I have been saying revolvers are not nearly as reliable as many people assume since at least 1993 – and I’ve got the book to prove it. In general I agree with what’s said in this article. Except for this part: “But if you take that same 9mm, load it up, and stick it in a drawer or in a holster and don’t touch it for a few years, what are the chances it’s actually going to work if you suddenly need it some day? It might get through a whole magazine without a hiccup, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong if you don’t keep it lubricated and maintain it.”
Not really true. I have an article upcoming in The Blue Press titled “Playing Dirty” where I talk about the fact that I clean my Glocks every 10,000 rounds. This is not the example of me being a lazy guy who doesn’t respect machinery you might think it is. Not to come across as all prepper-y, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility I might one day have to operate a handgun in an environment where I cannot, in fact, keep the gun so meticulously clean you could perform open heart surgery inside it. Will it still work even when it’s filthy? A lot of people don’t really know the answer to that question, because they’ve never actually shot their gun when it was seriously dirty. I do know the answer to that question. My Glock 17 and 34 will indeed work even when they haven’t been cleaned or lubricated in a year.
So, to answer the question, “What are the chances it’s actually going to work if you suddenly need it some day?” I know for a fact the answer is, “Excellent if it’s one of my Glocks.”
Of course, since I now have over 42,000 rounds through the G34, and over 30,000 rounds through the G17, I think I can safely say the experiment has shown its results, and begin cleaning them on a more regular basis.
Click on the link below, this article is well worth reading.