Why Is It

[Tom Servo]

Built very tight, but not finicky at all.

I agree. I come from the school of thought that says 1911's should have some slop. The tight fit on my Dan Wesson really gave me pause, but whatever they did, they did right.

I do not recall any Glocks, HK's, Sigs (with the exception of Mosquitos and P250s), Springfields, or Berettas ever coming back. Of course, you can always get a lemon, but that could be attributed to almost anything mechanical.

Very true. I've seen at least one problem, however minor, from every one of the brands you mentioned at some point. However, we're talking one or two (out of hundreds) at most, and over a period of almost seven years. I chalk that up to "things happen."

On the other hand, if I'm seeing a brand that has problems on a monthly (or even weekly) basis, there's no way I can recommend that in good conscience.

 

[hk45ctp30]

MLeake,

You're absolutely correct concerning ranges at gun shops. In the city in which I live, there is only one gun store that has a range connected to it. That being said, we always tell customers, irregardless of what brand of pistol they buy, that if they have any issues to bring it back to us. If we cannot figure out what the problem may be, we will pay to ship their pistol back to the manufacturer at our cost. We feel like if the customer has a problem with a pistol we sell them, they shouldn't take another hit by having to pay shipping each way.

We do not sell used guns, so everything we sell is new, but you never know what may happen to anything man made. I sold a S&W M&P to a friend of mine, and on the second time out shooting it the slide malfunctioned. I had never seen one of their pistols malfunction, and it happened to a friend! We immediately sent it back and he had it back to him in 10 days. He wasn't happy about what happened but was glad to see we would stand behind it and set it right by him.

I told him later I felt bad for him because I had recommended it to him and I had never seen an M&P malfunction. I can't say that anymore. However, that said, I would not hesitate to buy one tomorrow and protect my life with it.

 

[Double Impact]

Because it's the internet!!

 

[hogcowboy]

As far as Kimber goes, between me and the wife, we have had eight total. Still have five of them. Every one worked perfectly, and I am carrying one as I type this. I don't consider eight in a row to be an aberration, but I understand that others may have had different experiences. Maybe I got lucky with Kimber too.

I think I should make something perfectly clear here. I never once claimed that Kimber weapons were not worth their price. Just that I had issues with one of two that I have that was never adequately resolved for me to 'trust' the weapon in an emergency. In fact the customer service was stellar as far as I am concerned. I just wanted to clear that up because in reading through this thread it may appear I was complaining about Kimber when I am not. Hope I didn't give others that impression. Should have addressed this earlier but I missed this post.

 

[old bear]

I guess from time to time most of us have gotten excited or in a hurry and not done our due diligence when making a purchase. I did that several years ago, and on a whim bought a Taurus revolver. Perhaps I got lucky but I have been very pleased with my one Taurus product. But form now on out I will stick with S&W products.

If you made a mistake do not beat yourself up over it just learn from your lesson and move on.

 

[45Gunner]

45Gunner.......do you consider these forums reliable or just middle of the road. Not being totally positive or negative?

My apologies for not responding sooner...my Internet went down and it took several days and many frustrating hours to recover it.

To answer your question, I stand by my original statement...you have to consider the source. Indeed these type of forums can be replete with information both positive and negative. It does not take but a week or two of reading the forums to see a certain consistency in most of the people that do post. Some are completely open and honest and will comment about what they know well others will spew out rumors, falsehoods, and whatever just to say something.

Each one of us takes what we deem to be useful information. Foremost, this is the Internet and everything we see or is presented to us is not as it may be. Even in today's media, one must read with caution as the view may be slanted to the left or to the right. I say that not as a political statement but just a statement of fact as the way it is.

And one last comment....One's perception is their reality. Beware.

 

[BigJimP]

Sure, I've purchased things / and guns ...and then found more negative remarks than I thought I saw before ...but it was probably because I wasn't looking carefully... But I can't say I've ever been looking for confirmation of my decision either ...

I think Forums like this - are good places to get a broad perspective - and learn some things that you may not have ever learned from local sources / which overall, I think is a plus...

Everyone should buy and shoot whatever they want ...many of my buddies and I go thru this stuff at dinner after one of our weekly range sessions ..and all kinds of pros and cons show up / especially if someone buys a new gun ...then most of us shoot it ..and test it ...

Its pretty rare - on any gun - Dan Wesson, Wilson Combat, Ed Brown or any other mfg ...to get 100% good comments ....

 

[jhansman]

I read as much as I can, here and on other forums, before shelling out my hard earned. So far, I've only gotten it wrong once, on a 1911. Nothing wrong with the gun, I just turned out to not be a 1911 kinda guy. Keep in mind that every gun, in someone's view, will have negatives. All in all, I've had more regrets about selling guns than buying them.

 

[Don Glock]

Why is it, once I purchase a weapon, that's when I start reading and hearing about how bad it is. I bought a Taurus

.......

 

[NVBigEd]

And that's what I mean. Get something and there they are.

I believe it's called "buyer's remorse" .... It's not that one only sees the negative info then, it only becomes "really" significant after you've made the purchase....

 

[JustThisGuy]

Gun Problems and Brands

My father only gave me two good pieces of advice...
1) Never go out with a girl named Bubbles.
2) I have never had enough money to buy cheap things.

I have always been amazed at the number of people who buy a cheap (fill in the product here) and then complain of problems with that thing. Guns are no different. Each one is a large investment. Expensive guns usually cost more because they work extremely well, and are usually also crafted beautifully. Cheap guns are cheap because they use cheap materials and are often crafted with little regard for longevity or accuracy.

This is the reason that I own several Sig Sauers of various calibers and sizes. I'm not saying they are the best guns ever, just that for me they are very good at an affordable price. They are beautifully made, very reliable and always shoot accurately. I'm pretty sure that is what a gun is for.

I don't buy cheap guns for the same reason that I don't walk on railroad tracks. Life is problematic enough, why risk buying a lemon when others have said that their brand X handgun was a lemon? I'm not pointing fingers at any particular brand here, just stating my philosophy on gun ownership.

In my humble opinion... More money has been lost in the name of saving money than for any other reason.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Dan Wessons are excellent.

Do research BEFORE you buy.

 

[Amegatek]

I once owned a Taurus PT145 Millennium Pro. Nice and compact, 10 rounds of .45 ACP, sounds like a great CCW gun right? Not for me though. My biggest problem was the trigger sucked! Looooooooonnnnngggg trigger pull. Number 2, the fixed rear sight on the gun I had kept coming loose under recoil! That sealed it for me. I traded it in for a Glock 23. Also, my trigger complaint could just be me being used to Glock triggers. Love those triggers!

 

[C0untZer0]

Just remember...

"The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten." -John Ruskin

 

[C0untZer0]

In 1987 I bought an ultra sub compact 9mm from some Isreali gun manufacturer -I don't even remember the name of the company. It was the smallest form factor 9mm in existence at the time anyway. It was slightly smaller than the Springfield Armory XD 3, and looked about the same.

I think I paid $350.00 for it. It would not feed or eject reliably - with any commercial ammo I tired.

I knew I got it cheap. But no one who gets a cheap firearm ever thinks "Oh well, I only paid a few hundred bucks for this thing, what was I expecting eh?"

No...

Whenever someone purchases a firearm "cheap" they first think what a great deal they got and how smart they are for getting such a great deal. Then when it doesn't work they think " HEY ! I paid $350.00 for this thing! It damn well better work!"

I eventually traded that gun for a Browning Hi-Power which may not have been a good deal, but I was so sick of having a gun that didn't work, I just wanted to be done with it and the trade seemed the only way out at that point.

 

[BlueTrain]

The trick with buying mechanical objects is to purchase them sometime between the "don't buy them when they first come out" and the "they don't make they the way they used to" periods.

 

[pgdion]

I do the research up front ...
This sight, Gun Directory, the Manufacturers info, web search on reviews. I look the gun over carefully. All this usually 2 trips to the store at least, browse & see a gun I like, review and look for alternatives, go back and confirm what I like (or maybe see something else and start over ... I stumbled across the Cougar this way, saw it while researching another gun, what a great find it was ), and then buy. Then I don't worry about, I shoot the gun and enjoy. I have yet to end up with anything problematic. Occasionally I think I maybe should have chosen another afterwards but hey, it just goes on the list of next to buy then. Incedentally, it was this process that pushed me away from the PT92 and caused me to pony up the extra dollars for the 92FS (a decision I've never regretted, this one is still my favorite). It's also kept me from buying anything Taurus. I may be missing out on some decent guns at a decent price but I'm just to 'gun shy' of them. (pardone the pun)

Lots of reaserch ... make the purchase ... don't look back

 

[C0untZer0]

I've come close a few times to buying a Taurus .22 revolver for plinking.

My thinking was that since it is a low-pressure load, it wouldn't blow up on me like you hear about with the Taurus big-caliber revolvers.

I have a friend that I've known for years, and in all the time I'd known him he never said one bad word about Taurus. I told him I was thinking of buying a Taurus plinker because the price difference between a Taurus and a S&W was substantial. He told me that had purchased a Taurus - a 357, and he was firing 38s through it his first trip to the range. He went to reload it and the cylinder fell out of the pistol.

So that dissuaded me. He wasn't a Taurus basher by any means.

And when I read about some of the timing issues or see pictures of the barrels or insides of cylinders - I realize that is just CQ problems with their mfg process and it is not caliber-specific.

So I have come close to buying a Taurus a few times but I didn't and I won't.

 

[temmi]

The question is...


Are you happy with yours?


I have experience with exactly 2 Kimbers and both were excellent.


If yours is good then what’s the problem?

 

[Rodentman]

The Internet....

The vast majority of what you read on the interet should be taken with a pound of salt. I tend to believe people whose reputations have preceded them, so to speak, and to disregard the opinions of people who post little enough to not have a reputation.

One day last year I took my cat to the vet for a respiratory issue, and also bought new tires for my car. Upon getting home, I researched the injection the vet gave the cat, and also the brand of tires. Guess what! Yep, the internet told me that the cat would die within 24 hours (he didn't-recovered fine) and the tires were loud and unreliable, which they are not. So that pretty much turned the tide for me.

On the firearm front, I've read nastiness about every brand out there, including Nighthawk and Freedom Arms. I own one of each, and they are outstsanding. Not cheap, but worth the $ to me. I had 1 Taurus (M94) which had a horrible trigger, and mechanical issues out of the box. I traded it toward a S&W 617 and am much happier.

The internet can be a great source of info, but you've gotta consider the source and try to separate the wheat from the chaff.