Best inexpensive guns for new shooters on a budget

[Weg]

In my opinion, your should start with a 9mm, simply for the fact that it will be the least expensive ammo, ruling out .22 rimfire. Under $300.00 will probably confine you to used guns,if you are talking about out the door price. That being said, I found my used P89 from a private party and paid 200.00, so they can be found. If I were you , I would be looking for used glock 17's, ruger P89's, browning hi--powers, Taurus mil pro 111's ect. That's my two cents.

[joe817]

In my opinion, your should start with a 9mm, simply for the fact that it will be the least expensive ammo, ruling out .22 rimfire. Under $300.00 will probably confine you to used guns,if you are talking about out the door price. That being said, I found my used P89 from a private party and paid 200.00, so they can be found. If I were you , I would be looking for used glock 17's, ruger P89's, browning hi--powers, Taurus mil pro 111's ect. That's my two cents.

totally. A 9mm is a great place to start. And a used gun gives you the best value for your dollar spent. I purchased a used Ruger P-95 from auctionarms.com & paid $235.00 for it. It came with spare mag, instruction manual, plastic case, reloading tool, in 85%-90% condition. I used that gun to qualify with. I'd trust it with my life.

[flb_78]

Honestly, I think it would be difficult to find even a used pistol from a quality maker in caliber 9mm or greater for under $300. That said, how much money one is willing to spend for a pistol is analogous to how much money one would be willing to spend for a motorcycle helmet... ...the operative question being, "how much is your head worth?"

Off topic, but that statement is not true. Cheaper helmets have been found to offer more protection than more expensive ones. In their tests, the $80 bargain helmet was the best protecting helmet.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearb ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Back on topic, Taurus has come a long ways in quality in their semi auto line. I've owned 2 of the 24/7 series in 9mm. Keltec also offers the PF9 and P11, both in 9mm. I owned a PF9 for a while and I had no problems with it. I sold it when I picked up my LCP.

[Kajan]

Academy had the Pt101-P on sale for $299 during the last week of April...again...fourth time on sale since Nov 2009. I bought one in December. It has digested everything I put through it; several hundred rounds, not one jam, EVER. I handload and also cast my own bullets. I got a recipe online for the lightest load that a 40 will reliably shoot; about half the max charge of PowerPistol for the same weight bullet...shot one hundred of these. They all shot reliably and grouped well. Same thing for a max load of PowerPistol behind the Sierra 135 gr JHP. No, it is not an SA XD(M), but it costs half as much.
BTW, a friend of mine was returning to Lafayette from a business trip to Houston around the first of February. He pulled off of I10 around Beaumont to get lunch at a Sonic...was getting back on I10 when two guys start fighting in an oilfield one-ton in the middle of the intersection. The driver bails because the passenger is stabbing him...passenger tackles driver and is ice picking him in the chest with a pocketknife at the far side of the intersection. My friend, who has never owned a handgun in his life, finds his only weapon is to hit the bad guy with his Sonic coke in the face...still stabbing the guy when a Sheriff's Deputy at the bank across the intersection runs over and draws his weapon...he stopped stabbing long enough to try to attack the deputy...one round through center of chest stopped the fight.
After it was over, my friend said he forgot he had pepper spray in his truck...right... I say my Taurus PT101-P beats a pocketknife, pepper spray, or a Sonic Coke any day.
Kajan...Lafayette, LA

[bnc]

It is hard to go wrong with a CZ-82 and the other 9x18 guns out there.

[jgedmond]

My wife selected a Taurus 24/7C in stainless steel for purse carry. It is striker fired with a manual safety / decocker. Capacity is 13 or 17 round 9mm and the grip is fairly full even with the 13-round mags. The grip is also a rubberized material which is very comfortable and probably absorbs some recoil. It has the Taurus locking system if you need that and the resting place on the frame to keep your finger off the trigger until you need to use the gun.

She has several hundred rounds through it mostly reloads, but some 124+P personal defense rounds as well without a hiccup. We have been very impressed with this $329 pistol.

On a side note, I do not use this pistol because the manual of arms is very different from our HKs. (You cannot rack the slide with the safety on, the safe position and decock action are upwards motions from the fire position, and the pistol goes to safe when decocked.) Also, I shoot lefty and it is not ambi except that the mag release can be switched, but the safety / decocker is righty only as far as I know.

[flynbenny]

Have to say my experience with the Bersa 380 pistols isn't good, but I shoot a lot and after about 750 rounds it was showing it's wear badly. For the same price you can get a small Taurus revolver or pistol which is much more gun in every way. I carried a Taurus model 85 for two years because I couldn't afford even a used S&W at the time, but it was a good reliable gun for what I needed.

Also agree that Ruger products can be had be had both new and used for a very reasonable price. I saw a P90 for sale for $250 recently, and I bought a P89 a couple years ago for $200, a Security Six for $300. Like I've said before on this forum I've never had any Ruger firearm I was unhappy with.

I've seen police trade in Glocks sell for as little $300, and I've seen aluminum frame S&W pistols like the 908, 910, 915, and 457 priced well under $400 new. Used ones in great shape can be had for even less. FWIW I would rather have a second hand quality firearm (S&W, Ruger, Glock, Sig P6 aka 225, Colt, Beretta) than some junky cheapo gun just because it's new and has a warranty. You'll have better parts availability, gunsmiths can fix it for you on the spot rather than having to ship it. Also more holsters will fit, and often times accessories are cheaper (I can buy Smith 9mm mags for much less than even off brand Glock mags). I get nervous too when someone trys to sell me a product based on its warranty...if it was good why would it need one? I know Taurus has great customer service and fast turnaround, but I've never had to send in one of my Smiths or Glocks for anything. The only Ruger I had to send back was a SR9 for a recall, and the gun really wasn't defective (just not lawyer proof).

When I was on a budget I just bought quality made used guns, I just made sense to me.

[Bisley]

Personally, I would buy a military surplus handgun, preferably the CZ-82 in 9x18 Makarov, or a well-used S&W revolver or a Glock, before buying a Taurus or Rossi.

Yes, yes, I know...lots of people swear by them, and the majority of them work great and shoot accurately....but that 'majority' is not an overwhelming majority. A 75% success rate is not quite good enough to suit me, personally, when there are so many manufacturers who can beat that. Taurus has had quality control issues, forever. The difference between them and other manufacturers that use the same materials and methods is that the 'good' manufacturers find their mistakes more often, and pull the guns off the line before shipping them to the consumer.

I have handled two identical Taurus guns, with serial numbers very close together, that were like night and day in a comparison of 'fit and finish' and trigger feel. Rossi, at one time, had a decent reputation, but they are now made by Taurus, so I can't say about them.

My point is that you can buy a high quality used gun, that has been well proven, for $250 - $400, and have less reason to worry about it malfunctioning at the moment of truth. It's not new, but neither is the Taurus after the first range session. Also, when you consider how much the ammo is going to cost, if you practice enough to be proficient and confident, the initial outlay for the gun should not dissuade you from buying a little more quality.

[Nativetexan2]

I know people don't like the trigger pull on the Sigma but Academy has the 40 & 9 on sale for $299. For an inexpensive dependable gun, I don't think you could go wrong.

[joe817]

Here's a great 9mm website that I look at all the time. Take time to peruse it. it's chocked full of good info, including "real world prices" on 9mm's.

http://www.best9mm.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tallinthesaddle]

Ruger P95 or Ruger P89. Get one for $350 or less.