Worst Gun of All Time? 22plinkster vs. USFA ZiP Gun

In this new video, YouTuber 22plinkster takes a look at the USFA ZiP gun, a weird bullpup pistol designed to be semi-automatic — but known to fail often. He talks about when it was introduced at the 2013 SHOT Show (I was there but apparently decided the ZiP was worth ignoring, which it was) and the requests he got to review it.

Back then, he had no money for such things. They cost $350-$400, which isn’t cheap, especially for a stumpy little pistol that barely goes bang. Only a few hundred of the guns were made, mainly because they’re junk and they love to jam.

This is one of those firearms that’s a bit embarrassing. It’s a real hunk of junk and should never have been sold, and is a fine example of terrible product development.

One reason for its tendency to jam is the utter lack of both extractor AND ejector. So even when the case extracts itself from the chamber via blowback, there’s no ejector to direct it. Therefore, it stays right there in the action to jam things up.

Things not to like about it:

Ugly!
Unreliable
Uncomfortable
Operating “handles” are way up near the muzzle
On the rare occasions when it works, hot empty cases burn your hand

Good things:

Uses Ruger 10/22 magazines

About 8 minutes in, we get to see some shooting, which is pretty much like shooting a single shot with a bunch of extra aggravation.

I’m glad I saw this video, because now I know not to ever buy one of these things.

Enjoy.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.