Anyone else luck out with a budget pistol?

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$125 taurus spectrum from kygunco, free shipping, $10 ffl transfer fee, added $10 hogue beavertail grip. i know that some spectrums are problems, but mine runs well on simple, brass cased, fmj ball ammo after a 200 round breakin and cleaning. best $145 i’ve ever spent on a handgun.

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I hate to admit, the spectrum is a cool looking gun. I may buy one just cause it's different. Like the OPs curve, I give Taurus major credit for being innovative in a market over run with more of the same. They really put out some funky guns and at a fair price.
 
If we're including revolvers in this, yes. The only budget semi auto I have that is supposed to be terrible that is not is the Phoniex HP22. The Raven .25 is fine, I don't hate it, but it's heavy and the grip is barely a two finger grip.

For revolvers, the Rock Island .38 has been great ever since I put the bigger black plastic grips on it. I have a .32 S&W Long H&R top break that shoots better than it has any right to. The sights may be small, but that front blade is so skinny that it feels like it makes it shoot better because I can see more of the target.

The two used Charters have been fantastic, but what has really surprised me in regards to its feel and accuracy is the Taurus Public Defender.

Now, upfront, there is an issue with the double action pull locking up the the cylinder for some reason that I need to send back to Taurus someday, but the single action pull has been 100% reliable. Also, the throats are massive on the Judge revolvers and lead bullets will lead the bore. Those two issues aside can be dealt with, but once they are, the Public Defender is one nice feeling and handling revolver. The rubber grips just feel good, the trigger is the smoothest out of any revolver I own, and within 15 yards the PD is accurate with .45 Colt.

Yeah, I know that a non .410 .45 Colt is a "better .45" revolver than the Judge, but they're not as common or as cheap. Charter has their .45 Colt, but the new Professional I have of theirs is meh and has me leery of their new offerings. Ruger DA .45's are all gargantuan tanks, and S&W's .45 Colt revolvers are double what the Public Defender costs.
 
I bought a very clean S&W SD9VE for $160 and the treaded it straight up for a Glock 19 Gen3.
It’s the one on the bottom.
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I got an SD9VE on the cheap too. In retrospect, I should have kept it. I have yet to ever pick up a plastic pistol that felt so immediately good in my hand. It shot anything and shot it well, too. A pal needed an inexpensive, good, nine and I let it pass on in part of not wanting to mag-up to a new gun.

Todd.
 
I have a couple budget handguns: a Norinco TT-Olympia .22L.R. pistol and a Weihrauch Target Trophy .22L.R. revolver. Both super accurate shooters. Both a little picky about the ammo they like but I don't care since they shoot so good.
 
I have a couple budget handguns: a Norinco TT-Olympia .22L.R. pistol and a Weihrauch Target Trophy .22L.R. revolver. Both super accurate shooters. Both a little picky about the ammo they like but I don't care since they shoot so good.
Reminds me of one I seriously lucked-out with.

I had a friend who was absolutely nuts for Soviet pew-poohers and handguns in particular. Ever since we were privates in the Army and he bought his first TT he had been extolling the virtues of the design and using it as a spring-board to ridicule other designs - anything that I own in particular.;)

In any case, along comes Norinco and not any old Norinco but the safety-added, big grip model to get around import bans.

I think it said *SPORT* on the box.:rofl:

OF COURSE... I had to IMMEDIATELY point out that FINALLY a *decent* Tokarev had been produced to at last satisfy refined shooters such as myself!:evil:

Then, as those in the know - know, aside from the ridiculous safety, it's a damn fine pistol.

So; "luck out", you ask?

Oh hell yes. These were dirt cheap and shoot waaaaaaaay better than they should and I got to tweak my pal *Kevin Hognose O'Brien" (to me, he will always and only be; O'B) to boot..... RIP you weird little man!


Todd.
IMG_0413.JPG

 
The Model 10 I got for $269 a year and a half ago has already been a steal. The blueing is wrecked, but the action is worn-in and buttery smooth and it shoots 158gr 38s like a laser beam out to 50 yards.

Honorable mention to the 45 ACP Baby Eagle for $350 a while back. I'll put that up against any other sub-$1K auto you want to name.
 
I bought a full size Charles Daly .45 1911 that shot very well for years, the only issue being a safety lever that cracked and was replaced with a C&S part. (I sold it to a friend after I got a deal on a SA loaded 1911)

My Baikal 20 gauge OU has been surprisingly reliable, as is my FEG .380 PPK knock off.

I won’t call it a real “budget” rifle, but my Ruger American.22 WMR with a Simmons 2x7 has been an outstanding gun... and I’m very happy with the AIM surplus Model 64 .38 Spl I bought last summer. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
A friend give me a Bryco 48 'cause it wouldn't fire. I replaced the firing pin, tapped the extractor pin back in place and it hasn't missed a beat since. Accurate, surprisingly. Ergos are horrible, but it's just a toy.
 
$125 taurus spectrum from kygunco, free shipping, $10 ffl transfer fee, added $10 hogue beavertail grip. i know that some spectrums are problems, but mine runs well on simple, brass cased, fmj ball ammo after a 200 round breakin and cleaning. best $145 i’ve ever spent on a handgun.

View attachment 891328
I had the chance to handle one of these, it seems like a real lot of pistol for not a lot of money. I think the one I was toying with was around $185 or so. I thought it looked sharp!
 
Reminds me of one I seriously lucked-out with.

I had a friend who was absolutely nuts for Soviet pew-poohers and handguns in particular. Ever since we were privates in the Army and he bought his first TT he had been extolling the virtues of the design and using it as a spring-board to ridicule other designs - anything that I own in particular.;)

In any case, along comes Norinco and not any old Norinco but the safety-added, big grip model to get around import bans.

I think it said *SPORT* on the box.:rofl:

OF COURSE... I had to IMMEDIATELY point out that FINALLY a *decent* Tokarev had been produced to at last satisfy refined shooters such as myself!:evil:

Then, as those in the know - know, aside from the ridiculous safety, it's a damn fine pistol.

So; "luck out", you ask?

Oh hell yes. These were dirt cheap and shoot waaaaaaaay better than they should and I got to tweak my pal *Kevin Hognose O'Brien" (to me, he will always and only be; O'B) to boot..... RIP you weird little man!


Todd.
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Nice TT you have.
I must specify that in my case it is a copy of the famous Walther Olympia and not a copy of the Tokarev (even if nice .22L.R. Tokarevs exist). In the case of my Norinco Olympia, TT stands probably for Target Trophy. In any case, I liked the story you told and your gun.
 
I have an absolutely beautifully operating AMT .45 backUp. I bought it from a Fed who used it for quite some time as his back-up after having it tweaked a bit - as they ALL seem to need.

I bought it mostly on the boondoggle aspect of having it as the mini-gat to my maxi-gat AMT Haardballer Long-Slide.

Turned out to be so; reliable, accurate (yes, you read that correctly) and smooth to carry that I carried it for years after and long after *better*, lighter were available.

Our LCP and Bersa Thunder were backed-into with trepidation too but ended up being outstanding carry pieces.

Todd.
View attachment 891365

What up with the cutout on the frame showing the trigger linkage?

I have one and it was my carry for a long time until I replaced it with the much lighter Kahr PM40. Once I replaced the hammer spring it was 100% reliable, but it never shot more than three or four mags in an outing. Seems the previous owner "worked on it" to "improve" the trigger so that the hammer spring was shorted so much as to not give reliable ignition. I guess he figured since it was double action firing on the second pull was acceptable trade off :)
 
Nice TT you have.
I must specify that in my case it is a copy of the famous Walther Olympia and not a copy of the Tokarev (even if nice .22L.R. Tokarevs exist). In the case of my Norinco Olympia, TT stands probably for Target Trophy. In any case, I liked the story you told and your gun.
I should have shown the other side too. It's a Norinco 213 9mm. But the pistol you interpreted it as intrigues me.:thumbup:

Todd.
 
What up with the cutout on the frame showing the trigger linkage?
Isn't that off-puting? There was once a grip panel to partially cover it but it worked against the concealability of the pistol as it would often curve and snag.

In any case, I've carried this one a bunch horribly and fortunately never had an issue with the opening.

Todd.
 
Reminds me of one I seriously lucked-out with.

I had a friend who was absolutely nuts for Soviet pew-poohers and handguns in particular. Ever since we were privates in the Army and he bought his first TT he had been extolling the virtues of the design and using it as a spring-board to ridicule other designs - anything that I own in particular.;)

In any case, along comes Norinco and not any old Norinco but the safety-added, big grip model to get around import bans.

I think it said *SPORT* on the box.:rofl:

OF COURSE... I had to IMMEDIATELY point out that FINALLY a *decent* Tokarev had been produced to at last satisfy refined shooters such as myself!:evil:

Then, as those in the know - know, aside from the ridiculous safety, it's a damn fine pistol.

So; "luck out", you ask?

Oh hell yes. These were dirt cheap and shoot waaaaaaaay better than they should and I got to tweak my pal *Kevin Hognose O'Brien" (to me, he will always and only be; O'B) to boot..... RIP you weird little man!


Todd.
View attachment 891600
Zastava was still selling these in stainless brand new for 369 up until the panic cleaned them out.
 
Crazy how so few ,if any, replies are regarding surplus. I paid $75 for my Zastava M-70, and it's been the second best autoloader I've ever owned ( first goes to my Black Star, which holds sentiment ). I bought it expecting it to be scrap metal and.. well, I simply lucked out. Works flawlessly using any .32 I can find and it's ugly. All matching parts too, including the magazine.
 
Zastava was still selling these in stainless brand new for 369 up until the panic cleaned them out.
Funny you mention that.

I was just at the Phoenix gunshow and saw one of those Zastavas. Since I like their safety better than the ChiCom - who wouldn't? - and I'm a fan of Zastava offerings I figured I'd sell my ChiCom and buy the Zastava. Sold mine to the second guy to look at it at my tables and yet the Zastavas were gone by the time I got over there. The dealer wouldn't give me a price on Friday as he was obviously concerned about marking them as high as possible at the last minute.

Probably wouldn't have paid his number in the end but he sold them anyhow.

Todd.
 
I've had several that were as lousy as expected, which included a Taurus 9mm. But I've been pleasantly surprised with my Spectrum .380, my SCCY 9mm, and my Diamonback .380.
I've actually been more disappointed by higher end guns including Kimber and Sig.
 
I bought a canik tp9sfx quite awhile back when it was on sale for well under 4 bills. Think it was under 350 actually OTD. one of my better buys.
 
Taurus M85 revolver, TCP 738, and their G2 series pistols have all been exceptional for me. The only handguns Ive had bad luck with were a Ruger LC9s Pro, M&P Shield in 45acp, and a Walther PPS M2.
 
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