Your Least Favorite Gun

Guns & Gear
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#21

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…

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#22

lol, well in all fairness, my first handgun was a 9mm and had it two years before moving up calibers… :slight_smile:

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#23

Colt Commander. Nice looking gun. But nothing seemed to be right with it. Mag didnt seat right, the white dot fell off the front sight. Just stupid stuff. And the Stainless Steel finish was a nightmare to keep clear of marks. It was the pistol that turned me away from the Pony…

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#24

Exactly. I hadn’t been shooting in a long while. I had always been interested in the caliber, but due to the pandemic, I couldn’t shoot for a month, and.picked.up the shield because I realized that my P-07 duty wasn’t going to carry well for me

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#25

Even the dreaded HiPoint? :rofl:

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#26

I don’t like AR15’s. I find them bland, boring, lacking in anything resembling personality or soul, lacking in mechanical intrigue or historicity,
I bet to differ. AR 15s have plenty of personality. They are a bit like marrying a supermodel. High to maintain and picky on ammo but when you dress them up they look real pretty and will amaze your friends with super accuracy and good taste. AKs are durable and reliable but a bit dated in design. But to each their own. As long as you didnt mention HiPoint as a viable pistol.

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#27

I dunnow, man. Maybe if everyone out there had two or more supermodel wives that were virtually indistinguishable from each other. :slight_smile:

That said, honestly? Hi-Point pistols are horrendous, but at least they usually work. I will generally recommend them over Taurus, though with the caveat that literally almost anything else out there is probably better. I would never spend my money on one and will always recommend against anyone else doing so, but credit where credit is due. They are usually relatively reliable, even if they are prone to accelerated wear due to poor materials, poor accuracy and recovery speed due to horrendous ergonomics, and extremely poor ratio of weight and bulk to capacity.

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#28

Aww, I love those little H&R hooker pistols! They’re basically the Hi-Point of 1890. But I generally prefer. 38 S&W Short because if I’m going to remove my hand with a malf, I want it to at least be a good show.

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#29

I have seen gun tests on HiPoints and most said that while they are good for the price they are not that durable. And I like Taurus. I never had a issue with mine and for the price they arent that bad. But my go to 99% of the time is the Beretta. AR and AK are both good rifles. It all depends what you want in a rifle. AK for stopping power but AR for putting shots on target. Now if we want both then a M1A1 in 308. Thats my goal.

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#30

I was set on getting the M1A1 too ,until I got the chance to actually handle one. It was big, and it was heavy, much more so than I had imagined, and then I contemplated carrying the ammo to go with it. Suddenly the advantages of the .223/5.56 became much more apparent. Grudgingly I realized, as a practical matter for me, the M1A1 was just too much gun ( and ammo ) to expect to carry around. I would say barrow one to get the feel before you plunk down the premium price for a good one.

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#31

I’d say to try one first. I consider them in many ways to be a step backwards from the Garand. They’re very cool guns, but they’re cumbersome, reloads are always clumsy, they are heavy, and they are plagued with accuracy issues and difficult to properly accurize due to the way they need to be fully disassembled for cleaning.
I generally recommend an AR10 by a reputable brand, or if you’re on a budget, a PTR91. I have a heavily customized match-grade CETME Model C rifle that’s my go-to fighting rifle. It’s comedically reliable, shoots 0.67 MOA all day on middle-of-the-road quality 168gr OTM ammo, and the manual of arms is virtually identical to an AK except that magazine insertions are much faster due to it having an actual magwell that tolerates several different insertion angles. If you’re set on a .308 because you’re like me and you’re willing to tolerate the drawbacks in exchange for the extra penetration and potential range, I would definitely look at the AR10 and the PTR 91.

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#32

I’ve recently shot my first HiPoint and I was actually surprised at how well it shot. Not my first choice in firearms, but not my last either.

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#33

Yes, Its a cannon compared to the ARs. I have a M1917 Enfield, K98 Mauser and a SMLE and it is boggling how men carried them things for long periods. The move from the M14 to the M16 was mainly because of the smaller round of the M16. But the M1A1 would be a good buy if you dont think your will be moving around alot.

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#34

The surprise for me after considering things like a PDW, and the role and rationale for them, was that I took another look at the mini-14, all be it the new upgraded version. I took one out for testing with iron sights and small magazines, with large magazines on stand-by. I found it small, light, and very handy, like a good pistol caliber carbine, but it was also quick handling, accurate, with rapid sight acquisition, AND, it had the reach and effectiveness of An AR if I needed it. please correct me if I am missing something important, but, one of my least favorite guns suddenly became my favorite gun for the right role. As I say, it was a surprise to me.

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#35

My worst gun would have to be my first pistol, a Jennings 9mm. That thing couldn’t hit even near the same place twice, even with the sights dead on target. Tolerances were sloppy as all get-out, and it was basically a piece of junk.
I honestly didn’t know any better when I bought it, as prior to that I only had rifles and shotguns. I sold it probably a year after I bought it, and didn’t miss it at all. Three decades later, I decided to buy another pistol, and this time did some research. I decided on a Beretta, and was pretty much looking for a used 92, when my favorite gun store got in an APX Compact. The price was astounding for a new gun, and I really liked the unconventional look of the slide serrations. I bought it, and from the first shot loved it. Loved it enough I’m soon going to get another one, only full sized.

Beretta APX Compact
Beretta APX Compact1200×899 96.1 KB

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#36

I have one HiPoint 45. I like it but just like Dawn said, wouldnt be my first pick in firearms.

But I saw a YT video that was hilarious where this guy put this one HiPoint through hell and yet still fired. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpZdUgBzh7Y

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#37

Walther P22…Kitzigen Rod and Gun Club was downsizing before closure around 2004…I was just back from OIF II and had a bit of $$$ to spend…R&G made me a deal on a nice stainless CZ75B if I’d take the P22 as well. Lesson learned…too finicky and limited warranty or service here in CONUS.

Second place…stationed in Alaska with several .357s, but just had to get a used Smith 629. OK, fired maybe 100 rounds since 1992…safe queen since not too many Alaskan outdoor adventures here in Virginia.

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#38

Oh yes, forgot about the Walther P22. Got one for my wife. Nice looking…and a Walther…must be good…right? Wrong. Inaccurate, even at short distances. Very picky on ammo. Would only shoot CCI Mini Mag, and would still misfeed. And reassembly after cleaning was very difficult. Got rid of that one as well.

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#39

Lol…I hear that’s not as bad as a lot of folks say…but I don’t have one in my safe, so it wouldn’t count, lol <insert picture of gun snob here, lol>

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#40

They are much hardier than many folks give them credit for. A friend tried to destroy one on a bet with the President of the company and ended up buying it.

My least favorites have always been Glocks because I never had one that felt “right“ in my hands. I’m a 1911 guy and they are my first love but I have always admired Glocks simplicity and reliability, soI went through 7 or 8 different ones until I built my own FrankenGlock. It’s a 43 slide with a 48 frame which is now sold commercially as a 43X.

After a minor grip adjustment I finally found a Glock can love and with the new Shield Arms 15 round mags it’s a super compact 16 round gun that fully loaded weighs in at a svelte 24 ozs (lighter than my beloved Kimber UltraRaptor empty) and I forget I’m wearing it AIWB. So indifference has become love finally.

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