Which handgun "PURCHASED NEW" was the best value for the money

Glock 19C.

S&W Model 37 with 3 inch barrel, nickel, made in 1974

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Hi...
Ruger Lipsey's Flat top BlackHawk in .44Spl.
Ordered my first one the day they were announced.
Added another used one a few years later... always nice to have a matched pair.
Absolutely excellent revolvers...well made, strong, accurate, dependable and good looking firearms.


Another would be my Springfield Armory 1911 in .45ACP...been my carry gun for decades. Trust my life to it...never has let me down. That is real value for the money.

I have several SAA clones bought new from Uberti via Taylor's and Cimarron that are also excellent values for the money.


Also have large numbers of other handguns bought used that have proven to be excellent values. The very few that weren't good values were traded for better replacements.

I have VERY few pistols bought new. I would have to say though that the best pistol dollar for dollar was the phoenix hp22a. For. $100 pistol it has served every role I have ever wanted it to and has exceeded every expectation I have had for it. Most people will not put over 20,000 rounds through a single gun, most probably will not hit 20k trigger pulls combined in their lifetime across all guns. This one just keeps on going. It’s hurting, but it’s still functional. I dropped it and broke the mag release 10 years ago, $6 fix. I ran it too dry for the first 10,000 rounds and the slide rails galled. A file touched that up And it’s back to working. I need to do more slide rail work now but it’s still working. This time I think I will shoot it til it breaks and then send it to the back of the safe for retirement and buy another one to replace it. I could send it for repair, but it was my first pistol so I don’t want to do that.

Ru4real said:

S&W Model 37 with 3 inch barrel, nickel, made in 1974

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I really always liked those (and the 36) for look and feel (preferably a 3" barrel) and I already have 8 speedloaders which fit it. I've heard conflicting opinions on their ability to handle a steady diet of +p ammo. What's your opinion on that?

Offhand McFlan said:

I really always liked those (and the 36) for look and feel (preferably a 3" barrel) and I already have 8 speedloaders which fit it. I've heard conflicting opinions on their ability to handle a steady diet of +p ammo. What's your opinion on that?

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Don't put any alloy "J" frame on a steady diet of +P. Not a good plan for longevity. 3" 37 and 3" 36. The heavy barreled '36 is much stronger

As for "best value" it would have to be my Model 28 "Highway Patrolman" purchased new in '79. I'd have to see if I have a receipt somewhere but it was well shy of $200, I seem to recall around $175.

I got my Shield for $257 BNIB I never heard of anyone getting one for that cheap. Seems most guys paid around $340 on average and $299 at best. When I first noticed them some LGS's were asking around $379.

My first handgun is still my best value for the money, which is my Ruger GP100 bought new about 25 years ago.

Back in march I bought a NIB M&P9C for $350. from Bud’s, that’s about as good of deal as I’ve gotten.

For me it was the Rock Island Armory 1911 FS Tactical Model I picked up for $350 after taxes back in 2007. It runs and shoots great.

I've only bought two new handguns, an R/G 14 and an 1858 Remington clone bought in the late 1970s.
The R/G was a surprisingly good little gun, hitting pine cone sized targets out to fifteen yards (which is better than I had expected, as I had primarily bought the gun as a signaling device).
Dad took it and sold it at a swap meet. I picked up a duplicate a few years ago, which also works well.
I still have the 1858 clone, which has always worked well and is quite accurate. It is the only gun that I have ever fired in self defense and it did what was required. Not bad for a $79.95 purchase

Rubone said:

View attachment 953575 Don't put any alloy "J" frame on a steady diet of +P. Not a good plan for longevity.

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Agree.

Beretta Nano. I shot just about every Micro 9mm available and this gun fits me perfectly and a proven performer. Every thing I wanted in a Micro 9mm. Second would be the Kahr CM. Perfect weight.
I bought the Nano for $199.00 with a rebate and right after the Carry came out. All ready had one Nano, but now this gave me a chance to have one for range only.

Well, I only recall ever purchasing one handgun brand new, a NIB S&W Model 13 that was P&R in 1983 when I turned 21, that I subsequently sold in 1984.

I've also only purchased one vehicle brand new FWIW.

NIB? Probably an HS2000 (Springfield XD before the XTREME!!!!!) I paid like $200-220 bucks for it when they were first importing them. Hell of a gun for the dollar. I definitely got far more gun then money paid IMO.

I no longer have it but that would likely be the best NIB deal.

As to handguns purchased new, I would also vote for the SR9c. In the previous century it would be my Third Gen S&W 5904.

From a "serious" carry standpoint, I think I got my .45 Shield for $299 on sale. Of all my dedicated carry guns, the Shield is probably the most robustly built and made carrying a full size 1911 almost irrelevant.

Bang for my buck, my Charter Arms revolvers have been incredible. I shoot them better than any Ruger or Smith of J frame(ish) size. My cheap little Undercover has been a great toss-n-go option.

Best value for the money for me would be the HK P7. I can't think of another gun that tripled in value in just over a decade. Best poly gun value would be the Walther P99 which was selling BNIB for $329 ($299 for .40) a couple of years ago. Odd thing about both is that they were not good sellers until they were discontinued.

I only buy brand-new (though I have inherited a couple of used ones). I guess the best value is my Mark 1, for $72 back in 1972. After more than 50,000 rounds it's still going strong.
I won't buy anything other than Ruger, unless someone else ever comes out with a .357 Mag top-break. I have four other Rugers (brand-new handguns at each purchase) which blow away anything else in their price-class. And never a defect.

Best for me is a 686 the worst so far Glock 44.

Glock 23 - easy to install night sights and can shoot 357 Sig with a barrel swap.

Seeing as how I kind of lean towards the "guns are tools" way of thinking, my old Model 63 Smith .22LR would have to be the handgun I consider the "best value for the money," and I don't even remember what I paid for it. I mean, it's the handgun, or "tool" I use, and have used the most - probably more than all of my other handguns put together. To me, initial cost of an item (gun, tool, or whatever) becomes irrelevant after a while if I use it regularly.

Best bang for my buck with a new in box purchase would have to be two of them bought from the same place many years ago. My Colt Combat Commander (customized by Colt's Custom Shop), and my Browning Hi-Power. I think I paid less than dealer cost for both of them from a large distributor who had a small store front retail sales operation attached to their warehouse. The two guns have been phenomenal, in terms of reliability, durability, and accuracy. They have proven their worth many times over and are valued way beyond what I paid for them.

A Kahr K9 bought for $200 OTD when they first came out. Over 25 thousand rounds without a hiccup.