Would you carry a less than reliable auto-loader?

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Fix it or get rid of it. If it's the only thing you've got ... you can carry it, but ... I wouldn't. I have been in this situation before. I traded it for a S&W Model 10. Life was good.
 
If it isn't reliable, I might keep it because I'd feel bad pedaling it off on some one else.

I would not carry it because I have guns that work to a higher degree of confidence.

I'd end up tinkering with it until it worked or I was convinced it was a POS and relegate it to the lower security safe never to be seen again.

Clutch
 
Another vote

But, this is your only carry piece for the time being.
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Another vote for it is better to have something than nothing.

If you had a car who's brakes sometimes wouldn't work when you pressed on the brake pedal, would you still drive it?
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I don't subscribe to the car / brakes analogy. With all due respect, I think that analogy fails since you use the car everyday. Of course, I guess you could define "use" as the act of carrying and then analogy would work....

Thanks a lot, now I'm confused...:)
 
^^^^
What he said!!!

Jerichos may be cheep, but I have only heard one good thing about them, they are cheep.

For not alot more than these cost, there are many much more reliable guns out there.

I wouldnt think of carry of a gun that I wasnt 100% certain of its reliability, because it can, and most likely will be a liability. If the bad guy only intends to rob you, and you pull out a gun that jams, whos to say he wouldnt shoot you and any other people that could be a witness to his crime?
 
Of course, I guess you could define "use" as the act of carrying and then analogy would work....
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That is how I define it.

I carry a gun everyday with the expectation that when I draw it from the holster it it will work the way it is supposed to...just like I expect the brakes on my car to stop it when I press on them. Granted I'll use my brakes more often...that ratio was closer at one time...but the expectation is the same.

It isn't the case of brake pads wearing out...having worn brakes...sometimes they work fine and other times nothing happens when you press on the pedal...a system failure. But it comes back without expectation or apparent reason. That is what is happening with the gun, it usually works, but sometimes it doesn't

Would you drive that car and just hope that the brakes will work the next time you need them?
 
Make sure your first shot hits your target. ;) It's a machine some work better than others. If it jams on every other mag then no way. If it happens every 100 rounds maybe but not likly. But if it happens every 100 rounds ,I may stay with it using different ammo till I could make my mind up to carry or not.
 
If the plane was going down anyway...why not jump?

Tom Joad's family in 'Grapes of Wrath' jumped in their own way, because they had no other choice. The OP may be in similar circumstances.
 
A one or two percent failure rate doesn't sound like much, but when it comes to cycle reliability of an autoloading pistol, it is a lot. (This assumes it is clearly the fault of the gun itself, not an ammunition or magazine problem.) If your car failed to start one or two times out of a hundred, would you keep driving it, or take it to the shop for repair?
 
I gotta agree with Gonzo here

No gun is 100 percent reliable. If you have had one jamb out of 10,000 rounds it is less than 100 percent. I would cartainly consider that reliable. I have many guns that have the occasion misfeed etc. but, since I shoot mostly lead reloads, I do not consider it a real problem. The gun I carry everday, a Kimber Tactical Pro II, has had problems in the past but is now quite reliable with the Remington JHP's that I carry. Since I cannot afford to put several hundred of these down range I must rely on its past performance as an indicator. My rule of thumb is if a gun will reliably feed 100 rounds of my chosen carry ammo it is good to go. I generally run more than that through them if I can. I also shoot my guns a lot and clean them very infrequently. Most of them hold up very well despite my inattention. I also shoot any gun that I carry in IDPA. If it get through a match without fail, I carry it.
 
Nothing is 100% reliable.

Therefore, none of my guns are 100% reliable.

In consequence, be prepared for anything to fail.
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That's true. The question is, how do you prepare?

I suggest it's a multi-step process:

1. Shoot the gun. Shoot it a lot. If you have problems, get them fixed or get another gun.

2. Carry extra magazines. The magazine is the automatic pistol's Achilles heel.

3. Carry a back up gun.

Note that none of these steps involve accepting a gun with a 1 or 2 percent failure rate and hoping for the best.
 
During a robbery, without a gun you will be robbed but you might survive.
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Fixed that for ya.

While most robberies don't end in murder, enough do that I'm not willing to take a chance. If the only problems with the firearm are feeding or extraction issues, I'd carry (like others have said) with one in the chamber.

Ideally... read a book, talk to a gunsmith and fix it.
 
I can remember in the Marine Corps getting lots of experience in weapons failure. Why, because some of my issued weapons were less than perfect. Sometimes you have to do the best with what you have. I would live in a perfect world if reality didn't get in the way! If you properly train with your weapons then you know the strengths and weakness. It's only my opinion and I wish you the best of luck.
Mike
 
If it is all you have, you might as well.
a) Deterrent
b) Fail to fire was not mentioned, only jamming. One shot might be enough.
 
What Vern and wheels said

That is exactly how I approach it. Shoot them enough and you will have failures and, you will learn to deal with them. Induce failures, and you will learn to deal with them quickly. So, this what I do.
1.) Shoot as often as possible. At least once a week in the summer, less in the winter. I generally shoot several hundred rounds per trip.
2.) Practice failure drills. I induce these with dummy rounds and bad mags. I also use semi wadcutters which, on occasion will induce their own problems.
3.) Practice changing mags quickly.
4.) Carry a BUG and practice with it like you would deploy it should you need it. For me, this is a an LCP in my left front pocket. When practing, I will shoot my main gun dry, or induce a failure, draw my backup with my left hand and fire just like I would should I need to.
5.) Carry spare mags- I ALWAYS have two spare mags for my 1911on my left hip.
6.) I also shoot IDPA with the same equipment that I carry everyday. I think it is good practice.
 
I've never heard anything, or seen a Jericho/Baby Eagle with a problem. I don't have one, yet, but a have a couple of friends who do, and they were perfect, right out of the box. I have 3 Tanfoglio TA-90's, not much different, and they are just about perfect too. I would have no problems carrying any of the above guns. I would get it looked at, it could be something very minor.
 
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