-LEGENDARY- handguns that you think are over-rated

[JJ45]

You can carry AND practice with full power .357 loads if that suits your fancy. BUT to me, shooting full power 357s in a relatively light weight M19 OR similar revolver is just not fun and probably not conducive to developing good shooting habits...I don't own a 19 but I do own and shoot a 4" Ruger Security Six and 2 3/4" Speed Six which are similar in size and even though the Rugers are recommended for full power loads I don't shoot them.

There is something real irritating about shooting full power 357s in light revolvers with short barrels and I find .44 mags and heavy .45 Colt reloads a lot more pleasant and more controllable....part of this is the heavier weight of the latter handguns but also the 357 cartridge is somewhat over-bore capacity and that constricted bore seems to magnify blast and noise. It's not the recoil that is irritating to me. This is all subjective but the bigger bores seem to have a "drain pipe" effect that lessons blast and noise. If you ever shot a full power 357 load in a short (4" or under) without hearing protection you know what I mean

For my Ruger DAs, I load a heavy Keith style SWC in front of a medium dose of Unique for about a Plus-P .38 equivalent. But non-reloaders don't have that option.

[amd6547]

I enjoy shooting full power 357 magnum in my 3” GP100, and I enjoyed shooting it in the 2.5” Model 19 that preceded it.
In fact, my GP is loaded with 145gn Silvertip right now.

[FrankenMauser]

Overrated (some, possibly all, already mentioned - I didn't read every post):
Glock
Metaba
Medusa
Colt SAs (all of them - not just the SAAs)
Snake Guns
Hi-Power
Beretta 92
P-38
Walther PPK
S&W M57
S&W M28
And certainly more...

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by RC20

44 SW Magnum: Have to agree, 41 is better overall with less recoil

I'm no fan of the .44 calber, .45 Colt 4 Life, but nor am I a .41 guy either, but I've never seen what performance gap the .41 fills that the .357 or .44 Magnums can't do. .41's are larger than .38's/.357's, not significantly smaller than .44's, so for self defense they're a solution in search of a problem.

In a hunting platform, a .44 is going to hit harder and penetrate as deeply. .357 in a revolver is not a hunting handgun and was never built to be, so unless you're just opposed to .44, I can't see why you'd choose .41 over it. If it's increased range, then .357 Maximum would beat .41 in that aspect.

In a rifle it becomes even more glaringly obvious that .41 is the odd caliber out. There's nothing a .357 rifle can't do that a .41 can and nothing a .44 can't do better.

If anything, it's the .41 that's overrated.

[FrankenMauser]

What's a "44 SW Magnum"...?

I know of .44 Russian, .44 S&W American, .44 S&W Special, and .44 Remington Magnum

But this "44 SW Magnum"... I know not of what you speak.
Definitely seems to be overrated, though.

[44 AMP]

.357 in a revolver is not a hunting handgun and was never built to be,

"the purpose of the gun is increased killing power on game at all ranges..."
-Douglas B. Wesson, quoted in the Feb 1935 American Rifleman. Wesson, also states how the .357 would be a superior gun for police work and for target shooting, the first thing he names is its use for hunting.

If the VP of S&W at the time, a guy who worked on the development of the .38-44, and the .357 doesn't know what they made the gun for, then no one does.

Since the people who first made the .357 revolver said it was for hunting, your statement that it never was built to be for hunting has zero credibility.

[RC20]

But this "44 SW Magnum"... I know not of what you speak.
Definitely seems to be overrated, though.

Wonder how many are that picky?

[RC20]

but also the 357 cartridge is somewhat over-bore capacity and that constricted bore seems to magnify blast and noise. It's not the recoil that is irritating to me. This is all subjective but the bigger bores seem to have a "drain pipe" effect that lessons blast and noise.

Odd statement, 5.7 may be overbore, but a 357 is the same parallel case as 38, 44, 41 etc.

All the short barrel light frame 357 is would be like putting a 458 Winchester into a 12 inch barrel and a light weight hunting gun, whats not to like?

A 7mm Remington Magnum is overbore. 375 HH case necked down to a 7mm bullet.

[Dufus]

but a 357 is the same parallel case....

I have never seen a parallel case. Can you post a picture??

[FrankenMauser]

Wonder how many are that picky?

Find some "44 SW Magnum", and see if it'll run in your .44 Remington Magnum chamber(s).
Go from there.

For starters, I believe that sourcing "44 SW Magnum" is going to be a seriously difficult task. So, if you can't get it, then you should be picky.


The other day, I was behind a man that was getting absolutely IRATE in a fast food drive-thru, because the person taking his order kept telling him that they did not have Whoppers or Whopper Jrs. Finally, there was an outburst with profanity, paraphrased roughly as, "But [religious heresy], this is [expletive] Burger King! Burger King is the only [expletive] place that has [expletive] Whoppers! Why the [expletive] won't you sell me some [expletive] Whoppers?!"

A voice came back through the speaker, "Because this is Wendy's, sir."

Everyone understood that he wanted some burgers. But he was asking for the wrong kind...

[stinkeypete]

Over-rated...
1. Glocks. I worked over several years with several smiths trying to get a decent trigger and in the end a real good smith said “you just can’t polish a -CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED-.” They are okay, they are over rated.

2. Desert Eagle. I mean, it’s a joke.

3. Luger. Glad I had a pair, fun for a few weeks, glad I sold em.

Other than that... I guess I’d say I sold my ppk and sold my Bersa Thunder and I only ever occasionally regret selling the bersa. It was very good.

And.. i’ve had a lot of ruger single actions, and they were all fine weapons. i’m Surprised to hear someone had a run of bad luck with them

[KyJim]

Regarding the Model 19 as "over-rated," the newer model K-frame .357s are beefed up just a bit and re-designed just a bit to handle even more magnum rounds than the original design. We may have to wait 50 years or so before we know if they're better (or worse) than the original models. Certainly, SW is not blueing guns as nice as they did in the old days but we'll see how they hold up mechanically.

BTW, I have two Model 19s (4" and 2.5") and have ordered the Model 19 Carry Comp (3") to carry concealed. The L-frame is too thick for many of us to carry concealed and the triggers on all J-frames are second-rate.

I'll forego my retort on 1911s. This post is long enough.

[Ben Dover]

Very good guns, but over rated and over hyped.
1911
Luger
Browning Hi-Power
S&W 19 and 66
Python
Super Redhawk. (NOT regular Redhawk)

[jackstrawIII]

This is a great thread. It's great when people agree with you, and funny when they disagree.

My vote: Anything made by H&K. I've owned like 6 different models and they're all gone. Don't see myself owning any others in the future.

[pblanc]

Originally Posted by jackstrawIII

This is a great thread. It's great when people agree with you, and funny when they disagree.

My vote: Anything made by H&K. I've owned like 6 different models and they're all gone. Don't see myself owning any others in the future.

You know, I have never owned an HK and the only one I ever shot was the VP 9. The VP 9 was not bad but it did a number on my trigger finger and I didn't feel I shot it as well as I did the SIG P320.

But the hammer-fired HKs seem to have such a devoted following among many. Yet the one or two hammer-fired models I dry fired seemed to me to have pretty awful DA triggers.

Can you elaborate on why you feel they are overrated (apart from being overpriced)?

[TXAZ]

Clearly we have a winner: With 43 mentions of "Glock" out of 115 posts, the polling seems to indicate Glock is the most overrated gun by this informal survey. Yea, a few of these are defensive, like Glenn's offer to take any people don't want, but the survey is pretty clear.

[stephen426]

Originally Posted by jackstrawIII

My vote: Anything made by H&K. I've owned like 6 different models and they're all gone. Don't see myself owning any others in the future.

Not quite sure I agree with this one. I had a USP in .40 S&W that was an absolute tack driver. Not crazy about the trigger so I gave it to my cousin. I have a P7M8 that has one of the best triggers out there. It is also a tack driver, especially for a compact gun. It is pretty heavy though, only holds 8+1, and gets pretty hot when you shoot a lot.

[stephen426]

Originally Posted by stinkeypete

2. Desert Eagle. I mean, it’s a joke.

Not sure what other handgun handles magnum loads so tamely. While I don't own one, the ones I have had the opportunity to shoot have been real tack drivers and handled recoil much better than revolvers of the same caliber (with the exception of the .50 AE). I have no real need for one and don't like guns that are expensive to feed or else I'd probably get one.

[Ben Dover]

I think the 1911 is the most over rated.

[stephen426]

Originally Posted by Ben Dover

I think the 1911 is the most over rated.

Me thinks we have a troll on our hands. LOL Hope you're wearing a flame retardant suit

[Ben Dover]

Well, Stephen I carried one for four years. and I shot one in competition for about 10 years.
Good solid pistol, once it's been re-built, if you like single actions. I don't.

But I never thought it even case close to living up to the hype.

[stephen426]

Seems like you have quite a bit of experience with the 1911. What about it makes it overrated? Also, since you don't like single actions, what do you like? Striker fired guns? I am a bit of a trigger snob, so a 1911 with a nice trigger is hard to beat.

[5whiskey]

If a 1911 don't rattle when you shake it, it ain't reliable.

Pretty true words, and why those pesky Philippine natives are on to something. I will say that a tight toleranced 1911 CAN be reliable... I've seen it in a les baer. I just think it's much more difficult to get right.

The 1911 i guess can be overrated. If you want a duty combat handgun, there probably are better options if you have to be on the offense. As a range gun with one of the best triggers in existence, it is not overrated at all.

I have a RIA that has been flawless for several thousand rounds. 1911s can be quite reliable.

[Ben Dover]

I guess I say over rated primarily because of all the Jeffie Cooper hype.

The 1911 is a very good weapon. Especially for a century old design. If I couldn't get a SA/DA or a striker fired pistol, I would feel adequately armed with a 1911.

the OP was about over rated. the 1911 has been hyped as the best target pistol ever made. With enough gunsmithing, it is a very good target pistol, but far from the best ever made.

It's been hyped as the best defensive pistol ever made. In 1911, it probably was. But as soon as double action pistols became available, it was no longer in the top category.

Again, there is nothing wrong with the 1911, (I still have 2 of them) but it is an older design and is no longer in the top tier of handguns.

[44 AMP]

2. Desert Eagle. I mean, it’s a joke.

I've been enjoying the joke since the mid 80s in .357 and 1990 in .44Magnum.

I will agree that Desert Eagles are hugely over rated, but in the negative direction. Understandable, to a degree, if your needs and wants are met by a motorcycle, a dump truck is "over rated"...

As to the 1911,

It's been hyped as the best defensive pistol ever made. In 1911, it probably was. But as soon as double action pistols became available, it was no longer in the top category.

it has been over hyped for ever. Lots of things have. But do note that one man's opinion is just one man's opinion in the end. Including mine.

DA semi autos began showing up in numbers in the 1930s. They didn't put the 1911 out of business then, and haven't, yet.