Budget Firearms?

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GrOuNd_ZeRo

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I am considdering my first firearm purchase but I am not exactly sure what to buy.

Considdering all my needs for it, my logical conclusion would be to go for a cheap pistol or revolver.

It comes down to this:

-For plinking and target shooting.
-For home defense.
-needs to be easy to use for my wife, she has a weak left arm so a rifle or shotgun would not be managable for her, she has Multiple Sclerosis.
-Needs to be powerful enough to take down a drug addicted burglar.
-It needs to be cheap enough to practice with.

I would go for a shotgun however I would not be able to use one for fun target shooting (I don't want a shotgun over 20inches for home defense).

I know that there are advocates of Hi-Points and critics of the weapon, but 150 bucks is all I can spend at the moment and I am thinking about the .40cal since it's cheaper than the .45 and still packs enough firepower, the same firepower law-enforcement relies on.

Would this be a good pistol to start out with? I do plan to buy something more sophisticated like the new S&W M&P .40 or maybe a Springfield XD40 when the funds are available but as of right now I am not really able to afford any of those, I will not buy a Makarov since it's chambered for a sub-par cardridge I would not want to rely on.
 
For your situation, I recommend that you investigate either a revolver,
or a pistol caliber carbine.

A medium framed, 6-shot revolver (4-6" barrel) in .357 magnum (S&W, Ruger, Taurus) is ideal for home defense. In the same revolver, you can fire either a cheaper, less powerful .38 special loads for practice, or hotter .357 magnum loads for home defense. Of the slew of people that have multiple handguns,
very, very few are missing a .357 revolver. The revolver also has less to go wrong at a bad time.

For a long gun, pump action 12ga Shotguns are great for home defense, that is, if one can wield it. The next best option, in my opinion, is a pistol caliber carbine (many out there), but as far as budget, and forward thinking is concerned, The Keltec Sub2000 in .40S&W wins for me.

You can get it with the grip already configured to accept 4 other different
pistol manufacturer's magazines: Glock 22, S&W 4006, Beretta 96, SIG 226.

Hence, if you get the Keltec, you can later buy the pistol that matches the magazine config of your carbine, so you can share mags and ammo..
 
If your wife does not have the strength and dexterity in her off hand to rack a slide on a semi auto or hold a shotgun then a revolver is you only choice.

Look at a use Ruger GP100 with a 4" barrel. You can shoot .38spl and work up to .357 MAG. They are built like tanks soak up recoil and can be had for less than $300 used.

If your wife could rack a slide I would suggest a CZ 52. 1500 FPS round that is cheap to shoot. You can get a CZ52 for $135 plus shipping.

In the end if you only have $150 you are better off saving your money and buying something inthe $300 range dow nthe road.
 
J&G has SW .38 revolvers for under 200 dollars.
Makarovs (9x18) are easy to find for under 200 dollars.
A used Taurus .38/.357
I have seen a lot of police trade in Ruger P94s (.40) for 200 dollars
The already mentioned CZ52 (7.62x25) is a powerfull handgun for around 150 dollars.
The Highpoints are not the best guns around but they do work. If its all you can afford, then by all means get it.
 
I'm a huge .357 fan.

I think a good used Ruger or Smith would serve you very well. With .38's in it real cheap to practice with and with the right .357 in it it's one of the best (if not the best) thug stopper in a handgun.
 
Given your wife's restrictions and your budget, go for a used Ruger, S&W, or Taurus revolver in .357 so you can also plink with .38. Might be a little more than $150, but money well spent and properly cared for, will last you a long, long time.
 
I would look at HiPoint 9mm.. you can get a new one for your budget and being 9mm the ammo for practicing would be better prices ($12/100 at WalMart by me).


Then again if you can catch a good used deal on a Ruger or S&W then by all means go for that.


HTH
 
Why are so many people recommeding semi auto hand guns? If his wife cannot rack the slide with her off hand/arm she will not be able to clear a manfuction in a semi auto.
 
Revolver is the way to go.

Get a Ruger or Taurus and call it a day. Avoid those Hi-Points. Maks are fine.

Getting a cheap semi-auto is like fathering her baby (one of the left) -

retardie.jpg

yuck!:barf:

Cheap and sef defense should never go together.
 
Someone mentioned the Makarovs and these are really close to the price range you have asked for. The 2 that I have shot were easy on the hands and like lasers. I don't own one "yet". I really want a 9mm before I get the Mak.

Other than that a Taurus or Ruger revolver used would be one of your better bets.

And, I just thought of it, a Bersa .380 goes for around $220 new here. I would opt for the Mak first though but in all fairness I haven't shot a Bersa yet although I have heard nothing bad about them.
 
Maks are well built and reliable but I think the controls are extremly hard to operate. Heavy triggers, safety and de-cocker. I can't see anyone with even the slightest hand weakness being about to operate one.

Most semi-autos are going to be hard to operate for someone with weak hands. Beretta makes a tip-up .380 in the Cheetah series but it is not cheap. That would be easy on the hands but it will cost.

I think if you are going to go with a semi-auto (since you posted your question in the semi-auto forum), I would stick to 9mm. 9mm has plenty of power without being too hard to manage and it is also a lot cheaper to shoot than either .45acp or .40S&W.

A budget priced 9mm for about $150 that can be used for plinking and target shooting, home defense, needs to be easy for the wife to use, needs to be powerful enough to take down a drug addicted burglar and needs to be cheap enough to practice with?

So that is where we are at. There is only one single gun that comes to mind, the Star BM 9mm. It meets all of your needs at the price you want. It is the onl;y gun that meets your needs as far as I know in 9mm.

The Star is a good gun but for an extra $50-75, you could probably find a used Ruger P-95. For a little more you may even be able to find a police trade-in S&W auto like a 5906 or 6906. I paid $235 OTD for my 6906.
 
Gotta like the compactness of a Chief's or Detective's Special revolver; also, gotta like the long barrel on Clint Eastwood's .44 Magnum.

Often it's about budget, or whether you'll shop for used pistols. All that said, accuracy with my former Chief's Special or worse yet, former Beretta 21A (.22) eventually had me down the road to finding a new love, a stainless Springfield .45 ACP with 5 inch barrel. BTW, I've never owned two handguns at once, unless you count that Beretta.

A Smith & Wesson revolver w/ 4 inch barrel in 38 special may pop-up in your budget, if it's used, make sure it's a good one...
 
Just to put things in perspective here, I have 70 saved up so far, that is about 3 pay checks (I put in around 20~30 bucks each time, all I can afford per paycheck.), I made ~300 bucks per 2 weeks and atleast half goes to bills, the other usually on groceries.

I don't even have social security (the government decided she is not disabled enough to not work!).

On a lighter note, my wife CAN rack a springer airsoft pistol's slide which is probably a little lighter but she could probably rack a real slide if she needed to, her dexterity is not what it was before her MS though.

I would love to go with Maks, Star BM's, CZ-52's and any revolver but my gun store sells only S&W .45's, Taurus 9mm's and some other guns, he is a hi-point dealer and he recommends them since they are cheap and well made guns according to him.

They felt solid and well made in my hand unlike those Jennings/Bryco/Jimenez junk guns.

I would have no problem with buying guns on the internet but the 20~25 dollar s&h cost plus 25 dollar transfer fees easilly make it 50 bucks more expensive, impactguns.com sells their weapons for absolutely great prices but even from them I would have to pay alot more, money that I could be spending on ammo.

I 100% agree with the recommendations for a revolver and shotgun but a revolver is hard to get for a reasonable price and a shotgun suitable for home defense at a reasonable price is hard to find, most shotguns in my area are for hunting purposes, and a shotgun would not satisfy my plinking desire.

Would a Hi-Point keep me safe until I get a better gun? my money wouldn't go to waste since I can resell it on gunbroker for about the same money I bought it with and plus a little extra for shipping and handling ;)

I'd rather be armed now and upgrade later, is this a good approach?
 
So Surplus guns rank high on your list I take it?

The finish on Makarovs, CZ-52's and Star BM's are quite rough, granted for a relatively good price (where can I find them for good prices online?).

Thank you for the feedback, albeit a bit gun-snobby :evil:
 
-For plinking and target shooting.
-For home defense.
-needs to be easy to use for my wife, she has a weak left arm so a rifle or shotgun would not be managable for her, she has Multiple Sclerosis.
-Needs to be powerful enough to take down a drug addicted burglar.
-It needs to be cheap enough to practice with.
Click to expand...

I hate to say it, but I don't think you can achieve all these criteria with one firearm. A K framed .38 special revolver would likely be ideal for your wife. Preferably stainless, but definitely buy one used. put a Hogue Monogrip on it. A .357 can also shoot .38special, so don't shy away from them.

On a side note, those with multiple sclerosis often have reduced hand strength, making double action triggers difficult or impossible to use. It is not uncommon for these folks to prefer a SA semi-auto such as a 1911 or BHP. I still think a well polished S&W with a lightened trigger may be the cat's meow. Being able to load your own weapon fosters independence, and MS folks also often have problems locking the slide back on an empty gun. The revolver precludes that problem, and they are usually much happer since they can do it all themselves.

Winchester White Box in .38spl just hit $18 for 100 rounds. For the price you may as well shoot a .45ACP. They run $20 for 100. The .38 revolver would be the best compromise between ease of use and effective caliber for your wife. It will not be cheap to learn on though, at least not as cheap as a .22LR pistol. Cost of training is relative. Some folks can afford lots of ammo, others cannot. If you are looking for a budget firearm, $20-50 a week in practice ammo might be a bit steep for you. If you do not practice though, a baseball bat with some nails in it makes a better weapon. A claw hammer works good too.

For more effective home defense I recommend the 12 gauge pump shotgun. Buy a used Mossberg 500 for $125 and arm yourself. There is not a better home defense weapon than the shotgun, and two guns are better than one. Buy the used .38 revolver for your wife. $125 used Mossberg for you + $200 used S&W revolver for her = $325 for very effective home defense.

If you or your wife need to learn to shoot first, or if ammo cost is a concern, I would recommend a .22 revolver. If you cannot find a used Ruger MKII or Browning Buckmark for $150 or so, a H&R revolver can be had for $50-75 to learn on. Remember no gun is worth a darn if it has no ammo, or if you can't shoot it effectively.

Finally, I want to direct you to this page at The Cornered Cat. There is a lot of wisdom on tap there.
 
In the immortal words of Slim Pickins in Blazing Saddles, "Ditto" to what XavierBreath said.
 
Ruger Security Six 357mag..

Available on the used firearms market at reasonable prices.

Excellent 357mag round...

Built extremely well and will last longer than you will.

Simple to use, as reliable as any firearm could ever be.

I've had one for over 30 years, and it resides in the nightstand by the bed..

It'll be ready when you are, and if 6 357mag rounds can't stop a bg I don't know what pistol/revolver round can.

JMOFO ;)
 
I would go for a shotgun however I would not be able to use one for fun target shooting (I don't want a shotgun over 20inches for home defense).
Click to expand...
FWIW, don't think you can't target shoot with a HD shotgun. Practice shooting on the move, from cover, under a timer etc...... It's loads of fun!
 
I was in your delimma a couple days ago. I have always had the better quality handguns, and still do, but was looking for a cheaper 9mm to leave in the nightstand and plink with occasionally. I have owned a Mak before and was looking for another but wasn't finding one anywhere. I had looked for around a week or so. I finally did run across a HIGH-POINT 9mm and going on the experience that Ive had with them and it being a positive one, I purchased the High-Point 9mm. I have shot it alot in the past few days and it has not had one single problem. It shoots accurately too, which confirms the experience Ive had with them in the past. They are reliable and fine firearms with a Lifetime no questions asked warranty. I would reccomend one for you. Your wife should have no problem racking the slide on one as a man had his 6 year old boy in the store and had him trying to rack the slide on the High Point and he could do it. Good Luck
Whitey
 
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