One more question please regards reliabilty

Info, pictures, advice...
Post Reply
Chuck DeVoid
Posts: 7
Joined: September 16th, 2012, 7:37 am

One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by Chuck DeVoid »

Thanks for the responses on my question below regards POA vs. POI.

As everyone knows, Gander Mountain is running a flyer for these pistols at 200.00. I'm going tomorrow to check them out, and likely will buy one.

I've been reading this forum (great information) and have seen some posts for broken trigger guards, slide problems, hammer struts, cracked frame, etc.. All products can have problems, but are these examples common or the rare exception? Reliability?

Thanks again in advance,
Bill
User avatar
fully machined
Member
Member
Posts: 162
Joined: August 14th, 2011, 11:14 pm

Re: One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by fully machined »

MY first outing 150 + rounds, no problems. Since then with many others, no problems
My first outing with other micro 380's and 9mm did not fair well. If the pistol jams once I start not liking it.
Since this forum deals with P-64's you will hear about problems
I can not think of another pistol this size, with this much firepower, that I would rather own.
P.S.-----I do not buy into the first outing you may have problems it needs to be shot in or what ever.
To all the companies that use this idea why don't you shoot it 200 times before you sell it to me.
User avatar
juniustaylor
Elite member
Elite member
Posts: 1408
Joined: February 9th, 2010, 10:56 pm
Location: KV, MO
Contact:

Re: One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by juniustaylor »

That's a big one with Kimber. Those potlickers expect you to waste 500 rounds before the gun should "break in" and be problem free. That is just ignorant.

To the question about the P-64's. In my opinion, problems are rather rare. Like FM stated, when you have a board dedicated to this particular handgun, you're going to hear about most good things, and bad things that have happened to folks. When you consider the amount of the pistols in the market and the few oddball things that happen, it seems like a low chance. However, these guns are around 40 years old and no one can say how many times a particular one was shot. So, it's almost a gamble.

Just take a good look at different ones and see if any look to be in good shape. Gander offers some form of warranty on their used guns, so if something does happen within that window, then you've got a source to get it fixed for free. After that, you're on your own. Replacement parts range quite a bit depending on the piece that needs replaced. Working on these is relatively simple and can be done with regular tools you should have around the house.

GOOD LUCK!
US Air Force Veteran - OEF/OIF
User avatar
Curly1
Elite member
Elite member
Posts: 2529
Joined: September 20th, 2011, 11:35 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by Curly1 »

I think the odds of reliability are in you favor, let us know how it works out.
Laugh Hard and Often.

Gary
User avatar
lklawson
Senior member
Senior member
Posts: 469
Joined: February 19th, 2011, 8:39 pm
Location: Huber Heights, OH
Contact:

Re: One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by lklawson »

fully machined wrote:P.S.-----I do not buy into the first outing you may have problems it needs to be shot in or what ever.
To all the companies that use this idea why don't you shoot it 200 times before you sell it to me.
Price.

Most companies that say this know that running 200 rounds through the gun will add 200 rounds, plus time for the employee, to the cost of the gun. Or a Fluff & Buff with similar employee costs. They believe that people buying their guns would prefer to shoot-in the guns themselves and save the extra money.

And they're not wrong. While there are some resellers that will do a pre-sale F&B, they're the exception rather than the rule. There are, of course, some smiths that advertise a "reliability treatment" F&B too. I assume that most will do this, but, again, it's for a fee. I think I'd rather buy $40 of ammo and shoot it myself, because it's fun, than pay a smith $40 to do a F&B for me.

For what it's worth, the "break in" period is pretty common among mechanical devices. I have heard it a lot, in the past, from auto mechanics. New engines have a "wear in" period. They smooth out after the first 1,000 miles or whatever. I remember when Slick 50 first came out it specifically warned purchasers not to use on a new engine before X number of miles wear in period.

As for guns, I've noticed that a lot of NIB guns come in need of proper cleaning and lubing. When I bought my son his Ruger SR22, the slide needed to be worked a half dozen times before even the craptastic lube that Ruger puts on it for shipping was distributed. First thing I did was take it home, break it down, and clean & lube it.

If you, personally, want out-of-the-box reliability, either pay for a reliability prep service from a smith (or pre-sale service) or do a F&B yourself. That's really the only way to be certain and even then you still have a proving period, a number of trouble-free rounds the gun must fire before you will trust it.

It's also important to note that pretty much all of the P64 have already been "worn in." They're used, surplus, guns after all.

<shrug>

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk
The Cheapskate's Guide to Gun Cleaning and Maintenance - "You shouldn't have to spend thousands of dollars on expensive gun cleaning an maintenance products. Find out how to save money with inexpensive alternatives that work just as well."
staff3704
Posts: 8
Joined: August 28th, 2012, 2:13 pm

Re: One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by staff3704 »

I bought a 1974 that looked brand new. If it was shot (probably), it wasn't much. The first time I took it out I had no problems except the safety was very hard to put on and take off. When I got it home and broke it down there was no noticable wear, so I worked on it and made the safety easier to operate.
Legally Armed
Member
Member
Posts: 82
Joined: February 1st, 2011, 1:33 pm

Re: One more question please regards reliabilty

Post by Legally Armed »

fully machined wrote:MY first outing 150 + rounds, no problems. Since then with many others, no problems
My first outing with other micro 380's and 9mm did not fair well. If the pistol jams once I start not liking it.
Amen. My p64 makes my kahr pm9 and sig 238 look bad. It doesn't care what you load it with, how you hold it, or if you don't clean it every 50 rounds.
Post Reply