Building a basic four gun, range collection with ammo for $2000 or under

[huntsman]

Range play but for other purposes also if needed, defense or hunting if you build a list to your needs.

I personally am thinking if it is a person on a budget. Maybe a young person starting in the working world, maybe a person with a family on a budget or a retiree on a fixed budget.

Modest gun collection for personal or family range time, also to be used for home protection or hunting.

If hunting is a needed choice Marlin or Savage offers lever or bolt guns with optics in the budget range as a example.

A collection like this can be made within a certain amount of time. Reliable firearms that will bring fun and protection.

CCW and hunting puts this into a different category, I like 3 different sized handguns for CC but only two are what I consider range friendly.

Hunting depends on state law and personal needs.

I prefer hunting birds/ small game with a SXS and mine would blow your budget, yeah a pump is cheaper and serviceable but this type of hunt is more about the experience to me.

 

[lionking]

Why do things always have to get complicated, I started a LEO handgun challenge and someone has to ask " but why not this gun?". I start a thread to list four new guns under 2K and someone has to ask "why not used guns?" I start a battle rifle challenge and someone has to ask " why not a AR15?"

 

[guyfromohio]

Ok, I’ll start with a decent 1911
1) crap....I’m out of money

Ok, let’s start with decent shotgun...
1) B...... crap....out of money again.


I can’t do it.

 

[tarosean]

Ok, I’ll start with a decent 1911
1) crap....I’m out of money

Ok, let’s start with decent shotgun...
1) B...... crap....out of money again.




I can’t do it.

Same here. 2k wouldn't even allow me to put glass and red dots on multiple firearms.

 

[lionking]

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

 

[mdThanatos]

PSA AR-15 $350
S&W M&P 2.0 $375
Mossberg 930 or Remington V3 $500
Ruger 22/45 or S&W Victory $300

500 rounds of 12 7.5shot - $110
500 rounds of 9mm - $90
500 rounds of .22LR - $16
500 rounds of .223 - $135

$1876 - rough estimate. Still gives money for magazines and cases for transport/storage.

 

[lionking]

PSA AR-15 $350
S&W M&P 2.0 $375
Mossberg 930 or Remington V3 $500
Ruger 22/45 or S&W Victory $300

500 rounds of 12 7.5shot - $110
500 rounds of 9mm - $90
500 rounds of .22LR - $16
500 rounds of .223 - $135

$1876 - rough estimate. Still gives money for magazines and cases for transport/storage.

Nice, I keep meaning to check out the S&W Victory.

 

[Buzznrose]

Drop the Glock from the list. The Beretta is a better range gun , no comparison.

Is this a fantasy list? I thought we needed to keep it real?

 

[MikeInOr]

Pay retail for a gun??? ...that concept is foreign to me. Going from no guns to 4 guns in one big purchase is also foreign to me.

Buy the 1 gun you want most, master shooting that gun well then use what you have learned to guide you on your next purchase.

I think you will probably find spacing your gun purchases out will be a much more satisfying experience.

Beretta 92 is an excellent gun and I love mine but my friends with smaller hands don't care for it much. Those SIG police trade ins look really interesting to me.

 

[lionking]

Pay retail for a gun??? ...that concept is foreign to me. Going from no guns to 4 guns in one big purchase is also foreign to me.

Buy the 1 gun you want most, master shooting that gun well then use what you have learned to guide you on your next purchase.

I think you will probably find spacing your gun purchases out will be a much more satisfying experience.

Beretta 92 is an excellent gun and I love mine but my friends with smaller hands don't care for it much. Those SIG police trade ins look really interesting to me.

Sometimes new is better than used depending on the situation. Doesn't have to be all at once just in a certain amount time say a year or two.. Idea is those on a fixed budget

I will say this is based on my childhood some. Mid to late 70's my dad was the only worker, my mom stayed home. He was a letter carrier with a monthly retirement check from the military. My dad was was of the mindset if you can't pay cash you can't afford it.

He had a S&W K22, a Ruger MK 1 and a S&W surplus .38 before I became family.. After he adopted me for my 12th or 13th birthday I got a Remington 581 and for my 15th a Winchester 94 from Woolworth dept store along with a single shot Savage 20 gauge. He in that time frame of I growing up also bought a Glenfield .22 and a Ruger Blackhawk .357. That's it that is what I grew up with in guns. Yet times shooting with him were priceless in memories. He never owed anything though except a mortgage.

After I grew of age, as a young kid not making a lot of money I personally managed to buy a S&W 629, a Colt series 80 .45 auto and a Surplus Garand and a Ruger MINI within a 6 or 7 year time span.

All these types of guns and low priced gun available now weren't around back then and there wasn't internet, there wasn't a Glock and a AR was consider a high end expensive gun, Ruger Mini 14 was the budget gun to get instead which I did $300 around 1992.

Today just like me back then there are people on a budget, which this thread is all about.

 

[WestKentucky]

Mossberg 500 20ga ~$200, 500 rds ~$125
Taurus 608 ~$450, 500 rds ~250
Chipmunk 22 pistol $200, 500 rds $40
Whatever cheapo AR is on sale for $400 and 500 rds should finish off the 2 grand without exceeding the budget.

Or a nice bolt action 22 or 17hmr. Or even a Henry single shot rifle. Not picky.

That’s a shotgun, a rifle, a defensive handgun, and a target handgun. Fun times.

 

[huntsman]

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

The reality is quality costs, two new Glocks (43x,G19) will blow half the budget.. A Shield9 would save a few bucks and be acceptable.

my standard for a carry gun is two holsters and 3 mags and one mag carrier per gun, that’ll add $100. Per gun.

 

[bannockburn]

How about these for under $2000:

S&W M&P Sport II-$469 after $50 rebate
CZ P07-$447
CZ P07 Kadet .22 conversion-$247
Ruger 10/22 Standard-$262
Remington 870 Express 12 Combo with 26" and 18.5" barrels-$413

Total-$1838

 

[bannockburn]

lionking

My dad was was of the mindset if you can't pay cash you can't afford it.

Sounds a lot like my Dad! He always budgeted the monthly finances and if he wanted something outside of that (like a new car), he would save his money until he had enough to buy it. Back then he didn't any credit cards and except for a mortgage, there wasn't anything he had to make a monthly payment on.

To keep this gun related I'm pretty much the same way when I buy guns. Really don't like to use a credit card; basically I save up and wait to see once I have the money if a particular gun goes on sale or if a gun show is going on that weekend.

 

[George P]

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

Then what you do is buy quality in smaller numbers. I would rather have 1 gun at a time of high quality than buying a safe full of cheap crap. If that means it takes me a few years to get that four guns, then so be it. I shoot a LOT of shotgun at targets and birds; so I am NOT buying a cheap thing just to have a shotgun. Since I don't big game hunt anymore, a rifle is superfluous for me; I'd rather take that extra and out it towards my shotgun

 

[Bfh_auto]

While it's an interesting thought exercise, such a limitation isn't realistic. It would be foolish for someone who is limited to a specific amount of money to exclusively consider new firearms. Why would they?

I think this is for us to contemplate. It's easy for us to look up new prices. Used ones vary by area.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Savage 11 xp trophy Hunter 223 $489
Canik tp9sf $299
Henry 22 leveraction $289
Heritage Rough Rider. $149
Total $737. I think $1263 would pay taxes and supply your rsnge bag.
Both the Canik and Heritage are surprisingly accurate. The Henry easily replaces an AR for me. The Savage 11/111 is the cheapest I would go as far as a budget bolt gun. This is Academy prices.

 

[jmorris]

From the 3 lists, I’d pick the first one, if that’s all I could have but I have or have had all on your list.

 

[tarosean]

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

If confined to such a strict budget I would rather have one good gun rather than 4 mediocre guns. So to play the game, I'd likely pick up a used Silver Pigeon and a case of ammo.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

Some people choose to get their dream gun and no ammo...
I started with a $50 1851 Navy and a $75 SKS. I did my best to wear both out.
My gun choices have evolved with my paycheck, but I still drag it the SKS when I want to grin.

 

[WestKentucky]

After further consideration...

Keltec p32- 150 Gunbroker
Maverick 12 ga vent rib- 180 Walmart
Marlin 336- 400 Walmart
Taurus 689- 500 local
Savage axis 7-08 scoped combo $400 academy.
Ruger wrangler-200 local.

If $170 doesn’t buy me ammo then so be it. A few boxes of shotgun shells will feeds man for a long time. A 30-30 or 7-08 shell will feed a man for a long time. A .357 can put a whitetail in the freezer fairly easily if you can make the shot count. A bad guy perforated by a .32 is still a perforated bad guy. The wrangler is just for kicks, but I have killed plenty squirrel with my single six so there’s that too. Just for good measure I’m blowing $50 of my gun budget on fishing gear. Now I’m down to $120. I’ll take 2 boxes of cheapo 12 ga, 1 box of monarch 30-30, a Remington green box of 32s, 1 box of Winchester white box 7-08, and a bulk pack of 22s, and a Remington green box of 38s.

Or forget one of the rifles and buy a lee classic turret, a few sets of dies, and components.

Best bet, take your $2000 buy a $300 suit, get a $30 haircut, wear $100 shoes and go get a better job or a second job. Now we’re talking Smith 442.

 

[bearcreek]

Why do things always have to get complicated, I started a LEO handgun challenge and someone has to ask " but why not this gun?". I start a thread to list four new guns under 2K and someone has to ask "why not used guns?" I start a battle rifle challenge and someone has to ask " why not a AR15?"

Because this is an internet forum. If people didn't like to make things complicated and debate minutia, half the threads wouldn't exist and all of them would be far shorter.

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

As I said before, if someone is confined within a certain low budget, they shouldn't be exclusively looking at new guns. There's no logical reason to do so.

 

[guyfromohio]

I'm glad things are going well for folks that they can spend thousands of dollars on a gun or optic, so can I these days. But it wan't always that way for me and my household growing up wasn't that way. Sounds like if confined within a certain budget some would rather have nothing if they can't have exactly what they want.

Ok.... I'll play. If we are doing four guns on a budget with strict rules....and retail purchase price....

Pistol.... CZ PCR- $525
Shotgun..... Benelli Nova- $400
Rifle.... H&R Handy in .223- $300
4th gun.... Hi Point- $140 (because rules)

That leaves me $635 for ammo.

Pistol, if I'm avoiding 1911s, is easy. Many good choices in the $500 range.

Shotgun, if avoiding quality O/U and autos leaves really one good choice under current manufacturing....covers hunting and HD.

Rifle....just not interested in any budget AR or AK.

4th gun... cheap and I can always use it to bludgeon deer if I jump on its back from a tree.

 

[4v50 Gary]

AR type system. They're cheap.
Centerfire handgun (with 22 LR adapter)
Ruger 10;/22
Shotgun (change barrels for versatility)

 

[Bfh_auto]

Because this is an internet forum. If people didn't like to make things complicated and debate minutia, half the threads wouldn't exist and all of them would be far shorter.
As I said before, if someone is confined within a certain low budget, they shouldn't be exclusively looking at new guns. There's no logical reason to do so.

It's kind of like drawing to scale. He's using new gun prices so everyone can play along. People would cut the cost by 1/3 going used.