Is a stainless .380 worth $130?

[Ibmikey]

Mauser lover has the correct direction, don't buy cheap stuff that may get you injured, save a few more bucks and buy something with a known track record of reliability. If home defense a shotgun sawed off about 20 inches or more and bird shot if in an apartment or close neighbors...for personal carry save for a known brand, it is your fanny you are trying to protect....cheap doesn't cut it.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

Just a quick look at Buds Gun Shop and Southern Ohio Gun, some sub-$250 guns that are pretty reliable are
Hi Point CF380 $139
Hi Point 9mm or 40 $170-180
Armscor M200 $199
Zastava M70 7.62x25 $219
Zastava M88A 9mm $219
Taurus TCP $225
Diamondback 380 $226
Ruger LCP $230
P64 9mm Mak $232
Armscor M206 $235
P83 9mm Mak $239
Sccy 9mm $239
Keltec p32 $242
Keltec p11 $248

For home defense, don't forget a 22 rifle. You can get a Marlin Model 60 for around $175 delivered with transfer fee.

 

[webrx]

Pretty hard to beat the LCP for a small reliable carry piece at $200. I have one for me and one for the wife.

I also own a hi-point c9 that will feed and shoot anything I put in it.
Major issue with the hi-point is you cant limp wrist it, I have known folks who say they fail to feed, but, if you keep a firm wrist that problem goes away. Mine shot perfectly for me, but my 15 year old was having a problem, so I noticed he was allowing his wrist to break on recoil, fixed that and he had no more issues.

Another option might be a taurus 38 revolver, M85 I think it is, they can be had for under $200 used and only around 280 new. I had one, but traded it on an LCRX.

.

 

[gripper]

I would spend another few bucks on a Radom P64/83, or go up to $300ish for a Makarov. All steel,and IMHO the 9x18 brings more to the party than the.380.
If a .380 is your preferred caliber,the Hungarian SMC/PA63 variants work(although I dislike alloy frames).
Or: score a P64 and hunt up a .380 conversion barrel from keepshooting.com
Or consider a Bersa. ALSO within budget,and a better gun overall IMHO.

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

If you absolutely cannot stretch your budget to $200 I think that you would be well-served by a Hi Point. I found a .40 for $75 and bought it on a whim. I've put several hundred rounds through it without a malfunction, and if I run out of ammo I could beat whales to death with it. Add to that the lifetime warranty... It's not my favorite gun but the damn thing just works.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

If you absolutely cannot stretch your budget to $200 I think that you would be well-served by a Hi Point. I found a .40 for $75 and bought it on a whim. I've put several hundred rounds through it without a malfunction, and if I run out of ammo I could beat whales to death with it. Add to that the lifetime warranty... It's not my favorite gun but the damn thing just works.

I must agree with this. You can usually find 9mm and 40 used in pawn shops for $60-80. If they don't work right, you can send them in, and they'll fix what's wrong and send it back to you. If it's something you can fix yourself, call them, and they'll usually send you the parts for free.

 

[Ironicaintit]

If I had to pick an inexpensive pistol....it'd be a hi-point.

I had one in 45acp, and it was ugly, it was cheap, and it was reliable. Not picky about ammo, didn't care of it was dirty.
Bang! Every time.

If I were to step up to the $200 range, I'd look long and hard at a Star Model B. One of my favorites, and I kick myself in the butt for selling my modelo.

 

[Swing]

If you want a real value on a good self defense gun, the Armscor M200 4-inch 38 special is right at $200. Well built, dead-nuts accurate, and simple as it gets. If it is for carrying, the M206 has a 2 inch barrel, and costs about $20 more.

^. This. I one wants to really go low-budg, then this wheelgun fits the bill. Anything lower quality, particularly small autos, are going to be a steaming pile of .... eh, problematic.

P.S. The Cobra in .380ACP isn't stainless steel. It is cast zinc alloy. Huge difference.

 

[45_auto]

A stainless .380 would be worth $130 - but as others have stated, a Cobra .380 isn't stainless.

Actually, I wasn't even in the market for another gun when I decided to buy the 9mm. I had a Ruger mini-thirty, a .45 ACP, and a .38 snubby prior to buying the P89. I didn't reallyneed this piece. I'm of the "get proficient at one particular sidearm/rifle/shotgun" school but this deal was just too sweet to pass up -- I was salivating like a male dog after a bitch in heat. In my younger days, I would scour the classifieds and horde everything I thought was a real bargain. Only problem was, the more I added to my collection, the less was the probability I'd actually practice with these firearms at all, let alone get proficient with them.

Find a used gun or see if some of the people to whom you sold off your collection will loan you something or take payments to sell you one back. You'll be better off.

 

[entropy]

As long as it's not for carry, I'll recommend a Hi-Point also. The safety makes it unsafe for carry, but they are very reliable, can be found inexpensively, (Michael Tinker Pierce, you really got a bargain!) and will fill the role until you can afford a nicer looking gun. I'd recommend one in 9mm over .380, the ammo is less expensive, and generally a .380's advantage is small size, which is negated in the Hi-Point, their .380 is bigger than many 9mm's.

 

[Ledhead686]

Are you new to guns?

I know this isn't answering your question directly. But, if I could have one gun, and one gun only to protect myself, I would not buy the cheapest auto I could find.

I would look for an old smith model 10 or 64. If it had little or no finish left, dinged up and beat up, if it works well mechanically, you would be very well armed for the rest of your life.

No, not new to guns per se; although it's been a few years since I've owned/shot one. Like I say, I'm on a budget and a Cobra was offered to me for $100. I've read the reviews and am not overly impressed; you get what you pay for.

I should mention that I'm on the lazy side when it comes to cleaning semi-autos; therefore, I'm leaning toward a revolver, preferably a 4" Ruger GP100 or a S&W 686, but then again we're talking a lot more money here. Plus, the stopping power of a .380 is negligible (and my priority is, after all, self-defense) whereas a .357 or .40 is more to my liking; makes me feel more confident, more self-assured should the situation ever arise.

 

[Coyote3855]

These are not safe to own or attempt to shoot. You would be far better off with a used gun from reliable maker.

Please document. Is this based on your personal experience or just an opinion? Source?

 

[Ironicaintit]

I should mention that I'm on the lazy side when it comes to cleaning semi-autos; therefore,

I feel I should mention again, that hi-point 45 I had never hiccuped. I never ever cleaned the thing, until I'd decided to give it to my niece. Maybe less than 1000 rounds through it, and it was fairly grungy...it did not care.
I did oil the rails periodically, that was it.

Without a doubt, I'd buy one again if it were all I could afford.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

I feel I should mention again, that hi-point 45 I had never hiccuped. I never ever cleaned the thing, until I'd decided to give it to my niece. Maybe less than 1000 rounds through it, and it was fairly grungy...it did not care.
I did oil the rails periodically, that was it.

Without a doubt, I'd buy one again if it were all I could afford.

I don't have a Hi Point pistol, but I do have a 4595TS carbine. I ran about 500 rounds of Tulammo (which is probably the dirtiest ammo around) through it without cleaning before I had a failure to eject. I ran a brass brush, and then a patch with a little 3-in-1 oil through the barrel, and continued the fun. I won't say they like dirt, but they seem rather tolerant of it. That said, it's probably not a a real good idea to not clean your self defense/home defense gun.

Wheel guns are a good idea if you don't like to break down a semi-auto occasionally and clean it; but keep in mind, you have to clean revolvers too. Any gun can malfunction if you don't clean em up every now and then.

 

[C0untZer0]

Here is an example of a cheap Taurus for $200.00

https://www.slickguns.com/product/t...ued-19999-wfree-shipping-and-no-cc-fees-19999

A Taurus 709 Slim for $199.99 with free shipping.

I don't think the Taurus 709 is a great gun, but I think its a better value than the Cobra guns.

 

[Ledhead686]

Wheel guns are a good idea if you don't like to break down a semi-auto occasionally and clean it; but keep in mind, you have to clean revolvers too. Any gun can malfunction if you don't clean em up every now and then.

Oh, I know. But it takes me half the time to do the job.

What really turns me off cleaning-wise are memories of when I was a 60 gunner in the Army. After coming back from the range, and while members of my squad were breaking down and cleaning their 16s in about half an hour or so, it took me a good hour and a half to do the same with the 60. This is one reason I've been such a fan of wheel guns all my life. And as I said in my last post, I believe I'm going to forego buying the .380, save a bit more cash, and go for a decent .357.

 

[franco45]

I just picked up a used Taurus 605 for $225. It is a solid little 357. I just saw another used one for $229 and thought about buying that one too.

 

[Ledhead686]

I just picked up a used Taurus 605 for $225. It is a solid little 357. I just saw another used one for $229 and thought about buying that one too.

Gonna google it right now...

Hell, if I can pick up a decent .357, used Taurus or whatever, for that kind of money I'm going to hop on it. As stated, I'm in the market for a good, affordable man-stopper, not a questionable Hello Kitty bubble gun.

p.s. And I know that Taurus' rep has improved significantly over the years; not mocking the manufacturer in the above.

 

[Ledhead686]

Check that -- just googled and find that it's a snubby; and, as I have rather small hands, the recoil on a .357 that size isn't going to suit my purposes. Damn...

 

[Confederate]

I believe I'm going to forego buying the .380, save a bit more cash, and go for a decent .357.

Great. You going for a new one or a used? Four-inch barrel? Six-inch? Snubby?

If you're going used, check out a good, stainless Security-Six! They're great guns w/o being boat anchors!