Most horrible gun you ever owned?

[Pandaz3]

Phoenix 22 LR

 

[brass_buzzard]

Been a few, but this pistol was the worst.

Beretta APX A1 Carry

 

[MymuttBear]

Easiest question ever.
Baikal double barrel 12ga with exposed hammers, two triggers and a solid butt plate.

 

[Capn Jack]

AR7 The original. Had a terrable trigger.
I bought it for my boat incase of trouble.
Main trouble was Canadian Customs and it's size. Canadian customs went bannanas over it being a, "Semi-Automatic"
and it would have been rediculous to try and intimidate anyone, or anything with it.

I traded it for a Winchester SS 12ga. Marine Riot Gun. End of problems.
Customs only asked that I keep it unloaded when not in use.

 

[huntpotter]

Century arms FAL. Cast receiver. Misaligned barrel threads. Uncut guide rails. Gas tube misaligned.
That's when you could get a complete FAL built with a quality South African parts kit for $500.
The parts were all quality. The build was junk. And the receiver was junk.
I learned how to work on FALs and got it running right. I ended up scrapping the receiver and replaced it with an Imbel.

It's either that or the Jennings 22. That sure was a crappy gun. But it was only $70 bucks at the pawn shop.

 

[OR Highlander]

The SIG P290 would be high on my list.

I know some folks had good luck with them, so I am not saying every single one was defective. But between mine and my father's, our sample size of two was enough for me. It was probably the fastest I have ever been happy to sell a firearm, even at a loss.

The common explanations for why the P290 faded away usually mention the long DAO trigger, early reliability complaints, magazine issues, low capacity, and then the P365 coming along and making it obsolete. All fair points. But I think that still undersells why some owners disliked it so much.

For me, the problem was the whole ownership experience.

The takedown was far more annoying than it needed to be. That matters because if a pistol is a pain to field strip and clean, I am already less interested in training with it.

The trigger was not just "long DAO." I can live with a good DAO revolver trigger. The P290 trigger felt like work, and the reset did not help. It was the kind of trigger that made the gun feel slower and less confidence-inspiring than it should have been.

The inside of the trigger guard would bite or pinch my trigger finger. Not just discomfort. Blood blister level irritation. That is a hard no for me on a small defensive pistol.

Then add the small grip, limited capacity, weight for its size, and the fact that other guns soon did the same job better, lighter, easier, and with more rounds.

The P290 may have looked good on paper: small SIG, 9mm, night sights, pocketable size, real sights. But in actual use, it felt like a gun designed around a checklist rather than a gun designed around the shooter.

Again, I am sure there are people who liked theirs and had reliable ones. Good for them. Mine was not that gun. Neither was my father's. Both went away quickly, and I have never missed it.

 

[.45's and .38's]

Springfield Prodigy compact
Only time I've ever made a member give me my trade item back

Couldn't make it through a single mag without a malfunction everytime

Changing parts and internals and not telling people

 

[nothanyelljenk]

I did a search and did not find this particular thread, there is the "Favorite worst gun you own" thread, I'm curious about the horror stories of firearms you couldn't get rid of quick enough.
If there is already a version of this topic which is similar please direct me to it and maybe the mod's can delete this one or I will.
My very worst was a beautiful classy little Rohrbaugh R9, what a looker she was.
I took her to the range for it's maiden voyage and managed to fire 3 shots before cussing very loudly, unloading and shoving that evil little piece of bubblegum back into my range bag and going back home.
Firing it felt like a woman's spiked heel was stepping on my palm

View attachment 2202500

Any sccy handgun

 

[Jeepsnguns]

The SIG P290 would be high on my list.
The inside of the trigger guard would bite or pinch my trigger finger. Not just discomfort. Blood blister level irritation.

You reminded me of the Sig Mosquito .22 LR I once owned.
It was a pretty gun, looked like the 226 but the trigger sucked, it pinched, one range trip was all it took for me to pack it up and sell it at a loss.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

You reminded me of the Sig Mosquito .22 LR I once owned.
It was a pretty gun, looked like the 226 but the trigger sucked, it pinched, one range trip was all it took for me to pack it up and sell it at a loss.

100%. Made by GSG not sig. My recommendation is to never buy a GSG gun of any kind, including their mp5 22 (not to be confused with the Walther/umarex hk branded mp5 22 which is good).

 

[MannyGlocks]

Berreta Bobcat .22 LR...unreliable