[MasterPiece Arms.com]

What's your favorite "saturday night special," i.e. affordable gun? This thread is home to all those who fear flaming for admitting that they have a Jimenez (used to be Bryco), a Cobra (used to be Lorcin and Davis), a Hi Point, or a Heritage that works in spite of the hate and bigotry of quite a few gun owners.


My current favorite is the Jimenez because I've owned one (stamped Bryco) for many years and it has worked fine. It aint light or comfortable after 50 rounds, but I have a gigantic axe to grind. I will never forgive what that slimy lawyer did in suing Bryco claiming the gun was "defective" because you have to disengage the safety to unload the gun (just like a 1911!). My bitterness reached a zenith when that sub-moronic ********** jury AGREED with him and awarded a multi million dollar judgement. If this wasn't bad enough, the case centered around exploiting a quadraplegic kid who was accidentally shot by a dumbass babysitter who pointed the Bryco at the kid's jaw while unloading the pistol with his finger touching the trigger! The judge, the jury, the lawyer, the newspapers, and the family, all said it was the GUN's and Bruce Jenning's fault! Despite all of the evil and the lies, this affordable gun is BACK :neener: :D . Please visit "Brandon's Arms.org" (http://www.brandonsarms.org) to experience the full nauseating pap. :barf:

If you ever wanted to stick it to evil and stupid ********** juries, judges, and lawyers, I suggest getting one of these:
http://nas2.gbhinc.com/GB/033715000/33715972/pix3253515658.jpg



These are affordable and just plain fun. The .22mag cylinder is a keeper!

http://www.heritagemfg.com/pix/traditional_items.jpg


The Cobra "FS 380" or "FS 32" I knew a guy who bought one of these used from a pawn shop and didn't know how to take it apart to clean it, but we still took it with us on every shooting trip. As beat to death as it was and never fully cleaned or oiled, it still fed, fired, and extracted 99% of the hundreds of rounds we put through it.
http://www.cobrapistols.com/images/singleaction_FS380.gif

The Cobra "CA 380" or "CA 32" A lifesaver for someone low on greenbacks. Great for if you HAVE to carry and do not have a state carry permit giving you government permission to exercise the 2nd amendment, and you don't want to risk losing a $300+ gun to the cops.
http://www.cobrapistols.com/images/singleaction_CA380.gif

[HSMITH]

The lowest quality I will go is a Charter Arms. I have some, still looking for a nice Bulldog.

[critter]

Star BM 9mm. All steel semiauto (kinda like a shrunken 1911) for under $150 in the right places.

[moredes]

I'll stick to an old Interarms Walther PPK/s that I have.

[1 old 0311]

Had a Squires Bingham 8 shot .22 wheel gun years ago.Put a few thousand rounds through it and the SOB was like a Times watch......just kept ticking.


Kevin

[boofus]

The cheapest handgun I will buy is a Glock. :neener:

I want to keep my eyesight and all my fingers and be able to hit what I'm aiming for.

I tried the cheapo route with the Rock Island Armory 1911 and the thing would fail to go into battery about 35% of the time. Life is too short to have to fidget with stupid guns that don't work properly. I'd rather just buy what works right out of the box and spend more time shooting.

[bakert]

Years ago when I didn't have much money I bought a little RG 23 .22 cal revolver. I, my wife and boys put a lot of rounds through it and it still fires but the trigger return spring finally broke. Couple of years ago, my sons now grown gave me a Tec 22 as a joke but the thing kills cans at 30 feet and surprisingly doesn't jam. With a Butler Creek 20 rd magazine it's my favorite gun to show when we have a gun hating visitor in our home!! :eek:

[M2 Carbine]

This is about as cheap as I'll go.
FIE (all steel) 38 Special single shot.

I paid about $60 for it.
I left it on my Wife's tractor for years. Good snake gun with shot.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid175/pf2c9aace99722c3049e5e56b9591b879/f385fc64.jpg

[Sean Smith]

Bottom line is, look for good deals in used guns from brands you know don't suck, rather than a new gun from a shady outfit. Shop around, and you can find some serious deals.

[Nathanael_Greene]

I have a little FIE .25 auto that I think I paid $40 for, NIB. Looks like hell, shoots surprisingly well.

[hightech]

I have a Charter Arms [original company] Pathfinder in .22 magnum. It has worked great for 30 years now training students and as a packpacking revolver. :D

[mountaindrew]

My cheapest two guns are a EAA windicator that I bought for $130 that is a decent gun. The >357 model is all steel, unlike the .38 model that has an alloy frame. It is heavy and a little ugly, but it works great and is perfect for conditions where an expensive gun is undesireable.

My other cheap gun is a FEG PA-63 in 9mm mak that has worked well and is quite accurate, albiet with a very heavy double action trigger.

[Kalashnikov]

Well I dont know if this is a saturday night special or not but an old makarov or nagant revolver would certainly be my favorite. when I turn 21 I'm getting both.

[Dr.Rob]

Cheapest gun I paid for was $100 FEG Pa-63/AP-9 in .380. Eastern Bloc surplus is a good way to go on the cheap... usually well made and inexpensive.

[R.H. Lee]

Small, concealable, inexpensive? 642. :)

[TMM]

i'm curious, what do you guys say about the Llama and Hi-Point 1911's ? not really considering one, just wondering.

~TMM

[jrfoxx]

I have a Charter Arms 'undercover' 38 spl snubbie i inherited from my father-in-law. he bought it new sometime in the early 70's and it was apparently his 'under the seat gun' (as he was a trucker). it still functions 100% reliably and is very accurate and comfortable to shoot.

[Ala Dan]

An Arminus snubby in .38 Special, as it makes for an excellent "throw down"
gun. :uhoh: :D

[Zundfolge]

the "El Cheapos" in my collection are a Bulgarian Makarov (all of $160 when I bought it ... of course I have more then that in mods :uhoh: ) and a RAP 401.

Both are great little shooters that are in reality inexpensive not cheap.

[jojosdad]

One more vote for the FEG PA-63 in 9mm Mak. I've put 500 rounds through mine without a problem.

[dpesec]

Well mine would have to be the Hi-point series.In-expensive pistols and for the most part shoot pretty good.

[dzimmerm]

All of my weapons are inexpensive.

First gun bought was a hi-point 9mm composite.
The second gun I bought was a hi-point 9mm composite
The third gun was a Yugo SKS.
The fourth gun was a CZ52
The fifth gun is a Bulgarian Makarov.

The hi-points were bought for home defense and target practice. That is why I had two, so the wife could keep one near by even when I was out putting holes in paper.

The SKS was bought just because it looked cool and was inexpensive to buy and to shoot.

The CZ52 was bought due to wanting a higher quality gun, though the ammo is expensive enough to limit how much I shoot it.

The Makarov was bought as a posible conceal carry piece after I get my permit. I was amazed at how accurate the Makarov is compared to the hi-points. I was told it is the trigger pull on the hi-points that tend to make them a little harder to aim well with.

The CZ52 is also very accurate though it does not fit my hand quite the way I would want it to.

I have gotten fairly good with the hi-points due to the 1500 plus rounds I have put though it. At 15 to 25 feet they are accurate enough to hit what I aim for. At 50 feet they are not so good.

The Makarov was still hitting close to the center at 50 feet. The CZ52 did not seem to be as accurate as the Makarov at 50 feet, perhaps because it has a bit more kick to it with it's energetic round.

I still thank hi-point for being there when I wanted a inexpensive weapon for the wife to use in case of home invasion.

As far as hi-point 1911. I think all hi-points use a blowback design, even the .40 and the .45 calibers. The large mass of the slide makes this design work for hi-point. You can go to this web site, http://www.mkssupply.com/ , to get manuals that have an exploded view of the pistol so you can get an idea what the design is like.

The weakness I found in my hi-point 9mm composite was the slide broke where it drops down in front to hold the slide return spring. It also broke a firing pin. The company sent me a new firing pin when it broke, no charge. They also repaired the broken slide at no charge to me. They do stand behind their warranty. The firing pin broke at about 1200 rounds and the slide broke at about 1300 rounds.

dzimmerm

[medmo]

My SW-380. Yup, it's made by S&W but fits the description. I picked it up for LNIB for $125. This specimen actually works reliably.

[cookekdjr]

If I'm going to buy a cheap gun, I like commie mil-surps. Rough around the edges, but ALWAYS go bang.
The Makarov, of course, is the king inexpensive handguns. The SKS is the king of truck guns.
I wish I still had my Mak.
-David

[CajunBass]

I guess I just answered this, but some people would consider all my guns to be SNS's. I guess the Makarov is the least expensive gun I've ever paid for, but I'm looking for cheaper. :D

[Correia]

I see a lot of cheap guns go through my CCW classes. Of them, most of them have malfunctioned badly, or were just plain hard to shoot. A few of them broke during the 100 round COF. Of the American cheap guns the only one that I haven't seen fall apart or malfunction is the Hi-point, though it is a clunky beast to shoot. It seems reliable. The worst was an RG revolver. What a piece of junk. I've yet to have a Jennings or a Bryco make it through a class with out significant problems.

I teach lots of poor people, students, etc. (I like it, and have a philosophy of arming people first, getting paid second). So I probably see more cheap guns that most.

When I have somebody on a tight budget looking for a carry gun, I steer them towards Eastern Block surplus, and Makarovs in particular. Comparing a $120 Mak to an $120 American gun, the Mak is superior in just about every way.

[38SnubFan]

My cheapest two guns are a EAA windicator that I bought for $130 that is a decent gun. HA! I thought I was the only one here with a Windicator.

I bought mine used last year from a co-worker for $100. He only ever put 20 rounds through the gun himself. I've put probably in excess of 2000 rounds (maybe more than that!) through the gun and it still shoots just fine and has an excellent trigger. I also like the 6-shot capacity in a snub-nose, even though finding good holsters for it are a PITA (stuck with a couple UMs for now). It was my first CCW gun and I still occasionally carry it, as it has never failed me and goes BANG every time I fire it.

Even my boss, an LEO and avid firearms enthusiast, has admitted that even though it's inexpensive enough to be considered a "Saturday Night Special" or "throw-away gun", the Windicator is a well-built, reliable gun with a nice trigger, and that EAA does make some great pieces for not a lot of money. :)

The second gun I've purchased so far, a Bersa MiniFireStorm in .45 ACP, as also been toted as a "Saturday Night Special" by my co-workers due to the fact that I only paid $299 NIB for it. I still kinda kicked myself that I turned down an offer from one of those co-workers for a Browning Hi-Power Classic in .40 S&W with two spare mags and holster for $375, but the looks of the Classic didn't appeal to me as much as the Practical, and after researching, handling, and reading reviews on the Bersa (both their .380 ACP and their .45 ACP), the Bersa fit my needs better (more compact and DA/SA vs. SA, as I didn't quite feel confident with a "cocked and locked" pistol for CCW. That view has changed - I'm ready for a Commander 1911). The Bersa, after about 300 rounds so far, as shot everything I've fed it, from the cheap MagTech and UMC ball ammo to the 165-gr. Federal HydraShok I carry as my self-defense round.

As for Jennings, I've tried one and had a heck of a time racking the slide and getting the first round completely into battery. Also, the trigger pull was so much that I thought I would break my hand before the sear would release.

As for Hi-Points, I've fired and handled a couple, but wouldn't be interested in buying. As someone said, the overbearingly heavy, bulky slide is a turn-off, and I found that HPs don't seem to manually cycle into the chamber freely (racking the slide manually to chamber a round). I did fire a 9mm at the range once, and suprisingly it feeded ball ammo without a hiccup, as well as put a relatively tight group from 10 yards using a two-hand hold. :)

I'd say there are plenty of inexpensive, reliable guns out there for those who can't plop down the better part of $1000 for a higher-name pistol. It's just a matter of research, maybe some test firing (if available), and finding what meets your interests at the price you can afford.

I've spent a total so far of $400 (not including taxes and transfer fees/background checks) for two handguns thus far, and I'd trust my life to either of them. :D

-38SnubFan

[pointshooter]

I bought a Bryco .380 a while back for $80. After shooting one box of ammo, the frame cracked. So pot metal autos are not on my hit parade. I also had a Davis .38 derringer that made bullets tumble end over end. With the low prices of Makarovs, FEGs, CZ 52s, and spanish autos you can now afford quality stuff for $100-$150 and pass it down to future generations.

H&R model 999 - 9 shot break open .22 ..... great gun
Taurus .22 autos .... lots of fun

[will919]

happy with my Kel-tec P 32 sns

[Gunz]

Tarus Model 85 Stainless, 90 vintage. Working gun, cheap at the time for $150, and has not shot itself loose....yet. I had not money at the time, and I wanted a SMith snub so badly, but could not afford the $350 price tag. I liked the way the Taurs 85 had a heavier ejector rod shroud and the wood grips. All these years later, it still works. I d o not carry it as a defensive sidearm. I use it at the range, and I just like to remember the years when I was gun poor...

[klover]

very accurate, well made, and affordable. ;)

[MasterPiece Arms.com]

happy with my Kel-tec P 32 sns

The Kel Tec P 32 is definitely not a saturday night special. Neither are Makarovs, Bersas, or CZ-52s.

I think I need to clarify what this term means because I think a lot of guys on here either are not old enough to remember when that term was coined or have forgotten. The term ended up mostly only applying to small handguns, but it meant price price price (the dubious quality part just kind of came along for the ride sometimes). For oh, I'd say 30 years, in order to be a sns, the gun ABSOLUTELY had to be under $100. The term still is all about price. Even with the insane inflation being inflicted upon us in the last 4 some odd years, still, in order to be a sns, the benchmark still hovers around $100 bucks. Makarovs, at $160+ new, coupled with the super toughness, quality, and accuracy, disqualify it big time. CZ 52s would almost qualify, if used, if it weren't for that darn excessive mil spec quality. Military issue pistols never fit the term anyway.

I think was has massively skewed the view of what qualifies, is the fact that thanks to lawsuits, company reorganizations (like Bryco, Lorcin, and Davis having to reorganize, Intratec being gone), most dealers have flat out gotten out of the super affordable gun business. I've got dealers everywhere around here, and finding something under $200 at all is a challenge. The only true sns that is sold new around here is Hi Points, and I only know two places to find them. One pawnshop wants $150 for a Hi Point 9mm if you can believe it. Just a few years ago, if you didn't even have $100 bucks, you had plenty to choose from. Thank God for the net: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=34019425

[jobu07]

the gun ABSOLUTELY had to be under $100. The term still is all about price.

"Hotter than a two dollar pistol" :D

[stevelyn]

S&W M-36 Chiefs Special or Colt Detective Special.

[magsnubby]

Glock Talk has a forum dedicated so SNS's. There's some intresting stuff in it.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

I too bought a stainless Taurus 85 years ago. It always did fine by me. The ex absconded with it in the divorce and probably sold it long ago.

As far as inexpensive handguns, there was a time when I bought every H&R 999 break action .22 I came across. Usually paid between $79. to $99 for them. Now they've become a lot more scarce but still a decent .22 revolver.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[frankt]

I have a Taurus 85 that I bobbed the hammer on and 75% of the time you will find it stuck in the front of my pants with a Barami HipGrip.

I have shot it enough to know it is 100% reliable and may get my fat out of the fire.

[The_Shootist]

Picked up my Bulgie Mak today - and after 45 min cleaning all the grease off it, it look pretty solid for an under $ 200 shooter. Bulgarian armoury I think.

Didn't even come in a box with instructions - came in a cheapo plastic bag. All class :D

Still, if it is as reliable and accurate as everyone makes it out to be, it will likely be my favorite "summer" gun (fits nicely in my shorts front right pocket).

Can't wait to try it out this Sat.

[albanian]

The lowest priced gun I will buy is probably a Star BM 9mm. The cheapest made in terms of quality that I would ever consider buying is a Glock. :neener:

[Surefire]

Not really a "Saturday Night Special", because IMO they are very high quality. However, it IS the size of a Saturday Night Special, and in the price range.


I personally am a big fan of the NAA products, low price, yet very good quality. I only wish they offered the NAA revolvers in bigger chamberings than .22 Magnum....perhaps a .32 Magnum scaled up a big would be perfect....

[CajunBass]

I posted on this earlier and said I was looking for a cheaper gun than my Makarov.

Well I found one.

I've got a C9, Hi-Point. :D

150 rounds down, and it's still working. Might not the next time, but I like this silly thing.

[The Kidd]

I can not remember the name of them, I think Mod #95 (?) They are from Romania ( I think) little PPK knock-offs in .380. I bought a pair for about $200 maybe a bit more. Horrid DA but wonderful SA. Fun, accurate, gave one to my wife. My kids like to shoot 'em. They are great. They came from SOG a year or two ago.

[denfoote]

http://usera.imagecave.com/denfoote/EastDeutschMak.jpg

:evil:

[1911 guy]

It's hard to beat the Mak. Chalk up another vote.

[foghornl]

{while running for cover and ducking} yeah, I have one of those SNS's..

A Rohm/RG 2" .38Spl snubby. Model RG-38 IIRC. Shoots fair-to-middlin', doesn't spit lead sideways, and puts the lead in the general area where I point it...In contrast to the RG .22LR revolver I USED to own. That one could just barely keep lead in the same area code as pointed.

[AirForceShooter]

I have a LLAMA .380 that I picked up 40 years ago for what I believe was around $50.
Carried the thing on and off and it never failed me, ever. It still looks like crap.
And I still have it. Somebody can put it in my coffin. My kids can have everything else.

AFS

[ewb45acp]

Super cheap, super reliable, easy to carry/conceal.

[p35]

Used to be that you could get a used Ruger 6-series for about $150- still my favorite revolvers. May be going for more than that now.

[Missourigunner]

I have a "Heritage" S/A Revolver in .22 Mag. that I paid $59.00 new about 10 Years ago. After shooting several Thousand Rounds through it, it is still ticking.

[Bravo11]

Way back in the mid '80s, when you could still buy handguns from WalMart, I bought an FIE "Buffalo Scout" .22lr that came with a .22 mag cylinder. The thing has a hair trigger but it has been a fun gun to shoot. I know a gun dealer that claims he can make some adjustments to a Jennings 9mm that will make it shoot and eject everytime.

[wally]

I know a gun dealer that claims he can make some adjustments to a Jennings 9mm that will make it shoot and eject everytime.

I believe it. I did this to my .380 and .22. Never figured out a fix for the feed failures once the gun gets dirty ~40rnds with cheap ammo. But its always been OK again for a while after cleaning. The .25 was reliable out of the box once I removed the burrs from the mags that prevented me from loading them. Its always ran thru a box of 50 without failure, but with the price of .25ACP ammo I've not shot it very much.

I bought all three as a set at a gun show the weekend before the Brady Bill took effect as I figured I'd never go thru a waiting period and second trip to the store to ever buy them otherwise. I have them hanging proudly on the wall in a glass display case as thief bait :) Magazines are locked in the safe to reduce the usefullness to said thief.

They are reliable single shot pistols with significant possibility of multiple shots. But anyone poor enough to actually need to consider buying one IMHO should pick up aluinum cans along the highway until enough extra cash is obtained to buy one of the quality low cost surplus guns already mentioned instead.

--wally.

[Hawk]

And here I thought I was in the minority for wanting to buy stuff just because somebody whose politics I disliked was funding a bogus lawsuit.

I snagged a Bushie Dissipator upper for no better reason than Brady was pushing a "blame the gun" litigation right after the "D.C. Sniper episode". Bought it direct from the Bushmaster web site at what I suppose was full list.

And I don't even much care for EBR's.

If that "Jimenez" is the reborn Bryco, I'll have to get one just out of sheer unmitigated spite. :)

And... It'll be cheaper than that upper was, I'm betting.

[Berg01]

S.O.G. (http://www.southernohiogun.com/surplushandguns.html)

Check out the surplus CZ-82 in 9X18 Makarov, or the Ruger GP-100 revolvers.

[AirForceShooter]

interesting what some people call a " Saturday Night Special"
Yes, you know who you are.

AFS

[Heavy Barrel]

Saturday night and every other night. :eek:

[RoyG]

This is my $50 pawn shop find. It's a first gen .45 Hi-Point. I don't like where the mag release is on these. It's on the heel of the grip. The first gens don't lock the slide back after last round. Also you have to let the slide slam forward. If you ride it you get a feed hangup. But I bought it for a range plinker.

Here's a target with 50 rounds through it at about 25 feet. No FTF/FTE during firing.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26535&stc=1

[Mad Hatter]

My Raven .25

Light, dead reliable and small. would work for shirt-pocket carry if concealed carry was legal here. :mad: (WI) Only problem is getting brass for reloading. It ejects straight up and back, and most brass hits the top of my head and then goes flying off in any and every direction. Can't argue it isn't underpowered for anything but mice, but it does go bang every time.

[shu]

had a Heritage Stealth 9mm automatic for a few years which i was quite fond of. gas retarded blowback action, so a rather stiff recoil spring and therefore a bit of a trick to remove the slide. 10 rounds of 9mm in small package, striker fired, with manual safety. magazine was same cross-section as beretta 92, so beretta mags could be used if a properly placed locking slot were cut in.

i was quite fond of the gun, carried it alot. however the front lug of the slide cracked one day after i went thru a box of cci blazers (which do have a hefty recoil). heritage replaced the slide, but i later traded the gun in toward a 357mag bisley vaquero (yeah!).

[Shear_stress]

Though a few folks have recommended "eastern European surplus", no one has mentioned the Arcus by name. These are well-made, sturdy, accurate guns that will give an unmodified High Power a run for its money. The gun store I got mine from had no idea what it was, and gave me some guff for comparing it to a Browning they had in stock. The Arcus was just as well made!

[GaryP]

Sterling Arms Company Model 302 22lr auto. Other than MF's due to bad ammo this little jewel was an excellent plinker and fun gun for the 5 years I had it. Would be an excellent deep cover CCW gun today!

:evil:

[Bill2k1]

H&R 9 shot .22 revolver, its a fun thing to shoot. But it has a busted part and is out of service till I can find a replacement part or whatever. It took me forever to ID the gun.

[badgerrr]

The RG 66. It's the single action .22 that I started my handgun career with. Not exactly top of the line, but a good solid revolver for the money a teenager has to pay.