Apr 09 2008
This is my gun. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
I’ve never really been any sort of firearms elitist (ok, I’m a little anti-Glock, but that’s really just a side effect of the fanboy non-gunny following – truthfully I just find the grips uncomfortable, and pulling the trigger to disassemble it seems counter-intuitive). I like firearms for their function, their history and their asthetics (I do own some fugly firearms however, the sort that only a mother could love).
More than once I’ve come across gun owners who believed that their firearm of choice was the ultimate in shooty goodness, failing to own one of their chosen firearms was not merely an example of personal bad judgement but an affront to right minded firearms owners everywhere.
This has to make you laugh, even if just a little.
I mean a piece of metal comes out one end really, really fast. Forcing that piece of metal to strike a required point time after time is a function of the reliability and consistency of the firearm, and the skill of the shooter. As far as I’m concerned the best firearm is ALWAYS the one that you are sufficiently proficient with, I’m just assuming you’re not developing proficiency with a lemon.
For the record, I own no lemons. Do you?
Guns are like women. They each have their own charms and attractions. And if you screw up with one, somebody’s gonna DIE!
I like my Glock. It’s simple, uncomplicated and user friendly. You can rest assured when you pull the trigger, it will work. It can’t perform as well as some higher end pistols, IMHO, but I’m not a world class shooter: To use a golf comparison, I’m the guy who hits the links every so often and is there to generally make everybody else look good. I don’t need high end clubs to play golf badly and I don’t need a high end pistol to miss as much as I hit.
I do like test driving the higher end stuff, especially Sigs, from time to time. They are a joy to shoot and the difference in weight and feel makes it interesting.
I can’t think of a “lemon” as such. I bought a Ruger 77 varminter that didn’t meet accuracy needs at ALL. I mean you really want sub MOA , preferably into the 5 shots into 1/2″ category and the Ruger was mostly 5 into 1-1/4″. How embarrassing.
Oh wait, the Beretta Tomcat who’s frame cracked after a couple hundred rounds. It took Beretta months to replace the frame. Probably they had to wait for the next production run, but my faith was shaken and I got rid of it the moment I got it back.
A “Lemon”?
I don’t consider any of mine to be “Lemons”.
If I had to be hard on a firearm, it would have been my P89.
That was the single worse firearm I’ve ever had the displeasure of shooting, let alone owning.
Constant failures, long heavy trigger, it was huge, and ugly as sin.
I’d go to the range and shot descant with it, but it was like learning to be a carpenter and using a rock instead of a hammer.
The gun “Elite” are always on hand at the range, generally toting toys with names like “Kimber”, “Colt performance”, or “H&K”.
But hey, if you got the money, I say go for it.
And yes, I love my Glock. Ether you’re a Glock fan or you’re not, there isn’t much in between.
Glock meets all my criteria for a good pistol (Flawless Function) and has none of the things I hate (Slide mounted safety, open barrel, de-cock or exposed hammer).
Interesting enough, last time we went to the gun store, Nik was eying up a Kimber custom carry pretty hard. Maybe she’ll become part of the “Elite”, or at least I can borrow it and bluff my way in to the club.
First off, I take no offense to your anti-Glock stance,to each their own. Heck, my dad is anti-semi auto,except for 1911 or Browning Hi-powers and will only carry a revolver otherwise.
As for lemons, I have had owned a few in my time. Llama 1911 that just would not cycle ,a FEG(Browning Hi-power clone) that would not eject,a Taurus 24/7 in .40 cal that just sucked out right. There were a few pawn shop bought Mossberg shotguns that fell apart on me, that was irritating.
But, with those lemons I have learned what works for me and what does not. RIght now I got three carry guns, a Taurus M85 (my third owned), a Glock G19 9mm, and a Kimber Classic II Gov’t 1911 .45. These guns work for me and fufill my self defense needs right now. Even thought I am looking for a pocket pistol to spend my take refund on.
Your P89 sounds like a late model P85/9.
Ruger made them as P85s, but jest before shipping, changed the slides to the P89.
There are a couple hundred of them around, and yeah, they are shit.
My P89, as I mentioned in a previous post, has functioned flawlessly since Day One.
Yes, it is large, and has a long pull. It ain’t the purtiest thing on the bench, but I guarantee it will fire when ya pull the trigger.
Glocks are ok. I just can’t get used to the feel: compared to my Ruger, they feel…. flimsy? HKs are good too, but they don’t tolerate getting dirty. I’m no fan of teh Beretta 92F, or any Beretta handgun: but their shotguns are nice.
While I wouldn’t trade my Ruger for either, Browning HiPowers and Colt 1911s are just solid and sweet.
By now, if you don’t realize it: I’m a RUGER man.
BTW; I bought my P89 in ’94, so it is a mid-to late model of the P89 series.
I’ve gone through too few to have owned a Lemon. In fact, the only issue I’ve ever had was some pump trouble on my 870 and sight problems on my AR. If I recall the latter was due to my lack of education causing me to twist the adjustment wrong and break it.
I think those elistist ramblings are much to convince themselves as the person they’re ranting at. Between guns, cars, computers, Warcraft, anime, bLogs, unified online service, gaming consoles, and so on it all looks the same to me:
“If you don’t mind your [receiver's product] going and [failing in some spectacular fashion] every [stupendously exaggerrated timeframe] and [exaggerated consequence] then I suppose it’s fine. Now my [speaker's product] will [perform specified operation] even if I were to [unrealistic abuse of product that it shouldn't have to operate through anyways].”
The only truly credible argument I can think of was the X-Box 360 red ring of death situation, because even Microsoft owned up to it. That doesn’t mean a PS3 will operate in lava, just that one too many corners were cut with the first few runs of X-Box 360s.
The Glock hexagonal rifling horror stories sounds like a cover-up by people who were too lazy to clean their guns like they should. AK-47s do not work better dirty. If the M4 (and copies built by other companies) are the weapons of choice by Navy SEALs, the SAS, Green Berets and special operations forces that are allowed to pick what they like, then I don’t think they’re the finicky deathtraps armchair gunsmiths and Halo players like to claim they are.
I once had a Llama alloy-frame 9mm that was so “jumpy” when fired that I traded it off – but that wasn’t really a “lemon”; it was what it was (a light 9mm), and pretty good at it. I just didn’t want what it was.
Same story with my Pt-92; it was reliable and well-built, but those 92 grips are too big for my hands, despite my long, long fingers, so it got traded for a CZ-75 clone that fits my hand perfectly.
The only lemon I ever had was a Chinese Nagant, where the extractor broke in the car on the way home from buying it
Fortunately, it didn’t cost much, either (which is part of the reason it was not repaired – it’s amazing what an extractor for a Nagant cost then, a decade and change ago), and suitably permanently disabled and then cut down and otherwise modified, it made an excellent “Road Warrior” costume piece for a while, and now the remaining bits are kept for spares for my three other, far better Nagants.
(And, since Micheal mentioned a lemon-Llama, I’ll chime in and say I still have and love my Llama .380 mini-1911.
But then, any company can make a 1911 that will fail as shipped, I hear, even the big custom houses… though they’re less likely to.)
I once owned a new Erma luger in .380 ACP.
Most cranky pistol I ever had … not even able to feed ball ammo reliably.
No lemons here, but that is simply because I have only purchased two firearms in my life, and both are relatively durable/dependable to begin with – a Baby Eagle 9mm (the Americanized version of an Israeli Jericho) and an M1A (the civilianized version of the M14). When I get around to purchasing a concealed-carry weapon (which basically amounts to “when I move to a state that will let me”), it is not likely to be a Glock, for really the same reasons you have against them… But beyond that? If it throws slugs downrange with a reasonable degree of accuracy and dependability, it works.
Pieter – I’m in the in between on Glocks.
There are others I enjoy more aesthetically, but wouldn’t feel bad using one of the plastic fantastic. Same way I’m not a 1911 snob, but consider them another good tool.
I could be considered a bit of a SIG snob… the drool-reaction at Mug’s 9mm P220 always kicks in in recent loadings of this page. And, I love the Beretta.
No real lemons but my Kel-Tec P11 is picky on ammo. Nothing a trip to the factory won’t fix but no need since it will probably be traded in for a .357.
I had a lemon HK USP 9mm back in 1998. Over 200 rounds through it and almost every range trip involved multiple FTEs. Thought it was just me at first until it happened to everyone who used it. I finally go fed up and sold it to pay my rent check. I don’t care how many uber-tacticool people use HK, I’ll never give them a dime again!
Lemons: Bad performance or lousy design?
I’ve had both: A EAA Witness in .45 that, after trying a half-dozen different types of ammo and after one trip to the factory and two to a gunsmith, would still insist on locking up every third round or so; and a Ruger P90 : the gun that convinced me to never again buy a Ruger centerfire auto. Every edge on this gun was sharp enough to shave with, the (stainless, machine-tool-sharp) slide was held onto the (aluminum) frame with a pair of tiny little slide tabs just begging to break off if you dropped it, and- how do I put this? After carrying the P90, the Glock Model 21 “Box o’ Cornflakes” I traded it for seemed to be the epitome of compact, sleek, and handy.
“A EAA Witness in .45″ Correct me if I’m wrong, but back in the early 90s couldn’t you buy a witness that was pink, or clear?
I remember the adds, kind of wanted a clear one.
Although it wasn’t long before the complains came rolling in about failures.
The only “lemon” I’ve bought was a BHP that had a butchered sear. Got that replaced and it was no longer lemon-like at all…