spacejunkiehsv
Member
Is it probable that I (new to handguns) can find a semi-automatic 9mm pistol that is RELIABLE, has an accessory rail, and can be found in good condition for $250 or less? I would also like a manual safety.
Used but RELIABLE 9mm pistol with rail for $250?
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david_the_greek
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A used cz p01. I've seen them new for $375-$400. I am not sure what the used market can offer for you
BoneDigger
Member
Ruger P-series
I'm not sure if any of the Ruger P-series 9mm have an accessory rail, but you can get a P-89 or P-95 used from a gunshow for about that price. I just bought a used Ruger P90 (.45 ACP) for $260 OTD in good condition. They are ultra-reliable, hold a reasonable amount of rounds, and are a blast to shoot.
If the accessory rail is an absolute must, consider a used Taurus Mil Pro or 24/7.
Todd
I'm not sure if any of the Ruger P-series 9mm have an accessory rail, but you can get a P-89 or P-95 used from a gunshow for about that price. I just bought a used Ruger P90 (.45 ACP) for $260 OTD in good condition. They are ultra-reliable, hold a reasonable amount of rounds, and are a blast to shoot.
If the accessory rail is an absolute must, consider a used Taurus Mil Pro or 24/7.
Todd
otomik
Member
It is not probable and part of the problem with your question is that there are various permutations of accessory rails that would require an adaptor for practical use. If you are new to handguns as you say I would recommend a .22 rimfire "trainer" pistol. The low cost of rimfire will allow you to save up and look at a larger variety of center fire pistols later and many trainers can be given a second life when adapted into silenced pistols.
You should be looking at the Beretta 87, Bersa .22LR, Sig Mosquito and Walther P22. The Sig Mosquito has a 1913 rail and the Walther has a glock style rail. I could go on but trainer pistols are best addressed in another thread.
The .22lr trainer pistol is a great and worthy idea that I agree with for new shooters. If however you need defense now, I'd recommend the Ruger w/rail and some lessons at a local range.
For home defense purposes, a good 12 gauge shotgun from Remington or Mossberg is a lot easier to shoot effectively and is pretty cheap to boot. Rails and lights and lasers and blenders and dishwashers etc are readily available too.
For home defense purposes, a good 12 gauge shotgun from Remington or Mossberg is a lot easier to shoot effectively and is pretty cheap to boot. Rails and lights and lasers and blenders and dishwashers etc are readily available too.
spacejunkiehsv
Member
The light rail is important to me, because I want my wife to be able to see what she's shooting if it ever comes to that. I don't think she'd take training seriously enough to be able to use a flashlight with her weak hand. On top of that, her weak hand is needed to help hold the pistol. She is one of those recoil sensitive type, to say the least.
I also like the light rail, because I'd like to see what I'm shooting at as well.
Permutations...... .........
I have looked at getting a Ruger 22/45 for training purposes. My wife would be much more likely to go shoot a 22 with me. She got a kick out of shooting my 22 rifle this past summer. The Walther P22 even has a rail, or at least it is on one variant.
I'm actually in a phase where I'm gathering all the info I can and also trying to get a good read on what my wife would and would not do, as far as practice and training. I'm fairly sure that won't be much at all right now, since she's 5 months pregnant with twins. I actually think that a 38 Special revolver with a light rail would be PERFECT for us, but the one (AFAIK) that exists is EXPENSIVE. It may be a .357 magnum though, but they will shoot 38's.
I recently shot a Ruger P95DC belonging to a friend. It was a fine shooter, nice and smooth with not much recoil. I was getting 4-5" groups from 15 or 20 yards (in the woods) with my first 10 shots, first time I'd shot a handgun in years. I really want a manual safety on a pistol though. His didn't have one, just the decocker that I have a hard time trusting. I don't think his had a rail either.
I also like the light rail, because I'd like to see what I'm shooting at as well.
Permutations......
......... I have looked at getting a Ruger 22/45 for training purposes. My wife would be much more likely to go shoot a 22 with me. She got a kick out of shooting my 22 rifle this past summer. The Walther P22 even has a rail, or at least it is on one variant.
I'm actually in a phase where I'm gathering all the info I can and also trying to get a good read on what my wife would and would not do, as far as practice and training. I'm fairly sure that won't be much at all right now, since she's 5 months pregnant with twins. I actually think that a 38 Special revolver with a light rail would be PERFECT for us, but the one (AFAIK) that exists is EXPENSIVE. It may be a .357 magnum though, but they will shoot 38's.
I recently shot a Ruger P95DC belonging to a friend. It was a fine shooter, nice and smooth with not much recoil. I was getting 4-5" groups from 15 or 20 yards (in the woods) with my first 10 shots, first time I'd shot a handgun in years. I really want a manual safety on a pistol though. His didn't have one, just the decocker that I have a hard time trusting. I don't think his had a rail either.
You can get the Ruger P95 in decock only, or manual safety with decocker. Another gun you might look at is the Taurus 24/7. Used you can pick them up for pretty cheap, I currently have one and it is a good gun. Those are really the only two guns I can think of in that price range....
cslinger
Member
atblis
Member
Reliable
If you want a 22 pistol, the P22 should be near the bottom of the list. They're kinda cute, but other than that... I can't figure this one out. I have experience with three different ones, and they were unequivocably out right pieces of crap.
For an everyday $250, your best bets are a Ruger or Taurus.
I would rather have a quality pistol with no rail, than a questionable gun with a rail.
There is always the CZ40P. Not a 9x19, but has a rail and is affordable.
A Ruger is probably the best gun for the least ammount of money.
Browse CDNN's catalog. They have some very good deals on pistols, their shipping is reasonable, and you should be able to find a dealer that will do the transfer for <=$20.
If you want a 22 pistol, the P22 should be near the bottom of the list. They're kinda cute, but other than that... I can't figure this one out. I have experience with three different ones, and they were unequivocably out right pieces of crap.
For an everyday $250, your best bets are a Ruger or Taurus.
I would rather have a quality pistol with no rail, than a questionable gun with a rail.
There is always the CZ40P. Not a 9x19, but has a rail and is affordable.
A Ruger is probably the best gun for the least ammount of money.
Browse CDNN's catalog. They have some very good deals on pistols, their shipping is reasonable, and you should be able to find a dealer that will do the transfer for <=$20.
Jamie C.
Member
Not to be a stick-in-the-mud, but I'm not sure I see much wisdom in putting someone who won't take firearms training seriously enough to practice handling both a gun and a flashlight at the same time in the position of having to point a loaded gun at anything they want to shine a light on. Just seems like a recipe for disaster to me.
Then again, I've never seen a reason for anyone but S.W.A.T., HRT, SRT, etc. having their lights mounted on their guns either, for the same reason. *shrug*
A good .38/.357 mag revolver and small light of some kind should be more than adequate for the situation you describe.
As for an auto, any of the ones mentioned in this thread so far, with or with a rail, should be fine as well.
Just my opinion, mind you, and worth exactly what you paid for it.
J.C.
david_the_greek
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i'm going to be a stubborn brand loving SOB here and recomend a cz again. and this I'm going to say that you can pick up a compact or fullsize cz with light rail. these guns are cnc made and have an extensive track record. then for like $180-22 you can pick up the .22 lr adapter. mine are awsome
*ETA there are a few lights out there for pistols and none are neccesarily cheap. infact you're likely to spend up 50% of the cost of your pistol on the light. if you go with surefire you're going to spend darn near 100% of the pistol price
*ETA there are a few lights out there for pistols and none are neccesarily cheap. infact you're likely to spend up 50% of the cost of your pistol on the light. if you go with surefire you're going to spend darn near 100% of the pistol price
Liberty4Ever
Member
Try A Kel-Tec PF-9
The Kel-Tec PF-9 is a new design, based on their P-11 and P-3AT. It first shipped in October, had some issues, and is shipping in volume as of this week. They're starting to show up in gun stores. The prices are a bit high, around $300, because there is still more demand than supply, but if you can wait a month or even two, the price FOR A NEW PF-9 will stabilize at $230 to $260 depending on what part of the country you live. The reports indicate that the latest PF-9s are good and getting better as they iron out the last of the details. Their P-3AT went through a similar teething process and is now THE concealed carry weapon for a lot of people who love their tiny size for a reasonable firepower (.380, essentially a 9mm lite).
http://www.kel-tec.com/pf9.html
If you want a little more firepower, consider the PLR-16. I have one of these and they're great. 30 rounds of .223. Yeow!
http://www.kel-tec.com/plr16.html
My wife has a .38 snubnose revolver. For someone who wants a reliable and simple handgun and doesn't want to train enough to maintain proficiency, a revolver is hard to beat, much as I hate to recommend a wheelgun.
The Kel-Tec PF-9 is a new design, based on their P-11 and P-3AT. It first shipped in October, had some issues, and is shipping in volume as of this week. They're starting to show up in gun stores. The prices are a bit high, around $300, because there is still more demand than supply, but if you can wait a month or even two, the price FOR A NEW PF-9 will stabilize at $230 to $260 depending on what part of the country you live. The reports indicate that the latest PF-9s are good and getting better as they iron out the last of the details. Their P-3AT went through a similar teething process and is now THE concealed carry weapon for a lot of people who love their tiny size for a reasonable firepower (.380, essentially a 9mm lite).
http://www.kel-tec.com/pf9.html
If you want a little more firepower, consider the PLR-16.
I have one of these and they're great. 30 rounds of .223. Yeow!http://www.kel-tec.com/plr16.html
My wife has a .38 snubnose revolver. For someone who wants a reliable and simple handgun and doesn't want to train enough to maintain proficiency, a revolver is hard to beat, much as I hate to recommend a wheelgun.
Jamie C.
Member
Cleared many houses or other buildings, Ravencon?
I have, and it's no fun and a tough job even when you're wide awake and have some idea of what you're doing.
Throw "just woke up" and "no real skill or training" into the mix with a spooked home-owner, plus a light and gun that only point together, and you have, as I said, a recipe for disaster. Or at very minimum, a very high chance of something ending up with an unintended hole in it.
J.C.
I have, and it's no fun and a tough job even when you're wide awake and have some idea of what you're doing.
Throw "just woke up" and "no real skill or training" into the mix with a spooked home-owner, plus a light and gun that only point together, and you have, as I said, a recipe for disaster. Or at very minimum, a very high chance of something ending up with an unintended hole in it.
J.C.
People talk about this all the time but there seems to be a solution, just use low ready. We're talking really bright flash lights, the spill light off the floor or walls will light up everything in the room. I'm sure with you on the training but the idea that you have to point your gun at anything you want to see just seems...short sighted, no pun intended.
As far as the gun, I think some of the s&w sigma series came with a rail and those should be pretty cheap. Most people don't love the trigger but its a decent choice to consider for your price.
Prince Yamato
Member
...or couldn't the wife just turn on the ceiling light or night-table lamp?
Honestly, if it's for defense of your own home, the whole flashlight idea is a little urban commando.
daysleeprx
Member
And what about people that live alone?
Power outages are often exploited by criminals and they have been known to cut the power.
Also, having a pistol and a battery operated light are useful for scenarios other than full blown house clearing. Obviously it would be nuts to try and clear your own house if you heard breaking glass and splintering wood. But, if you call the police every time you hear an unexplained sound you'll soon end up on the crank list.
gudel
Member
you really should go shop around. look for consignment guns. you might find something.
Jamie C.
Member
Again, remember that we're talking about people with little or no training here. And those people will reflexively shine the light around without even remembering that it's attached to a gun.
As for going and checking on various sounds and noises, in most instances the gun is only there "just in case".
We have a lot of wildlife here that regularly makes all sorts of odd-ball sounds in the middle of the night. When I go to check, I'm usually pretty sure of what I'll find. ( Deer, Raccoons, Opossums, etc. )
Yes, I take a gun with me, but it's usually stuck in my belt, or simply in hand but not pointed at anything but the ground. And somehow, I'm pretty sure that my neighbors like it better that way, rather than pointing in the general direction of their house and car, when I have to clear our fence line.
As a final thought on this, it's my opinion that the more sure you are that you'll actually need a gun during this sort of reconnoitering, the higher the odds are that you need to just stick to a safe room and dial 911.
J.C.
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