If Brandon Herrera calls a gun “the worst production firearm ever made,” you better believe it’s special. And by special, we mean it’s a crime against both the 2A and basic human engineering.
In his YouTube breakdown (embedded below), Brandon absolutely torches the Zip .22 — a plastic polymer disaster pretending to be a pistol.
It’s like someone asked, “What if we made a gun entirely out of bad decisions?” And then followed through.
Let’s start with the ergonomics. The Zip .22 has the handling characteristics of a cordless stapler duct-taped to a TV remote. Charging it requires putting your hand in front of the barrel, which is perfect if you’ve ever thought, “I like my fingers, but not that much.”
The trigger feels like squeezing a granola bar through a tube sock. The grip? More like a suggestion than an actual surface. They even added a weird little finger loop that looks like it was stolen off a Happy Meal toy. And somehow, that’s the best part of the design.
SEE ALSO: ATF to End Controversial Demand 2 Program
As Brandon shows, it doesn’t just jam — it jams so hard it should come with a roadside assistance plan. Rounds get stuck, misaligned, or crushed so badly it’s like the gun’s trying to eat them. One malfunction fused a round into the chamber like the Zip .22 was auditioning for a David Cronenberg film.
But wait — they made accessories! A stock that swivels the gun toward your face for “compact storage.” Because nothing says tactical like turning your gun into a suicide pact.
The cherry on top? USFA sold off their beautiful single-action revolver tooling to make this monstrosity. That’s like selling a Ferrari to buy a Rascal scooter with three flat tires.
Final verdict: The Zip .22 is so bad, it makes Hi-Points look like Swiss engineering. Brandon’s video is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys firearms… or just a good laugh at something that never should’ve left the drawing board.
But who knows, maybe we’re both wrong. What do you think of the ZIP .22? Is it the worst gun ever made?
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***
Available on GunsAmerica Now
is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
Experience:
– Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper – Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.
– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
– Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) – Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.
– Field-Tested Gear Reviewer – Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.
Hi,do you send arms to Europe?Thanks.Andy
Ian at Forgotten Weapons reviewed my ZiP a number of years ago. He made a video of the worst gun ever when I sent him a message telling him to hold that thought before you check out my ZiP before making such a bold claim.
The l.e.s. rogak. I recall (guntests?) Saying they were told it needed a bit of stoning, so they show a pic of it set down on a large rock, with the big fella holding a big rock above it…
I reviewed this POS for Dillon’s Blue Press several years ago. I was never able to coax more than two consecutive shots out of it. Most of the time, it would fire one shot, and then the fired and often disfigured shells would have to be pried out of the chamber with a pocketknife or screwdriver. I wrote what I thought was an honest, albeit overly charitable review. It was never published…I suspect because the powers that be were afraid that someone might actually purchase this gun out of curiosity or pity, and get seriously injured.
Clearly, you’ve never owned a Sig Mosquito.
The only thing not up to par with your article was in not describing just how glorious the USFA single action was. To this day many shooter’s and collectors consider the USFA as maybe better than Colt’s in their prime years. No one has ever figured out why they closed shop to make this total piece of junk…
I bought one of these, precisely because its the worst gun ever made. Yes, it lives up to its reputation. However, I have managed to get a whole mag through it without jamming…… once.
It might be i would add the p320 to that list just like the rem 700 firing on it oown
And so many more
It might be i would add the p320 to that list just like the rem 700 firing on it oown
I’m a proud owner of a Zip 22 gun, not because it’s an awesome gun, but because I love the weird and truly bizarre when collecting guns. I bought one of the very first guns available from the factory, and yeah, it wouldn’t shoot worth crap. I sent it back to the factory and they tweaked it, supposedly, and the included letter said it shot off 10 rounds without a hiccup.
I haven’t tried shooting it since, but just enjoy having it. I also have some of the magazine rebuild kits for the Ruger magazines, and have installed one of them, but haven’t tried it. I might actually have one of the few reliable guns out there– uh, yeah, but probably not, LOL.
I’m not selling. It’s a classic. It’s MY worst gun ever made and I’m keeping it.
I wanted to feed the owner Douglas Donnelly of USFA into a chipper for abandoning their SAA line for..this. I bought one of their Henry Nettleton’s a few years after they came out and it is a masterpiece. I wanted more but was waiting for the $$ to be right when I could get what I wanted, when they went under. I guess enough has been said about the utterly suicidal stupidity of this decision not to add my two cents…..
P.S. – a close contender is the L.E.S. Rogak P-18, which I bought back in the 1970s. It was an 18 round 9mm – 18 rounds! In the ’70’s! And a copy of the Steyr GB – an actually functional gun. It was a stainless steel gas-delayed blowback double action semi-auto WAY ahead of its time in features. The Rogak was much cheaper than the Steyr, of course, so – I bought one. How COOL! Took it out to the quarry to shoot, loaded up the magazine with 18 rounds of 9mm, aimed, fired, and the gun disassembled itself. The muzzle cap came loose, some spring was dangling, my hand was intact, and I have no idea if I hit anything. I was NOT going to shoot that gun again. I removed 17 rounds from the magazine, put it back in the box, and stored it away. I still have it. I take it out every now and again to look at (NOT fire) and remind myself of the yawning distance between an idea and a working product. It was matte black anodized – not gleaming stainless – and shooting it would be more like your punishment for running over kittens than a fun day at the range. I can see why Steyr sued Les Rogak for building a catastrophic impostor of their very nicely made GB. It’s a contender for worst production gun with your plastic fantastic trainwreck in the video.
I have one. The worst thing about this piece of junk is that it will fire OOB (out of battery). When that happens during a partial feed, when the cartridge is not fully seated, it will blow the magazine out and pieces of brass will cut up your hand (hopefully not your eyes). I don’t know what to do with it. I cannot, in good conscience, sell it to someone. To me, it is just a conversation piece. I should remove the firring pin. I will. Stay safe. j
Tellya what, Amigo, THAT POS doesn’t come close to THIS Wrist-Buster. I own and Love .45-70 RIFLES THAT OWN THEIR INCEPTION BACK TO EARLY 1870’S. Custer’s unfortunate Cavalry troops were armed with Springfield “Trap Door” model, single shot carbines. Those .45-70 rifles and shorter barreled carbines kick BIGTIME! In a tiny handgun? OMG! You gotta be crazy to even THINK about trying one. I own an original 1873 Trapdoor, and a modern reproduction of the 1885 Winchester High Wall, and even with reduced loads, the Trapdoor kicks like Hell. The 1885 High Wall? You don’t shoot reload, shoot, reload right away with full power loads that almost touch .458 Winchester Magnum energy! A .45-70 Derringer? Yeah, right. NFW!
Blackthorne
Well, at least it has room to store a banana in the non-functioning magazine if you get hungry in the field – so it’s not all bad. No – it is; it is all bad. I lied. And I don’t like bananas.
Hahahaha! Creative description!
IDK… The Winchester 1911 (AKA Widow Maker) autoloading shotgun was pretty bad. Although , it did operate as intended at least.
Yep….all true and not even exaggerated. I bought one when they came out just to play with. I have a roughly 200 gun collection so I said why not? It’s different! Oh it’s different all right….every once and awhile you could get a 10 rd to fire through the whole mag with CCI standard velocity 40 grain round nose. But 99% of the time you were risking fingers in front of the muzzle trying to clear jams. I remember they tried some “operator” sales pitch about mounting one under your barrel of your M4 for some unknown special ops occasion?? Well I’ve been in combat and never once did I think to myself “a jamomatic rimfire under my rifle barrel would really turn the tide of this battle for us”. I wish I still had it for a conversation piece.
If anyone really wants one, local gun shop in Knoxville, TN Crossroads Firearms has one of these in stock. And it really really is that shitty. If you are in the area, it’s worth a trip just to see how shitty this thing truly is. You will be amazed.