21 yr old on a budget needs a gun

I have a Hi-Point 45 and love it. Its accurate, recoil is manageable, and it eats everything I throw at it. The warrantee can't be beaten and the size is on par with 1911s. Cost for me was 100 NIB, you can certainly find one under 200. Nine good rounds of 45ACP equals excellence.

You probably won't find a 1911 for $200, even used. If I were you I'd look up a surplus CZ-82 or Makarov. Both are well regarded and in the $200-300 range. They are chambered in 9x18mm which is a step above .380 ACP but not yet 9mm Luger. Not exactly a "manstopper" cartridge if there is such a thing, but I wouldn't feel uncomfortable with it. I've even been considering the Makarov to be my carry piece. There's something to be said for an extremely reliable, simple, compact design with ammo cheaper than most anything aside from .22 LR. Cheap ammo means a gun you practice with more, and therefor become better at shooting. But make no mistake, the Makarov is no 1911.

The Makarov is a fantastic pistol and very simple and reliable. If you can find one under $200 jump on it. You may have to extend your budget to $250 in which case it should be easy to find but prices have been climbing recently.

You will practice A LOT with a 9x18 pistol, the ammo is CHEAP. The Makrov is a little heavy for it's size but I love the controls and it handles well, it is a beautiful gun to boot. The CZ-82 is a good alternative though it is fatter due to double stack design but the one's I've shot had better sights and triggers and the Makarovs. I still prefer the Makarov for its looks, feel, and slenderness.

I know you asked about a 45 so the only one I can recommend is the Hi-Point, they get good reviews. About as cheap as you can get and still have a "working" gun.

I agree the 9x18 doesn't compare to the .45 ACP, I just get an empowering feeling when I shoot my Colt Commander, not so with any lesser handgun. But you will not practice often due to high price of .45 ACP rounds.

The Hi-Point C9, 380, and 40 are also good pistols.

I'm going to get jumped on like crazy for this, but I'm going to suggest that if your budget is $200, you probably shouldn't be looking at a centerfire handgun. If you really want to shoot much at all, you'll probably shoot 2 boxes of ammo on a range trip. If you can find ammo for around $10/box, that's 10 trips to the range before you've spent more money on the ammo than you did on the gun.

What I'd suggest is that since you like the 1911, look for a Ruger 22/45 - it's a .22 caliber pistol that has a grip and controls similar to a 1911. No, it's not a concealable self-defense handgun, but it's an economical gun that you will likely own for the rest of your life, and one you can afford to shoot as much as you want. They'll run well on bulk-pack ammo from Wal-Mart (can be as low as $20 for 500 rounds). They're great for plinking, learning trigger control, sight alignment, and all of the rest of the basics of accurate handgun shooting.

I have seen a bunch of these for $250 or less new. Used you may get one at your $200 limit. You may also find a used Ruger Mk III in your price range as well. IMHO, everyone needs at least 1 reliable semiauto .22 pistol - either a Ruger or a Browning Buckmark (Or Beretta Neos, S&W, etc).

That's my opinion. Shoot the .22 until you've saved up for the .45 you really want. Every time I've ever bought a gun that wasn't quite what I wanted, but what I could afford at the time, I've been sorely disappointed. Now, if I don't have the money, I save up until I can afford exactly what I want. No regrets that way.

The Hi-Points are about the only thing you'll find in the less than $200.00 price range unless you just happen up on something. I've got a C-9 in 9mm and it's not a bad gun for the money. Certainly nothing fancy, but it works.

If you can move up to $300.00 you open up some wiggle room. The CZ-83, Makarov, and probably several other com-bloc surplus guns fit in there. I've got a CZ and owned a Mak at one time. Both are good choices, except I have never found "cheap" 9x18 ammo except online. The problem there is you have to order it in bulk if you want to get the good price due to shipping costs. Cheap in the long run, but expensive up front.

Also in regard to the guns, don't forget the cost of shipping and transfer fees. Unless you have a C&R license, the FFL fee will drive the cost of a "cheap" surplus gun up. I never see anything close to those online prices in gunstores.

When you add all that up, I think I'd just as soon have a Hi-Point that I could walk into Wal-Mart and buy a box or two of ammo for and go shooting.

I had had HI point i called it the fisherprice gun it also had the ketchup and mustard sights lol. That being said i just turned 21 and was able to score a m&p 9c for around 535 OTD i would look into Bersa or Firestorm there 9mm or 40 or 45. Very cheap and has a way better track record then HI POINT. You will never hear a bad thing about Bersa and will own the gun the rest of life i bet!

This should turn you on its there new BP 9cc its been delayed there having export problems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHmoQEk2qAs

Well, I'd like a great, high-powered, reliable firearm that's good for CC and the range and only costs $10. Problem is, good guns aren't cheap.

So if your budget is $200 now, then save up your money until you have more. You pretty much need around $500 or so to be shopping and have choices. That's considering the gun, ammo, a holster, etc.

Now, if it's some kind of emergency and you absolutely must have a firearm then get a shotgun. Otherwise, do what everybody else does and wait until you can afford quality.

Guns have always been expensive. When you calculate for inflation and buying power, you'll see that what they cost today is about what they cost way back when. My own reading suggests that in most cases the average gun owner was a middle-class guy who felt it prudent to have a gun for emergencies and it took considerable saving and sacrifice to afford one.

If you have no taste or sense of aesthetics, there's always that Hi-Point. But if you do that, you'll never know the sublime and awesome feeling of opening a NIB S&W.

I've said a number of times that a Hi-Point is OK if you need a self defense gun and $200 is absolutely all you can come up with. I've paid four to six times as much for guns that still would not function. But if you save up another C-note you can get something like a Ruger P95 or S&W Sigma, on the low end of first quality handguns. Many gun shops have layaway if you don't need your gun for another 30-60 days. I also suggest, with your budget, that you consider 9mm Luger instead of .45. Assuming the gun will function with defensive hollowpoints (a necessity in this caliber), 9mm practice ammo is about 60% of the price of .45. Nine-millimeter Hi-Points are a little more slender and less top heavy (a relative term, I know) than the .45s. (I picked one up and was shocked at how heavy it was.)

If you have no taste or sense of aesthetics, there's always that Hi-Point. But if you do that, you'll never know the sublime and awesome feeling of opening a NIB S&W.

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When you see that blue box it just comes over you and it feels surreal but its real! The same goes for every every S&W you buy i'm about to get my first j-frame or wheel gun period 637 CS with the performance center trigger job

You don't have the money for a big bore nor to be practicing with it. 9x19 or 380 will be plenty and those guns are in your price range. Used 38's are also up there

I had a HI point and because of the way its was designed it would jam when fired by Me or my friend period!

JHex

If it were me, and I was interested in a M1911 type pistol on a limited budget, I would be looking for a used Star Model P (.45), or Model B (9mm.). If you're thinking about something more along the lines of CCW, then a Model BM (steel frame), or Model BKM (alloy frame), with its shorter slide might be a better choice. I've owned several Star pistols over the years and have found them to be well made and reliable guns for the money.

zastava M88 is a nice all-steel gun that functions very similar to the 1911 (singl action) it is 9x19 ..Around $250 new in box

Skip the Hi-Point, save your money and buy something better.
Like a .45?
Look at the Rock Island Armory,(RIA), 1911 type handguns.'They aren't really much more money than a Hi-Point and will hold value better if you decide you want to trade for something different later on.

Save your money and buy a Rock Island M1911. They're very reasonably priced and you won't be sorry you bought one later. And unlike the Hi Points, they're easily carried concealed.

An alternative is one of the Israeli import Browning Hi Powers currently available. Good guns. I have a transitional commercial BHP. I carry it all of the time. It functions just fine with Winchester White Box 147gr. JHPs.

If you CAN'T wait and have to buy a semi-auto, buy a real gun like a CZ or a Makarov. I'm not a fan of 9x18mm, especially the FMJ loads (Does a name brand make a decent JHP?), but I'd rather have a 9x18mm that works every time than a .45 that fails to feed every couple of rounds. That was my personal observation of the Hi Points.

If all he has is $200, suggesting a $300 or $400 gun doesn't help. A man has to know his limitations - thank you, Harry Callahan - whether it's ability or financial.

If he's on a budget of $200, wants a .45, and needs it sooner than later, Buds has the Hi Points right now for $150 http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=48342. That leaves you at least enough money for a 100 round box of WWB.

If the OP shops and is patient, he might find a used Taurus close to that $200 mark. I haven't seen a used S&W revolver that low in quite a while. CZ 82s in 9mm Mak are right at that price point. (Just checked - CDNN Investements has the CZ82 for $150).

Being on a tight budget stinks. Do the best you can with what you have. I applaud you for sticking to your dollar figure. Good luck!

Q

I would look for used Baikal or surplus Makarov, P-64, cz82, FEG PA-63 in 9x18. The least expensive professional grade .45Auto I was able to find was S&W 457 for $350.

I understand the need to stick to a dollar figure, and I know that you are asking about centerfires specifically, but if you're so strapped you can't afford an extra $100 or $200 for the gun, how are you going to afford ammo at $20+ per box or the cost of getting into reloading? What's the point of buying a gun that you can't afford to shoot?

I'm with the person ealier that recommended you get a 22. Trust me, I know the feeling of wanting a legitimate centerfire handgun, especially because you want to concealed carry. But being able to use your new toy is a much better feeling, and though it is far from the ideal CCW, there's absolutely no reason that you can't concealed carry a 22. Even now that I have a decent collection of high-quality centerfires, I keep a half-dozen 22s around because they are fun to shoot and so cheap that you can pull triggers all day without even thinking about the cost.

If you have no taste or sense of aesthetics, there's always that Hi-Point. But if you do that, you'll never know the sublime and awesome feeling of opening a NIB S&W.

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Why's that? You mean if you buy a Hi-Point you can NEVER buy another gun?

A Hi Point in .45ACP is not a CC gun. Heavy and bulky. If you want a HP for CC, get the 380 or 9. Better yet get a CZ-82 for around the same price. No, I'm not a HP hater, but it is not a CC weapon, especially in 45 (it is huge!). Also 45 is a good $8 a box more than 9mm - not good for the range.

Take a look around for S&W mod 10 I know it's not the "MAN STOPPER" that 45 lives up to be but I just picked one up at a local store for $299 in great shape and there were some as cheap as $229 I can shoot it much better than my XD45 and with reloading I can shoot for .14 cents a round

If $200 is the budget, I suppose that's the way it is. But if it was my mom, sister, friend, etc. asking, I would tell them to bite the bullet, eat some mac and cheese for a month, and try to get the budget up to $400. This gets you into the price range of good used revolvers, Glocks, and some 1911s.

There is point where the budget just becomes unreasonable. It's like someone telling you, "I want a good reliable car, and I'm only willing to spend $1000." Hi-Points work, but they are unnecessarily bulky, because the slide is overengineered for more weight because it's a blow-back design. I've shot them, and I don't recall any problems with it,but at the same time, I wouldn't ever pick one up if I didn't have to.

cheap but good.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/21_268

I've been in your shoes, so I had to go through much of the same thought processes for what to buy. If you can go up to around $300, you get access to many more choices--but that wasn't an option for me either.

I considered the Tok. It has a lot of historical appeal to me. I liked how inexpensive the 7.62x25 rounds were. However, if you shoot at an indoor range, note that many of the milsurp rounds have steel cores, and many ranges do not allow them.

Folks have mentioned the milsurp CZ82. I think this is your best bet. You are not getting a budget pistol, but rather a taste of high quality at a low price. You may see why so many folks are so high on CZ.

Pros:
- The '82 has one of the best triggers you will find outside of single action 1911 territory.
- It is heavy, but still concealable if necessary.
- It is built like a tank and easy to field strip (but difficult to detail strip so don't do it unless necessary!).
- It is extremely accurate.
- Comfortable to shoot.
- Ammo is cheap.
- It is double action/single action, but can be carried cocked and locked with the safety on, just like the 1911.
- It has a polygonal barrel (i.e., no visible rifling, but rather an almost imperceptible angle in the barrel to give the bullet spin). This means that barrel wear is generally not an issue, and you get a smidgen higher velocity.
- The pistols are easily found on the web within your price range (SOG, AIM, J&G, etc.).

Cons:
- Their finish is often beat up, but they are easy (and cheap) to refinish. I have actually had quite a bit of fun with mine as a project gun.
- The 9x19 round is not the best possible choice. But it will do the job for self defense. And it will certainly punch holes in paper targets.
- 9x19 is pretty easy to find on the web, but generally tough to find locally. This means that you need to plan ahead when you want to shoot, and it generally means you need to plan to buy in bulk (in contrast to stopping in at Walmart to snag 50 rounds if you need them).

Some of the other pistol choices will leave you itching to upgrade, and maybe even bitter reminders that you couldn't get into something of higher quality. But you may find yourself wanting to hang on to the '82 on its own merits even when your budget grows. My budget has grown, and I have bought several other pistols, yet the '82 will remain as part of my collection.

Good luck!