That's Odd
I like mine a lot. I've owned it since December of 1986. Guess I just got lucky or else maybe their quality was legislated out of existence? Guns & Ammo did a write up on the Tec-9 just before I bought it and the only problem they reported was with the rubber buffer which prevents the bolt from slamming the rear of the pistol coming unglued. According to them it glued back on and was good to go. Mine hasn't come loose. G&A recommended it as a good buy and did not report any misfeeds.
It's time consuming to reload for so I only break it out once a year anymore. I used to shoot it a lot more in the beginning but it takes me a whole day to load up for 5 minutes worth of shooting on my single stage press and besides I've gravitated toward non-punk calibers since those days.
I bought the accessory kit with 3-36 round mags, barrel attachments, and carry case. I love that 18" flash suppressor thinggie but the recoil suppression attachment is crap, it works, I just don't like the fit. In stock form mine is black with the tiny barrel and 20 round mag. I've customized a nylon carry strap which would allow me to carry it under a coat like a womans purse hung over the shoulder if desired (but I don't), it takes no longer to bring into action than drawing a normal gun.
I used the sights once to hit a 2" target at 35 paces. But reading your hits and shooting from the hip is way too much fun to bother with aiming.
Mine operates very well with any load. Though using reduced loads and cast bullets is best as this increases the cyclic rate. This way the bolt only recoils back far enough to pick up the next round, any further bolt travel wastes time. Plus the gun should last forever shooting this way.
It does misfeed when using a Hellfire trigger attachment . Then it pretty much jams after every 8 or 10 round (per second) burst. I'd wager solid money on being able to empty out all 129 shots I am capable of loading into my magazines without a jam otherwise. And that in well under one minute.
Yup, it is excellent for use against gangs. But you don't have to be in one to own one. I won't call mine an assault pistol, more of a HOME DEFENSE PISTOL. Cops hate them, but then wouldn't you if you were being forced to invade someone's home?
My oldest kid bought one of the newer models. He has the 5" barrel and has owned it for a good 4 years now. I asked him how he liked it after he'd had it a couple years and the only regret he mentioned was that he wished he'd gotten the short barrel like mine.
Sorry if I've confused you but these guns are relatively inexpensive and I think it'd be a shame if you miss out on experiencing how much fun this style of firearm is due the much higher cost of similar pistols. I don't doubt the experience of others here, it's a mystery to me why our opinions vary, but if you don't like it and resell it a couple months down the road what have you lost?
