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So, the top handguns are fairly well listed, but a list of handguns to avoid may be helpful to the novice.

Some of my choices are: Lorcin / Jimenez / Highpoint

Please add your choices.

Thanks!

Sorry to say it but be skeptical with Taurus. I like some of their guns but their quality control is lacking and out of everything I have sold or transferred I have seen more problems with Taurus than with any other gun.

Abraham wrote:So, the top handguns are fairly well listed, but a list of handguns to avoid may be helpful to the novice.

Some of my choices are: Lorcin / Jimenez / Highpoint

Please add your choices.

Thanks!

The first two you list plus RG/Rohm, Jennings (Jimenez predecessor) and many more certainly qualify for poor quality as Saturday Night Specials. I'm conflicted on Hi-points. There are far worse firearms quality and reliability wise than theirs. I've handled a couple, but I've never fired one! From what I read they go bang when the trigger is pulled and they fill a niche for those with a limited budget wanting the ability to defend themselves. JMHO

The handgun I am not carrying is the one I want to avoid. Any gun is better than no gun, so I think the "no gun" is the bottom gun.

mrvmax wrote:Sorry to say it but be skeptical with Taurus. I like some of their guns but their quality control is lacking and out of everything I have sold or transferred I have seen more problems with Taurus than with any other gun.

That's too bad. Back in the day their guns were decent quality and I don't recall ever having any complaints. Early on if I remember correctly their revolvers were made on S&W equipment.

Most of the guns that I would think of for this list are guns that I have intentionally avoided, so I don't have enough experience with them to comment intelligently.

Of the guns that I have owned, Taurus is the only manufacturer where I have had any issues, and that was with one gun out of 4 total. The other 3 Taurus guns that I have owned have been fine.

In all seriousness, I would probably recommend that a new shooter avoids Glocks, or at least considers guns other than Glocks. Not because Glocks are "bad" in any sense of the word (they're not). Rather because there are better options available for the Glock price point, and there are alternatives that are every bit as good as Glock's offerings at a much lower price point.

Glocks

I had a Stallard 9mm. Notice I said "had"

I do not understand why Hi-Point makes these lists. Some you list will blow up in your hand, the Hi-Point is just ugly as sin. In my experience I would much rather have a Hi-Point than any semi auto Taurus makes. Ugly pistols are better than single shot pistols.

I understand that my (anecdotal) experience is not everyone's so please know that is a personal opinion. I know others love Taurus and I do not claim they are wrong for that.

Never seen a Stallard before. It manages to be uglier than a Hi-Point which is saying something.

R.G. Industries is pretty terrible if you see one at a pawn shop! Jimenez is pretty bad too my father in law had his .380 come apart after firing. Hi Points I hear are pretty tough I’ve just never liked them. As far as Taurus goes I’m a huge fan or the Raging series, but I have a PT-22 that is a utter piece of junk! I’ve sent it off 4 times and every time I get it back it breaks within the first magazine.

Taurus is +1 in my list for "bottom handguns". Of course, the Bryco, Jimenez, Lorcin guns are on my list. I'd also add the S&W Sigma.

I used to be in the "Hi-Point are garbage" camp, but realize that a lot of my own personal bias was mixed in that. They go bang, and cater to a market of folks who can't afford something else. They are ugly as sin, and I'd never own one, but they have their place.

lama wrote:I do not understand why Hi-Point makes these lists. Some you list will blow up in your hand, the Hi-Point is just ugly as sin. In my experience I would much rather have a Hi-Point than any semi auto Taurus makes. Ugly pistols are better than single shot pistols.

I understand that my (anecdotal) experience is not everyone's so please know that is a personal opinion. I know others love Taurus and I do not claim they are wrong for that.

Never seen a Stallard before. It manages to be uglier than a Hi-Point which is saying something.

I’m right there with you. I’ve heard mainly good things as far as reliability with hi-points, but I just don’t care for them as far as appearance. Some people are going to be offended by this next statement but I could care less its an opinion I found true. A couple years ago I was at a LGS waiting with my mind set to buy a Beretta px4 compact. This guy looking at some guns next to me asks which one am I interested in? So I say the PX4 he laughs and says a lot of people love those guns but he can’t understand why anyone would pay so much for a gun that looks a lot like a Hi-Point. I laughed and he walked off. I stood there and I stared at the pistol for a little but his comment kept coming back to me. Then I said oh crap this does look a lot like a Hi-Point! I ended up buying a 1911 instead

Many here probably do not know, but many quality pistols were considered "Saturday Night Specials" when the GCA of 1968 was being written and passed. Beretta small pocket automatics come to mind, Jet Fire, Bob Cat, Lynx,Jaguar because they lacked features required to meet the new standards. Berettas were and are well made, quality pistols. Beretta made the required changes and Wah! Lah! they were no longer in the SNS category. Other manufactures/importers got around the law by importing parts and assembling them in the US. Many are still around and the names are far too many for me to mention/remember. They were junk before the GCA/68 and junk afterwards.

I am sure that there are brands that are pure Saturday night specials that should be avoided but I think that for major brands each model needs to be looked at individually. Remington recalled the R51. Ruger recalled their Mark4. I subscribe to Guntests.com which usually gives a pretty good non-biased review of each gun and I stay away from poorly rated models. Some of the big name companies have some poorly rated models and some of the less respected (Taurus for example) have some highly rated models. My truck gun is a Taurus G2 millenium 9mm and it has never failed me but certainly is not a favorite. Just got my Sig p320 back from Sig. All of the major companies have produced some losers.

lama wrote:I do not understand why Hi-Point makes these lists. Some you list will blow up in your hand, the Hi-Point is just ugly as sin. In my experience I would much rather have a Hi-Point than any semi auto Taurus makes. Ugly pistols are better than single shot pistols.

A lot of people wave off these kind of pistols, and I would definitely tell you to NOT buy one if you can afford something like a Glock. On the other hand, for $150, a Hi-Point is perfectly fine as a home defense gun. It takes PP+ ammo and goes bang when you pull the trigger (and the bullet goes the correct direction ).