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I'm looking to purchase a gun and I've not had one for a number of years so I am not sure if things are still the same with them.
I want to have a gun in my house for protection, not to use on a regular basis (I'm a highly trained marksman, was qualified as a sharpshooter with the M9 in my Navy Days) but rather to have for the just-in-case moments. I want one which will be able to remain functional even after long periods of not being used.
Which pistol is the most reliable and most durable?
I'm looking to purchase a gun and I've not had one for a number of years so I am not sure if things are still the same with them.
I want to have a gun in my house for protection, not to use on a regular basis (I'm a highly trained marksman, was qualified as a sharpshooter with the M9 in my Navy Days) but rather to have for the just-in-case moments. I want one which will be able to remain functional even after long periods of not being used.
Which pistol is the most reliable and most durable?
I am not getting into brands of guns. But as a class I would say in my opinion (have to add that clause because the forum has been getting really nasty lately) revolvers are more reliable than automatics. -fewer moving parts, easier to maintain and clean, simple mechanics. This is more important with cheaper revolvers vs. semi-automatics. Perhaps less important with more expensive models.
Both are subject, depending on the environment of where you keep them, of malfunctioning if not maintained however.
Even though you are not going to be a regular user, you should still find a pistol that fits your hand and feels good to you.
I would also look into a revolver (as stated above), right now they are going dirt cheap...Pawn shops have many, I see no need to buy a new pistol if you are not going to use it often, people are on the auto band wagon right now....
Not an expert here but from what I've read, the best autos are now more reliable than the best revolvers over the long haul. Revolvers can go out of time, etc. I suppose if you wanted to stick a loaded gun in a drawer and leave it there for 3 years, the revolver might be worth considering if only because of the mag spring. But that is not a good idea anyway, since shooting is a relatively perishable skill. The most important component is not the gun, but the user.
My suggestion would be a Glock 31 in .357 Sig. Glocks are known for amazing reliability, and the .357 sig with bottleneck cartridge shape provides enhanced feed reliability. Also if you want to maximize long term reliability the full size model 31 would be the way to go, as opposed to the compact versions. More mass=stronger and less subject to breakage.
Another advantage of the double action revolver is the loading and unloading, much easier and faster to accomplish than a single action. If I were you I would consider only a revolver like most of the posters have mentioned. I would also completely disregard post #5, there are no doubt many Glock users on this forum and many who would still recommend a revolver to you. The caliber mentioned in post #5 would be a caliber most of us would not recommend, because it is not as common as a 9 MM or a 45 ACP and could be hard to find in a few years. Personally I would buy something in 357 Magnum, then you could also use the less powerful 38 Special cartridge if you wished to do so. In my opinion buying a gun and putting it away and not practicing with it is a bad idea, but then again you know what is important to you and it is certainly no bodies business but yours. There are also many revolvers chambered in 22 lr, these are cheap to shoot and you can find 22 ammo everywhere, but they leave something to be desired if you plan on using the gun for self protection.
I generally agree with the choice of revolver if it's going to be the only firearm; however, I recommend a 4" minimum barrel length. 38 in a 2"-3" barrel is nasty to shoot.
The OP specifically asked about reliability, not availability. The .357 Sig has a great rep for reliability. You're feeding a .35 cal bullet into a .40 cal chamber, which provides margin for error.
If you want to maximize the availabilty factor, then certainly the .22 lr is the top choice. As long as large police agencies are using the .357 Sig it will remain reasonably available. The .357 SIG In Perspective | Guns Magazine
I would say that any quality pistol or revolver will be reliable enough that the odds of it failing when you need it are about like the odds of getting hit by lightning.
That said for a non-enthusiast a DA revolver of some sort is hard to beat, particularly for a gat that will be "carried much and shot little".
Probably the most reliable handgun you can get is a T-C Contender single shot. Put the cartridge in the chamber, close the breech, ear back the hammer, and it will definitely go bang when you pull the trigger. Once. But that's not really a practical answer to what you were really asking.
If you will practice a little with it, the good old 1911 is a very good blend of reliability, stopping power, magazine capacity, quick reload, reasonable level of recoil, and accuracy.
If you don't practice at all, you probably won't shoot well if you need to. And you probably won't have the proper mindset. It's very easy to grab a DA revolver and *fire* it in double action mode, but actually *hitting* in DA does take some practice.
It's the loose nut holding the gun, just like the loose nut behind the steering wheel, that needs the most improvement in most man-machine pairs.
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