole.
 
My 3" barrel 3" magnum Judge is a good gun. The 45LC is a good cartridge that mine shoots accurately. Five 3" buckshot shells means thirty .36 balls. That is a lot of hurt. The small shot is only good for snakes, imho.

My Russian Nagant works just fine. It holds seven high velocity .32 rounds that feel to me about the same as shooting a .32 H&R. Tens of thousands of them gave good service for decades. Mine has a rough trigger pull, but otherwise shoots just fine.

So far the most useless firearm I have owned is my Sig Mosquito. After a "break in period" it only jams on every OTHER shot - an improvement.

How about the new Remington 51? They ALL had to be recalled for multiple defects.

And I misremember the model number, but the later model Japanese WWII automatic was supposed to dreadful for many reasons.
 
Tallball said:
My 3" barrel 3" magnum Judge is a good gun. The 45LC is a good cartridge that mine shoots accurately. Five 3" buckshot shells means thirty .36 balls. That is a lot of hurt. The small shot is only good for snakes, imho.

My Russian Nagant works just fine. It holds seven high velocity .32 rounds that feel to me about the same as shooting a .32 H&R. Tens of thousands of them gave good service for decades. Mine has a rough trigger pull, but otherwise shoots just fine.

So far the most useless firearm I have owned is my Sig Mosquito. After a "break in period" it only jams on every OTHER shot - an improvement.

How about the new Remington 51? They ALL had to be recalled for multiple defects.

And I misremember the model number, but the later model Japanese WWII automatic was supposed to dreadful for many reasons.
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I agree with you on the Nagant. With the right ammunition the Nagant is nothing to dismiss as useless. I have shot hot 7.62 Nagant, .32 Mag, and with a special cylinder 7.62 Tokarev in mine and they all are accurate and deadly.

The Japanese pistol you mentioned is the Type 94. It was possible to fire it both in and out of battery because of the external sear that can be released from mishandling.
 
The L.E.S. Rogak pistol, made in Morton Grove, IL, a suburb of Chicago notorious for its handgun ban. Resembling - strongly - the Steyr GB, the Rogak was dubbed the "Jammamatic" by Soldier of Fortune magazine. Another publication said the gun malfunctioned so frequently, the magazine was the most dangerous part of the pistol, since the magazine lips were razor sharp.

rogak_p-18-2.jpg


The Ljutic Space Pistol was also a bizarre looking device . . .
 
Rogak Extensive Refurb ?

HankB said:
The L.E.S. Rogak pistol, made in Morton Grove, IL, a suburb of Chicago notorious for its handgun ban. Resembling - strongly - the Steyr GB, the Rogak was dubbed the "Jammamatic" by Soldier of Fortune magazine. Another publication said the gun malfunctioned so frequently, the magazine was the most dangerous part of the pistol, since the magazine lips were razor sharp.

rogak_p-18-2.jpg


The Ljutic Space Pistol was also a bizarre looking device . . .
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Yes, so exotic it captured my attention some time ago.:)
Poor performance record, but looks great.
Goes to show you that, "You can't judge a book (or gun) by its cover (or appearance)". :mad:

Is the design so flawed that it can't be fixed by a custom job? Too expensive?
Maybe not, if tackled by a superior and determined gunsmith!:banghead:

Check the Phillip's Head grip screws.:D

How about the original Steyr GB ? Did it function OK ?
 
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Gun Master said:
Yes, so exotic it captured my attention some time ago.:)
Poor performance record, but looks great.
Goes to show you that, "You can't judge a book (or gun) by its cover (or appearance)". :mad:

Is the design so flawed that it can't be fixed by a custom job? Too expensive?
Maybe not, if tackled by a superior and determined gunsmith!:banghead:

Check the Phillip's Head grip screws.:D

How about the original Steyr GB ? Did it function OK ?
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The Steyr GB does have a completely different reputation for functioning. I'm sure someone on THR that has one can verify that reputation.
 
The MOST useless?

I'll vote for the pre-ATF-restrictions .45 caliber Ingram MAC-10 pistol. Not the SMG, the pistol.

You're looking at an open bolt .45, almost ten inches long, weighing six and a quarter pounds - as much as some lightweight rifles. When you pull the trigger the bolt - which weighs as much as some entire subcompact pistols - comes trundling forward to strip a cartridge off the magazine and slam it into the chamber. Since what's pushing the cartridge completely into the chamber is the fixed firing pin against the primer, the occasional sensitive primer puts cute little belts on your spent brass.
 
The DEagle is a respected hunting semi-auto, like the Wildey ;)

I'm torn between the Rogak and the MAC open-bolt pistols, those are some pretty compelling selections :D. Maybe the early Tec 9, which IIRC had steel corners of bolt components riding directly over the soft plastic receiver --just a bad idea right there

TCB
 
barnbwt said:
The DEagle is a respected hunting semi-auto, like the Wildey ;)

I'm torn between the Rogak and the MAC open-bolt pistols, those are some pretty compelling selections :D. Maybe the early Tec 9, which IIRC had steel corners of bolt components riding directly over the soft plastic receiver --just a bad idea right there

TCB
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Aw come on barnbwt, the 2.7mm Kolibri is far more useless than a Rogak, MAC or Tec 9. At least with those pistols you have a chance of pistol whipping your assailant into incapacitation. :evil:
 
OilyPablo said:
I shoot full, HOT, 10mm in a Glock 29. No problem. Glock 23, self defense ammo.....no thanks.

P7. I dunno, seems like a clown gun. I don't see the point. Extra mechanical points because German? Seems useless. Pointless.

To each their own. IMHO useless.

I did however forget to list the standard mares leg. It's been a long day since 4AM.
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Oh, we didn't realize you were such a bad-ass. :rolleyes:
 
The Intimidator.

Actually...I'd rather love to have one of these. It's obviously not a practical weapon. But the sheer novelty of it, plus the engineering and artistic talent that went into designing and manufacturing it are simply AMAZING to me.

I'd love to have one that I could simply have sitting on my desk. What a conversation piece!



 
RetiredUSNChief said:
The Intimidator.

Actually...I'd rather love to have one of these. It's obviously not a practical weapon. But the sheer novelty of it, plus the engineering and artistic talent that went into designing and manufacturing it are simply AMAZING to me.

I'd love to have one that I could simply have sitting on my desk. What a conversation piece!



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Too cool for words!:)
 
Hey we are up to 97 comments.

I have noticed that some of the comments are about a feature rather than the basic gun design for example micro stamping. Does micro stamping make the entire gun useless or that the gun design is solid and useful but forced to have micro stamping feature (which we know is useless)?
 
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