Hi all,
I see this question come up here all the time from new shooters looking for their first carry or home defense gun: "Is it reliable?" Now that's certainly a good question to ask. Accuracy and feel in the hand are nothing if the gun doesn't go "bang" when you pull the trigger. But I think these new folks need to keep something in mind: EVERY gun is an individual.
Now I'm a walking bad luck magnet. I've had issues with almost every brand out there. But let's keep something in mind. A gunmaker could have such good quality control that 99.9% of the time every product that leaves the floor is spot on. But there are millions of gun owners out there. Even with those QC numbers, which are pretty damn close to impossible, that means in every batch of 1,000 guns there will be one issue. Issues are going to happen with the sheer volume of guns being sold. So when I see a newcomer ask that question and I see a dozen or so, heck even three dozen, responses I hope that the newcomer is understanding that it's still a relatively small sample.
So TR, does that mean people just shouldn't ask? No. What I encourage folks asking those question to do is keep in mind what I've said here. In addition, look for common complaints from multiple people. That might be an indication of a problem inherent in the product or at least the production line. And if you do get a gun that has a problem, understand that hey, it's going to happen. You just may be that unlucky 1/1000 (which I am constantly
. Give the manufacturer a chance to make it right before going on a verbal rampage.
And to us old hats. Let's not be so quick to bash products we've had issues with. Share the problems to be sure, but try to be a bit even handed and not inflammatory. I've owned over three dozen handguns and had issues with quite a few of them. But that doesn't mean I don't recommend them to folks because I look online and see that my problem seems to be a fluke. Don't let one bad experience swear you off from a brand entirely.
Thanks for reading,
-TR