Cheap pistol for personal protection

Which Pistol

  • G2C

  • EC9s

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cowboy77845 said:
I am certain that many members have much more experience than I concerning the variety of pistols manufactured today. Your observations are beneficial. In my case, I question the reliability and life of a pistol manufactured to a price point. I think there are many quality used pistols that would provide better service than a cheap new one.
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I think it's wiser to base the whether a pistol is reliable and will last on if they have accually been reliable and have lasted via opinions of those who own them rather than assumptions based on price point.
 
I have owned both a Taurus pt111 G2 and a Ruger LC9. They were both slightly different versions of the two in question, but essentially the same guns. Of the two I would actually choose the Taurus. Both guns fed whatever ammunition I put in them and both were easily concealed. The Taurus takes the edge for me because it just feels better to shoot. The flatness of the LC9's grip made it feel odd to hold and shoot.
 
Ruger EC9s. My son carries a LC9sPro (same gun basically but has adjustable sights, no mag disconnect), and he loves it. It's reliable, easy to shoot, easy enough to rack, plenty of aftermarket support (Hogue grip sleeve, as mentioned) and it will fit in a large pocket. You can't beat the price/quality of that little 9mm pistol.
He carries his in an IWB holster, but pocket carry can work with the right clothing. It just seems to run and run!
 
Frank Trabel said:
Hello, this is my first post. Need help deciding between Taurus G2C and the Ruger EC9s. The Taurus looks and feels like a much better pistol, but the kids at the gun shop won't shut up about Ruger quality. Taurus has more capacity and better trigger. Not my first pistol, but I will be buying three 9mm modern pistols for myself, my wife, and our son who is going to Liberty University this fall. Something easy to load (magazines and racking slide) is a priority, my son has some issues with strength in his left arm from motorcycle accident. No need to run reliably with hollow points, full metal jackets have gotten the job done before, but if it does that's a positive. I am open to other pistols but keep in mind I'm buying 3 guns.

Would appreciate first hand experience. Thank you.
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Why do you want all three guns to be the same?

What are the primary purpose of them?

What about medical & strength issues of wife and son?

You commented about your son having strength issues in one arm due to a injury. I am sure you are aware that a semi-auto pistol is a two hand operation. So before buying make sure both your wife and son are rack the slide.

Another consideration is if they can feel comfortable with DA / SA action,

My wife has medical issues with carpel tunnel in both wrists and weak hands. A couple of years ago she discovered that if she just holds the slide with her weak hand and pushes the frame / receiver forward with her strong hand she can easily operate the slide chambering and clearing the gun. She also discovered that a striker fired gun was easier her to shoot. She ended up buying a S&W M&P 4.25" 9mm.

So the downside to this you can not get a new M&P for $200.00 which screws up your budget. Keep in mind that a gun that your wife or son do not like to shoot is a penny wise and pound foolish. Perhaps you can share a gun with your wife thus settling for two guns instead of three.

My Farm Supply store has a small gun department. They recently ran the Ruger on sale for $199.00 and the Taurus G2C is currently on sale for $199.99 with another $20.00 off rebate. I keep considering the Ruger as it fills a size niche for conceal carry that I do not have. But my needs may be considerably different than yours.
 
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FlSwampRat said:
We started stocking the SCCY pistols as a good, inexpensive handgun. No complaints from any buyers so far.
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They can be problematic. For some reason my SCCY wasn't very accurate. It was all over paper at even a short distance. Maybe good enough for SD but wasn't good enough for myself or my wife. And in her hand, the gap between the grip and magazine pinched her hand hard enough to draw blood. All the more reason to always try a firearm before you start carrying it.
 
herrwalther said:
They can be problematic. For some reason my SCCY wasn't very accurate. It was all over paper at even a short distance. Maybe good enough for SD but wasn't good enough for myself or my wife. And in her hand, the gap between the grip and magazine pinched her hand hard enough to draw blood. All the more reason to always try a firearm before you start carrying it.
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Maybe you weren't use to the trigger? Did you have someone else shoot it to see if they got the same results? All over the place at short distance seems like the human aspect could have played a roll.
 
The Taurus is indeed a better pistol but Ruger has SWEET after-the-sale customer service. Taurus might have good service too but I’ve never dealt with them.
 
Frank Trabel said:
Hello, this is my first post. Need help deciding between Taurus G2C and the Ruger EC9s. The Taurus looks and feels like a much better pistol, but the kids at the gun shop won't shut up about Ruger quality. Taurus has more capacity and better trigger. Not my first pistol, but I will be buying three 9mm modern pistols for myself, my wife, and our son who is going to Liberty University this fall. Something easy to load (magazines and racking slide) is a priority, my son has some issues with strength in his left arm from motorcycle accident. No need to run reliably with hollow points, full metal jackets have gotten the job done before, but if it does that's a positive. I am open to other pistols but keep in mind I'm buying 3 guns.

Would appreciate first hand experience. Thank you.
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You need a poll option for neither.
 
Styx said:
Got to love it when you ask for opinions about two pistols you're interested in, and everyone kind of ignores the question and suggest what they're interested in instead.
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Did you read the entire opening post?

Frank Trabel said:
I am open to other pistols but keep in mind I'm buying 3 guns.
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The OP stated he was willing to listen to other options.
 
Styx said:
Maybe you weren't use to the trigger? Did you have someone else shoot it to see if they got the same results? All over the place at short distance seems like the human aspect could have played a roll.
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I am quite confident in my trigger squeeze. The accuracy was not good enough for a self defense pistol in my opinion. So it got sold.
 
Didn't vote ... neither. "Cheap pistol for personal protection" is an oxymoron. Go get a good pistol. Save up if you have to. I'm not knocking your two choices per se, but I would choose any of a number of other ones before those.
 
It has always amazed me how many people there are who will tell someone today they need to "wait until they can afford a 'better' gun" before they can carry, but won't themselves step out tomorrow unarmed.
 
SharpDog said:
Didn't vote ... neither. "Cheap pistol for personal protection" is an oxymoron. Go get a good pistol. Save up if you have to. I'm not knocking your two choices per se, but I would choose any of a number of other ones before those.
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Every day I can find you any number of news stories of people shot and they didn't even know it or afterwards walked out of the hospital. So if you think a "Good Pistol" is the answer then I beg to differ. In a self defense situation even a cheap gun is better than no gun. Next just how many extra magazines should one carry? Lastly how long does a gun fight last?

Sorry, I feel I have a better chance of winning the Lottery than every becoming involved in a gun fight. And I'm certainly not going to go looking for one.
 
kmw1954 said:
Every day I can find you any number of news stories of people shot and they didn't even know it or afterwards walked out of the hospital. So if you think a "Good Pistol" is the answer then I beg to differ. In a self defense situation even a cheap gun is better than no gun. Next just how many extra magazines should one carry? Lastly how long does a gun fight last?

Sorry, I feel I have a better chance of winning the Lottery than every becoming involved in a gun fight. And I'm certainly not going to go looking for one.
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Depends on your definition of cheap.
A pot metal special could be more of a liability if brandished---and it breaks or you shoot yourself accidentally(anyone remember the German import RG?)
A good gun doesn't have to be expensive---all it has to do is work safely.
If it can't then it may well be simply a comfort until you actually need it.
 
kmw1954 writes:

Every day I can find you any number of news stories of people shot and they didn't even know it or afterwards walked out of the hospital. So if you think a "Good Pistol" is the answer then I beg to differ. In a self defense situation even a cheap gun is better than no gun.
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I agree.

What I don't see in news stories are accounts of people who attempted to defend themselves with firearms, but failed because of their guns' price point, accounts in which it can be definitively argued that, had their guns been more expensive, the outcome would have been different.
 
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