After you shoot someone in self defense, the police have this annoying habit of taking your gun away from you for evidence. Oftentimes, the person who was shot will have friends, fellow gang members...or will turn out to be your brother-in-law (in which case, you can COUNT ON a feud starting that very day) or some other potential hazard could be going on around you at the same time...like a flooded city with a bunch of rioters around you. A time when you particularly don't want to have your handgun taken away from you.
So...would you rather they took your $800 Kimber or your $100 CZ-52? I'd suggest getting 2 or 3 of the cheapest reliable guns you can find. That way you have a spare or two when the police take your gun for evidence.
I personally like the Makarov. It's small, concealable, reliable and is somewhere between a .380 and a 9x19 in power..albeit more toward the .380. In fact, you can buy Makarovs in .380 caliber and not have to worry about the "ammo problem". Since a 1000 rounds of 9x18 only costs a $100ish bucks, it seems fairly easy to stock up. Also, parts availability is pretty good for a surplus firearm.
I have zero experience with the Star Model BM, but I've *heard* that some of them are not so good quality and that parts availability for replacement might not be all that great. Please correct me if I'm mistaken on that. They look pretty concealable though, and they are chambered in the 9x19. Although...I have wondered....if you are worried about ammo sources after a hurricane, I can tell you from experience...the pawnshop WILL BE closed. Also...there won't be any deliveries coming in by UPS or FedEx. So if you didn't stockpile a couple of boxes, the only way you can get ammo is to 1) buy it from someone who would be willing to sell you some after the earthquake, hurricane etc (in which case you'll be paying $100 a box of 50 rounds) or 2) you can take it from someone who you shot in self defense (or you can outright steal it at gunpoint from someone...but I'd like to keep this on a legal level).
So my question is this...if you are taking option number 2 as a method of getting ammo, why are you worried about YOUR gun's ammo...you can take the OTHER FELLOWS gun..which persumably shoots the same ammo he is carrying on him? Now you have your gun and his...if you find ammo for your piece or his somewhere further down the line...great. You don't have to be looking just for the one caliber.
Edited Afterthought:
I thought about this a couple of minutes longer and start laughing a little bit. I was imagining all of us standing around a ruined pawnshop with the owner and everyone is asking if any 9x19 is still left after the looters came through, and the pawnshop owner saying that the only thing he has left is 9x18...because no one wanted it!
