handgun reliabilty in diress

[tombogan03884]

Another thing I forgot to mention, since your title specifies "under duress".
The Glock's lack of an external safety means that when you are under stress you don't have to remember any little levers or buttons. Just Front sight, Press.

i BOUGHT A GLOCK 21 SHORTLY AFTER THEY CAME OUT.  HAD IT FOR 2 YEARS. DURING THIS TIME IT SPENT 6 MONTHS EITHER TRAVELING TO, FROM OR BEING AT GLOCK FOR REPAIRS. THE EXTRACTOR HOOK KEPT BREAKING, THE LOWER CORNER WOULD BREAK OFF.  AFTER THE 4TH  TIME I SOLD IT.

Sounds like something you were doing.
 No one else mentions problems with them but you break 4 in a row ?
Law of averages says either one of the other "Fan boy's" on here would have mentioned similar experience or you would have got one that held up.
I don't blame you for selling it, but I would not blame the gun with out a lot more info.

[m25operator]

I am a Glock armorer, which is a lot being a maytag repairman, they just don't need it as general rule, GP, I am going to take a wild ass guess, did the pistol ever malfunction? Did you find the defect on disassembly? Not that parts should have broken, but I have seen time and again, broken parts on Glocks, and they did not cause stoppages. Still a big Glock fan.

[Texas_Bryan]

Shot a lot of Sigs in my day, granted they aren't as numerous as the other folks around here, and I've had no problems.  Only thing on them is cost, eight to nine hundred dollars new but one of the best fighting pistols around.  Also look into Springfield, the XD45's I've shot have all been great performers with no issues.  And remember, when gun people take reliability, it usually refers to 'in the field'.  At home all these guns are going to be reliable once you've proven them at the range.

Big thing is price.  How much do you have, or are willing to spend, on a handgun?  That'll narrow your options for you real quick.  Split, I'd say, into:  Sig, FN, Kimber, HK between Springfield, Glock, Smith Wesson, Ruger.  High end and utilitarian.

And there's what your familiar with and comfortable handling.  Lots of stuff going on when using a Sig or a 1911, lots of room to make mistakes.  On the other hand, those inexpensive polymer frames are fairly simple; point, pull trigger, take finger off trigger when done.  If your not that comfortable a shooter that would be the route I'd recommend and have to good friends in the past.

My personal favorite to your actual question though is Sig.  Good luck.

[Solus]

i BOUGHT A GLOCK 21 SHORTLY AFTER THEY CAME OUT.  HAD IT FOR 2 YEARS. DURING THIS TIME IT SPENT 6 MONTHS EITHER TRAVELING TO, FROM OR BEING AT GLOCK FOR REPAIRS. THE EXTRACTOR HOOK KEPT BREAKING, THE LOWER CORNER WOULD BREAK OFF.  AFTER THE 4TH  TIME I SOLD IT.

I also bought one of the first Glock 21s.

I have  had no problems with it, but I did send it in to Glock for a free (I paid for shipping one way) upgrade to the slide.  They recut the extractor cut out to a different angle (I was told). 

Not sure of the details of the modification or why it was available, but it would seem that they would have applied the upgrade if it affected your pistol.

[fightingquaker13]

Gota say Gaspasser, you are a more patient man than I to send it back 4 times. I love Glocks .and have been problem free for 18 years and God and Visa alone know how many rounds . Still, if I have to send something back the third time for the same problem, I either want a new one or my money back. I am dissapointed Glock didn't just do that for you. It sure as hell would have made fnancial sense for them PR wise the second time it showed up if the "repair" was a new pistol, and between the hours, parts, CS paperwork and advertising it would take to get your business again, it probably would have been cheaper. .
FQ13

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Just put on a whole new slide and call it good. Like FQ says, it's cheaper in the long run.

[GASPASSERDELUXE]

Another thing I forgot to mention, since your title specifies "under duress".
The Glock's lack of an external safety means that when you are under stress you don't have to remember any little levers or buttons. Just Front sight, Press.

Sounds like something you were doing.
 No one else mentions problems with them but you break 4 in a row ?
Law of averages says either one of the other "Fan boy's" on here would have mentioned similar experience or you would have got one that held up.
I don't blame you for selling it, but I would not blame the gun with out a lot more info.

About the same time I was having trouble "Mas Ayoob" had written an article about a police dept. that had been having a lot of trouble with there G21's, he never said what it was and that helped in my decision.

[billt]

I'll second, or third, or whatever the Glock. The choice of model or caliber doesn't really matter because they all are utterly dependable pistols. While not totally unbreakable, they are about as close to it as you'll come. If I had to chose only one pistol and rifle to defend my life with, it would be a Glock and an AK-47. If I then died it would not be because of inferior weaponry.  Bill T.

[tombogan03884]

I'll second, or third, or whatever the Glock. The choice of model or caliber doesn't really matter because they all are utterly dependable pistols. While not totally unbreakable, they are about as close to it as you'll come. If I had to chose only one pistol and rifle to defend my life with, it would be a Glock and an AK-47. If I then died it would not be because of inferior weaponry.  Bill T.

That is what Gabe Suarez centers his training on.

[GASPASSERDELUXE]

I am a Glock armorer, which is a lot being a maytag repairman, they just don't need it as general rule, GP, I am going to take a wild ass guess, did the pistol ever malfunction? Did you find the defect on disassembly? Not that parts should have broken, but I have seen time and again, broken parts on Glocks, and they did not cause stoppages. Still a big Glock fan.

What first made me notice was the case rims being chewed up. Checked it out and found the broken extractor. Sent it back to glock. Got it back. Shot some more then mare bad case rims. back to Glock. Same again, third time found a local armorer, traded some 45 ammo for repairs. Worked ok for awhile then samo samo. Back to glock, got it back went out and it broke on the first round. Got rid of it then. Had a g19 that worked great, have a San Antonio PD trade in g22 for $350. most accurate gun I have ever owned.