Cheap Pistols?

FishHunt

FishHunt

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What cheap pistols have you purchased or shot that have surprised you on how well they perform?

I recently purchased a Taurus, yes a Taurus 940 .40S&W for cheap. I bought it to carry around the farm and to carry with me on the atv. After stripping and cleaning it I have shot it several times and have not had any issue with it. It has shot all types of ammo that I have and shoots accurate enough for me. The Rem/UMC 180gr loads have shot the best for me, around baseball sized groups at 15 yards.

What have you purchased or shot that was cheap and performed well.

<>< Fish
 
Bersa 380, although I no longer have it,the accuracy of this pistol was impressive to say the least. I always said I'd buy another but somehow, I've just never gotten around to it.
 
Back when I was in graduate school and couldn't afford a pot to urinate in I bought an Phoenix Arms HP22A for ~$100. .22LR was plentiful and inexpensive at the time, so I was able to put about 5,000 rounds through it until I was able to afford something nicer. I still own it and it has a cracked frame (common issue), but I still appreciate how much shooting I was able to do with it.
 
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My taurus g2 cost me 240 and comes with 2 mags which is why I picked it over the Ruger ec9. Haven't shot it yet but for the price it has great capacity (12+1) and takes sig 226 mags if I want to get stupid with it.

Plus for that price it is their version of brown which is basically closer to the usmc coyote than fde.
 
Kel-Tec P3AT. Works good, feels good, accurate for what it is, small and light. I like how it's made. I have an LCP Custom and a M&P .380BG; like em all but was most pleasantly surprised by the Kel-Tec. No failures of any sort so far. Second most surprising cheap pistol was my 9mm Shield. Works good, feels good, etc, but then I was expecting it to.
 
molonlabe said:
My taurus g2 cost me 240 and comes with 2 mags which is why I picked it over the Ruger ec9. Haven't shot it yet but for the price it has great capacity (12+1) and takes sig 226 mags if I want to get stupid with it.

Plus for that price it is their version of brown which is basically closer to the usmc coyote than fde.
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I was going to get one of those, but the trigger turned me off. Plus when I got the Ruger, I couldn't get the Taurus locally for a comparable price. I like to buy locally if possible.
 
Red Marley said:
Kel-Tec P3AT. Works good, feels good, accurate for what it is, small and light. I like how it's made. I have an LCP Custom and a M&P .380BG; like em all but was most pleasantly surprised by the Kel-Tec. No failures of any sort so far. Second most surprising cheap pistol was my 9mm Shield. Works good, feels good, etc, but then I was expecting it to.
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I had the LCP, and my wife has the LCP 2. Great little pocket guns. The 2 has a way better trigger. I'm not familiar with the custom.
 
Yea
molonlabe said:
I had lgs order the taurus for me...it was between the Ruger and the taurus...and the higher capacity and not having to buy a second mag did it for me. Plus I can switch the mag release as well and i like the color.
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Yeah, 7+1 kind of a downer. Extra mag was pretty cheap though. $14 IIRC. I'm pretty happy with it though. I really only bought it for a cheap to shoot range gun, but I liked it so much it's now my EDC.
 
I sold m
Tucci454 said:
Yea


Yeah, 7+1 kind of a downer. Extra mag was pretty cheap though. $14 IIRC. I'm pretty happy with it though. I really only bought it for a cheap to shoot range gun, but I liked it so much it's now my EDC.
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I sold my mak which was my carry pistol with the intent of getting one of the new Ruger...the security 9 is too long to be edc and I ended up with the taurus. I couldn't find the Ruger mags that cheap.
 
Cheapest I’ve ever bought was a Taurus snub nose 357, model 85 maybe. It was a bear to shoot, and I couldn’t shoot it very well. Traded it eventually for a ruger 1911, that I love. My buddy had a little Kel Tec of some kind that was fun to shoot. I could hit steel at 110 yards with it with some consistency.
 
Cabelas has the Taurus PT111 G2 for $199 right now. Academy will honor the price + extra 5%. Assuming you are interested in the pistol and call Cabelas local.

dman24 said:
Cheapest I’ve ever bought was a Taurus snub nose 357, model 85 maybe. It was a bear to shoot, and I couldn’t shoot it very well. Traded it eventually for a ruger 1911, that I love. My buddy had a little Kel Tec of some kind that was fun to shoot. I could hit steel at 110 yards with it with some consistency.
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If that was an even trade you did the deal of the year.
 
The SCCY CPX-2 that I recently got and did a review here. $175 and it's doing very well.
I've also had Hi Points in 9mm and .45 ACP and they always worked. They sure ain't pretty but they work.
 
Geezer said:
The SCCY CPX-2 that I recently got and did a review here. $175 and it's doing very well.
I've also had Hi Points in 9mm and .45 ACP and they always worked. They sure ain't pretty but they work.
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The good thing about the High Points is that if the gun fails, you can rip the slide off and throw it at the target. It might do more damage than the bullet!
 
A former coworker that I would shoot with has a generic cheap 9mm pistol. It is semi chromed but with some rust on it. Honest to God, the thing has stamped on the slide, “Chinese Pistol”. No other branding or marking, not even 100 percent certain of s serial number. The damn thing shoots pretty well, is surprisingly accurate, doesn’t jam, doesn’t fail to feed or fire.
 
Tucci454 said:
I was going to get one of those, but the trigger turned me off. Plus when I got the Ruger, I couldn't get the Taurus locally for a comparable price. I like to buy locally if possible.
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Care to elaborate? I know someone who bough a SCCY and thought the trigger pull was very long all the time.

Geezer said:
The SCCY CPX-2 that I recently got and did a review here. $175 and it's doing very well.
I've also had Hi Points in 9mm and .45 ACP and they always worked. They sure ain't pretty but they work.
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No mag issues with the 9mm one? IMHO that is its achiles' heel.

Tucci454 said:
The good thing about the High Points is that if the gun fails, you can rip the slide off and throw it at the target. It might do more damage than the bullet!
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Ripping the slide of a Hi Point ain't that easy; better off chucking the entire thing.

With that said, the recoil is quite soft and it is an example of why I am glad people do not just do one grip for every single pistol out there: everyone is different and have different hands. I know people who say the C9 grip fits them perfectly while a, say, glock or 1911 feels odd. And vice-versa.
 
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Kel-tec P32 and Heritage Rough Rider have both far exceeded my expectations. I still don’t count them as “real guns” but I got my money’s worth.
 
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Catfish said:
Kel-tec P32 and Heritage Rough Rider have both far exceeded my expectations. I still don’t count them as “real guns” but I got my money’s worth.
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I haven't had P32 but other Keltec I've had were GTG. Had a RR and mine was gret also. Why do you not consider them real guns?
 
dalek said:
Care to elaborate? I know someone who bough a SCCY and thought the trigger pull was very long all the time.



No mag issues with the 9mm one? IMHO that is its achiles' heel.



Ripping the slide of a Hi Point ain't that easy; better off chucking the entire thing.

With that said, the recoil is quite soft and it is an example of why I am glad people do not just do one grip for every single pistol out there: everyone is different and have different hands. I know people who say the C9 grip fits them perfectly while a, say, glock or 1911 feels odd. And vice-versa.
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It is like a DA revolver, the trigger on the SCCY is long but very smooth. Don't try to stage the trigger, you'll be disappointed. Just squeeze the trigger all the way through and you'll find it very manageable. The reset is all the way at the end of the trigger return.
These are not target pistols, they fill a niche like the Hi Points and other inexpensive guns. They give a person with limited funds a way to own a gun to protect themselves and their loved ones. Not everyone is a gun guy, most everyone wants to protect their loved ones.
 
Another vote for the Makarov, and for $200, my Yugo M57 (Tokarev) is a heck of gun.

Most recently, the RM380 was a steal at $200. ( I bought one before they had the refund.) So far, it seems they didn't degrade the Rohrbaugh design.
 
Two for me. One is a Keltec P32. It goes bang every time. The other is a CZ999. It is similar in size and operation to Sig P229 but takes mags that are very similar to a Beretta. It is remarkable how accurate and smooth it operates. I can only say good things about it for a sub $300 pistol.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
J R Green said:
American Arms PX-22, a little piece of pot metal that was $100 brand new. The finished has literally melted off but It shoots every time and the bullets go where they are pointed.

Not mine but you see.
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I would truly admire to own that if you ever decide to get shed of it.
 
Geezer said:
It is like a DA revolver, the trigger on the SCCY is long but very smooth. Don't try to stage the trigger, you'll be disappointed. Just squeeze the trigger all the way through and you'll find it very manageable. The reset is all the way at the end of the trigger return.
These are not target pistols, they fill a niche like the Hi Points and other inexpensive guns. They give a person with limited funds a way to own a gun to protect themselves and their loved ones. Not everyone is a gun guy, most everyone wants to protect their loved ones.
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SCCY 18X20 headshots at 25 yards. They'll do the job. Cheapest and work for the money for me is S&W Shield in 9mm for $199 and LCP for $169. Both last year from PSA.
 
noway2 said:
“Chinese Pistol”
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original.jpg
 
Keltec P3AT has run well for me, and the PF9 is probably the most comfortable pocket 9 to carry.
Both are 100% ugly.
 
CZ82 for $169 was a great gun. Super accurate and reliable. I should not have sold it but I didn't want to keep Makarov ammo in the stash.
 
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Three for me...
1. Kel-Tec P32 - my pocket gun for 11 years before my LCP. No malfunctions in over 500 rounds.
2. Bersa Thunder .380 - shoots straight and fast, puts all rounds exactly where I want them and no malfunctions in about 400 rounds.
3. Rossi M88 .38 Special - solid performer, keeps all rounds in a tight circle at 15-21 feet as long as I do my part. No malfunctions because it’s a round gun.
 
I had a Canik C100 imported by Tri Star. Its a CZ75 compact clone. Bought it used and it was the best $250 I ever spent.
Sucker went bang every time I hit the gas pedal and put a hole exactly where I was looking. It was my hiking/beater gun and I put that thing through hell and back. It fired dirty, wet, unlubed, overlubed. Zero issues.
I kinda regret selling it...but kinda not. A buddy was looking for his first pistol. He travels a lot for his work and needed an inexpensive, reliable beater to run the roads with. I told him he should check them out and let him shoot mine.
When he was done, he calmly walked over to his truck and put the gun in it. He walked back to me, flashed a PPP, a pocket full of cash and said 'How much?'
Well, I no longer worry about him when he's on the road lol
 
CZ82 and actual (commercial) Mak were probably the cheapest real handguns I've had other than a Hi Point. Both shot straight and were easy to carry.
 
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I've shot the hell out of Makarovs that were cheap surplus once upon a time. Millenium G2 Taurus is a winner except for that trigger. The M85 is a bona fide winner. Shot some cheap saturday night italian .25 acps.
Stoeger Luger 22 copy (wish I had that one back) was cheap back in it's day.
 
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