Do You Completely Trust Semi-Auto Pistols?

Care to source that claim?

He can't cite anywhere credible cus it's not true. Loading and unloading is what wears a spring. Storing them loaded is perfectly okay unless it's a cheaply made magazine such as a tapco or promag.

All of my mags stay loaded (sometimes for months or a couple years on occasion) and never had an issue with this. This includes steel, aluminum, and plastic mags
 
I change magazines often if my auto is in service. I change the number of rounds in it too for home protection I vary the amount of rounds in it.

My newly purchased pistol must run flawless for 500rds before I use it as a ccw gun, positively no hiccups are allowed.

No jams, no fail to fire, no fail to load, nothing is allowed.
 
Not the plastic ones. A few days in a hot car can cause some parts to sort of melt. . .or so they say. You can tell I'm not a big fan of semi-autos and definitely not a fan of plastic ones. Although, here's a few that were trusted by a lot men during WWII.

I've carried a Glock (currently a 26) in a black purse in a black truck without tinted windows for something like 25 years in the bootheel of Missouri, where we get all four seasons, sometimes in the same week. Next time you see 'em, tell "they" that they're full of that which makes grass green and smelly . . .
 
I found that a good quality MODERN duty gun yes I trust. Old guns and second rate guns not so much.

Every semi auto gun I've had that had problems were second rate, old, blue light specials.

I've owned 7 revolvers and 2 of them had problems right off the bat. I'm talking about old, quality revolvers not the new stuff. One model 12 would not fully rotate a cylinder on a single trigger pull. You would need to let go again completely and squeeze again. Sometimes it would take 3 pulls to rotate to the next round and fire. Another model 27-2 would randomly not set off a round.

Comparing the one Hipower to all semi autos is like me saying I had a Dodge Diplomat that gave me problems so I don't trust cars

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Not the plastic ones. A few days in a hot car can cause some parts to sort of melt. . .or so they say. You can tell I'm not a big fan of semi-autos and definitely not a fan of plastic ones. Although, here's a few that were trusted by a lot men during WWII.
Lol I guess all those plastic guns are melting in India, Pakistan, Israel,

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Having spent a large part of my career flying in mechanical devices built by the lowest bidder, all my faith in perfection went to the lord, and the confidence to complete the mission went to fellow airmen.

For those that believe having a revolver solves the reliability problems, statistics from IDPA major matches shows that breakage and serious stoppages happen at a higher rate to revolvers than to semi autos. Remember, this is a couple hundred rounds or more in a match, and a serious stoppage is one that cannot be cleared in a few seconds. While semi autos tend to misfeed more often, most problems can be cleared in seconds, which is why we practice malfunction drills.

If you've never had a gun malfunction or break, you just haven't shot enough major matches. I had a class win wired at a state-level match until I punched the whole yoke assembly out of a Modell 66 and DNF that stage. Went to the backup revolver and finished the match, but could not make up that stage.
 
Mechanically, there is more to go wrong with an auto than a revolver. However, if something does go wrong with a revolver it's more likely to be catastrophic, i.e., explode in your hand. With an auto, in an emergency situation you have to consider, is there a round in the chamber? Is the magazine properly seated, or in my haste to get the gun out did I accidentally hit the mag eject button? Does it have a safety, is that on? Will it feed the next round, or eject the spent case properly? Lot's of moving parts and at any time one of them can go a little awry and cause an issue. A revolver, in an emergency situation, is simple, pull the trigger and as long as the cylinder aligns with the barrel and the hammer strikes the the primer, it will go bang. Both of those issues are ones you can determine well in advance of when you need the gun to work if they will be a problem.

All that said, today's autos at least are generally excellent and reliable. I've had most of the issues I described happen to my Glock when practicing with it (except for the safety, it doesn't have one), but if I were to need it I feel I can rely on it. One other thing to consider is if you want a gun that will sit loaded for months at a time, then if it's an auto you'll at least need to pull the bullets out of the magazine periodically, switch out with another mag. Leaving them in the mag for extended times can affect the spring, and that can lead to feed problems. So for sure, if it's a gun that just sits in a drawer for months on end, and you don't want to pay any attention to it, then a revolver is better option for that reason if no other. But if it's a carry weapon that you will handle regularly, take to the range and clean it periodically, keep it maintained, then an auto is a perfectly fine option, despite all that I've pointed out.
Mags wear with use. If you had a mag go bad from sitting it was either old and worn or low end cheap mag. This is where trying to save $5 on a low end mag makes a difference.

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Cause the parts to melt? You do realize a barrel gets the internals far warmer than a hot car. Someone sure got you good with that joke (or they owned some cheap, low end handgun)

My Glocks have never had an issue that wasn't ammo related (bad primers or under-powered loads)

Actually it's not a joke, it is just something one needs to be aware of. I just recently had a major issue with plastic parts on my 908 when I left it in the trunk for 6 hours on a 90 degree day. The parts did not melt, but the rear sight almost fell off the gun and the magazine release catch nut fell off. Once the gun cooled down the rear sight got tight again. I would not call a 908 or other 3rd Gen Value Lines cheap or low end guns. Just don't keep guns with plastic parts in a solar oven.

In keeping the thread on topic, I prefer wheelguns, the failure drill is simple, if it does not go bang, pull the trigger again.
 
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Of all my pistols ( way too many), I have to say the only ones (2 of them) that honestly have never experienced any issue are my Bulgarian and East German Makarovs. Just the way it is-typical Ruski design. But my carry gun is and always has been a J frame revolver :)
 
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I do but it has to be an M&P or Glock or other proven brands. I keep mine in top shape and shoot them regularly.
 
Guess I've been fortunate. My Glock 19 has never malfunctioned after several thousand rounds. I simply will not own a gun for self defense that won't go boom each and every time I pull the trigger and continue to do so every time I pull it.

Situational awareness, mindset, and having confidence in what you carry is crucial to successfully defending yourself.

If there is the smallest amount of doubt in your carry gun get rid of it and buy another.
 
There you go. . .maybe not melt. . .maybe just fall apart. Can you tell, I really don't like plastic guns.
 
There you go. . .maybe not melt. . .maybe just fall apart. Can you tell, I really don't like plastic guns.
Yep just picked one up today and it just melted and fell apart from body heat. So I asked for a one of those steel guns and it just turned to rust! Both are about as likely

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Auto loaders, feeding and ejection rely on a consent grip resistance
to function reliably.

Improper grip or a weak wristin' one during a fight may or may not allow perfect functioning.

With revolvers, like auto loaders, require at least a minimum level of maintenance.

*As for un-burned powder or foreign material under the extractor star,
That's a cleaning/maintenance issue, not a reloading issue.

I've used both for over a half century, would I bet my life on an semi-automatic pistol?

I have and still would today.




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Guess I've been fortunate. My Glock 19 has never malfunctioned after several thousand rounds. I simply will not own a gun for self defense that won't go boom each and every time I pull the trigger and continue to do so every time I pull it.

Situational awareness, mindset, and having confidence in what you carry is crucial to successfully defending yourself.

If there is the smallest amount of doubt in your carry gun get rid of it and buy anoter.

Does that mean that you'd trade in your GLOCK tomorrow if it malfunctioned
 
Remember we're talksing about follow up shots here.

If you're using a 45 and can hit what you want, you likely don't need more than one.
 
I've had both revolvers and semi-autos fail to function. The only time I lose trust, is when a part of the gun fails for numerous users, and the only fix is to replace the failed part with the same part.
BTW, when my revolver failed, not a single shot could be fired, but when my semi-auto failed, the already chambered round could still be fired.
 
Am I the only one who has a hard time trusting the reliability of semi-auto pistols?

I used to keep a 9mm Browning Hi-Power (made in 1972) as a bedside gun. No more. I had confidence in that gun until, one day, it choked on me twice during a firing range session (I had 2 failures to fully eject), even though I always kept the gun clean and lubed, and I always used fresh, good quality, factory ammo.

Am I the only one who has qualms about the reliability of semi-autos for defense?


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At least with a semi-auto, you can clear a malfunction fast. I once had a lead shaving get down into the action (apparently through the cylinder stop hole, and that tiny sliver of lead locked that gun up "tighter than ole' Dick's hatband." That Model 27 had to have the sideplate removed to even figure out what was going on, and when that tiny sliver fell out, and the revolver was reassembled, it worked perfectly. Replaced it as a carry gun that fateful day in the mid-1970s with a Colt 1911 in .45 ACP, and have never looked back. Semi-auto always ever since.

So, to answer your question, yes I fully trust semi-autos.
 

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