Home› Main Category› Personal Defense
amtilton17
MemberPosts: 54 Member
Looking for cheap CC gun
amtilton17
MemberPosts: 54 Member
Hey,
I am a recent college grad, working a minimum wage job with student loans. I have a CCP and am looking for a cheap, reliable CC pistol. I would like something at least 9mm and bigger than a Keltec. What are your suggestions? Hoping to stay around $300.
I am a recent college grad, working a minimum wage job with student loans. I have a CCP and am looking for a cheap, reliable CC pistol. I would like something at least 9mm and bigger than a Keltec. What are your suggestions? Hoping to stay around $300.
Replies
corrected.
I'd check the local gun shop/pawn shops for a decent used S&W or Ruger revolver. I found a Ruger SP101 for $350, I am looking to find another for not much more.
Buds gun shop has NEW S&W 637 listed at $361, Ruger SP101 in 357 at $464.
Check your local classifieds, gun shows, etc... and see what's out there.
What is your experience level with firearms?
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Or you could find a subcompact Glock in 9mm or .40 used in that range.
I have a little experience with firearms. I have fired a Charter Arms .38 and Springfield XD 9mm (which I owned at one point but had to sell).
Cool. Just making sure you were not a complete novice before making recommendations on guns.
Ruger is a darn good choice, except the P series are a little big and bulky for concealed carry. The SR series is too new to find one for under $300.
If you are comfortable with checking out a used gun, there are lots of options you can find. The last gunshow I was at had lots of S&W Autos for under $300. They were beat up looking, but serviceable. Also, I saw several of the Kel-Tec P11 9mms that were under $300.
You are just going to need to shop a lot to find it.
You mention the Charter .38. I have a Charter .44, and it is a Darn fine inexpensive handgun. Also, the Makarov would be a good "Non-9mm" choice if you were open to other calibers.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
As you can see, it is only a bit bigger than the .380 acp version.
- George Orwell
Sent from my Motorola Atrix 4G via Tapatalk
Maybe that's true in your locale...around here, solid, used revolvers are in abundance, lots have been traded in for semi-autos. Saw a really nice S&W Model 10-6 Heavy Barrel this morning for $275.00. A veritable revolver nuts dream...
I would love to have one of those.
And way back when the best way to pick up an extra S&W revolver either a M-36 or a M-10 was to buy one from a retiring LEO that did not want extra guns lying around and you could pick up a pristine Chief or M-10 for around $50
For a 300 buck price range you are probably better suited for a Ruger revolver, like a smallish model in .357mag or .38spl. Rugers have the reputation for not being fancy, but durable and reliable. So a clean used wheelgun might be a good place to start looking.
A little hint on checking excess wear on revolvers... Most people try to rotate the cylinder to see if the action has too much play. Instead, do this (with an unloaded gun), first cock the hammer and THEN try to rotate the cylinder back and forth, seeing how well the locks hold the cylinder in line. This is a much better test for excess action wear on the cylinder locks.
Don't "dryfire" the gun because it's not good for the firing pin, so "catch" the falling hammer in your fingers, but still, test the smoothness of trigger pull and sharpness of trigger release. Everything should be uniform in action, with each trigger pull and release similar.
Guns wear and will show normal caseing wear if they've been carried a lot even if not abused. So gradual abrasions on the edges and corners are to be expected. What is not normal wear would be heavy abrasion along one portion of the gun frame, or sharply defined notches, indicating the gun may have been dropped negligently.
All in all, it's hard to find a better starter self defense gun than a nice used Ruger .357mag.
A better CC option is the Ruger LC9 I mentioned a few times already and at $299 quite a bargain with Ruger's reliabitiy good reputation and commitment to service.
Ruger produces a good quality handgun at a good price.
There are two good reasons I have nor recommended the LC9. He asked for something bigger than the Kel-Tec, and since the LC9 is the same size as the Kel-Tec PF-9(http://www.keltecweapons.com/store/pf-9-3/), that kind of cuts it out of the running.
the second reason is that I know 3 people that have had the LC9. Two have had to return to the factory, and the other one... well, the other one had a bad enough review with a horrible trigger, that I am waiting for Generation 2 or 3 before I recommend it.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
The LC9 is possibly the worst gun I've ever shot (and I've shot quite a few), especially the long, long, long trigger pull. I have an LCP for pocket carry and don't like that trigger either, but the LC9 makes the LCP a pleasant shooter.
I don't think anyone mentioned Glock yet, but a used Glock 26 or 19 can be had for around $400. Glocks are workhorses and notoriously reliable even if they are well-used. They are also popular so you shouldn't have too much of a problem finding a decent used one that haven't been shot too much.
I'm with Gene. You are looking for a gun that your life will depend on. Suck it up, save up, and buy the best that you can afford beyond a "cheap" gun.
:beer:
Al
I would stretch a bit if I could afford it and get a Glock 22.... $349 plus shipping and handling.
http://www.summitgunbroker.com/Glock_22.html
Or a Glock 17 from the same people for $385 plus shipping and transfers...
http://www.summitgunbroker.com/Glock_17__369.html
IMHO
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Every other used model Glock seems to sell at almost new prices except the Glock 22
If they're factory reconditions, it might be something Glock mandates. Or market saturation.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
That being said, if he can find a decent, good condition 9mm pistol in his budget, that's another choice.
I agree with Sam - checking "cylinder play" with the hammer down on a revolver is a bit like test-driving a car... in neutral. Even better checks include timing - making sure the revolver's chambers are lining up and the cylinder properly locking in place for firing. Cycle the hammer/trigger placing a little drag on the cylinder with the fingers of the other hand. If the cylinder fails to lock on all chambers doing this, there is a timing issue. Then with trigger pressed and hammer down, (a better check IMO than with the hammer back) you can get an idea for cylinder "looseness" and end-shake (the forward and back movement of the cylinder, in-line with the barrel).
Keep in mind that NO revolver (at least that I've found) will be completely free of a slight movement either in rotation or in fore-and-aft play. The nature of the beast is it will need a little "give" in the works if it's going to keep functioning, especially if it gets a bit dirty. As long as the cylinder locks with the chamber well-positioned behind the barrel, and the end-shake won't cause lead-spitting issues and an unsafe cylinder gap, even older guns can be quite accurate - I carried a well-used S&W Model 15 for duty and concealment some years back that showed significant holster wear (LEO trade-in when I got it), and had a tiny bit of end-shake and a noticable but not excessive "click" feeling when you applied rotation pressure to the cylinder with the works in "fired" position, hammer down after a trigger pull, trigger held back. That revolver got no bad marks whatsoever for accuracy from me!
Learned this trick from our gunsmiths, who found more problems with ill-treated Colt Pythons this way - about half of them that came in for sale/trade had some issue or other with timing. Excessive .357 Magnum use may have been the culprit with most, a few may have suffered "cylinder slam" at the heavy hands of a Hollywood-inspired pistolero.
I'm a fan of revolvers. I love shooting them. Given the budget nature of the question though, I think ammo price and accessory availability/cost should be taken into consideration. I can consistently find 9mm ammo for below $10/box. The lowest I've paid for .38spl this past year was $13/box, $15/box for .357mag. I can't find those prices anymore. Glock accessories are everywhere, which tend to keep the prices low. You can even get a 22LR conversion kit for most models of Glock, something you can't do with revolvers. A .357 revolver may be $50 - $75 a bargain at purchase time, but it will cost more in the long run.
Al