Between these 3 Open pistol options, which one is the best?

[AverageJoeShooting]

Limcat, I just wish they would do long dust covers 

[rpm8300]

I got mine from Pat Rafferty who has the formula figured out - it is very hard to say an open gun is 'better' or 'best' but having shot all of the previously mentioned guns, his are tied with the 'best'.  I got my hands on a fully setup newer Infiniti in 38SC with 3N38 - very good feeling gun; Pat's 9mm major mid length feel the same, seriously.

[zdali]

8 hours ago, LordManHammer said:

I just started shooting Open this season with the Bul.  It feels perfect in my hand. It shoots soft and flat.  When it runs it makes me feel like a better a better shooter (at least more confident). When it runs.  I’ve had chronic recurring problems with reliability.  I’m currently sleuthing an extraction problem with no end in site.

If it's 9mm, try Aftec style extractor, and play with the amount and location of springs.

[dapribek]

Sorry, I haven’t had any experience with the brands you’ve mentioned, but I’ve owned 3 Bedell custom pistols, an open, limited and a single stack. All of them were works of art that ran beautifully. I recommend his work and think you would be more than satisfied with one of his creations. 

[StefVanHauwe]

Hi guys, that's a tricky question. I don't believe in a gun being the best. It depends on a wide range of parameters: available budget (purchase/mags/spare parts/upgrades), availability of spare parts/upgrades, primary/secondary/training gun, classification/skill level and most importantly how the gun actually feels in your hands during a practical shooting training (not just shooting some rounds on a paper target on the range). Try before you buy. DVC!

Edited July 5, 2021 by StefVanHauwe

[MikeyScuba]

One your local competent smith can/is willing to fix.  I bought mine from a local builder for this reason.

 

Switched to open from revolver.  I have a revolver that is currently useless as all the good revo smiths are in the US and I can't get there or get the parts or the service I need to fix it.  So when I went to Open I made sure I had local support.  He built it so he can fix it.

[ltdmstr]

I'm not an open shooter, but have tried quite a few different open guns over the years.  I'd say Akai, McClearn and SV were the best in terms of build quality, attention to detail, function, and feel.  One of my friends had an SV that was probably the flattest shooting handgun I've ever shot.  But what's right for you depends on a number of things.  For example, the Akai guns are nice, but I'm not a fan of the cosmetics.  Other people love them.  And for SV, while there are a lot of options, some things they just won't do.  Building an open gun isn't really that difficult, so what it comes down to is, who's willing to build what you want and stand behind the work if you do have problems.

[donnyglock]

On 7/5/2021 at 1:49 PM, ltdmstr said:

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by donnyglock

[Posvar]

I don't think it was mentioned here yet but Gans builds an absolute 110% gun. Never had a single malfunction with the two I owned. His prices are aggressive and turn around time is fast. Just a thought...