Loved Beth’s article on “The Wrong Gun” and it brought to mind my many firearm mistakes as far as purchase. I for one have bought used firearms and have been unhappy with my purchase. Maybe you bought the next best thing, and disliked it because it didn’t function, maybe a used purchase didn’t cycle properly, or the firing pin didn’t hit the primer with enough force. Maybe the ergonomics where all wrong for you! My worst purchase was a used Colt Officer’s Model Double Eagle. I loved the size, it was stainless but would jam all the time with ball ammo! It took an assortment iof recoil springs to get it to function properly, but at the end of the day it was not as nice as a 1911 Officer’s model. The trigger mechanism was ugly and the proportions were all wrong. Also, it was one of the least accurate pistols I have ever owned. Anyone else ever make a mistake?
My first shotgun–my dad bought for me–Ithaca model 37 featherweight. stock didn’t fit. Didn’t realize I could actually hit anything with a shotgun until I got one that fit in my 20s. Loved that gun, but it was useless for me.
Pistols/revolvers? All small frame revolvers are the wrong gun for me. My hands are too big to hold them. When I look at that model of firearm, it only seems suited for person to small to medium sized hands and average/above average grip strength.
I struggled with my Shield .45 with a 3.3" bbl for the same reason–my fingers are long, and I had to adjust my finger on the trigger significantly to become consistent with it. Much different length of pull than a 1911.
Please be sure to specify why it was your least favorite gun so this stays a productive conversation. 
I know you’ll all be surprised that my least favorite was a Glock because I didn’t like how snappy it was for me. I know plenty of people who LOVE that exact model and shoot well with it.
I have a .25 caliber pistol made by raven arms. It was given to me, but you can’t hit the broadside of a barn with it… your better off chucking it at an attacker.
One of my first carry weapons is a “least favorite gun.” It was a KelTec PF-9. A small, lightweight gun with little recoil mitigation. It was murder on my hands. I also wasn’t firing it well, so I changed my grip…then it bit me in the thumb. Good thing I had a clean handkerchief in my pocket to use as a bandage. It was soaked through by the time I got home. I never carried it, since I replaced it with another gun before my CWL arrived.
What is this “least favorite gun” you speak of? I love all my guns equally… 
That may be what you tell them, but we all know there are degrees to that …
I’m going to say that my least favorite is my carry gun. I shouldn’t have purchased a sub-compact gun when I did, and certainly not in .40 S&W. It was a bit of a steep learning curve, and I came very close to chucking it, and starting over.
My least favorite was one of my first, and nearly a gift. It was one of those five shot nickel plated top break guns with half the nickel plating missing in ugly splotches. It was in caliber 32 S&W, a cartridge that makes the 38.spl , even out of a snub nose, look powerful. With VERY careful ammo selection, it could be made to do the job, …barely. But it was my first reloadable cartridge fire arm. It felt like it was boarder line safe to shoot even after careful inspection. I would have traded it to you for a hi-point, any hi-point, and still would if I had it. 
M&P 380 to me was bad. I do not like the 2" pull on the trigger to get it to fire and that is with the trigger set.
Laughing here at your description.
Well I guess you won’t be firing that one by accident! you have to mean to pull the trigger, and for a while too! The old AMT backup’s were like that, harrrd loooong trigger pull - DAO auto. you really had to mean to shoot it.
First gun my wife and I shot was a Glock. It was forgettable and she didn’t even finish her box of ammo.
Eight years later and we still don’t own a Glock.
Shhhhhh, you’ll upset the kids!!! 
Hey yo, chuck that gun over here if you get tired of it…I’m all about that .40S&W life, and have one as my carry as well (Ruger SR40c).
I love it but hey to each their own.
NAA (North American Arms) .22LR. Tiny. Beyond 5 feet useless. Holds 5 rounds but the first round, if you still have the gun in your hand, is rotated towards the sky. Just too small. Acts as an OK single shot belly gun. Then you have to regroup. Only advantage is, thinking of it as a single shot (even though it holds 5 rounds) is you dont have to go through the reloading process to fire a second round.
I used to own a FN FAL. If I remember correctly it was the 7.62 cartridge. I could be wron I know it was a 7. something. The FN FAL is a nice rifle but I hated it. Mainly cuz it jammed ALL the time. And in order to clear the chamber I had to use my foot to rack it to clear the chamber. Cuz the way it would jam is it wouldnt eject the cartridge correctly, and it would get stuck that you had to use the force of your leg in order to rack it.
Kinda funny but stupid story.
The day I bought the rifle I had some rounds with it, I went out back on my property and decided to have some fun with my new rifle. It jammed on the 5th shot I think. And I couldnt get it to clear or even be able to rack it. SO I took it back to the shop and was talking to the guy and said. “This gun is jammed and I cant clear it, can you help?” The shop owner then asked me if there is a live round in the chamber and I said I dont know. Because I wasnt sure it ejected the used round and had one loaded or not. So this other guy, not a clerk or anything. Just some dude who was looking at guns said “Here lemme take a look”. He taked the rifle and starts to examine it then he rests his finger on the trigger and kept looking at the gun. The shop owner started to say “wait wait” And he took the rifle back off the guy. Then he used his foot to force rack it to clear the chamber. Ejected the round, and it was a used cartridge and not live so that was good. I wanted to return it that day but all sales were final. I hated that rifle lol.
Have to say I do not own a handgun I don’t like. I am very picky and one of those like in the first taken movie lol. Where he goes in the buy the Karaoke machine for his daughter and he’s looked at it like 15 times. Cause I want to make sure the money I am spending is for something I really want and will keep it forever or till it dies lol. I love my guns.
Didn’t mention it but I had a penchant for a Ruger Mini 14 at one time. Found a used affordable one at a gun show and talked the seller down assuming I had a deal. First time at the range it functioned flawlessly, however its accuracy leaves much, much to be desired. With the right ammo it might shoot 5 moa, but typically off by 8 moa or more at 100 yards. One would think a rifle would be much more accurate. I have pistols that shoot better.
@JamesR: nice try, but no dice. I’ve worked too hard to overcome that learning curve. I really do like the weapon, as well as the caliber. I should have waited a little while, as I really was biting off more than I should at that time.
I’m thinking of adding a PCC in .40 so all I need is 1 caliber like the old cowboys
I mentioned this before in another post, but my least favorite gun was a Kahr CW9.
Reasons:
- Slide would drop on it’s own. This became a serious issue when I was trying to load a mag and the slide would drop before the mag was even in place. (Called Kahr and they sent new springs first time. Second time sent back to them and it returned stiffer but it still did it after I fired a couple hundred rounds).
- sites slipped no matter what. Used locktite, super glue, hot glue gun etc. Damn sites would eventually move and front one fell out.
- Pickiest ammo selection in the world. It literally ONLY fired Federal ball rounds. Couldn’t fire any hollow points without feed issues and repeated clearing. Kahr said it was the mag so I replaced 3 mags and still it was awful.
Those were my reasons. I do know some people who swear by their Kahr pistols and more power to them…but mine was possessed with gremlins or something.
Have a new rugar sr9e beautiful weapon, fits my hand , spot on shooter. Took it to the range ran 300 rds & 20 hollows. Cleaned & put in nightstand.2 weeks later at the range, nothing light primer strikes. Checked ammo sll good. Returned to factory.fixed. loaded up put in lock up. Same deal 3 times total. Told them not to return it to me. They did. New barrel & more new parts. Haven’t touched it since.
I purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport II rifle shortly after Vegas on impulse. Thought I was being strategic. At the time I kinda wanted a rifle, but it was between that and a nice AK74 model with a forged trunnion that was about $150 more. The extra cost was not a factor, as I would never put myself in a situation to buy any gun where the cost of the gun and any followup incidentals overstretched my finances. But I ended up going with the AR solely on the basis that I thought there was a chance they’d be targeted in state or federal legislative attacks.
Here’s the problem.
I don’t like AR15’s. I find them bland, boring, lacking in anything resembling personality or soul, lacking in mechanical intrigue or historicity, and able to be substituted with a very large number of perfectly suitable alternatives at a bit of additional cost and tinkering. So I ended up just letting it sit and rot in my safe for like three years, trying to find an opportunity to flip it for more than half what I paid for it because of how laughably oversaturated the AR15 market is.
Thankfully, about the only positive thing to come out of this past year’s near-constant state of panic is the fact that I was able to sell the gun and the leftover ammo and accessories I had for a cool $1,600, which I immediately spent on an M1 Garand with a WW2 serial number.
There’s a difference between being strategic and being scared. Don’t ever buy something because you’ve been guilted or fearmongered into buying it. Buy it because you want it or because it fits into your prep schedule. Because if I hadn’t gotten lucky, I would have ended up having to decide between taking a bath on the thing and just letting it sit in my safe collecting dust and taking up space , and lo and behold, the AK that I passed over because 5.45 was a little truicky to come by at the moment? The gun itself is going for well over twice what I would have paid, in the rare event you can find it, and the ammo is about the only thing you can find in bulk at a reasonable rate right now. Other than, for some reason, those old Nagant foreskin style revolver cartridges which you can inexplicably find for about 18c/per. THERE’S another one I’m kicking myself about, passing up on the $99 Nagant revolvers…