Good, cheap handgun suggestions?

[devil21]

I want to buy a handgun. I'm looking for something with a lot of stopping power, isn't too expensive, and is well constructed and easy to load.

I kind of like revolvers, but clips are fine!

Glock 29, subcompact 10mm. Around $500. Hands down the best choice given your requirements. You can't get much more stopping power out of a semi-auto handgun than that and reliable as can be. A couple of mags full of Double Tap hollow points and you'll be in good shape.

 

[Pericles]

In my view, the best overall compromise is this:

http://www.simpsonltd.com/product_i...=5505&osCsid=7a1e5550a2d4db7a557542ec97d509e5

 

[ihsv]

Xeno, not to be prying, but what is your budget range? What is "cheap"?

 

[ksuguy]

Check out the EAA Witness. Reed's is a good place to get one:

http://shop.reedsammo.com

 

[xd9fan]

dont go too cheap...you do get what you pay for.
Dont be cheap on a tool that could save a life.

 

[KCIndy]

Just my two cents...

Having owned and shot both revolvers and semi-autos, I'm personally a huge fan of the humble .357 revolver.

Advantages:

1) Affordibility. Much more affordable then most semi-autos. I'm not going to demean the .357s I own by saying they were "cheap." I have a S&W and a Colt, and would not hesitate to recommend either brand.

2) Simplicity. The basic revolver is a very simple design, with fewer (many fewer!) moving parts than a semi-auto.

3) Reliability. You're not going to have to worry about jamming problems with a revolver. Keep it cleaned and oiled and use decent ammo and I can guarantee you'll not have to worry about shooting problems if you're using it "in a pinch."

4) Flexibility. I'm not sure how much you know about handguns in general, but with a .357 you can also shoot standard .38 caliber ammo in it. (Makes for cheaper shooting practice than burning up a lot of .357 rounds.) And I would definitely advise finding a gun range and getting some practice with a qualified instructor.


A few other comments.... There are those who will claim that the semi-autos have a higher magazine capacity and will therefore give you the advantage of more shots. I'll argue that having 17 or 19 shots available to rip off is great - if you're planning to miss a lot. (I don't advise making this argument in person around a bunch of semi-auto fans, incidentally ha!) But I'll stand by my opinion that if you make your first shot count with a .357 Mag round, you'll not need to shoot another 18 times.

And if you do, there are always speed loaders.

Again, just my 2 cents....

 

[Chosen]

I wouldn't rely on any handgun that costs less than $450 to save my life, unless it is a backup like a Keltec P32 or something.

If a situation ever arises where you would have to defend yourself, it will happen very quickly with no "do-overs." So you are primarily purchasing something that will be required to save your life, without preparation and must be expected to work no matter the conditions.

The other thing is that you should be willing to practice with whatever you get.

In any violent encounter between two people the rule of thirds applies. Only three things can happen. One, you are killed. Two, you are both injured or killed. Three, you survive the assailant is killed. Accept this and fold it into your decision to get a handgun.

As stated before, go to a range and test fire their rentals. Consider why you are buying it, then I think you can justify spending more. Never be in a situation where you wished that you had not skimped. Like riding to the hospital in the back of an ambulance, injured, knowing that your loved ones are dead because you bought a $200 handgun that didn't work when the time came.

 

[Toureg89]

I want to buy a handgun. I'm looking for something with a lot of stopping power, isn't too expensive, and is well constructed and easy to load.

I kind of like revolvers, but magazines are fine!

Glock 19.

on can get a good quality used one betweem 400-500$.

they hardly jam, will eat any ammo, take a lot of abuse, and are fairly accurate

 

[Toureg89]

Glock 29, subcompact 10mm. .

horrible suggestion, seeing as 10mm is expensive, because no one makes it in such huge bulk, like .45 or .40.

im gonna buy a Colt Delta Elite to have as a collection gun, but im going to either carry a 9mm or .45.

and if the world is ever plunge into chaos, will he be able to borrow 10mm ammo for cops/soldiers?

i somehow doubt it.

 

[asimplegirl]

9mm is MUCH cheaper than .45, that's why huby stopped carrying that, and switched to the baby Glock...that and his G30 was much too heave to be hanging off his little frame and gave him sciatica.

Originally Posted by Xenophage View Post
I want to buy a handgun. I'm looking for something with a lot of stopping power, isn't too expensive, and is well constructed and easy to load.

I kind of like revolvers, but magazines are fine!
Glock 19.

on can get a good quality used one betweem 400-500$.

they hardly jam, will eat any ammo, take a lot of abuse, and are fairly accurate

Thank you..everytime I went back to the first page this bugged the malarkey outta me.

 

[devil21]

del

 

[Cowlesy]

a vote for S&W M&P they are great and can be found for 450ish lifetime warranty and right now you get 4 mags

Seconded.

Get a Smith & Wesson M&P .45 ACP --- it comes with two magazines and you get a coupon which you can redeem for two free magazines.

If you have to wait 2-3 months to save up the extra coin for it (I think I paid about $500 for it), it's worth it.

Currently mine is tricked out with tritium sites and a Surefire LED light.

 

[Dave39168]

There's 3 good choices for caliber. 9mm, .40, and .45. The 9mm rounds are the cheapest so i'd recommend this for a first time handgun buyer. With the 9mm you can afford to practice more, thereby becoming more proficient with your weapon. You don't want to have to defend your life with a firearms that you've only put a couple hundred rounds through. As someone once said: "In an emergency, people don't rise to the occasion, but are reduced to their level of training." Know your weapon intimately.

The cheapest revolver i'd trust is a taurus and the cheapest semiauto a ruger. Ruger makes some very reliable pistols and they are priced nicely.

If you want to step up the quality and price a little, go with an Springfield XD or a Glock.

Also, there have been many many lives saved by a hi-point pistol. When the bad guy aims his $150 pistol at a victim and it clicks instead of fires.... lives are saved.

 

[Dave39168]

those caliber recommendations were made based on price and availability. 9mm is common in law enforcement and military. .40 is somewhat common in law enforcement. and .45 was the caliber of the military's sidearm for many years until they started using the beretta 9mm.

 

[SWATH]

I mean this in all seriousness. Do not skimp on a firearm. Do not buy a hi-point, Jennings, Lorcin, etc.

The minimum that I have seen decent handguns go for is around $300 used, $450-550 new. Expect to spend that much. If you can't afford it, save up and buy quality, do not buy crap because it is all you can afford now.

Here are some quality brands that are not too expensive.

Glock
Springfield
Taurus
Colt
Beretta
Ruger
S&W
Kahr

There are plenty of others I just can't think right now, I just spent the last 4 hours tuning my XDM match trigger.

Expect to spend between $300 and $600 for a quality weapon that will function fine and won't break the bank. You will just have to go to a shop, feel around and see what you like, what fits your hand well, rent some and shoot them if you can, much of it is personal preference. For instance I think Glocks are fine guns but I hate them because they feel so awful in my hand and I can't hit jack with them. However here are some suggestions. Try a Glock 19 and see how you like it, also try a Springfield XD 9mm which will feel much different due to the grip angle and dimensions, try a S&W MP they are nice too and a Kahr. If you don't like those then you don't like striker pistols, move on to hammer pistols like a Beretta 92F or a Taurus or Ruger p89. My sidearms are upper eschelon like SIG, HK, Springfield XDM, but they are also more expensive. Asking what the best pistol is is like asking what the best car is or what the best shoe is, there is no right answer, different guns are geared toward different characteristics and they have different personalities, you just have to see which ones you get along with. As far as caliber you basically have 3 choices for serious consideration 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. For a first gun I would go with a 9mm, it's cheaper, easier to learn to shoot on, the most popular and widely available pistol caliber, highest capacity, highest shooting perfomance and with high performance ammunition almost as terminally effective as .40 and .45, the differences seem to shrink a little more every year. I myself have gone from .45 for the longest time, to .40, to 9mm. My XDM is both .40 and 9mm depending on barrel and magazine and it has the remarkable ability to make the .40 recoil like a 9mm, so it come down to ammo cost and capacity. I have also gone from hammer pistols to strikers for the uniform and consistent trigger pull.

I must also mention if you decide on a revolver, go with .357 mag.

 

[arjundawg]

I'd suggest the Ruger SR9
Striker fired, 17 +1 9mm
good gun good price
ammo is cheaper
1000s of rounds here with no failure
accurate small and light

Dont forget recoil and follow up shots

Only thing I dont like about this ruger is the safety

Now if youre looking for something in a conceal carry Id look into the PM9 Kahr,
g26 glock, or 239 sig
Might wanna look into the springfields as well
Conceal carry doesnt do you a bit of good if its sitting at home on the nightstand

more details, what are your plans

 

[Toureg89]

That's why you stock up on it when you can find it, just like any other ammo that you may need. However, looking at it from the other side, how many shots does it take of 9mm to knock someone down? Now compare how many it takes of 10mm. You'll need a lot less 10mm to do the same job.

"A failure to plan on your part does not necessitate an emergency on mine."

But his question wasn't about SHTF scenarios, it was about a powerful, easy to use and inexpensive gun. Inexpensive, reliable, and powerful are all usually mutually exclusive when it comes to handguns. A large caliber Glock fits the bill and there's none more powerful than the 10mm. ETA: I guess the OP could go for the neutered 10mm, called the .40 or the ballistically inferior .45. Ammo prices are about the same as the 10mm. Whatever it is, make it a Glock.

all right.

just an average carry weapon, 10mm is fine.

a shtf scenario, in which case, one would prefer the firearm one regularly carries, a .45 Glock is more than sufficient for power, reliability, and cheapness.

and even if the .45 is ballistically inferior to the 10mm, if it gets the job done, it gets the job done.

 

[Chosen]

The FBI abandoned the 10mm as a potential replacement weapon because they found that, for a majority of agents, it was nearly impossible to make sufficient follow up shots. This result was had after the fatal 80's shooting where the FBI reconsidered the 9mm and went with the .40 S&W. They ran almost every possible test on every caliber.

 

[Toureg89]

The FBI abandoned the 10mm as a potential replacement weapon because they found that, for a majority of agents, it was nearly impossible to make sufficient follow up shots. This result was had after the fatal 80's shooting where the FBI reconsidered the 9mm and went with the .40 S&W. They ran almost every possible test on every caliber.

oh, i very well know the history behind why the FBI carriers what.

i was telling my friend the other day, cops want power, but not everyone can handle the 10mm or even th .45, so the .40 was the right choice.

i myself will probably conceal carry a .45 or maybe even a 10mm, when i turn 21 in about 11 months.

but i would never suggest a 10mm to anyone else.

 

[penguin]

The FBI abandoned the 10mm as a potential replacement weapon because they found that, for a majority of agents, it was nearly impossible to make sufficient follow up shots. This result was had after the fatal 80's shooting where the FBI reconsidered the 9mm and went with the .40 S&W. They ran almost every possible test on every caliber.

Ok not that I disagree with your conclusion but government employees? isn't that a failure before the round was even chambered??