The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - What's the most rugged handgun in the world?

horseman308 · August 23, 2011, 07:36 PM

I'm not hugely knowledgeable about handguns, but given the OP's question, my first thought is "the pistol with the fewest moving parts." The more moving parts, the more room for error and part failure. So, rather than an automatic, I'd go with something single shot, probably a muzzleloader. There are literally thousands of surviving flintlocks and caplock muzzleloaders from the 18th and 19th centuries that are still in working order.

Of course, there aren't many spare parts or people who know how to work on them (by comparison, of course) as there are for 1911's, M9's, and other repeating pistols. And they're pretty slow to reload, but they work.

August 23, 2011, 07:36 PM	#26
horseman308 Senior Member Join Date: November 3, 2009 Location: Maryland Posts: 526	I'm not hugely knowledgeable about handguns, but given the OP's question, my first thought is "the pistol with the fewest moving parts." The more moving parts, the more room for error and part failure. So, rather than an automatic, I'd go with something single shot, probably a muzzleloader. There are literally thousands of surviving flintlocks and caplock muzzleloaders from the 18th and 19th centuries that are still in working order. Of course, there aren't many spare parts or people who know how to work on them (by comparison, of course) as there are for 1911's, M9's, and other repeating pistols. And they're pretty slow to reload, but they work. __________________ You only take one shot at a time - make it count.