Best "All-around" for under $500?

Kahr CW9. Great shooting gun and good for carry. 9mm is also cheap enough to shoot regularly.

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It seems like the obvious answer would be a used or blue label G19.

For me that would easily be the SIG SP2022 which is a DA/SA hammer fired pistol.

However the SIG SP2022 is a little large/heavy for CCW though a lot seem to do it.

If you move up around to around $575 target that opens a whole slew of quality pistols that fit the bill.

For someone that shoots more than occasionally the actual investment in the cost of the pistol will become insignificant over a longer period of shooting considering costs for ammo, range fees, targets, transportation, etc.

Your best bet is to find a gun show near you and go checkout some used handguns. A lot of the time their prices will STILL be high, but with so much to look at, you might get lucky.

My personal choice would be a RIA (Rock Island Armory) Compact 1911. I don't know if you're looking for something as big as a .45, but you can get them for $400 and from what I've heard about them, there a great buy for the money. Plus, it'd be small enough to concealed carry IWB.

It's real tough to have just one gun for both plinking and carry. A .22 is the best plinker...but you'd never want to carry a caliber that small. If you go with something a little bigger, you'll need to take out a loan just to afford the ammo :banghead:

I guess you'll just have to pickup 2 guns at the next show - it's the right thing to do. Haha!

It seems like the obvious answer would be.....any of the major brands in a common caliber that strike your fancy, are actually available and have accessories like spare magazines available.

Shoot as many as you can to see which one works best for you then refer to the above paragraph.

the gun needs to fit him for carry yet be large enough or designed such that the perceived recoil is manageable for him. thus it is fun at the range and carried in comfort.

...Shield is a 9mm but new under $450 and is very kind recoil wise and accurate to.

If used is an option, the S&W 6906 fits this bill pretty much perfectly. If you want to go more modern, a used M&P9c/40c would also be about perfect.

New, a Ruger SR9c/SR40c are great options for under $500.

I'm gonna say the Caracal

There, I said it.

I agree that the Ruger SR pistols are an excellent choice. But check out CZ p07!

Smith 10, 15, 65

Springfiled XD series
Ruger SR series

But with both of those going for 4 bills why would you even consider...

S&W Sigma
Ruger P series

Another good option in that price range is the stoeger cougar,but there are a lot of great choices out there.

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Sig 2022
S&W SDVE

I'm just gonna say this: I like a lot of the above as truly value priced firearms that deliver. On the other hand, spending $40-50 per magazine to supplement the package can easily turn a head turner deal into a hefty investment. I don't mean to downplay the inherent quality or shootability of any firearm based on the price of accessories but I can understand why some guys never see the appeal.

Alright I'll take a stab:

Ruger P series.
Ruger SR series.
Canik C100 (excellent CZ clone I just bought myself).

USPSA and concealed carry do not mix. for competition you want a big gun with a lot of bullets and long sight radius/long slide and barrel. for concealed carry you want a small gun that it easy to hide under your clothes and a usual side effect of that is a relatively low ammo capacity.

for concealed carry a springfield XD compact, Ruger SR9 compact or Beretta PX4 compact would make very useful firearms with great track records for reliability, accuracy and durability. for competition you would look for a larger gun like a XDM 5.25 or glock long slide, neither of which can easily be had for under $500.

tahunua001 said:

USPSA and concealed carry do not mix. for competition you want a big gun with a lot of bullets and long sight radius/long slide and barrel. for concealed carry you want a small gun that it easy to hide under your clothes and a usual side effect of that is a relatively low ammo capacity.

for concealed carry a springfield XD compact, Ruger SR9 compact or Beretta PX4 compact would make very useful firearms with great track records for reliability, accuracy and durability. for competition you would look for a larger gun like a XDM 5.45 or glock long slide, neither of which can easily be had for under $500.

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Even the XDM 4.5 will work fine for competition. I find the CZ75 more accurate though and is in the low $500 range.

At my LGS, Gen 3 G19 Glock "was" $479, I say was because that was before the Christmas rush. There are none left in stock, no known delivery date and a definite price increase when they do arrive. So let's look at what is available for under $500. 1911s like the American Classic by Bersa (Metro Arms) would be a good choice for under the $500 limit.

New XD can be had for $389. Ruger P series, Smith Sigma.

I have a safe full of under $500 great 9mm that would do well for your friend.

Used S&W 5906
Caracal C
Sig 2022
RIA 1911
S&W M&P 9 or 9c

I would strongly urge the Sig if it fits your friend as it is available almost everywhere for close to 400 or used for even less, it's a name he will likely already have heard about, and it is possible to upgrade and accessorize to his needs.

I would go with a Ruger SR9c as a good all-around pistol for under $500.

As evident by the responses your not going to get a solid answer..

Go try as many guns in your price range and stay with name brands.

Under $500 is easy for a good gun. Heck its hard to find a polymer pistol for too much over that, with the exception of the HK's. Ruger, S&W, Glock, FN, Beretta, CZ, Springfield, Caracal, and just about everything else can be found for under that.

As to specific recommendations, as stated USPSA and carry generally don't mix well. You can get a gun that can be used for both, but it will end up being optimal for neither.

My basic advice: for carry, I'd say a Kahr CW9 at about $375.

For USPSA under $500 I'd probably end up going with the Ruger SR9. The S&W M&P Pro 9 5" or the Glock 34 would be better choices but you'll need to up your budget just a tad more for those as they're premium versions in their respective lines.

Ruger SR9