Favorite off brand handgun

I'm not even sure if Taurus or RIA count anymore. They sell literally boatloads of guns here.

Rossi has been more of a minor player in the US. They made their Model 720 for just a few years in the early 90's, and it's a very nice revolver. They got the balance just right. Everyone who shoots it likes it. It's like a much better SP101 in 44 special.

IIRC, Kel-Tec started what would become the micro 380 market when they came out with the P32. I haven't seen another 32 this light and tiny.

FEG was a Hungarian manufacturer. When I was younger they were making and exporting good-quality copies of the Browning Hi Power, Walther PP, and Walther PPK, among others. Those are the three I have, anyway. Here's a picture of the PP.

'Off brand' kinda depends on how old you are and how long you've been shooting. Those of us that grew up eagerly reading the annual "Shooter's Bible" thought brands like Webley and Enfield and H&R and Hopkins & Allen and Bernardelli and FN and FM and Star and Llama and Astra and MAC and MAB and a whole herd of others were major players. Once you found something that really looked interesting you simply opened the Sears & Roebuck or JC Penny or Montgomery Wards catalog and ordered one. If you were in a hurry you'd go by the local Feed & Seed or hardware store and if they didn't have one in stock they'd order one for you.

My Taurus 66 has been a good revolver.

I have a few "off brands". Older oddball guns appeal more to me than 99% of the new offerings out there.
AMT Automag II in 22 Magnum

1954 vintage Star SA 9mm

& I have a Erma baby Luger in 32 like others-fun pistol

I guess my AMT .380 Backup and FEG SMK-380 are my only truly off-brand guns. My Taurus aren’t high-end, but they’re common and still being made, so even though they’re S&W based copies I don’t see Taurus as off-brand. Dan Wessons were a premium brand on par with the S&W and Colt’s of their day. So even though they’re not super common, and are out of production, I can’t call my DW off-brand guns either.

Stay safe.

Probably my Charles Daly Hi-Power, in 9 mm Luger:


I have a Hogue grip on it now and it picked up a bit of surface rust from bad storage over the years, but there she is. One day, I'll replace the sights with something decent.

My favorite off brand handgun is a revolver made in the Philippines. It was a knock-off from a S&W. I didn't get a chance to own it because the owner approached another shooter at the range and not me.

highglander5

You recall correctly sir. Randall did make a 1911 for lefties. The quality with all of their guns was very high but were only in production for two years, making them very collectible nowadays. I have only seen one for sale back in the mid '80s at a gun show and the asking price was $500. I would have bought it only I didn't have the financial wherewithal to do so at the time.

I wouldn't consider Taurus or even Kel-Tec as off brand. I do like my Kel-Tec CP33, PMR30 and CMR30. And the three Taurus small frame revolvers have done well for me.

I also wouldn't consider Harrington and Richardson revolvers as oddball even though they haven't been made since the 1990's. I still have a H&R 949 9 shot 22lr that is a joy to shoot. Another that use to be quite common were Star pistols. I have a Star Model A Super along with two Star Firestar pistols in 9mm and 40 S&W.

Outside of the PA63, any of the other FEG PP clones are a bit more uncommon. I use to see the PA63 being sold for $100-%120 in most gun shops. I paid $125 after taxes for my FEG PA63 back in 2002. I can say that the FEG Hi Power clones were well made pistols too. Another one that use to be common that I own and shoot is my Llama IIIA in 380 ACP.

Star BM, which I think of as basically a Colt Commander in 9mm.



One that I used to own, and wish I still did was this Ballester-Molina .45

I like hi points. Cheap and they work. Heavy and ugly like me. So I feel a connection with them.

I have a Wichita Silhouette pistol chambered in 7mm IHMSA Rimmed - basically the 30/30 case necked down to 7mm with a 40 degree shoulder. S/N 80 (a perfect score in Metallic Silhouette matches). Since the leaders of IHMSA decided they needed a class for every kind of pistol and shooter on Earth, I dropped the sport and don't shoot this gun very much. It's quite a powerful pistol and would be excellent for game from prairie dogs to deer. Might shoot a hog with it some day. I have a scope mount and a 5X scope. Super accurate!

Japle said:

I have a Wichita Silhouette pistol chambered in 7mm IHMSA Rimmed - basically the 30/30 case necked down to 7mm with a 40 degree shoulder. S/N 80 (a perfect score in Metallic Silhouette matches). Since the leaders of IHMSA decided they needed a class for every kind of pistol and shooter on Earth, I dropped the sport and don't shoot this gun very much. It's quite a powerful pistol and would be excellent for game from prairie dogs to deer. Might shoot a hog with it some day. I have a scope mount and a 5X scope. Super accurate! View attachment 1105920

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Sweet! I have a 7mm IHMSA (not Rimmed) XP myself.
The truth is, I'm not familiar with the 7mm IHMSA Rimmed. What is it - a necked down 30-30? Are those cast bullets you're using in it?

.308 Norma said:

Sweet! I have a 7mm IHMSA (not Rimmed) XP myself.
The truth is, I'm not familiar with the 7mm IHMSA Rimmed. What is it - a necked down 30-30? Are those cast bullets you're using in it?

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Yeah, necked-down 30-30. The bullets are 139 gr military-surplus steel-jacketed that I bought in Phoenix about 50 years ago. Very cheap and surprisingly accurate. I used them for 50 & 100 yds and used Hornady 160 & 175 gr bullets at 150 & 200 yds. That gun will group 5 shots on a soda can at 200 meters. I used it for Production and Standing and did very well. I was IHMSA State Director in SD for 7 years. I probably ought to sell it, but only a serious silhouette shooter or hunter would be interested.

I'll guess a Caspian 1911 probably counts.
Should never have traded that for a Marlin 1895, but, hey . . .that was then and this is now

Well, I don't know if I'd call these "favorites", but the FEG is actually reliable and decently accurate.

The Clerke is functional, that's about the best I can say for it. I've kept it just for the novelty and history.

The Lorcin is actually decent for what it is. A throw away pocket gun. But it shoots decent and feeds reliably with good ammo. I've had a few "ring of fire" guns over the years, it's the only one I've kept.

FEG 7.65 Browning (32acp)



Clerke 1st .22Lr


Lorcin .25 auto

Back in the 90s I had a great little Phoenix .22 LR pistol, it was a great little gun.... until...

I ordered the 5 inch accessory barrel and messed something up when I tried to install and shoot it, it didn't work well after that. I sold it at a loss, but I would buy another maybe if price was right. It was accurate and didn't jam until I fubared it up.

borrowedtime69 said:

Back in the 90s I had a great little Phoenix .22 LR pistol, it was a great little gun.... until...

I ordered the 5 inch accessory barrel and messed something up when I tried to install and shoot it, it didn't work well after that. I sold it at a loss, but I would buy another maybe if price was right. It was accurate and didn't jam until I fubared it up.

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Rural King has them. I bought one on sale for $169, normally they have them at $199.

Japle said:

I have a Wichita Silhouette pistol chambered in 7mm IHMSA Rimmed - basically the 30/30 case necked down to 7mm with a 40 degree shoulder. S/N 80 (a perfect score in Metallic Silhouette matches). Since the leaders of IHMSA decided they needed a class for every kind of pistol and shooter on Earth, I dropped the sport and don't shoot this gun very much. It's quite a powerful pistol and would be excellent for game from prairie dogs to deer. Might shoot a hog with it some day. I have a scope mount and a 5X scope. Super accurate! View attachment 1105920

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Oh man i would love a Wichita made gun. Thats one of the only companies to make guns in my state.
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I plum forgot about my Interarms Virginia Dragoon. Manufactured by Interarms right here in the USA, not imported. It is a fantastic shooter and a handy club.

Shown here above a monstrous X-Frame.

Here are a couple of pics that were mentioned in posts, the little Phoenix 22 and the FEG PPK clone:

Are Uberti's considered off brands? Foreign made. Still my favorites, shoot them more than my Colts. Remington 75's.

Are Bond Arms an off brand? Everyone needs a pocket shotgun

Fusion Firearms CCO for sure. Has a lot of Dan Wesson characteristics at half the price.

I guess if I did have a favorite "off brand", it would be this one. It is my backup most of the time and sometimes my primary edc in summer when I can't conceal anything else.

Diamondback .380

WisBorn said:

Are Bond Arms an off brand? Everyone needs a pocket shotgun
View attachment 1106084

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Only if American Derringer counts too...