Reliability of handguns is a commonly used slogan: It will run anything, Just tap-rack, It is broken in now. When stressed, the said shortcuts come into conflict with two entities which do not bargain human performance boundaries and mechanical reality.
Reliability is also not a trait, but a system. The pistol, magazines, ammunition, lubrication, technique of shooting, and even the release of the slide all lie one atop the other. The reputation of the gun is irrelevant when one of the links is a weak one.
1. The gripping of a quality pistol is not important as long as it is a reliable pistol
A lot of the stoppages that are ascribed to the gun are introduced by the interaction of the shooter with the gun, and particularly with small, light carry pistols. Semi-autos require the slide to slide backwards against the frame with sufficient velocity to remove, expel and load; a loose wrist allows the frame to move with the slide, decreasing the relative movement.
The outcome may appear as sporadic failure to eject, failure to get back to battery or unpredictable ejection patterns, which are precisely the sort of it ran fine yesterday behavior that occurs when grip stability is compromised by adrenaline, fatigue or awkward position.
2. When it sticks it must be the ammunition modern hollow points can never get one into trouble
Defensive loads are designed to work, however the bullet shape must still penetrate through a particular pistol, magazine and feed ramp geometry. In areas of high expansion and entry it is not ensured that a certain hollow point profile will be cycled in a specific gun at a certain speed. The emphasis of the shooting world on terminal performance usually shifts the attention away to achieving the simpler goal, that the pistol should feed that particular load reliably and without fail, when the hands of the shooter are trembling, and the pressure on the grip is uneven.
3. Tap-rack is the solution to all ills and thus trainings on malfunctions can be minimal
The Tap-rack is a handy yardstick reaction, yet not all the stops are the same issue in another coat of paint. There are extractor problems, parts out of spec or improperly installed springs which can cause repeat failures that cannot be cured by clearing once. In a single troubleshooting thread, a user discovered the extractor is actually out of spec, to the extent that it is capable of pulling, but not holding the case against the breechface as it should. When a shooter experiences stress, they are able to waste time by cycling a gun that is mechanically adjusted to re-fail.
4. Break-in is not a necessity; it should be brought along when it comes out of the box
The use of mechanical systems that contain springs and mating surfaces varies with each cycle and friction points, burrs and magazine stiffness manifest during early use. Another popular method is to fire a reliability test prior to placing the weapon to the defensive, a small amount of ammunition loaded and simple cleaning. One of the guides is straightforward about it: approximately 100 rounds is a pragmatic minimum to get a new pistol to begin smoothing its parts, and to test that it functions with magazines and manipulations the shooter will really be using, such as multiple reloads and slide-release procedure.
5. Springs are ruined by leaving magazines loaded, and carry mags loose
There are magazine spring myths that result in range mags and carry mags which are never taken seriously in their practical arrangement. Cycles, rather than compressive static load, are usually the cause of wear on springs and the unproven magazine is the real reliability problem : stiff new springs, rough followers, or out of specific feed lips may only be detected when the mag is full and the gun fired fast. Any carry set up that is not regularly practiced as carried is a reliability experiment at worst possible time.
6. When the gun runs slow it will run when things get out of control
Stress changes mechanics. There are grip pressure spices, wrists open, shoulders elevate and the focus becomes narrow. A pistol, which never jams when at the calm range strings, may begin to choke when the shooter is on the move, firing with his one hand, shooting positions he has compromised, or when he has just become weary. Here whereby marginal configurations come into sight, borderline recoil springs, picky ammunition, magazines which do not function at all unless loaded to some fixed number, or guns which are sensitive to the pressures of the support-hand.
7. Reliability is a brand characteristic, rather than a maintenance and set up characteristic
Inspection, lubrication and basic diagnostics are not a replacement of brand reputation. The issues of extraction and ejection may be tension-based, geometrical, or compatibility of parts; the same symptom may conceal various causes. One example of troubleshooting in a different platform is that the gun will load a round successfully, but not draw a live round unless the tip of the muzzle is curved, causing it to check extractions is excessive, the battery is locked, and the chamber is plugged. The general adage is applicable to handguns: reliability is a thing that is proven and preserved, not presumed.
The myths of reliability are most difficult to stand when the control of the fine muscles decreases and the time shrinks. The most reliable pistol in that setting would be the one checked on its functions with the actual magazines, ammunitions, lubrication state, and manipulations the shooter would do. In the case of defensive handguns it is straightforward: the gun should function, the shooter should function it, and both should be tested as a unit.
