Looking only at handguns, and only ones I still own...
These I bought a long time ago and have had for many years:
Russian Makarov in 380 $89
FEG High Power clone 9mm $200
Taurus 689 357 magnum $200
These are more recent:
Beretta Model 84 380 $235
Charter Arms Undercoverette 32 magnum $235
Kel-Tec P3AT 380 $225
New England Firearms R73 32 magnum $150
Rossi 720 44 special $250
S&W "pre Model 10" 38 special $145
Star Super B 9mm $200
These I would not prefer due to caliber, but are better than sharp words and a sassy attitude:
S&W Hand Ejector 32 long $125
CZ70 32acp $225
Kel-Tec P32 32acp $125
There are probably a few more I am forgetting. The thing is, all of these go bang every time I pull the trigger. All of the ones in the top two categories chamber what I consider to be decent SD rounds. I have fired all of them at least a few hundred rounds. Some of them I have fired thousands (such as the Makarov). Some of them would not be my first choice - for instance the New England Firearms revolver was not a top-shelf firearm and I would not try to put thousands of rounds through it, but it has gone bang every time so far and fires a decent SD cartridge. Some of them, such as the Makarov, FEG High Power, Beretta, S&W "pre model 10" and Star Super B have and/or will last for as many rounds or longer than any of my more expensive firearms.
Some might scoff at the Rossi and Taurus, but those models are among the best those companies have ever made, and they have sold a whole lot of guns. In fact, the Taurus is my preferred HD firearm. I went shooting with a friend the other week and we were shooting at 7 yards. I fired 4 cylinders of ammunition and made the bullseye disappear. It was just gone. Every shot went into one big hole except for two fliers (which were my fault). The sights and trigger are excellent. I own Ruger, S&W, and Colt DA revolvers, and by chance this just happens to be the best-shooting one in my hands. If one of the others shot better for me, I would keep it loaded by my bed instead of the 689.
I also own firearms from other prominent manufacturers of which I don't happen to own inexpensive examples. The thing is, I have not found that the amount of money I pay for a handgun guarantees how reliable and effective it will be. As you can see, I own a lot of inexpensive firearms which are reliable and effective. I have also paid a lot more money for some which are no better, and sometimes worse.
In fact, here is a theoretical situation: I have listed 13 handguns which I paid not very much money for. Some would claim that because they were cheap,they aren't reliable. If it were possible, I would be willing to go to the LGS and let my friend there collect his 13 most expensive handguns. He could even field strip and clean them. Given good quality ammunition, I would be confident that all 13 of my firearms could shoot 100 rounds apiece with no malfunctions (if they malfunction, I fix them or get rid of them). I am guessing that the more expensive ones, being brand-new, would probably have some hiccups. In fact, I would not be at all surprised if there was an obvious lemon in the group that malfunctioned consistently and needed repair.
(Quite a rant, I know.
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