Cheap Pistol

Most of my favorite bargains are used models that people have just forgot about. Ruger SR series pistols can be found for 200-300 and are rock solid duty pistols. Ruger LC9s also seam to languish on the used racks now that micro double stacks rule. I still think one of the absolute steals out their are Star model BM’s. Absolutely wonderful quality and they are dirt cheap.

Inexpensive, decent pistols? How about Bersa? I've had a few of those over the years. They ran pretty good.

Mark_Mark said:

love the look!

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Thanks, it’s pretty much the definition of a budget build. The gun was a $200 pawn shop pickup. The optics plate is a steel glock MOS plate I found on close out. I draw filed the top of the slide flat even with the bottom of the rear sight dovetail and tig welded the optics plate to it. The suppressor is a $99 solvent trap kit with a form 1 stamp. To mount the suppressor I made a mandrel in my lathe out of a 1/2” bolt to hold the nielsen device in alignment with the barrel and tig welded it right to the muzzle.

The neat thing is that the barrel on these comes out the front of the slide so I have a spare barrel and bushing I can swap in here to shoot unsuppresded in about a minute and it holds zero with both barrels.

I have seen no mention of the Phoenix pistols. Of course most are only 22 rimfre. I bought one sometime ago just to play with and it never failed with CCI-SV ammo which is the only ammo I ever shot in it. I eventually traded it off but not because of any problem. I had just grown tired of it.

Mark...Mark--- It might be a little late but are you saying :
Cheap quality, guns or Cheap, quality guns ?

I've had good luck with a variety of Kel-Tec firearms. PMR 30, Sub 2000, P3-AT, etc.

Coyote3855 said:

I've had good luck with a variety of Kel-Tec firearms. PMR 30, Sub 2000, P3-AT, etc.

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Kel-Tec PMR 30 is my favorite "cheap" gun. 30 rounds of rimfire in a super light (yet controllable) package is just plain fun.

I have some cheap stuff too. Sometimes however I’ll splurge and buy something really decent like a Smith 41. When I shoot or just hold it and look at it I’ll think it’s money well spent.

One inexpensive, no, that’s not even fair. One great buy was the CZ 82’s that hit our shores in 20005 or thereabouts. $180.00 with two magazines an ambidextrous holster, and a cleaning rod. C&R delivered to my door. Like new with just a stacking mark from the rack. 12 shots of 9X18 Makarov. I shot it and ended up buying six more. I still have three, relatives and Friends, you know how that is.

I like the hi point they are so cool, beautifully made guns.

Hard to find a cheap, quality gun better than PSA. G19 Gen3 clone for 300. Bit more if you want a threaded barrel or optics cut, which I went with. Have been very happy and better than a stock Glock 19.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-dagger-compact-9mm-pistol-with-extreme-carry-cuts-gray.html

I have a Rossi Plinker .22 revolver that I picked up for $275 NIB a few years ago but good luck even finding one today and it won’t be for that price, it is a wonderful little revolver. I have a a cheap, 20 gauge Tristar Walmart special over under that I have been impressed by. My other inexpensive gun is a Phoenix Arms HP22a that I picked up for just over a 100 dollars.
I do plan on picking up a Taurus .357 mag of a 4” variety for Colorado woods carry simply because I am not carrying the my expensive Python or 27-2 S&W for that purpose.

Mark_Mark said:

Anybody in love with buying cheap quality guns!?!?!

I am! I bought very good quality guns and still do. But I’m in love with the cheap offerings like Tisas and Ruger!

What other cheap quality brands am I missing?

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Who in the world do you think you are calling Ruger "cheap" either regarding quality or price?

Lots of good stuff thats inexpensive out there. Dont let snooty gun owners disuade you. Learn to tune your firearms and the cheap stuff can perform just as well as anything else for practical purposes most of the time outside something like bullseye shooting. Some designs will even outperform the expensive stuff. The much demonized hi-point can take loads that will blow up or crack frames on many pistols. You dont have to spend a lot to get a good firearm these days. We in the era of cheap mass production and useing branding along with social media to sell product.

Gun snobbing has become the equivilent of somebody argueing that a Polo T- shirt is somehow profoundly superior than that of a fruit of the loom. For 99% of the population it does not matter much. Quality control is spotty across the board now no matter what people buy. Everyone has recalls and material issues these days.... even the expensive brands. I stick to American made stuff because I want my money staying here and supporting the American firearms industry manufacturing. Foreign stuff is nice and tempting but I cant do it for moral reasons. If America loses its domestic manufacturing of firearms the RKBAs will be gone forever after I am gone from this earth.

Favorite of the cheapies the last year or so is the FMK 9c1. Handles like a Walther ergo wise. Multiple trigger options (butter smooth full DAO my favorite once dialed in). Great raw materials. Simple design (basically Glock). American made (California at that) from a small company that values its customers.

Ruger EC9s is underated as hell for the money. People so obsessed with double stacks they overlook a true classic now with the LC9 series of pistols.Mag-guts work great and give you 8+1 in a very streamlined, thin, and accurate pistol thats easy to shoot well due to its excellent trigger. No bugs in that design anymore as its had time on the market. Small and thin enough for deap concealment yet still big enough to actually handle comfortably and shoot well. Pretty rare to hear about durability issues either unless maybe someone is trying to break one.... IE 9mm +p++++++ atomic loads.

Mark_Mark said:

I shot the .44 mag tracker with the ports… Very manageable gun! Might get one soon.

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How did it feel compared to shooting from something like a S&W 629? I have the 44 tracker as well and have only ever shot 44 special cartridges out of it. Because it's light, I'm hesitant on running 44 magnum rounds through it.

CH

Cheap quality guns are not my cup of tea. While I don't consider the majority of todays inexpensive pistols to be cheap quality pistols, I still try to stay away from them. My preference is to buy high quality pistols at cheap prices.

Black cloud said:

I like the hi point they are so cool, beautifully made guns.

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You just made my day.

Targa said:

I have a Rossi Plinker .22 revolver that I picked up for $275 NIB a few years ago but good luck even finding one today and it won’t be for that price, it is a wonderful little revolver. I have a a cheap, 20 gauge Tristar Walmart special over under that I have been impressed by. My other inexpensive gun is a Phoenix Arms HP22a that I picked up for just over a 100 dollars.
I do plan on picking up a Taurus .357 mag of a 4” variety for Colorado woods carry simply because I am not carrying the my expensive Python or 27-2 S&W for that purpose.

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I too have a Plinker. Gave about what you did for it. I was able to fix the few things that made it so cheap. It’s a favorite, all steel and accurate

I have to agree about the Rossi Plinker. I found one at a gunshow just before covid hit NIB and managed to get it for $245. What's not to like about a nicely polished and blued little revolver that is decently accurate with a 6# DA trigger and 2 1/2# in SA mode plus adjustable sights? For me it was the grip. It just never felt right so I did some internet prowling early last year for another option and found two. One was wood.with finger groves. The wood wasn't exceptional and the grooves didn't look comfortable so I passed on it and found a rubber option that looked like it would be good. I took a chance and it's great. The gun feels very good in my hand now and my accuracy with it reflects that. Also the light rod in the front sight was dead as a door knob, just a dull red spot in the sight. That was a simple, quick, and easy fix.

S&W's low end 40 S&W sells pretty cheap on the used market. Rossi has a DA 22 with adjustable sights. I think it's a much better deal than the heritage.

I didn't know Rugers were "cheap" as the term is usually used here. I thought that term was largely reserved for "pot-metal" SNS-variety guns, like my J-22, Davis D32 (derringer), Phoenix HP22A, and Hi-Point C9.

Taurus is the most-represented maker in my safe at nine, followed by Ruger at six (a seventh is a rifle.) Charter Arms is coming in at five when I pick up the new Off Duty tomorrow; the remaining four (Undercover x 3 and Undercoverette) all pre-date 1988. Smith and Wesson comes in at four (though one is a rifle), North American Arms at three. I own two Kel-Tec pistols, two Beretta pistols, two Bersa pistols, and two HRR revolvers. There are plenty of others not represented by more than one.

In my earlier days, I bought what I saw that I had money for. Now, I reserve more for quality at varying levels of price.