There is no "most reliable gun." But, many, many guns are reliable.

I've had or have Berettas, Glocks, HKs, Walther P99s, S&W99, 1911s, Colt, Springfields and other brands. All functions w/ no jams.

Most reliable would be a revolver. More specifically Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Colt. But most quality pistols are pretty reliable when reasonably maintained. I have a Smith & Wesson 39-2 that has yet to jam after I personally put 2000 rounds through it. Impressive when you consider it is a 30 year old police trade-in with all stock parts.

What is the particular Smith that ails you? Is the recoil spring strong enough?

I got a Colt .357 revolver that has thousands of rounds through it, and it has fired everytime but twice. They were Winchester factory ammo and the primer fired, but the bullet stuck in the barrel. No powder in them. That was long before I started reloading. I got two S&W .45's that have almost 4000rds through them with one hung casing. I trust my familys life to all three. My guns got to fire 500rds without a problem before I trust them for that job.

Originally Posted by Baldy

I got a Colt .357 revolver that has thousands of rounds through it, and it has fired everytime but twice. They were Winchester factory ammo and the primer fired, but the bullet stuck in the barrel. No powder in them. That was long before I started reloading.

That sounded like a scary situation. Thankfully, I have yet to get any squibs. And I do use Winchester ammunition on occassion.

Most quality modern autos function quite well. Beretta, HK, SIG, Glock and the CZ75 are all, in my experience, quite reliable. With decent ammo and proper lubrication, any of them should do very well indeed. I haven't found older designs like the 1911 and P35 to be quite as generally reliable, though good examples of the older designs can run very well.

Well-made revolvers are reliable also, though far less efficient fighting tools than modern autos. When a revolver does crap out, it is usually pretty much out of the fight. Auto malfunctions can usually be cleared in a matter of seconds by a trained shooter.

Revolver/That sounded like a scary situation. Thankfully, I have yet to get any squibs. And I do use Winchester ammunition on occassion.

It wakes you up Revolver that's for sure. I carry a brass rod in my range bag for that now. Takes just a mintue to clear. That's the only two I ever had but I have helped more than a few with theirs at the range. I still use Winchester if I buy factory. I have used a couple of ton of it I guest.

HK, Glock, Sig and CZ are top in my book

I have had excellent results from Sig, SA, Colt, Ruger, H&K, S&W, Walther, Steyr, Glock, Browning, and Beretta. I clean and lube my pistols every time I shoot them, and in my experience with a quality gun if it malfunctions it is usually the ammo or a defective magazine. There is no way I am going to be shooting someones reloads from a gun show. If it is not my reloads or factory loads from a major manufacturer, I'm not going to shoot it my guns.

Glock 9mms.... any size.

They have become the gold standard of reliability for me.

Like most everyone has already said most major manufacturers of modern autos make very reliable guns. Like Mike said a well made revolver generally gets the edge in reliability, but if it does malfunction you’re completely screwed.
I had a Beretta 92f with over 50,000 rounds through it and it never failed in any way at any time, but I have had guns from many other manufacturers that were just as reliable. Right now I have 7 autos and not a single one of them has hiccupped yet.
If a gun feels good in your hand and has a natural point of aim for you, and the manufacturer has a good reputation i.e. Glock, S&W, Beretta, Springfield, ECT then take it to the range and run several types of ammo through it to insure reliability and you should be good to go. Any gun can malfunction at any time so always keep the fingers on your left hand crossed that you never have to use your weapon and the fingers on your right hand crossed that if you do your weapon functions properly.

When I purchased my S&W 686, I picked up the Taurus revolver at that time. I hated the trigger. It felt creepy. Not to mention that the single action had a suspicious catch in the movement. I didn't like it. To me, the smith was the better gun. It was worth the extra two hundred bucks. Can you really put a price on reliability. Especially, when it may be needed to save your life or the life of a loved one.

It's the one I'm carrying... If I didn't believe that, then I'd be carrying the one I thought was...

How many rounds does it take to prove to you that your weapon is reliable?

1000 rounds w/o a ftf is my magic number! Everybodies is different...

These newer pistols are our ancestors dreams!

In 1992 , after many years of officer purchased revolvers the town purchased 25 Sig P228s in 9mm . Each issued weapon was fired over 800 rounds with out adding a drop of oil or a stroke of a cleaning rod to any pistols until after the transition exercises were over. 25 guns with 25 different shooters and well over 22000 rounds expended with out any type of a malfunction. We cleaned and oiled our P228s with a huge amount of confidence that we had one reliable pistol.
Other guns that I have sent hundresd of rounds through without a bobble are a S&W 669 9mm, a S&W 5906 9mm, a S&W 645 in 45ACP and a S&W 1076 in 10mm. plus my current issue Sig Pro 2340 in 357 Sig.

A revolver I would say

But I have a Bersa Thunder .380 and a Ruger SR9c and a Stoeger Cougar 9mm and all have been reliable.

I'll stick with my Beretta commercial M9. Nary a problem!

For me it's S&W M&P in 45acp. Out of 7 pistols it's the one I want in my hand if my life depends on it. Any of my Ruger or Colt revolvers.

I've shot over 500 in my Sigma 9mm and between 300-400 in my Sig P250c 40sw without any issues (so far ). All my loads were from Wally.

S&W has a lifetime warranty ...send it back and get it fixed....JJ

Originally Posted by bot

...I bought a S&W 9mm which frequently jams and catches the ejecting shells...

Sorry—that's not the gun, and it's also not the ammunition.
It's you.

If your grip is just a little loose, or your arms are not fully locked, a semi-auto pistol expends energy moving around in your hands and moving your arms. But it needs all of that energy to operate its recoil-driven mechanism.
If all of that needed energy isn't there, it'll jam exactly as you have described.

Originally Posted by bot

I m talking one that wont jam and will shoot cheap ammo from Walmarts to reloads you buy at the gun show. I bought a S&W 9mm which frequently jams and catches the ejecting shells. I bought a Tarus .357 revolver that will not fire when trying to shoot rapidly because the bullet rim hits the frame.
Is their a damn gun that will shoot at aleast MOST of the time without fail? Any ideas on whats the most reliable shooter? Obviously you can't have a gun that is going to jam when you need it most.

I've owned about a dozen autos over the years and more then three dozen revolvers. I have learned to stick to the name brands. Ruger, Sig, S&W, Beretta, H&K.

My 226 has well over 15K rds through it. I can't honestly remember the last time it jammed. My SP2022 has around 5000 rds run through it and i hasn't jammed since the second mag. I have a ruger GP100 that has never given me any issues and I run any old crap I can find through it.

Plenty of manufacturers make very reliable guns. However, even the very best have sent a turd out the door. It happens. They all have Customer service numbers for such issues.

I think that Steve 1911A1 might be on to something about your technique. Either way, it's worth eleminating. Have an experienced pistol shooter have a go with and see if the problem persists.
Ammo: If your talking Wal-Mart Federal, I found it to be on the mild side, & not especially accurate. However, I never had any functional issues with it. Spring for at least Winchester White Box, I found it to be noticeably better.

My HK USP and my Ruger GP100 357 The best...I do have to say my previous Glocks were very good but my HK kicked them out....

I'm just now getting into pistols seriously. I've shot rifles and shotguns a lot my whole life and some pistols but not as much as the other. I've gotten me and my girlfriend Beretta px4 .40s. Both subcompact. I've never had a problem with either one. Plus my cx4 mags will fit in them too. Big plus.

The most reliable handgun is probably a Ruger revolver. I prefer S&W revolvers but if you buy the S&W you will probably have to send it back to the factory at least once for something but it will go bang every time you pull the trigger. Whatever you get, shoot it a bunch to prove it works.
With the revolver even with a misfire you just pull the trigger again and get a fresh round. I would steer clear of the Taurus/Rossi revolvers, their quality varies a lot.

Remember, there are 2 kinds of semi autos, those that have jammed and those that are going to jam.

I would steer clear of "gun show reloads". You don't know what you're getting.