Advice on cheaper ammo / weapon

[trippstadt]

Hi friends,

Okay, so I love my Sig Sauer P220 Sport .45, but the cost of the ammo is killing me. This is a gun whose primary purpose is home protection, BTW. Now I'm thinking that perhaps I'd like to get an additional weapon which is 1. sufficiently effective and appropriate for home defense and 2. which also uses one of the less costly ammo sizes (9 mm perhaps?). Looking for suggestions.

Thanks, Jay

 

[docnyt]

Get a SIG .22 slide for your P220 and you'll love your gun all over again.

 

[Mizar]

Makarov - cheap, reliable, 9mm...

Boris

 

[JohnBiltz]

One of the main reason I use 9mm.

 

[RaiderHawn]

Reload? I do for my AR, I have heard reloading is very easy for piston, but don't do it personally.

 

[Fumbler]

Look for a police trade in Sig P225 or P6 ($300-350). A P226/228/229 in 9mm would also be good but will cost more.

I have a 225 and it's great. It's just like a smaller 245/220.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Keep your Sig 220 and get a 22 LR conversion kits to practice. Or, get a dedicated semi auto 22. LR. Don't sell the Sig. You will regret it for the rest of your life.

 

[oneounceload]

The best options, IMO, are to reload AND get the 22 slide for your gun. A simple reloading setup, used, will be about $100, some components, another 100 give or take, and then the slide. Last time I checked on one for a Kimber, the better ones were running about 350-450, but that cost is easily checked using Google

 

[mboylan]

The best options, IMO, are to reload AND get the 22 slide for your gun. A simple reloading setup, used, will be about $100, some components, another 100 give or take, and then the slide. Last time I checked on one for a Kimber, the better ones were running about 350-450, but that cost is easily checked using Google

Tell the truth now. Most of us have $1000 or more invested in our setups. If you shoot 500 or more rounds a month of you want to and you have the patience and you can pay close attention to detail, it's the way to go. The truth is we don’t save money. We just shoot alot more.

 

[mboylan]

The best options, IMO, are to reload AND get the 22 slide for your gun. A simple reloading setup, used, will be about $100, some components, another 100 give or take, and then the slide. Last time I checked on one for a Kimber, the better ones were running about 350-450, but that cost is easily checked using Google

Tell the truth now. Most of us have $1000 or more invested in our setups. If you shoot 500 or more rounds a month or you want to and you have the patience and you can pay close attention to detail, it's the way to go. The truth is we don’t save money. We just shoot alot more.

 

[mboylan]

The best options, IMO, are to reload AND get the 22 slide for your gun. A simple reloading setup, used, will be about $100, some components, another 100 give or take, and then the slide. Last time I checked on one for a Kimber, the better ones were running about 350-450, but that cost is easily checked using Google

Tell the truth now. Most of us have $1000 or more invested in our setups. If you shoot 500 or more rounds a month or you want to and you have the patience and you can pay close attention to detail, it's the way to go. The truth is we don’t save money. We just shoot alot more.

 

[KodiakBeer]

Shotguns are for home defense, pistols are for carrying (and having fun!).

 

[Shadow 7D]

reload or shoot .22

 

[oneounceload]

Shotguns are for home defense,

More shotguns are used for hunting and targets than anything else...you might try those pursuits

 

[KodiakBeer]

More shotguns are used for hunting and targets than anything else...you might try those pursuits

I pursue them plenty. Ducks and burglars are best pursued with shotguns.

 

[22-rimfire]

If it were me, I'd buy a 22LR handgun and just shoot the 45ACP less.

 

[Bubba613]

Spending $350 to save money doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps trading the gun on a used P226 in 9mm might be the way to go here?

 

[.455_Hunter]

How much are you really shooting the gun?

In Denver metro (no ammo shortage anymore) at Walmart:

Federal 115 gr FMJ 9mm Luger = $10.97 per 50

WWB 230 gr FMJ .45 ACP = $32.97 per 100

That roughly $10 per 100 rounds difference.

Some people shoot 100 rounds (or more) per week. For others it takes a whole year to shoot that much.

How is it going to take you to recoup the difference if you spend $300-400 to get something "cheaper" to shoot?

Of course, if you simply "want" another gun, then all bets are off...

 

[22-rimfire]

It sounds like a great excuse to tell your wife that you need to buy another handgun.

.455 Hunter, you're way too rational.

 

[huntsman]

Hi friends,

Okay, so I love my Sig Sauer P220 Sport .45, but the cost of the ammo is killing me. This is a gun whose primary purpose is home protection, BTW. Now I'm thinking that perhaps I'd like to get an additional weapon which is 1. sufficiently effective and appropriate for home defense and 2. which also uses one of the less costly ammo sizes (9 mm perhaps?). Looking for suggestions.

Thanks, Jay

ammo cost isn't a ligit reason to go from a .45acp to a 9mm, sell the gun buy a .22lr and shoot it till it falls apart.

 

[brandon_mcg]

check on a .22 slide for your current gun. if that's too much, then check out a cheap .22 pistol.

shoot the .45 enough to be accurate with it in case you need it in a HD situation. if you can't afford that then trade it for a 9mm. No sense in having a HD pistol if you can't shoot it enough to be proficient with it.

 

[TriTone]

If you can afford to get the .22 conversion for your sig, eventually it will pay for itself after about two 500rnd bricks of .22 ammo have been used up. ( about 15-20 dollars a brick ).

Another way to think of it..
1000 rounds of 22LR for $40 versus 1000 round of 45ACP for $400 dollars.

So again, if it is possible to invest in the 22LR conversion, that would be the best route. 45 ACP is a great defensive round and being able to practice in an affordable manner on the same firearm is wonderful, especially if its your main/only gun.\

Switching to 9mm will cut your ammo price to 50% of what it costs you to practice now. Getting the 22LR conversion will cut your ammo price to 10% of what it costs you practice, and will quickly pay for itself.

If you do decide to get a 9mm sig, I would (out of personal experience), avoid the P250 model, despite any attractive pricing you may find.

 

[DasFriek]

I carry only 1911's in .45acp for ccw and ammo costs for two of these is a big drain on my budget. I actually traded my .22lr pistol for one of the 1911's to help cover the cost of the new gun.
While i find a .22lr fun, It does get boring at times when you like larger calibers.
I also found a .22lr is useless for "ME" outside of the range.

I went with a Kahr MK9mm for several reasons.
1. Less expensive to shoot.
2. Can be carried as a ccw or a bug.
3. Steel frame on the tiny gun makes shooting several hundred rounds at a time nothing.
4. Its not just a "fun" gun its a serious gun that can be used in ways a .22lr cant.

No i didnt save any money, But i got another gun i can carry thats smaller than anything i have already and is fun to shoot at the range. Also shooting the 9mm slows down how fast i shoot my .45 ammo.

The Kahr PM/MK line is expensive, But the CW line is very good. After that is suggest a subcompact Glock.
This works for me, But not everyone.

 

[DasFriek]

Double post, Sorry.

 

[huntsman]

This is a gun whose primary purpose is home protection,

if you carried then a 9mm or keeping the .45 would make sense but just for plinking and HD you'd better be severved with a .22 or even a .22lr and a shotgun.