Semi automatic handgun "plinkers" survey

[riggins_83]

You hear people talking about buying a handgun "for pinking" at times, in some cases a gun they otherwise might not trust.

If you want to give details related to your poll answer please do :)

I had a Ruger P95 which didn't fire well when it was even a little dirty. While the reliability wasn't terribly bad as a range gun I didn't care for the frame or trigger pull and sold it.

[JohnKSa]

Depends on how unreliable it is.

A gun that jams frequently (every mag or every couple of mags) needs to be repaired--I won't put up with that for long no matter what it's for. A plinker that malfunctions a few times in a range session isn't a problem at all.

What type of malfunctions did you see in your P95 when it got dirty and how many rounds did it take to get it dirty?

[dec41971]

Yes have a Walther P22 for plinking only. I didn't trust it, but that did not matter much, it was fun to shoot!:D

Well it turned out to be very reliable and goes bang every time even after thousands of rounds, I couldn't be happier with this 22lr little pistol. I only use CCI Minimags though.

[mica]

I'm not sure people purposefully buy an unreliable handgun to plink with. I think once you already own it and it is not rock solid reliable, it turns into a range/plinker because you won't trust your life with it.

IMO, most guns deliberately bought for plinking are .22's, with no intention of it ever being a self defense gun.

[highvel]

I dont own any "unreliable" firearms! In my opinion if it's unreliable then it's unsafe!
When I want a gun to "go" after I hit the start button it better go, if it doesnt I get very nervous, until I can safe the weapon and breath easy again!!!!

[w_houle]

Most of what I own falls into the "plinker" category.

[Clay]

For the most part, I won't buy anything that isn't "good". I'm not a collector, everything I buy has a specific purpose. I could care less how a gun looks, I care about how well it works. The only gun I bought that was "cheap" is my son's Mossberg 702 Plinkster. It was his first 22. Had I known it would be such a total piece of junk, I would have spent a few extra dollars! Even though we don't shoot it often now, I still consider selling it and buying something a little better. Again, every gun has a purpose, and that purpose to me would be for little critter hunting.

[Dodge DeBoulet]

"Other."

I don't own any guns I don't trust, yet I might buy one that I don't trust for "plinking." Depends entirely on the gun; there are plenty of guns that might not be suitable for SD (and therefore considered unreliable) that are still fun to shoot and/or own.

[wingspar]

Any gun I buy must be reliable. Stress the word Any. I want the gun to go bang every time I aim at a tin can.

[Southern Rebel]

Depends on how unreliable it is.

A gun that jams frequently (every mag or every couple of mags) needs to be repaired--I won't put up with that for long no matter what it's for. A plinker that malfunctions a few times in a range session isn't a problem at all.


+1

I bought a Sig Mosquito for plinking and a quieter way to introduce the granddaughter to handling my other Sigs. I expected it to have a few malfunctions and it does with the Federal bulk boxes (although not with mini-mags). Between the pistol and the Federal ammo, I get about 10 problems per box of 550. I figure that gives the granddaughter good practice for situations when the gun doesn't go bang and it isn't a big deal for me when I am just plinking for fun.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Unreliable guns make me angry. Very angry. If I could bend the barrel around and shoot the gun with itself, I would. I hate it that bad. Unreliable goes bye-bye. Well, it would go bye-bye. I've never had a gun that was unreliable. (Only 1 handgun, but none of my rifles or shotguns have ever had a problem)

[RickB]

I have two .22 auto pistols, they are both about 98% reliable, and since I shoot nothing but paper with them, that's OK. I may sell one of them some day, but not because of unreliability concerns. Normally, I expect 99.9% reliability, but am occasionally disappointed.

[Uncle Malice]

I have a Bryco J22... I traded it for an old HP laptop.

Came with 6 magazines... For the most part it functions okay. I do usually have 1 jam per magazines(6 rounds). But I knew that when I bought it... i got it for the sole purpose of letting my girlfriend get accustomed to the act of shooting a gun. After about 50 rounds, she quickly moved up to 9mm with no problem.

Sold the Bryco... now I want to get a 22LR conversion for my P229... but only because it's cheaper for general range practice.

So yes... I bought a gun that I didn't really expect to be reliable. I was fine with it in that aspect. It was never going to be a defensive gun, target gun or anything more than an introductory tool.

[geetarman]

I bought a Ruger MKIII that was a total pos. It just did not work. Sent it back to the factory and they sent it back to me telling me they had replaced the ejector, the extractor and had worked on the ramp and had fired forty rounds with no problems.

I took it to the range and within 30 rounds had the SAME problems as before.

I took a Dremel tool and destroyed the gun except for the barrel assy and kept that as a trophy.

I know many of you have them and they shoot fine. Mine was not one of them.

I have two Brownings now that work fine.

I have several Rugers so don't think I am prejudging them.

I have 2 1022s. two M77Vs, 1 Mini14, 1 Security 6, 1 Single Six convertible and a Redhawk 44 mag on order. I have owned Mini14s and Super Blackhawks before and never had a problem.

Just like all doctors do not graduate at the top of their class, this particular firearem was a hangar queen. I am overjoyed that it is gone and that it is not a problem for someone else.:(

[dgludwig]

I won't tolerate a car that won't start; a toaster that burns my toast or dog that won't retrieve. If I can't get a firearm to perform reliably, "plinking" status or otherwise, it goes on the trading block-of course, with the appropriate disclosure.

[raftman]

Would I get/keep a gun if I bought it for plinking if it was unreliable? Depends heavily on just how unreliable it was.

I've had a number of .22 pistols, none of which has been 100% reliable, but some were by far better than others. For example, not long ago I had a Sterling .22 pistol that was a jam-o-matic, and thorough cleaning and proper oiling didn't alleviate these problems, nor was I able to find any variety of ammo that it worked more reliably with. I think the best performance I ever got from it was two mags in a row without an issue, occasionally it would go through one mag (6-round by the way) without a problem, but most commonly, one or two failures per mag. That kind of unreliability is completely unacceptable even though it was a gun I'd never consider for defense use.

Came across a Taurus PT-22 for cheap. I've been a critic of Taurus for some time, but the price was right and I was looking for a plinker and nothing more. Besides, I figured it would only be fair to give it a chance. So I bought it, thus far, it's around 98% reliable. Lately I haven't been able to find anything other than Remington Thunderbolts so that's all the PT-22 has gotten so far. The Thunderbolt is a real dirty, unreliable round, so I may find the performance is better with higher quality stuff. As far as pocket-sized .22's that I'd use for nothing more than shootin' soda cans, it's the best one I've ever had. I am sure there are better ones to be had, but those would sell for double the price... and I don't wanna spend double the price if all I'm gonna do with it is shoot soda cans.

[bamaranger]

Life's to short and there are to many other aggravations than to put up w/ an unreliable gun. If I can't fix it, and somebody else or the factory can't, its gone. No matter what its mission was.

[gyvel]

Bought a Browning Buckmark when they first came out and was disappointed with the general accuracy of it, which turned out to be mediocre at best.

Dumped it

[varoadking]

Just like all doctors do not graduate at the top of their class, this particular firearem was a hangar queen.

Likely due to poor spelling... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22/varoadking/yelrotflmao.gif

[gyvel]

For the most part, I won't buy anything that isn't "good". I'm not a collector, everything I buy has a specific purpose. I could care less how a gun looks, I care about how well it works. The only gun I bought that was "cheap" is my son's Mossberg 702 Plinkster. It was his first 22. Had I known it would be such a total piece of junk, I would have spent a few extra dollars! Even though we don't shoot it often now, I still consider selling it and buying something a little better. Again, every gun has a purpose, and that purpose to me would be for little critter hunting.

I just looked at a picture of one and it sure looks a lot like the Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 which is another POS. No wonder you had problems.

[TX_Pipeliner]

I had a Ruger Mk 10 that was a very accurate, reliable pistol. I pumped thousands of rounds through and never got tired of it. There were so few failures that I don't even think of it in that light. It burned when my house burned. Insurance got it and I never bought another one. Wish I still had it.