What bad guns have you bought, and why?

[Jason]

I will turn this around slightly since I have actually owned very good pistols, all reliable believe it or not.

Got rid of and shouldnt:
My first glock 19 back in 1996 (sold it to a friend, corrected mistake)
2 S&W J-Frames one model 60 and a 642 (currently correcting this mistake)

Got rid of and happy about it (simplification is awesome):
Sig 239 (too big for 8 shots)
Sig 225 (too big for 8 shots this one was hard to sell but couldnt justify keeping it)
Ruger SP101 (too heavy for 5 shots)
HK P7 PSP (reliable until it breaks)
S&W 686 (what was I thinking!)
Kimber Custom Compact (actually 100% reliable for me but it was an old one)
Kel Tec 9mm (trigger sucked but very reliable)
Kel Tec 32 ACP (not comfortable with caliber, but very reliable)
Walther P22 (reliable but not similar enough to carry guns for good training)


Only unreliable pistol:
Uberti 45 Long Colt (fun but once you stop reloading not worth it)


NOW: Glocks, a Kahr PM9, and soon to add back the Jframe I shouldnt have sold.

[TheNewbie]

Kel-Tec PF9. I read about people complaing and thought "no way it's that bad." Well it is "that bad".

[JFK]

First gun I ever purchased. A Jennings .380. Purchased it off my boss at the time the day I turned 21. It was cool, it was chrome, I knew nothing about guns whatsoever.

First time I fired it I ended up needing two stitches because the bottom of the slide ripped my hand open on recoil.

It was so bad I did not even sell it, I ended up giving it to a guy who was going through gunsmith courses.

[jwperry]

I've broken a few guns..

Sig P226 Navy - my first gun. I knew nothing about guns but needed something for home protection after a few incedents, so I turned to my cousin who was in the Navy and asked his recommendation and this is what I got. 300 rounds into it the recoil assembly came apart when firing. I was never able to get the gun to return to battery. I took it to the gunshow and sold it for $300..

Sig Mosquito - After discovering internet gun forums and hearing how Sigs are such great guns and I'm an idiot who was making up my broken P226 story I gave Sigs another shot with the Mosquito. The gun shot well for the 100 rounds I fired out of it. The problem came on clean up; when running the brass brush through I kept getting what I thought was unburnt powder coming out...what was really happening was I was sanding out the rifling of the barrel. Response from Sig's customer service agent "What do you expect from a $300 gun sir?". I now boycott Sig..

Kimber Tactical Custom II - never, ever buy aluminum framed 1911s
Kimber Covert Pro II - see above post. If you do buy two, don't buy them at the same time so that you see the problems at the same time.
CMMG AR15 - mil spec is mil spec right? Until you break your bolt catch, then the your gas key looses a screw and causes the action to seize up.

[fuse]

My USP .40 had a crappy DA pull and started having double feeds and stove pipes after 2,000 rounds. In retrospect it may have been the S&B ammo but I got rid of it before I found out.

Sig P226R DAK which I bought before ever trying the DAK system, what a retarded reset that added 2 additional pounds.

I believe I read somewhere the DAK trigger is best used with letting the trigger fully reset to the lighter long pull for every shot. The heavier, shorter pull is just there to save you from short stroking.

Though I agree this doesn't seem ideal.

[dravz]

My biggest disappointment would have to be my very first handgun, a Ruger P97DC. I still remember the huge rollmark that said P97DC and I'll never forget it. But probably due to a lack of skill, the caliber of the gun (.45ACP), and the pure surprise at how difficult shooting a gun was, I absolutely hated this gun the very first time I took it out to the range. I bought it at a local gun store, sold on it because of the guy behind the counter (because I didn't know any better), and paid way too much for it (because I was taken advantage of). I was so jaded I almost gave up pistol shooting entirely, and is the reason why even today I still hate Rugers (completely irrationally) and hate gun stores (completely justified).

--

Also I had this Mossberg 500 that was pretty beat-up. It had a combo pistol grip + full stock on it (the name for this kind of stock escapes me) and I had a blast with it every range trip. But racking the slide is rough and it's just generally a beater. So I sold it to a friend of mine who needed a bed gun (he had no firearms) for $150 because I had big plans to upgrade to a real nice 870.

I ordered some super expensive 870 police model with a Surefire forend and all this other fancy shit. This thing looked so fucking badass, I mean it made me an honorary SWAT team member just being near it. I take it to the range though, and boy howdy did I hate it. It was way too heavy, the light sucked, I hated where the safety was, the shell tongue was annoying as hell, on and on. The whole time I'm thinking, I paid HOW MUCH for this??? (Have you seen what these cost? Ugh.)

I ended up selling it to a dude in NY, and that turned into a whole separate disaster. The FFL tried to reject the transfer until I faxed him some bullshit document he wanted on DEPT OF THE ARMY letterhead, that cleared him up quick. But the FFL had dropped it or something before the buyer arrived and dorked up the front sight, something like that. Fun.

I actually went without a shotgun for a long time after that (this all happened in 2005? 2006?). However I recently bought another Mossberg last year, a PGO, which I've already sold off too because I really am done with shotguns for good.

[EricP]

Tanfoglio Witness P Carry-Comp in 45 with Wonder finish. I don't really know what I was thinking in the first place buying a comped 45 with a name so long that it wouldn't fit on the slide. It couldn't get through a a magazine without multiple FTFs. EAA wanted $35 and shipping both ways to even look at it.

Doing some research on EAA and this model gun after purchase (naturally) showed that sending it back would be throwing away good money after bad.

I traded it back to the shop where I had purchased it, who knew its history, for a 50% loss.

[peterb]

However I recently bought another Mossberg last year, a PGO, which I've already sold off too because I really am done with shotguns for good.

Note for prospective shotgun buyers -- A pistol grip stock on a Mossberg shotgun is usually a bad combination because it is hard to reach the safety without breaking your grip. The top tang safety works well with a conventional stock.

[John Ralston]

G34...I just had to have it, even though Glocks don't fit my hand (I am digitally challenged). I traded a Sig P225 for it (the G34 was brand new). Put a Dawson FO Front/Heinie Rear on it, Shot a few hundred rounds and it sat in the safe.

However, I sold it and a few holsters to one of my customers and went out and bought a P30 that fits like a glove

[Oscar 319]

Bad Gun: Rock River Arms "DEA" build.

Why: It passed the "DEA Torture Test"

http://www.rockriverarms.com/images/pdfs/gm_oct04.pdf

In the 12 weeks it took to complete the build, I actually researched the AR15 and realized my $2,200 investment was gun magazine hype.

Sold it, got a Colt and quit reading gun magazines.