Pistol reliability

[Glockgreat23]

So for the sake of conversation, let's say Glocks are the most reliable pistol and will go bang every time. I would like to hear from others on which pistols they find very reliable, other than Glock. Preference for people who have this experience with very high round counts. Thanks in advance

[UncleEd]

The Beretta 92 family.

Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat has touted that gun for quite a few years.

I'm big fan of it and have had no issues with any I've owned and do own.

[random guy]

A Ruger Mark II bull barrel gets the most work from me. It gunks up occasionally as a .22 will but when I don't neglect it, it always works. Wish it was a Mark IV with easy takedown.

Various other .22s have not been so reliable.

I've had three centerfire S&W autos, a 6904 and two M&Ps (still pretty new) and they have never had any sort of malfunction at all.

My early Keltec P-11 has never had a malf, although again I don't shoot the heck out of it.

Colt 1991A1 was troublesome when I got it but has been perfect since upgrading the mags.

Springfield 1911 was dead nuts reliable but "GI accurate" if ya know what I mean.

Browning HP was a beautiful shooter and I can't say it was unreliable other than it did not like HP bullets, a generally known trait. I miss that pistol a bit.

[Targa]

I hope you understand that your username and the for conversation sake Glocks are the most reliable comment and we are to compare everything else to the Glock......well, you are probably going to get your marbles knocked around a bit......
I'll play though, my Kahr CM9, S&W Sigma, 4006, M&P9 and 40, Bodyguard, all the Beretta 92's I have had in my life, my Colt 1991(with exception of their rubbish magazines), have all been spot on reliable.

[MandolinMan]

Most modern, quality made semi autos are very reliable. I've personally never had reliability/ malfunction issues with any of the Sig, Ruger, Springfield or S&W pistols that I've owned or shot.

Also, I won't accept that Glocks are " the most reliable pistol". While they may certainly be capable of near perfect reliability, so are other brands as well.

[snubbyfan]

My 9mm Walther PPX is reliable for me...with such a sweet trigger.

[osbornk]

My son-in-law had an extractor problem with his Gen3 Glock 19 when it was new so I didn't choose a Glock. The issue was resolved after a couple of heated calls as they kept blaming limp-wristing. Instead, I got a S&W SD9VE as well as a full size RIA 1911 in 9mm. I have never had a problem with either of them. I think Glock Perfection is a marketing scheme that has been proven to be less than accurate.

[dahermit]

My Browning H.P. is the most reliable for me.

[Glockgreat23]

Thanks for the comments. I own 4 Glock gen 3 pistols and frankly they don't fit my hand well (smallish hands). Since this is a Glock forum I didn't want to hear about Glocks nor get in a protracted discussion. I'm looking for highly reliable Glock 19 sized carry gun. Currently leaning at FNS because I am left handed and they are ambi.

[xcc_rider]

This is a Glock forum????

Well let's see, what can I compare to a Glock for reliability...
My Walther's (WWII P-38 and post war PP) have gone bang every time for over 20+ years. Mod 66 S&W, Ruger Single Six, Ruger 357 the same. Sig SP2022 in 40 cal has been flawless but I've only had it for 8 months and the round count is low compared to the rest. My 1911 Combat Commander has been good since I changed mags in the 80's (and stopped shooting surplus Thompson mg ammo in it) with a round count way higher than I can remember.

He'll, even my cap and ball revolvers go bang every time for over 30 years so if I compared them to a Glock I'd say they're just as reliable too.

[Mosin44az]

Beretta 92 (all 3)
Beretta Px4 Storm .40
SIG P220 Compact .45
HK USP Compact .40
HK VP9
CZ 75B
CZ 82
Ruger P95 (2500 rounds)
Smith M & P 9
Springfield XD 40

All the above have had hundreds of rounds fired, close to 1000 or more, except the P95 as indicated which went way beyond that. All functioned flawlessly, with the Berettas being especially impressive considering a couple of them were police trade-ins. I remember the XD having a couple of malfs--one a stove pipe and a couple possibly me touching the slide release--and the P95 NOT liking Sellier & Bellot but running 2500 rounds of everything else without a malf.

In general pistols with an established history of successful military or police
service are the most reliable, in my experience. You can see most of the above pistols fit that description. Being a service-size pistol also helps.

[pblanc]

I have had no malfunctions of any type with my two SIG P320s thus far. Ditto for my SIG P229R.

I do not recall any stoppages with my Beretta .40 S&W Cougar 8040F or my Stoeger Cougar .45 ACP 8045F.

I have many more rounds through my Beretta 92FS. I have had exactly one stoppage with a round of Winchester 124 grain NATO. The round fed and it looked like the pistol went into battery, but it didn't quite. It took a good bit of force to rack the slide and eject the round. When I did, the round looked visibly OK and passed the "plunk" test. I have to believe the round was out of spec somehow, because that was a good while ago and the pistol has functioned perfectly since.

[HistoryJunky]

Cz-85B. Of my 1000 or so rounds through it, no malfunctions with factory ammo.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

[Maverick36]

My H&K VP9 , 17000 rounds no problems whatsoever .

[Snyper]

The only unreliable guns I've ever owned were a Charter Arms Explorer 22 pistol and an RG (Rohm) 22 revolver.

My Glocks, Rugers, Colts, Brownings, S&W's, etc have been 100% reliable.
Every failure has been ammo related or operator error.

[745SW]

I'd say the Beretta 92 even though I've never owned one. Glock's are fine, just don't feed it compromised ammo like having distorted brass.

[bamaranger]

When my agency transitioned from revolvers to auto pistol, the handgun used for that move, and subsequently issued to all LEO's in the early stage of the process, was the SIG P228.

The first step was to train a cadre of instructors with the pistol, then have the cadre conduct transition classes throughout the agency across the country. The cadre class was 5 days, with about 3+ days of shooting, the line transition classes we then conducted typically went 3, shooting for all 3. The goal was 1000 rds per each shooter. The agency had acquired a boatload of NATO 124 gr FMJ, W-W mfg.

Day 1, we were lectured, issued factory new pistols, field stripped, cleaned and lubed them, shooting started the next day. Over the next 3 days, I likely saw 24, 000 plus rounds fired, and shot over 1000 myself. The pistols were cleaned and lubed after each day. Over that time, I saw 2 failures to feed, with JHP ammo during a final qualification course....both from the same pistol, and the shooter admitted he had not cleaned and lubed the evening previous.

In the two following classes that I conducted or assisted on elsewhere, I likely witnessed 20,000 rounds fired, with NO failures from any pistols. As the P228 began to see field service with bi annual qualifications and assorted training, the reliablility continued.

I was much impressed, as my experience with SA was rather limited at the time (early 90's) and not overly positive. The P228's ran like sewing machines.

[mete]

For reliability it's best to stick to those pistols that have been designed for military use and passed the stringent military tests !

[BigBL87]

My CZ-75B had never had a hiccup, but not a HUGE sample size there.

I had a Taurus PT-92 (Beretta clone) and it impressed me as far as reliability. I had a box of ammo that seemed underpowered, but the PT-92 kept on trucking even though I could feel the difference. I don't have a 92 pattern handgin anymore, but I wouldn't mind owning another one.

[BoogieMan]

I have never had a gun that showed any reliability issues after the first 200-300 rounds. Shotguns, rifles, pistols all go bang every time. My Kimber had a few hiccups around 1500 rnds, a change to new wolf spring fixed that. Same issue with a 41' Colt 1911. I own FEG, Colt, Kimber, CZ, Beretta handguns. I would never own a Block so I cant comment on their reliability. But, I have heard that some people do like them.

[tallball]

Beretta 92 series, Browning High Power, and definitely my Russian Makarov.

[zincwarrior]

I never found Glock to be more reliable then anything else. After the break in period I never had an issue firing Berettas or M&Ps. At this point thats into the 20,000 round count.

Pound for pound I have a S&W Model 29 that has not had a problem in two decades of shooting 44 mag and 44 special, and on the other end of the spectrum we put over 100,000 rounds through a Ruger mII target before it finally gave up the ghost.

[Tactical Jackalope]

Most modern pistols?

HK, SIG Sauer, Smith & Wesson....

I don't get why Glock appears to be the standard of which all guns are measured to anymore. It's not the 90s... Wait, maybe that's why.

Look, Heckler and Koch created the first ever polymer-framed and striker-fired pistol HK P70. Yet people say Glock did. The SIG Sauer P-Series (classic) have been as reliable every step of the way and so have HK USP pistols. Yet people only look at Glock. Reason? Heavy marketing for law enforcement and citizens in the 90s. While Heckler and Koch / SIG Sauer marketed to the military to win military contracts. Simply put, Glock makes only one pistol and they make it well enough. HK and SIG make rifles, sub-machine guns, pistols, etc. So people thought Glock was the only way to go in terms of pistols.

Well, fast forward to 2017! There is a myriad of other firearms that are NOT "copies" of Glock. If that card is to be pulled then they're all copies of the HK P70. Except they're not. Patents do exist. The only company that was pinched for actually copying Glock was Smith & Wesson with their Sigma line. Which they were sued for.

So, striker designs aren't solely a "Glock" thing and it never was. Yes, Glock marketed well and no one had an interest in the 90s in manufacturing polymer striker-fired pistols. There are a ton of other pistols both hammer fired and striker-fired that are equal to or better than Glock in some ways and most ways. Glock is great. It's not the best. There are many viable options out there for similar prices like the HK VP9 which is coming down in price and the SIG P320 which is immaculate as well as almost identical in price with an arguably better trigger out of the box. Don't limit yourself! Times have changed.

[RickB]

I've never seen any evidence of one pistol or pistol design being dramatically more reliable than another.
Modern, well-maintained, centerfire handguns are all reliable; rimfires, considerably less so.
It may be the case that some guns withstand abuse better than others, but I have never shot in an abusive environment.
I would agree with those who think full-sized service pistols are going to be the best bet for expectation of reliability.

[TailGator]

I have had comparable, and very high, reliability, from all my center fire pistols from major brands. One is a Glock, but others are from Beretta and Sig. The only center fire pistol I own that is unreliable is a Libia in .25 ACP that I inherited, and which stays around because of sentimental value.

I am like Constantine and some others in thinking of Glock as highly reliable, but not necessarily more reliable than other brands. The big names are so because they are all putting out pretty reliable product.