velocette
Member
Okay, nothing is cheap anymore but you can get a relatively inexpensive pistol if you are willing to
do some work and a little searching.
According to my local FFLs, they are sold out of handguns under $500.00 and darn few above that. There are some alternatives. There are foreign police trade ins and foreign compact pistols available at reasonable prices.
The two I've been working on are the Yugoslavian Zastava M 70, .32 acp, and the Spanish Star BM in 9mm Parabellum. The Z 70 sold for $175.00. The one I got was absolutely NEW. Not unworn, not lightly used, NEW. It came with two 8 rd. magazines, a cop style flap over holster and was FULL of cosmoline. A few hours (days) soaking in paint thinner and much scrubbing revealed a rough built all steel pistol. Trigger pull is heavy and it has a mag disconnect. BUT it shoots reliably with ball ammo and Hornady JHPs. Its NOT a target pistol but it shoots to point of aim pretty well.
Is it pretty and a fine example of a gunmakers art? NO. Does it work? YES, is it inexpensive, yes. All steel, no pot metal, no plastic, no MIM. Okay, the grips are plastic.
A final selling point is that .32 acp ammo is still readily available. I just bought 200 rds for under $50.00.
Next, for a few more dollars, like $275.00 is a Star BM. 9mm compact. No cosmoline. It’s a compact near copy of a 1911 Commander, 4” barrel and a shorter grip. It does have an easily removed magazine / trigger disconnect. They come with one mag but most offer a second at a reasonable price ($19.00) (The mags for a Sig 225 work well with a little bit of work) The pistols need a good cleaning and then proper lubrication. The things that need replacement are the mag springs and the recoil spring. (guide rod unscrews) It also cannot hurt to polish the feed ramp. All of these pistols are like most cop pistols, that is carried a LOT and fired a little. Internal workins are usually almost like new.
My Star BM eats anything I can stuff into its magazines. Ball, JHPs from Hornady, Sig Sauer, Gold Dots, and 124 grain Lead semi wadcutters from Missouri. (Good folks Missouri) It is combat accurate, that is all rds within a 6” circle at 15 yards with my 76 YO eyes and hands.. Recoil is quite moderate due to its all steel construction. Again, no plastic except its grips, no MIM, no pot metal, It’s a good sturdy reliable pistol (It was issued to Spanish cops for many years) 8+1 capacity. It appears to be designed to be carried cocked & locked, like a 1911. The safety cams the hammer off the sear, positively locking it.
Is it a beautiful example of the art of gunmaking?
No, but it is reliable, combat accurate, easy to shoot and available at a reasonable cost.
I put my Springfield Armory Range Officer Compact 1911 in the photo for a size comparison. Note, I did put inexpensive wood grips on my BM.
do some work and a little searching.
According to my local FFLs, they are sold out of handguns under $500.00 and darn few above that. There are some alternatives. There are foreign police trade ins and foreign compact pistols available at reasonable prices.
The two I've been working on are the Yugoslavian Zastava M 70, .32 acp, and the Spanish Star BM in 9mm Parabellum. The Z 70 sold for $175.00. The one I got was absolutely NEW. Not unworn, not lightly used, NEW. It came with two 8 rd. magazines, a cop style flap over holster and was FULL of cosmoline. A few hours (days) soaking in paint thinner and much scrubbing revealed a rough built all steel pistol. Trigger pull is heavy and it has a mag disconnect. BUT it shoots reliably with ball ammo and Hornady JHPs. Its NOT a target pistol but it shoots to point of aim pretty well.
Is it pretty and a fine example of a gunmakers art? NO. Does it work? YES, is it inexpensive, yes. All steel, no pot metal, no plastic, no MIM. Okay, the grips are plastic.
A final selling point is that .32 acp ammo is still readily available. I just bought 200 rds for under $50.00.
Next, for a few more dollars, like $275.00 is a Star BM. 9mm compact. No cosmoline. It’s a compact near copy of a 1911 Commander, 4” barrel and a shorter grip. It does have an easily removed magazine / trigger disconnect. They come with one mag but most offer a second at a reasonable price ($19.00) (The mags for a Sig 225 work well with a little bit of work) The pistols need a good cleaning and then proper lubrication. The things that need replacement are the mag springs and the recoil spring. (guide rod unscrews) It also cannot hurt to polish the feed ramp. All of these pistols are like most cop pistols, that is carried a LOT and fired a little. Internal workins are usually almost like new.
My Star BM eats anything I can stuff into its magazines. Ball, JHPs from Hornady, Sig Sauer, Gold Dots, and 124 grain Lead semi wadcutters from Missouri. (Good folks Missouri) It is combat accurate, that is all rds within a 6” circle at 15 yards with my 76 YO eyes and hands.. Recoil is quite moderate due to its all steel construction. Again, no plastic except its grips, no MIM, no pot metal, It’s a good sturdy reliable pistol (It was issued to Spanish cops for many years) 8+1 capacity. It appears to be designed to be carried cocked & locked, like a 1911. The safety cams the hammer off the sear, positively locking it.
Is it a beautiful example of the art of gunmaking?
No, but it is reliable, combat accurate, easy to shoot and available at a reasonable cost.
I put my Springfield Armory Range Officer Compact 1911 in the photo for a size comparison. Note, I did put inexpensive wood grips on my BM.
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