Most Overrated OR Underrated Hand Gun, In Your Opinion?

Overrated:

Handgun - TIE 1) Glock; 2) any .45 ACP race gun +$4,000
Long Gun - AR
Caliber - .380

Underrated:

Handgun - J-frame
Long gun - TIE 1) SKS; 2) any lever gun chambered in .357 or .44 Mag
Caliber - 7.62 x 39

My selections are based on many people thinking the "Overrated" choices are the end-all-be-all, while the "Underrated" choices are generally frowned upon as being "not enough".
 
Overrated - anything Colt, and Colt service. In fact if Colt gave me a gun, I would break my own arm trying to sell it.

Underrated - My old Rossi 677 .357 mag snubbie. I loved that gun so much that my wife took it and still has it. She carried it through 2 pregnancies. Dang thing shot anything I put threw it and still feels good.
 
Overrated....380 caliber pistols.

Underrated....Chinese-made SKS's. I thnk you asked for hand guns, so I will add the versatile snubby 686.

I'm sure folks will have negative opinions towards me on both sides, but it can't be worse than some of the other opinion posts in this thread. ;)
 
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My dad had a gathering of fat rich guys at his farm about 8 years ago. They all brought their 22 revolvers. There were 5 guys with 5 guns they each shot them all and compared their 5 groups with all of the others. The worst shooting was a early 80's Colt Diamond back (dad's), the best by a small margin was a pre-war K-22 target. Close in second was the insurance salesman's, H&R top break target. I think this answers your questions. Ivan
 
"What is the most over-rated handgun IYO?"
Some of the Kimber 1911s

"Why?"
This is my opinion based of some of the things I've seen at the range. I know that lots of folks have, shoot and love their Kimbers but I hear and see a lot of them that have a lot of assorted problems some models more than others I think. Some of them you have to pay high dollar for and then spend another small fortune to get them to run right. The instructor that did my first CHL renewal qualification is a big time Kimber fan. Yet she can hardly get through a full magazine with out a stove pipe or failure to feed on any of her 3 Kimbers. Even though I KNOW they make some fine pistols I'd never spend the money for one because I just see too many that have problems. For that kind of money I need a sure thing.

"What is the most under-rated handgun IYO?"
Glocks, by far.

"Why?"
I have 4 of them with about 22K rounds between them and never the slightest problem, not ever. I know they are ugly. But they are tough and reliable and accurate right out of the box. If you check some of the reports of problems with Glocks you will find that the owner has "tinkered" with it. Unless you have one that you want to turn into a race gun or set up for competing you don't need to touch it. My advice is to take it out of the box new. A small dab of oil on the side rail cuts in the slide and get busy. the trigger and the recoil spring and the ejector are fine just like Gaston designed 'em. I have no idea where all the hate comes from but I suspect that it comes mostly from folks who have little to no experience with them and believe too much of what they read on the internet. Some truly don't like the grip angle or the trigger and that's fine. there is nothing on heaven or earth that EVERYone likes. I just believe that my 10 years experience with them proves to ME that they are excellent pistols. The haters can go on and hate. I KNOW the truth. :p :D And that is MY 2 cents worth. ;)
 
Overrated? I will catch heck for this, but to me this K22 was worthless. It was heavy, and shot a tiny cartridge. It did not have mind-boggling accuracy, like most folks claim. I never saw what the claim to fame was with this gun. I paid less than $25.00 for this thing, sold it and replaced it with a 65-3, a real gun in a useful caliber.
015114.JPG

016101.JPG


I believe the Spanish Astra and Star pistols were underrated. The Astra Constable .22 LR and A75L 9mm I owned well made, accurate and reliable.
DSCN3386.JPG


I also feel the Ruger P series, like this P95dc and P89, are robust and combat accurate. They are also flat out ugly, uncomfortable in the hand, and nearly have to be given away when the owner wakes up and realizes what he bought.
DSCN3389.JPG
 
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You might think it's odd, looking at my avatar, and considering I own multiple examples. But I'd say the most overrated is the Luger. Don't get me wrong, they are things of beauty and joys forever. They represent some sort of pinnacle of Victorian-era industrial design, and are a masterpiece of machining and (before WWII) finishing. They are fun to shoot, have tremendous "cool factor", and draw a crowd at the range - normally blase range personnel will crowd around and try to swallow their pride to ask for a chance to fire a mag or two.

But, having said all that, from the standpoint of their primary reason for being, they weren't all that great. They were, after all, intended as sidearms for officers, non-coms and artillery personnel, a last-ditch defensive weapon when the chips were down on the battlefield. And few weapons could have been less suitable for the God-awful, muddy hell of the WWI battlefields. There's a real good reason why they were issued with those hard clam-shell cases that totally enveloped the gun - to protect them from the dirt and mud that would soon render them inoperable. And trying to field-strip and clean one under the stress of battlefield conditions is practically impossible. If I'd been going into combat, I'd rather be armed with practically any decent, large-caliber double-action revolver, much less a 1911.

So, that's why the Luger is my pick for most overrated. Not to say I don't want more of them.
 
Rhetorician Response

mc5aw said:
Overrated:

Handgun - TIE 1) Glock; 2) any .45 ACP race gun +$4,000
Long Gun - AR
Caliber - .380

Underrated:

Handgun - J-frame
Long gun - TIE 1) SKS; 2) any lever gun chambered in .357 or .44 Mag
Caliber - 7.62 x 39

My selections are based on many people thinking the "Overrated" choices are the end-all-be-all, while the "Underrated" choices are generally frowned upon as being "not enough".
Click to expand...

Hello,

I have an interest in and have been researching the 7.62 X 39. May even buy one. Can you tell me please what it so good about it?

"Thanks."
 
To each his own here. But, IMHO.....

Over rated: Colt 1911s & Colt Single Actions. They were state of the art in their day and still have a mystique surrounding them. However, the price that a 1st or 2nd generation SAA commands now is unbelievable and a decent Series '70 Govt. Model is off the chart too.Functionally & practically, they have been superceded.

I have carried a 1911 on duty many years ago when my agency allowed personal choice. Most places issue now or will not put a 1911 on the approved list. It also got VERY tiresome to have people approach me to let me know that my gun was cocked! ;) I switched when we were issued the 4506 & then the Sig P220 after that. Same caliber & less drama. I retired that 1911and later sold it.

Under rated:
Ruger revolvers & Glock semi autos. Neither are particularly elegant. But, they are superior workhorses.

Over rated caliber:

9mm Parabellum

Under rated caliber:
.45 GAP- recoils like a 9mm w/ the stopping power of a .45 ACP.
 
I'll agree with some that's been said and I'm certainly no expert.

Overated, Kimbers for what they cost...

Underrated, 380s

My Micro Desert Eagle is my second favorite gun, and with the right ammo, personally I think it's very worthy. ;)
 
policerevolvercollector said:
Over rated caliber:

9mm Parabellum

Under rated caliber:
.45 GAP- recoils like a 9mm w/ the stopping power of a .45 ACP.
Click to expand...

Very interesting, lol. PA Troopers have carried Glocks in .45GAPs for years, but they're switching back to the .45acp.

Also hearing how the 9mm parabellum is an over-rated caliber makes me cringe, but to each their own, lol.
 
Over Rated: Kimber. Poor products, and first hand the poorest customer service in the industry.

Under Rated: Several come to mind, but the P3AT Keltec would be near the best of the under rated handguns I've owned.
 
ColbyBruce said:
Overrated? I will catch heck for this, but to me this K22 was worthless. It was heavy, and shot a tiny cartridge. It did not have mind-boggling accuracy, like most folks claim. I never saw what the claim to fame was with this gun. I paid less than $25.00 for this thing, sold it and replaced it with a 65-3, a real gun in a useful caliber.
015114.JPG

016101.JPG


I believe the Spanish Astra and Star pistols were underrated. The Astra Constable .22 LR and A75L 9mm I owned well made, accurate and reliable.
DSCN3386.JPG


I also feel the Ruger P series, like this P95dc and P89, are robust and combat accurate. They are also flat out ugly, uncomfortable in the hand, and nearly have to be given away when the owner wakes up and realizes what he bought.
DSCN3389.JPG
Click to expand...

Where do you get a nice K22 for $25?
 
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