A Poll: The Worst New Handgun You've Ever Owned

This is for you old-timers like me - what is absolutely the one handgun that gave you the most problems new and out of the box? I bought a Kahr K9 when they first hit the market, and you could only get a .40 in electroless nickel, and a 9mm in matte black - my 9 arrived with obvious tool marks, and shot consistently low and to the left, even with match ammo. After I sent it back to Kahr with my complaints, it was returned in the same condition and sure enough - with two targets with holes low and to the left. I appreciated its looks, feel, solid weight, and its simple, no-tools takedown, but I wound up giving this $700 “liver gun” to a then-friend of mine, with a written affidavit describing it as a gift.

2 Likes

Mine was a Springfield Armory 1911A2.
Not because it was a 1911, just because it was rather cheaply made.
Luckily, I had some competent friends who were able to finish it up the way the factory should have done. Now it’s very reliable.

1 Like

A 1911 knockoff by Llama. My brother bought one as did I. His worked fine. Mine stovepipe every time. Couldn’t get it to shoot regularly for anything, even a gunsmith worker. It has been a safe queen for over 40 years. I am waiting for my town to have a “gun buy-back”. I also have an RG revolver in .22 short. A guy wanted $10 for it. I told him it wasn’t worth $10. So he said, “Well, here, take it.” It does work better than the Llama. That is waiting for a gun buy back also. The cylinder has to be registered by hand in single action although it registers fine in double action. I don’t think it was new. But then, they probably looked that beat up brand new in the box. The Llama was brand spanking new but I think the importer had gone out of business between the time I bought it and got to the range to try it out.

1 Like

Glock 30SF (Gen 3 back when SF was a thing)

Sometimes bad ones slip out, testing them yourself, in your hands, with the ammo you’ll use, is critical. In this specific case it worked with FMJ but 1-2 out of 50 would fail with JHP, which is pretty terrible. Even after going back.

1 Like

AMT Lightening .22 mag. :unamused: From the 1980s.

2 Likes

A Walther .380 PPK/S
It removed a patch of skin off the web of my right hand with every round fired.
It’s long gone now.

2 Likes

I had bought a NAA .22LR way back when they first came on the market. The gun was well made, but dangerous to shoot. The grip was so small it would fly up and be pointed at your head after every shot.

2 Likes