Worst Revolver You Ever Bought ?

[Bo]

Taurus 941 22 Magnum 8 shot revolver. Cylinder locked up after 16 rds. Cleaned it, fired another 16 rds., locked again. Also had a 40 lbs. trigger pull, (well it seemed like it).
Sent it back to Taurus for repair. Came back, fired O.K. but, wouldn't eject spent shells. Took a hundred dollar loss and traded it for a new Ruger Mark III Target with the 6 7/8" barrel. Love it, no regrets.

 

[hardluk1]

I have 4 DW revolvers and two Taurus revolvers . All 25 years old plus and all run just fine. If you want a 22 revolver to have a nice lite trigger pull then don't buy a small frame revolver .

 

[gunlaw]

I didn't really buy it, my brother in law threw it in when I bought his poly tech AK/S a few years ago, but it's an Iver Johnson 67 Viking. It actually shot pretty well but the rear sight blade fell out. Anybody know where I can find a replacement? Numerich does not have them.

 

[bannockburn]

Colt Agent at the time when Colt was going through one of their many labor disputes. The gun had this cheap parkerizing finish as to conceal the lack of any metal polishing and hand fitting. Gaps between the metal were noticeable and the cylinder and crane were improperly fitted causing a major problem with complete cylinder rotation.

 

[Jim NE]

Looking at some of the responses, I'm wondering if some people aren't listing their "most disappointing" revolvers rather than "worst".

My worst revolver was no disappointment...it's low quality was apparent from the get go. So why did I buy it?? The price was amazing! Actually, I can't remember the exact price. I only remember that it was less money than my brand new Raven .25, which was $40.

It was an RG, imported through Florida, and was in .22lr. It wasn't so much a gun as device that was used to detonate ammunition. It did work, though. My guess on trigger pull was 30 lb.s. REALLY! It was incredibly hard to pull...and I used to lift weights back then. I was fascinated by it, though...I couldn't believe they could sell a gun so cheap. If they had vending machines for guns, the RG .22 would be the kind of weapon they would sell in it. It was like more than 30 but less than 40 bucks.

They also had RG .38 Specials for like $78. The "flagship" of the line . These were only available at Pawn shops...or I should say "exclusive" to pawn shops.

I really regret not getting one of the .38's...OR starting my own Saturday Night Special collection. That would've been cool.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

I really wanted to like this S&W 640 Pro.



But it was the only revolver I have ever shot that had failure to fire events out of the box. I sent it to S&W and they replaced the firing pin.

When I got it back, I took it to the range one time. After one range session the cylinder started binding and the cylinder release would not function correctly. I sent it back again and it came back with notes that the frame was warped and the hand re-fitted.

I put it in a drawer. When I opened the drawer a couple of weeks later, the star had rust all over it.

I cleaned it up real nice and function tested it to make sure nothing else was wrong with it. I lubed up the star.

Then I traded it for a Remington 870 and some ammo. the 640 had been cleared at the factory and was accurate so other than the rust, it should serve someone well provided no other issues arise. I was in the market for a HD shotgun anyway.



First time out with the 870, the plastic stock cracked in half. I took it on the chin and replaced the plastic stock and fore-end with walnut from the 870-P model. Then I added a limbsaver recoil pad and fitted it with a Four-Sevens Maelstrom MMX. Nothing wrong with the action. Looks better with wood anyway

The 640 was supposed to be a double j-frame carry piece to go with my S&W 442. This SP101 now fills that role:



I still like the 640 Pro conceptually. It was beautiful. But, I hold my revolvers to a high standard and it had to go.

 

[KenW.]

Rohm .44 Magnum. It never let me down. Took a buck muley with it. Always operated flawlessly. But it was still the junkiest revolver I have ever owned. Been fortunate I recon.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

6" Ruger GP-100. Trigger I never got used to; not too accurate; felt like a brick compared with my Security Six. It was reliable, though.

4" Smith 586. Very inaccurate. Took a few trips back to the factory and some money, but they finally got it so it shoots. Unfortunately, I aged nearly 20 years in the process and now I'm not very accurate. Oh, well, at least one of us can shoot.

 

[tinygnat219]

Now it's been a few years since I've talked about specifics with these revolvers, so the details are a tad fuzzy.
Taurus 905 9MM Revolver. Shavings in the action caused binding. Cracked open the sideplate and blew out with compressed air / picked out with tweezers, sent back to factory. Came back, worked ok... Sold it.
Taurus 94. 22LR Revolver. Shavings in the action caused binding. Did the same thing as above. sent it back to the factory. Came back, had misfires. Sent it back to the factory. Sold it, didn't even bother test firing it.
Taurus Gaucho Revolvers. One had an annoying trigger slap, and both would misfire. Sent them back to the factory, was told that there was nothing wrong. Tried them again. Same issue. sold them
These were bought brand new and sold with full disclaimers including copies of the letters I got back. The buyers got and extreme discout.

Stuff I've had issues with in a trade:
S&W 686 (don't remember the "dash". Crane was bent from firing hot handloads through it. Sent it back to Smith & Wesson. They sent a tag, I sent the gun. It was back 2 weeks later with a bill for $60 for parts and labor. I happily paid that (this gun was purchased used). Was a nice revolver.

 

[lowercase]

Charter Arms Mag Pug, recent manufacture (3 years old). Shot so low I had to machine down the front sight to hit paper. Appears to be common to them. Also, the frame screws constantly loosen. And there are chatter marks in the rifling (!). A POS.

I also have a Mag Pug.

Same deal with the front sight. I filed that thing down a LONG way to get it on the paper.

Also, it spits debris at my face from the ports. Especially with .357 ammo.

Third, the darn thing groups like a shotgun with .38spl. It is a bit (and only a little bit) better with .357, but not by much. Oh, yeah, the screws loosen up, too.

Other than that, it's not too bad. LOL.

What's weird, is that I have a .44 Bulldog built on the same frame that I absolutely love. My Bulldog is the cat's meow. Go figure with the Mag Pug. I tried to like that thing, but finally gave up on it. I like Charters, and own 6 others. This particular one though, is just not good at all. At least it always goes bang when i pull the trigger.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have so many Smiths that I have lost count. The oldest one was made in 1863, the newest one in the 1980s. Not a bad one in the bunch. I have Colts, Rugers, Ubertis and a few oddballs too.

The only truly bad revolver I ever owned was an Uberti cattleman that I bought used. The front sight was bent and the trigger pull was the worst I have ever felt in any revolver. Rough as a cob. I traded it in on a Ruger. Too bad, if I knew then what I know now, I probably could have fixed it, but I didn't, so I didn't.

The other Uberis I own are fine.

 

[OARNGESI]

rg rohm 38

 

[Fiv3r]

I've got a pot-metal Plinkerton .22 that is the same size and heft as a .45 SAA. It's not terrible, but it's goofy for what it is. A six shot SA with no transfer bar which makes it a 5 shooter if you plan to carry it that weighs more than a Ruger MKIII loaded with a 10 round magazine. It's a little picky about ammo, but it takes you a LONG time to go through a bunch of it. It also has this weird lock on the side of it which would make it safe to carry 6 shots in the gun, but it requires a double prong key and sticks out a good bit.

I use it as a beater/loaner when my buddies go to the range with me. I generally ask that they help with the ammo cost as I'm supplying thousands of dollars worth of guns to shoot. If they don't pony up the cash, I give them a 50 round box of .22 and hand them the Plinkerton. They'll usually chip in for some .38 or a couple of boxes of .223 the next trip out

Maybe my worst functioning revolver is an 1895 Nagant. As always, it has about a 22lb DA trigger on it, the cylinder spins freely so you have to make sure you keep track of your shots, and it leads up if you shoot .32 long out of it instead of the intended ammo...but I love her so It's such a cool piece of history that I don't mind.

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

I haven't personally owned a revolver that didn't live up to my expectations, however I had a bad experience with a chiappa rhino that a friend had bought. I ran into a friend at the range one day who had bought a gun that I had been considering picking up, at first I was jealous at first, but in retrospect I'm glad I didn't beat him to that gun. He had never fired it before, and on that first rage trip the hammer spring lever broke, seizing up the entire gun. I was luckily able to safely get it unloaded, but when my friend tried contacting chiappa by phone and email he was met by silence. He has had the gun for over a year now and still hasn't been able to get ahold of them at last I checked.

 

[Gun Master]

1895 Russian Nagant

I've got a pot-metal Plinkerton .22 that is the same size and heft as a .45 SAA. It's not terrible, but it's goofy for what it is. A six shot SA with no transfer bar which makes it a 5 shooter if you plan to carry it that weighs more than a Ruger MKIII loaded with a 10 round magazine. It's a little picky about ammo, but it takes you a LONG time to go through a bunch of it. It also has this weird lock on the side of it which would make it safe to carry 6 shots in the gun, but it requires a double prong key and sticks out a good bit.

I use it as a beater/loaner when my buddies go to the range with me. I generally ask that they help with the ammo cost as I'm supplying thousands of dollars worth of guns to shoot. If they don't pony up the cash, I give them a 50 round box of .22 and hand them the Plinkerton. They'll usually chip in for some .38 or a couple of boxes of .223 the next trip out

Maybe my worst functioning revolver is an 1895 Nagant. As always, it has about a 22lb DA trigger on it, the cylinder spins freely so you have to make sure you keep track of your shots, and it leads up if you shoot .32 long out of it instead of the intended ammo...but I love her so It's such a cool piece of history that I don't mind.

I " HATE " the trigger pull on the Nagant 1895. What the hey ? Forgive and forget.....I always say.

 

[PabloJ]

I knew it was a POS when I bought it to 'share' .32 S&WL/H&RM duties with my treasured 632 Pro. I wasn't disappointed - it really is a POS! A HS shop class could make a 'finer' replica of a revolver. It's DA pull rivals that of the worst of my 1895 Nagants' DA pull. Actually, I am being kind! Two Benjamins won't get you much from a gunstore these days - other than their muted laughter as you leave with that turkey.

Stainz

Yes, a POS. Mine had plastic coupling between spring & trigger that snapped not long after I bought the gun. The smith had to make new replacement (he gets these with this fairure on regular basis so he makes about dozen at a time because there are no commercial spares). To add insult to injury POS was made of poorly blued tool steel that rusted like old square 18th century spike.

 

[orionengnr]

First revolver I ever bought was a Rossi M68 (69?) .38 Spl, back in the early 80s.
Each time a round fired, the recoil caused the cylinder to un-latch and open maybe 1/8". The result was that the trigger would not pull and the cylinder would not turn. A sharp slap from the left side would seat the cylinder, and it would function for exactly one ,ore round...at which point the cycle would repeat. I replaced the extractor (pin that was coming un-done), the spring (every one I could lay my hands on) and did everything that seemed to make sense.

I took it to a smith who dismissed me and told me that it would cost more to fix than it was worth. He may have been right, may have been wrong. But it turned me off of revolvers for the next 20+ years. When I tried again I bought a used S&W and have bought many more since.

As far as the Rossi? I took an 8-lb sledge hammer to it. Beat it as flat as I could, then threw it in a lake. Maybe not the most mature approach to the problem, but a very pure and satisfying one.

 

[witchhunter]

I saved up for a bit when I was a kid, wanted a single action like my uncles Colt. Found possibly the worst one in a Rohm .22. The thing would shoot more lead out the sides than in the front. The absolute worst. the front sight was attached to a band around the barrel that held on the ejector rod housing. It was always coming loose, didn't matter it was like throwing rocks at flying quail.

 

[JERRY]

1988 blued charter arms bulldog in .44spl, then a stainless version of the same a few months later.

 

[Steve51]

I have purchased 2 Taurus revolvers (Model 992 & Model 66), 2 Ruger revolvers (.32 H & R Mag Single Six & .357 Blackhawk), and 2 Heritage revolvers (both .22lr/.22mag). All are good except one. One Heritage .22lr/.22mag revolver is way off on accuracy.

 

[splattergun]

RG 37 .22 revolver I "inherited" from the X. It must be one of the good RGs
It actually shoots ok and it always functions in battery, always, but it is guilty of about a 10% light strike, even on CCI ammo. 10% fail to fire makes it a good throw away piece.

 

[el Godfather]

Webly & Scott .32 SW Long

 

[UpperAtmosphere]

NAA Mini Revolver.

I wanted to love the thing so much. It's adorable. It weighs nothing. It can hide as a belt buckle or absolutely vanish into your pocket. It seemed like an outstanding backup idea.

Mine has trouble getting on paper at five yards. I tried various ways of holding it. I tried the holster grip. I figured it was me and not the gun, so I let a respectable shooter give it a whirl with no better success than what I had.

Seems that at range, I'd be better off keeping it unloaded and throwing the gun itself!

 

[just for fun]

Ruger redhawk Shoot for one hour, clean for 3! Rough barrel. Sold it. No more Ruger's in this household.

 

[Jim NE]

First revolver I ever bought was a Rossi M68 (69?) .38 Spl, back in the early 80s.
Each time a round fired, the recoil caused the cylinder to un-latch and open maybe 1/8". The result was that the trigger would not pull and the cylinder would not turn. A sharp slap from the left side would seat the cylinder, and it would function for exactly one ,ore round...at which point the cycle would repeat. I replaced the extractor (pin that was coming un-done), the spring (every one I could lay my hands on) and did everything that seemed to make sense.

I took it to a smith who dismissed me and told me that it would cost more to fix than it was worth. He may have been right, may have been wrong. But it turned me off of revolvers for the next 20+ years. When I tried again I bought a used S&W and have bought many more since.

As far as the Rossi? I took an 8-lb sledge hammer to it. Beat it as flat as I could, then threw it in a lake. Maybe not the most mature approach to the problem, but a very pure and satisfying one.

My Rossi 68 is great. They're actually fine guns generally speaking. The model 88 and 68 are essentially the same gun, and highly regarded by a good number of people. The problem is it says "Rossi" on the side. Had it said "S&W" and had the exact same problem, very few people people would've beat it with a sledge hammer.

Every model of gun has some bad ones get through production, but if it happens with a Smith, they say "Hmm, that's odd. I'll send it back to the factory."

If it happens to some off brand, they say "AHA!!! JUST AS I EXPECTED!!" And dismissive gunsmiths don't help.

I have a very nice pre-model 10 from the late 1940's develop a couple of problems recently. I sorted everything out and it works great...

...sure glad I didn't take a sledgehammer to it.