Point of diminishing return?

[Charlie98]

So your Kahr... ...works fine for you.

KahrS... plural.

Indeed they do... and that was the basic price point ($400) that I chose in the poll, for that reason. That also goes back to my comment about inexpensive pistols that work better than they have a right to, although there are a lot of pistols in that genre besides the Kahr.

I am a big fan of multiples, or backups, for dedicated systems, based on my experience. For the price of one fancy pistol, I can get 2 Kahrs...

 

[kje54]

At this moment in time my point of diminishing return is anything over a dollar........... Granted tomorrow that could be over two dollars or even 50 cents.........
As for all the firearm costs listed I see no such thing as diminishing returns except in potential resale value.........
Tying reliability to price is probably about as ludicrous a rationalization there is but to each their own.

 

[SimonRL]

Not even this one?

 

[Mark_Mark]

$500! if you can outshoot a Glock, you are the Man/Person!

I say practice and get good at trigger control

 

[sevt_chevelle]

$500! if you can outshoot a Glock, you are the Man/Person!

I say practice and get good at trigger control

Your shadow 2 or that S&W can't outshoot a glock?

 

[Coyote3855]

I have 2 Colt Commanders. Glocks 43X, 19, 19X, 23, 48. Springfield Hellcat Pro. Ruger LC9S. Kel Tec PF9. Ruger and S&W wheel guns. I carry a $250 Taurus GX4 and have a second one for backup.,

 

[cfullgraf]

The gun has to work is the main criteria.

I tend to look at more mainstream brands than what might be considered economy brands.

I probably would not carry a gun whose price is heading north if $1000.

My main carry guns are an HK P30SK, Colt Mustang, Kimber Micro, S&W 642 and Kel Tec P32.

 

[tmd16556]

I unfortunately cannot participate in the poll, because the OP left out an auxiliary verb in the sentence.
As the sentence stands, the correct answer would be "any and all of the above".

I just had a chance to notice the errors in the post. After the last few iOS updates, I’ve noticed it eats words out of sentences when typing. After a point, you just keep going.

Poll text is also not editable after posting beyond changing poll settings or adding response options.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Palmetto has a sale on the HK VP9 right now for $499, includes a coupon for a bunch of mags or other swag.

That is a lot of gun for the money.

 

[kje54]

Palmetto has a sale on the HK VP9 right now for $499, includes a coupon for a bunch of mags or other swag.

That is a lot of gun for the money.

Not bad but I can get a SAR9 (improved, enhanced Glock upper on a wonderfully ergonomic VP9 lower), guaranteed to work the first time, every time for $226 on Guns.com.

https://www.guns.com/firearms/handg...AvantLink&utm_campaign=35987&utm_medium=df_NA

 

[C0untZer0]

That's ^ cheaper than Taurus G3, GX and TS9 and Sarsılmaz actually has quality assurance and quality control ingrained in their manufacturing processes whereas Taurus does not. The SAR9 is much much better than the Taurus G3, GX or TS9. For general self-defense, its going to do as good of a job as any 9mm pistol.

 

[kje54]

That's ^ cheaper than Taurus G3, GX and TS9 and Sarsılmaz actually has quality assurance and quality control ingrained in their manufacturing processes whereas Taurus does not. The SAR9 is much much better than the Taurus G3, GX or TS9. For general self-defense, its going to do as good of a job as any 9mm pistol.

I also have their B6c (CZ 75 compact clone). Both are amazing firearms for the price. I'm still working on strengthening my grip so I don't need to tie the B6c to the truck bumper to rack it......... :}
I've also been eying the SAR9 Mete Safari:

But I really love the Storm:

 

[LoonWulf]

If all i want is a gun that goes bang and hits where the sights are aligned 200-300. After that im paying for "nicer" or more features.

Ive currently got a Girsan MC9 i paid 250 for and a G3c that was a Christmas gift...im assuming 200-250 for that one also.
I've had a Witness P-S I paid 2 for, CZ p10 i paid 3 for I think, few other guns like my Canik which were a bit more.

Ive not had any reliability issues with my autos except my 10mm when run with lighter loads, and my GP when trying to use SRPs.

 

[Tallball]

@Charlie98 I like Kahrs, too. The stainless ones are more like $700, if you want to claim a fancy brand. The P-series is kinda pricey also, and all you get over the C models is polygonal rifling, machined takedown lever, and laser etching.

@LoonWulf Totally agree. A person who knows what they're doing can get a reliable SD handgun for under $300 NP. If I pay more than that, it has to have some really good features, fill an important "gap" in my "collection", look like a work of art, be worth way more than what I'm paying for it.... something like that.

Paid around $300 for this one, used. It probably didn't cost a lot more than that NiB. It's made by RIA in the Philippines. One of my very favorite range toys and completely reliable. Would use it for HD, NP. The more expensive ones are prettier and "nicer", but they're not more reliable and I don't shoot them any better.

Citadel 1911 9mm

• Tallball
• Apr 6, 2019

 

[Mike J]

I voted $200 & up. I honestly believe I could pick up something for under $200 new & probably be fine. If that was all I had I would buy a SCYY. Not what I want but I believe it would work.
I bought a Ruger Max-9 this year for $279. I've had an issue but that was caused by me unintentionally hitting the slide stop. A minor adjustment to my grip corrected it. I don't own it now but had a Taurus PT-111 Millenium Pro G2. I sold it because it had a weak finish & I didn't like the trigger but it did work. There are always deals that can be had on reliable pistols. Now if one wants better finish, a better trigger, better ergonomics, etc. then that is where paying more may come into play but if the only criteria is reliability & combat accuracy that can be found very reasonably.
The only pistol I've had more than a minor problem with was a S&W 380 EZ. I sent it back to S&W & it came back with the same issue. I figured out how to correct the issue on my own but S&W was not helpful at all. Those were selling for around $375 at the time. Paying more does not always guarantee better quality.

 

[jmorris]

I picked under $200 but you’re going to have to let me know where I can get the $200 Hi-Power now…?

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

I purchased and still have an SAR B6P. Mine too was around $250. I tried to get it to jam, it just wouldn't. As a last resort I fired a bit over 1000 rounds through it without cleaning it. I gave up. It was very accurate too.

A couple of years ago I bought a Tisas 1911 45 ACP for $300. Now my 50-year-old Colt Series 70 Gov't Model just sits in the safe. Why would I want to fire a $1000 Colt when a $300 Turkish import will do the same thing?

35W

It's not how the survey is broken down, but I get functional reliable pistols in the $250-$350 OTD range very often.

I'll occasionally pay or trade for a fancier target revolver, but none of my SD handguns cost more than $400 OTD.

My Makarov was $89 in the late 80's and my FEG Hi-Power was $200 - they both still work just fine and there's a 99% chance they'll both outlast me. There are plenty of modern equivalents, like the Turkish CZ and Springfield XD's that I've picked up in the past couple of months.

You can pay more for a handgun that's fancier or has more features that you like or whatever, but you don't have to pay more for something that works.

Thinking about it, it's largely an experience thing. Those of us who have owned and bought and sold a bunch of various handguns know what we're looking for. If you give one of our more experienced board members the quest of "Purchase a functional HD handgun for $350 OTD or less", they will immediately have some ideas. A completely inexperienced person would have to rely on luck or random YouTube reviews.

This was right around $250 OTD a couple of months ago (used, of course). Trigger and sights are great, shoots great, no malfunctions. I won't shoot it enough to wear it out. When I saw it on GB I already knew a whole lot about it, knew what to look for in the pictures, knew what to be careful of regarding the seller. A brand-new shooter would have just seen one more cheap polymer pistol. We all know that it's a fabulous choice compared to a SCCY or Hi Point or Jennings, but a random person wouldn't really know that.

SAR B6P.jpg

• Tallball
• Oct 11, 2023

Do these accept CZ-75 magazines?

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

@Charlie98 I like Kahrs, too. The stainless ones are more like $700, if you want to claim a fancy brand. The P-series is kinda pricey also, and all you get over the C models is polygonal rifling, machined takedown lever, and laser etching.

@LoonWulf Totally agree. A person who knows what they're doing can get a reliable SD handgun for under $300 NP. If I pay more than that, it has to have some really good features, fill an important "gap" in my "collection", look like a work of art, be worth way more than what I'm paying for it.... something like that.

Paid around $300 for this one, used. It probably didn't cost a lot more than that NiB. It's made by RIA in the Philippines. One of my very favorite range toys and completely reliable. Would use it for HD, NP. The more expensive ones are prettier and "nicer", but they're not more reliable and I don't shoot them any better.

Citadel 1911 9mm

• Tallball
• Apr 6, 2019

I gut these and fill them with quality forged components made by Wilson, EGW, Brown, S&A, etc. This results in a nice carry pistol that I'm not afraid to get scuffed up and holster worn.

Current carry pistol undergoing reliability testing in 2017, before adding current sights and grips but after swapping and fitting fire control and other internals for good ones:

 

[Jim Watson]

I gut these and fill them with quality forged components made by Wilson, EGW, Brown, S&A, etc. This results in a nice carry pistol that I'm not afraid to get scuffed up and holster worn.

Add up the cost of those aftermarket parts, allow something for the labor required to install them, and you may well be out of the Econo-blaster category. And why? The gun didn't work when you bought it?

 

[C0untZer0]

Do these accept CZ-75 magazines?

Yes:

 

[9mmepiphany]

The gun didn't work when you bought it?

My most recent experience with a 1911 from the P.I. was a friend who bought an Rock Island for casual competition in IDPA...because he wasn't ready to spend Springfield Armory money yet.. Last about a year before the sear started to occasionally release on it's own. I think he replaced most of the internals with Wilson parts

 

[kje54]

With the self justifications, rationalizations and bias confirmation starting to fly I think it's time to pop some popcorn and watch the fun...........

 

[9mmepiphany]

With the self justifications, rationalizations and bias confirmation starting to fly I think it's time to pop some popcorn and watch the fun...........

Usually that's a sign it's time to put this thread in the closet