Can a pistol Under $600 be worth trusting your life on?

[Gjordin]

So a couple of guys at work and i were talking about pistols and the comment was made by both "there is no pistol that cost under $600 that you can trust your life with" What is your do you think of this statement and if you think its false what would you suggest for pistols under $600??? (I was looking at a taurus 24/7 G2 is it a good choise?)

 

[Stringfellow]

That's one of the most ridiculous statements I have heard in a while--its almost to the point of not being worth dignifying. Your buddies are truly talking out their arses.

"Under $600" would likely include the vast majority of all pistols issued to police and military around the world.

The statement might only get interesting if it were <$300.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I've seen used Glocks for well under $400. I've seen used 3rd gen. S&Ws for under $300. If you mean new, both are available as well as Kahrs and others for under $600 brand new in box. Not to mention the revolver options.

The idea that you have to spend $600 dollars for a reliable self-defense gun is silly.

 

[Gjordin]

well atlest i am not the only one who feels that way lol i had to really look for pistols over 600 buck

 

[Doubting Thomas]

Guns aren't necessarily cheap--but talk is. Be careful who you listen to.

Police trade-in guns are good serviceable pieces and a LOT less than $600. S&W's Sigmas are going for $249 right now and they work fine.

I wouldn't have a Taurus or any off-brand handgun. They're usually not "just as good", and if they have issues service is often iffy. When you decide to buy the gun you should have bought in the first place, resale and trade-in prices are lower and there are fewer takers for them.

Spell check is your friend.

 

[jcj]

This is what's known as "gun snobbery". There are many fine pistols in the sub-$600 category.

You'll hear some people say they'd never trust a brand _______ gun. Some manufacturers probably do have a higher failure rate than others. Still, the overall percentage is probably quite small.

I do tend to look at how the company treats its customers. How's the warranty? Does the company have a lot of customer service complaints ?

I've owned Taurus, KelTec, Ruger, Rock Island Armory, Springfield, and some milsurp handguns. I haven't had a serious issue with any of them.

Find something you like from a major manufacturer and shoot enough rounds through it so that *you* are comfortable it will fire when you need it.

Any manufacturer can put out a faulty gun. Anything you buy should be thoroughly tested by you, but chances are you'll have no problems.

Sub 600?

Plenty of S&W and Taurus revolvers in that range if you're open to wheel guns.

Springfield XD could probably be had in that range.

1911s from a few manufacturers start in that price bracket.

I'm sure others will chime in with good choices.

The Taurus 24/7 you mention isn't a bad option. My father-in-law has one that he carries daily. No malfunctions from it as far as I'm aware. Do some searches on Taurus customer service. Ask questions over at the Taurus Armed forums.

 

[Thompsoncustom]

There are a lot of great guns for under $600 you can get a new glock or CZ for under that. Also there are some revolvers around 400 new that are just fine, probably some for less.

 

[M2 Carbine]

As a first thought I'd guess the people that make statements like that don't know what the heck they are talking about.

Personally I have many guns that cost way over and way under $600 that are completely reliable guns.

Three recent purchases are a ATI C92 ($399), a Ruger LC9 ($400) and a Ruger SR9C ($400+).
All are well made, accurate and totally reliable. The Ruger LC9 has over 1,500 trouble free rounds and the other two guns aren't far behind.

I could make quite a long list of my reliable guns under $600. A few would be, Makarov ($135), Beretta PX4 ($446) Ruger LCP (under $300), P-64 ($169), CZ83/82 ($190 to $400), Beretta 92FS ($565), various CZ pistols (around $400), and on and on.

 

[1858remington]

That statement is totally WRONG!!! there are many guns for under $600 that you can trust your life on. There are some over $600 that arent worth the material they are made of.

here's a few guns for those on the CHEAP:

CZ-82 in 9mm Makarov. Retails for around $200. These are retired Czechoslovakian police guns and now fall under the curio and relic laws. They hold 12+1 rounds, have pollygonal rifling like a Glock. % of my friends and I bought them and we all love them. Very reliable, accurate, and have a great trigger. I placed 4th in a plate shoot with mine.

Kel-tec P-11 in 9mm. This is the same size as a Glock 26 and is an accurate reliable inexpensive gun. My dad has one for his car. Kel-tec as a company stands by their products 100%. The only downside to this gun is the long trigger pull, which is like a revolver double action.

Bersa, 380's are pretty good guns for the money. They are copies of the Beretta. Bersa is a no frills gun meant as a defence piece. Many people swear by them.

Springfield armory BASIC 45. Just under $600. The basic line is a parkerized pistol based on the WWII design. Springfield make an awesome gun. I love mine. Accurate and reliable.

You mentioned Taurus. Taurus is hit or miss for quality and reliabillity. A buddy of mine bought a 24-7 model and it was nothing but trouble, even after it went back to taurus twice. My Dad has their 1911 in 9mm and likes it a lot, though it needs new sights because it shoots 3 inches high from a bench rest. Gun Test magazine has tested many taurus products and there seems to be no consistency in quality, very hit or miss.

Try a used GLOCK. Price around $400. Glocks dont go bad. If you go with a 40S&W gun, Wolf barrels has drop in 9mm and 357sig barrels for about $100. This gives you up to 3 calibers in one pistol.

Avoid S&W SIGMA series guns. These glock wanna be's are total Garbage. Our local police force was issued them, and retired them after 1 year due to reliability issues.

 

[Nushif]

My most reliable, easy to work and all around perfectly proportioned gun is a Taurus PT911.
And it was definitely not 600 bucks.

YMMV ... But that statement is ridiculous.

 

[REAPER4206969]

Most service pistols are under $600. The only common ones that aren't are certain Beretta, HK and SIG models.

Stop listening to your idiot coworkers; they are obviously not "one of us."

 

[Mike J]

I don't have any personal experience with Taurus other than an old Model 85 .38 special snubnose revolver of my wifes so I wont speak to that other than to suggest you use the search function there are a have been a lot of Taurus threads.
In my area you can buy a NIB Glock for $535. The new Ruger SR series were $450 in local shops.The most I gave for any of my guns was $500 for my XD-40 a few years ago (the XD's ,not the XDm's, are actually cheaper now than they were then). The only thing that has really given me trouble was a Kel Tec. As others have said if you look at LEO trade-ins you can find good quality used guns for between $300-$400. There are a ton of options under $600.

 

[NoobCannon]

I got my Taurus PT111 for a hair over $300 OTD. I'm growing rather fond of it, and I'm more than confidant of it's ability to protect me. Don't listen to people that tell you you need to spend X-amount on a weapon. Unless you want to just throw money away. I've never once seen anyone haggle for a price that was MORE than the asking price. Usually everybody wants as cheap as possible.

 

[rondog]

Your friends are idiots, and you can tell them I said so.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Dang, I just bought a police trade-in G23. Before taxes, it was less than 300 bucks. If it takes 600 bucks to keep me safe, I might need to call up the gun store tomorrow and tell them I need another one for back up.

 

[shiftyer1]

Gawd I hope so or i'm screwed!!!!!!

 

[bigfatdave]

That's one of the most ridiculous statements I have heard in a while--its almost to the point of not being worth dignifying. Your buddies are truly talking out their arses.

Your friends are idiots, and you can tell them I said so.

As a first thought I'd guess the people that make statements like that don't know what the heck they are talking about.

You can go ahead and ignore the opinions of those "friends" from now on.
Price point doesn't correlate to reliability.

 

[Gjordin]

ha ha you guys us the term "friend" pretty loosely i never made the statement "friend" i said guys i work with lol

 

[sig232]

That's one of the most ridiculous statements I have heard in a while--its almost to the point of not being worth dignifying. Your buddies are truly talking out their arses.

Beat me to it, lol.. I got my Sig used, hardly fired for ~400 out the door...

 

[w2fnt]

Beat me to it, lol.. I got my Sig used, hardly fired for ~400 out the door...

Sorry to hear of your misfortune of owning a Sig Firearm. Now to answer the question just wait until you get a $100.00 Raven or Bryco pointed at you. The sight of that will give your life a whole new prospective.

Personally I have a $100.00 used 50 year old Makarov that I trust my life to on several occasions.

 

[LKB3rd]

Total bs. There are many, with Glock being the easiest example.

 

[KevinB]

I agree with everything already said. That's a ridiculous statement. I'm interested to hear what kind of pistol they consider "acceptable" for defense. I only paid more than $600 for one of the pistols I own, and coincidentally it's the only one I wouldn't trust enough to carry.

 

[klash545]

costs around $80 to make a Glock....i'd say that's well under $600

 

[Zerodefect]

Sure you can. But it may not be your best option. Cost should not really be part of the equation when selecting the right pistol. Flat broke? Cancel your cable.

Even a lowly Glock can be over $600 once you put some quality sights on it. Not to mention swapping in the smooth Glock trigger bar and 3.5 connector.


Get what works the best for you. The right pistol for you is way more important than what it costs. If a $2000 1911 is what you shoot best than that should be your CCW.

 

[MADDOG]

For years I carried a Bulgarian Makarov that I paid $62 for. Never a problem or failure of any kind. Then one day I moved up and bought a S&W Model 60 revolver for $250. I really felt good then. If I don't get a deal, I don't buy. I know, I know, I have heard all that before.