You do not have to spend $1000 to get a good weapon.

[RPCVYemen]

I forgot to mention the Schmidt-Rubin K31. I picked on up last year for @129.95 (hand picked, walnut stock, original sling, all matching numbers), and I was lucky enough to get with with a "tag" (the soldier to whom it was initially issued in WWII had written his name, birth day, outfit, and home town on a little slip of paper under the butt plate).

They maybe more now, I don't know. Pretty solid rifle. Ammo availability comes and goes - there are now some commercial loads available. The round is roughly a .308.

Mike

 

[Bones11b]

Taurus PT-1911 is a great deal for under $500.00 (Even if you opt for the Hot Rod Model). Also the Steyr M40-A1 can be had for under $500.00 if hicap poly framed pistols are more your style. Both of those pistols have received praise even when compared to others literally costing twice as much.

 

[Feanaro]

I don't think of excellent, top of the line, or high quality the same way some do. Partly, this is because I have nice tastes. But if a Ruger P90 is any of those things, how will we describe $2500 pistols? Super Duper Deeeee-luxe quality?

Excellent, top of the line, high quality firearms come with an appropriate price tag. But there are a lot of adequate/good quality firearms that don't cost a lot. Especially in the used area.

 

[browningguy]

Not always. The guns mentioned are top of the line guns, they just don't have all of the bells and whistles.

Now you see, there's the problem. They can be perfectly functional tools, but they aren't top of the line if there aren't some bells and whistles. I own my share of functional guns, SKS's, Bersa .380, Vanguard rifle as examples. But I also own and appreciate Gr. III and IV BAR's, a couple of custom rifles, some nice 19th C. Martini-Henry types rifles.

I also think the basic premise of the post is wrong. I believe if you'll do a little research here you'll find many more examples of "what is the cheapest ..." type post, and recommendations for things like Savage rifles than people only recommending high dollar stuff.

Just because you can appreciate nice things doesn't make you a bad person. Let's cut out the "my gun is cheaper than your gun snobbery" and get back to shooting. This is a C. 1875 Martini type action but with an exposed center hammer in .360 No. 5, a little engraving makes it attractive, and I can make ammo from .38 Long Colt brass.

 

[oldsoldier]

AKs

I've seen AKs going anywhere from around 400 to about 600. Tough rifle, too.

 

[P97]

What I like about well made cheap guns is that there are lots you can do with them to personalize them. I can take a well made gun and spend the extra money that it would cost to buy an expensive gun and have a gun just the way I personally like it, where as I haven't found an expensive gun just the way I want it, so I would have to spend additional money on it also. I guess my point is I have three cheap guns that Bestseller92 listed that I have spent extra money on that have them in the 1000. cost range, and I wouldn't trade for any 1000. gun that you could buy off the shelf.

 

[foghornl]

Staying within the American-Made Commercial Market:

Maverick Arms (Mossberg Subsidiary Company) pump shotgun under $200, sometimes a great deal less if "on sale"

Mossberg ATR-100 series bolt rifles, under $300. Savage/Stevens a good buy, too.

Ruger makes a long line of good, decently priced handguns. I have a messa them, like them all. (P-90, Single-Six, Vaquero, Blackhawk, MKII) Don't currently have a Ruger DA revolver, but I'm working on that.

Semi-Auto .22LR rifles...Marlin and Ruger both have decent models

Center-fire lever-action guns....one word answer..Marlin

1911-A1 style...kinda partial to Springfields offerings Your Mileage Will Vary

 

[scurtis_34471]

My entire arsenal is built on quality, affordable guns:

Molot VEPR 7.62x39 $750 (incl. shipping, transfer and 2 30-round mags)
Ruger 10/22 Carbine $180
Marlin 60 $130
Bersa Thunder .380 CC $305
Walther P22 $350
XD-40 Service $540
S&W M&P9c $470 (incl. shipping and transfer)

 

[benEzra]

Ruger Mini 14, $585.

Or Romanian AK + Kobra, $580 at today's prices:

 

[oldsoldier]

I see a few assault rifle-types listed, but what about .308-.30-06 semi-auto "battle rifles"?

 

[ozwyn]

I am thinking for under 1k you could get a Marlin levergun in .357 and a nice revolver of the same caliber and have a little change for ammo. (and be able to handle everything from concealed carry and home defense to 100+ yards out targets)

 

[stevekl]

The Remington 700 SPS line of bolt action centerfire rifles. I got a .223, new, for $419.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Mosin Nagant M44 - $59

I got robbed, then. I got mine for $110 from a local gun shop.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I am thinking for under 1k you could get a Marlin levergun in .357 and a nice revolver of the same caliber and have a little change for ammo. (and be able to handle everything from concealed carry and home defense to 100+ yards out targets)

You can. And for even way less than 1k.
A used marlin will demand about 150 or 200 after christmas and deer season round here. And, a used 357 medium frame can be had for about 250 ish.
Both great weapons with excellent utility.

But, one of these days, I'll buy myself a megabuck Holland and Holland double rifle. And, I'll shoot it at a cape buffalo.
I appreciate the finer things in life as well, but can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on them when all I buy at this point is utility items for hd/sd.
Maybe if I hit the lotto.

 

[Deer Hunter]

Don't forget a used gun list. You can get 870s for 185 dollars or less.

 

[redneck2]

I think most newbies reading the gun rags and even the legit gun mags today might come to the conclusion that a person has to spend at least a grand to get a decent weapon, be it rifle, shotgun or pistol.

Welcome to THR. Real world versus fantasy. Last time I looked, there weren't any advertisers here buying space.

In all honesty, people don't buy magazines to read about reality. You don't buy Playboy to see the 300 pound plumped out girl next door. You don't buy a car magazine to see a rusted out '72 Impala. You don't buy a home improvement guide to see a house that looks like yours.

We pay for fantasy, not reality.

 

[hso]

The Argentine FM Hi Powers are excellent semi-auto handguns and easily had for under $1,000 (heck you might get 3 for $1,000 or just 2 and spend the rest on ammo and training).

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

redneck2 is kind of getting at what I thought when I saw this thread yesterday. Some of the magazines I read have ads for $80,000 cars and $7,000 watches. Yet, I don't to know anyone who doesn't realize that you can get get from point A to point B with a $10,000 car or tell time just fine with a $15 Casio. Advertising is what it is.

 

[Andrewsky]

I have $2500 into my first gun, including optics, sling, and magazines.

Did I do good?

 

[Leif Runenritzer]

Walther P38s (postwar, commercial) and P1s go for about $300 now. I haven't seen much variety in holsters for them though.

Semi auto pistol? $150 for a Makarov

I'd expect to pay at least $200. On the high end of Makarovs, an East German one goes for about $300 now. More than i paid, but still not bad. Other guns in 9x18, however, i've seen for less than $200.

 

[Landlocked Pirate]

bestseller92,
I agree with your line of thinking. I feel well-armed with my assortment of high-quality but reasonably-priced guns, most of which are included in your list. I own Remington and Mossberg pump shotguns, Marlin lever-actions, S&W/Ruger/Taurus revolvers, Marlin and Ruger .22s, and a Glock 9mm, all of which were bought new. And at $549, the Glock was by far my biggest expense.

 

[Wes Janson]

I have to play devil's advocate here and make two points. First, the claim that gun magazines only run articles on expensive firearms is quite untrue-off the top of my head, I can think of two or three feature articles in the last issue of G&A that were on guns with an MSRP well under $1,000. The PT-1911 and Taurus Judge were both met with extensive (!) coverage recently by the firearms press, and both are in the ~$500 range. Magazines tend to put more expensive firearms on the cover because-surprise-they tend to be more photogenic than cosmolene-coated milsurp.

Secondly, the underlying position in this thread seems to be that expensive weapons are a waste of money because one can get cheap weapons that do the job just as well. For many applications, yes, inexpensive imported handguns, rifles, and shotguns do suffice just fine. But if you start looking for higher standards of performance, be they accuracy, durability, or functionality, you're generally going to have to pay for it. And once you start adding optics, accessories, and aftermarket custom parts, the price increases dramatically. On the whole (with a few exceptions), the shooting sports tend not to be a particularly cheap hobby.

 

[CU74]

IMHO, it's hard to beat the accuracy, durability or functionality of a Smith&Wesson revolver, almost any of which can be purchased used for well under $1,000. In rifles, the same applies to M1 Garands and 1903 Springfields, again available for under $1,000. I have a number of older, (i.e., pre-lawyer lock) Smith and Colt revolvers and, again IMHO, they are just about as good as revolvers get.

For a semi-auto rifle, the M1 Garand has a pretty good track record and the 1903 has it for a bolt-action rifle. For accuracy and dependability, I don't think any of the C&R Swiss Schmidt-Rubin rifles or carbines has to stand down for any bolt-action comparison. Any number of Marlin lever-action rifles can be had for less than $500, and they are pretty good too. I'm not "into" shotguns, but I'm certainly not ashamed of my Belgian-made Browning A5 - made in 1957 and purchased for less than $1,000.

You would have to bring a full-sized pickup truck, (and perhaps a trailer as well) to haul away my "accumulation", which has only one firearm that I paid over $1,000 for. Be patient, spend wisely, and enjoy shooting.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

You do not have to spend $1000 to get a good weapon

Whoever said you do?

You can claim your list is only "representative," but you completely overlooked the 1911 platform, which is an egregious oversight. Especially considering that you can buy many excellent 1911s, including most of Colt's offering, for under a grand.

 

[retrieverman]

I agree that you don't HAVE to spend a grand to get a "decent" gun, but I own both "decent" and "high end" guns and have to admit that there is a DEFINITE difference in the two.