Looking to Buy 1st Handgun, What Do You Recommend?

I have and own fire arms from the cheap side to the expensive side. Like tools buying the best you can afford is a good idea.

You can have your Hi points I'll take the better brands my self.

Firearms Iinstuctor said:

I have and own firearms from the cheap side to the expensive side. Like tools buying the best you can afford is a good idea.

You can have your Hi points I'll take the better brands my self.

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Well, the best forged steel wrench will be smaller and just as strong as the cheap one made from inferior steel. But if it is big enough to compensate, it will do the job just as well.

A Hi-Point actually has a great reputation for reliability. My friend in Oregon started with one, and even though he has much nicer guns now, including carrying a Ruger 1911, he still has that indestructible, albeit butt-ugly, Hi-Point in his truck.

Better sometimes means just nicer. It doesn't always mean more reliable and more effective.

MAC702 said:

Well, the best forged steel wrench will be smaller and just as strong as the cheap one made from inferior steel. But if it is big enough to compensate, it will do the job just as well.

A Hi-Point actually has a great reputation for reliability. My friend in Oregon started with one, and even though he has much nicer guns now, including carrying a Ruger 1911, he still has that indestructible, albeit butt-ugly, Hi-Point in his truck.

Better sometimes means just nicer. It doesn't always mean more reliable and more effective.

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I have found out with the cheaper tools they work most of the time but tend to fail when one really puts them to the test and when you need them the most.

EMNofSeattle said:

what's your definition of "cheap"?

if 350 dollars or so is "cheap" to you, then the S&W SD9VE may be an option
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/83125

if you're looking at used guns, the Ruger P-85, P94 are options, little 9mms that are inexpensive. same with the S&W 5906 (although the 5906 is rather heavy)

if you want cheaper then that there's Hi-points that are 199.

There's a myriad of forgettable 9mm "saturday night specials" of varying levels of quality that will likely blow up on you for less then $150.

frankly, I would spend the money, if you need a 9mm that's reliable they can be found in the 350 dollar range, I highly recommend the ruger "P" series.


also if you're willing to get an old used gun, I see old S&W Model 10 revolvers in .38 special all the time at pawnshops and gun shows, if the finish is gone and it's heavily holster-worn you can pick up a 1940s .38 wheel gun for about 250 bucks.....

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i carry a S&W SD40VE as my EDC. its been super reliable when firing both target and defense rounds.

the 9mm had a 16 rd mag. it is a hell of a gun for the price of $350 and is built like a glock without the $600 pricetag

I got lucky with the old wheelgun I bought for under $200. BUT it is very very worn, and in what now is a almost obsolete caliber. I highly doubt that OP will find a model 10 for under $250 in good condition. And keep in mind that a new cheap gun may go kaboom after thousands of rounds, but that is after thousands of rounds, and there are indicators to watch for. A old model 10 may go kaboom, and the new owner will have no idea when it may happen. A gun shot enough, all guns if shot enough will go kaboom. Every time a firearm is discharged it stressed the metal, every single time. The stretching can be seen with feeler guages, at the barrel to cylinder gap. If it is to wide the gun is at the end of it's life span, and will go kaboom if it continues to be fired. Not only that but to many gasses escape at this point reducing the vel needed to make the bullet effective stopper.

Most newbies do not measure gaps, and you are asking them to put a time bomb in their hands because you have a bias against Zamak handguns. S&W K frames are known to go kaboom. The OP would be much better off to buy a NEW RI M200, or 206 for a first handgun than a old wall hanger.

Firearms Iinstuctor said:

I have found out with the cheaper tools they work most of the time but tend to fail when one really puts them to the test and when you need them the most.

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Maybe the point wasn't made. My apologies.

There are cheap tools that will work as good as expensive tools, just without the finish and style.

Yes, there are also cheap tools that will NOT work as well as expensive tools.

For that matter, there are some very well polished expensive tools that will break long before some cheap ones.

THE POINT IS that price is not the only indicator of reliability. Some people need a tool with no priority on the style.

Hi-Points have no style. They are bulky and ugly. But they work as reliably as many other more expensive brands, and have the warranty to back it up.

Jennings, Ravens, etc, are also cheap tools. And they will break on you, during one of those times when you get them to actually fire.

Just saying "cheap tools" is not a fair indicator to differentiate between the quality levels within.

Keep in mind that a hi point never wears out, if it does Mom(hi point CS) rebuilds it or replaces it with a new one for free under warranty.

MAC702 said:

Maybe the point wasn't made. My apologies.

There are cheap tools that will work as good as expensive tools, just without the finish and style.

Yes, there are also cheap tools that will NOT work as well as expensive tools.

For that matter, there are some very well polished expensive tools that will break long before some cheap ones.

THE POINT IS that price is not the only indicator of reliability. Some people need a tool with no priority on the style.

Hi-Points have no style. They are bulky and ugly. But they work as reliably as many other more expensive brands, and have the warranty to back it up.

Jennings, Ravens, etc, are also cheap tools. And they will break on you, during one of those times when you get them to actually fire.

Just saying "cheap tools" is not a fair indicator to differentiate between the quality levels within.

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Most of us recall the much misapplied term "Saturday Night Special," but what did that really mean?
IMHO - quite simply it really meant a handgun within affordable reach of the masses (not expensive) but was demonized by the catch phrase of the day.

Grapeshot said:

Most of us recall the much misapplied term "Saturday Night Special," but what did that really mean?
IMHO - quite simply it really meant a handgun within affordable reach of the masses (not expensive) but was demonized by the catch phrase of the day.

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If gov can't effectively outlaw firearms, the next best step is to make them less affordable...

Buying any gun, even a inexpensive one, is a thorn in their side. Just make sure that any gun whether expensive or cheap is safe to shoot.

Grapeshot said:

Most of us recall the much misapplied term "Saturday Night Special," but what did that really mean?
IMHO - quite simply it really meant a handgun within affordable reach of the masses (not expensive) but was demonized by the catch phrase of the day.

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Yep.

Indeed, just like a Harbor Freight wrench will usually work long enough to fix something, a Jennings pistol will usually work long enough to save your ass in an alley. Both work far better than the tool you could not afford to buy and therefore did not have!

WalkingWolf said:

Keep in mind that a hi point never wears out, if it does Mom(hi point CS) rebuilds it or replaces it with a new one for free under warranty.

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hi point does have a lifetime warranty

so does smith and wesson

my girlfriend has a hi point c9 and she absolutely loves it. she picked it up for $120 from a LGS used. we had to send it in and they fixed the FTF issue. now the only she has with mad feeding is due to limp wrist. i have no issues when i fire full mags through it.

for the price hipoint gives you a bulky, ugly monster of a gun. but they are reliable

my best advice is go to a LGS and fondle a few in the price range you want to spend. see if they have rentals and actually fire a few of them. then decide

MAC702 said:

Yep.

Indeed, just like a Harbor Freight wrench will usually work long enough to fix something, a Jennings pistol will usually work long enough to save your ass in an alley. Both work far better than the tool you could not afford to buy and therefore did not have!

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Yep! I have a J-22 now 22yrs old in near new condition. It goes bang & does so pretty well as pocket pistols go. Do I carry it? No - more of a plinker. However, if I was a young man with little funds and needed something small and affordable to shoot/carry for protection - hell yes I'd carry it vs a sharp stick.
http://jimenezarmsinc.com/22lr.htm



They are still in production under another company name : Jimenez & go for around $100 now on sale. They do have a "limited life-time warranty" but no where near as good as HiPoints warranty service, if you trust what can be found on the web.

FreeInAZ said:

Yep! I have a J-22 now 22yrs old in near new condition. It goes bang & does so pretty well as pocket pistols go. Do I carry it? No - more of a plinker. However, if I was a young man with little funds and needed something small and affordable to shoot/carry for protection - hell yes I'd carry it vs a sharp stick.
http://jimenezarmsinc.com/22lr.htm

They are still in production under another company name : Jimenez & go for around $100 now on sale. They do have a "limited life-time warranty" but no where near as good as HiPoints warranty service, if you trust what can be found on the web.

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My wife carries her JA380 daily at work. The warranty is as good as HP as long as you are the original owner, it does not transfer. We have put a couple hundred rounds though it with not one hiccup, not even one. She as well as I am confident it will measure out the magazine and the one in the tube until empty. It was well worth the $140 we spent on it. It is not a good gun for normal carry, just for those times when a firearm must be concealed, and as a last ditch close up thang. For OC she has several to chose from, usually it is my old Star Super A, but sometimes my PA-63.

Funny thing is I paid less for my PA-63 than the JA380, also less for the Star Super. Right time, right place situation.

If OP decided on a ring of fire gun he should buy only new unless it is a HP. Only the HP has a warranty that stays with the gun from owner to owner.

The safety is much easier to manipulate on the Jiminez than the HP. Something to consider for a OC firearm, the HP will take practice with taking the safety on and off.

If not for the difficulty of parts I would suggest a Star from Sarco. They are in the 2 to 3 hundred range and a fantastic gun for OC, and even CC, they are slimmer than a 1911. Sarco also has Hi Powers clones for under 300.

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/feghipowerverygoodcondition.aspx

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/starbspistol.aspx

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/starbkm.aspx

Thanks for the info Wolf. +1

WalkingWolf said:

If not for the difficulty of parts I would suggest a Star from Sarco. They are in the 2 to 3 hundred range and a fantastic gun for OC, and even CC, they are slimmer than a 1911. Sarco also has Hi Powers clones for under 300.

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/feghipowerverygoodcondition.aspx
View attachment 11024
http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/starbspistol.aspx
View attachment 11023
http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/starbkm.aspx
View attachment 11022

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I have owned several Star supers one of them must have been some ones target gun you can tell it has had an accuracy job at 20 yards she well put surplus 9mm largo ammo into one ragged hole.

I just might have dig around the safe and shoot it some more now that I am thinking about it.

WalkingWolf said:

I highly doubt that OP will find a model 10 for under $250 in good condition.

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Just about a year ago, I paid $225 for a late '80s production model 64. The 64 is a stainless steel model 10. Mine was a former security agency gun, and showed a lot of evidence of being carried but appeared to have rarely been fired. Of course, shipping and FFL fees added $50, but it was still under $300. The seller had a whole bunch of 64s in the $200-300 range when I bought mine.

Bud's regularly has surplus model 10s in the $300 range. Most of these are like mine-carried a lot and shot a little. The surplus revolvers are drying up, but are still out there. Most of the ones these days coming out of security agencies rather than police departments, and as such are mechanically near perfect.

Selection of your First Handgun

Buying a first handgun can be quite daunting, also they are not cheap. Price of new handful gun range between $250.00 to $2,500.00. Revolvers are best for home defense, because this type of handgun has fewer functions to remember.

Jeff Craddock said:

Buying a first handgun can be quite daunting, also they are not cheap. Price of new handful gun range between $250.00 to $2,500.00. Revolvers are best for home defense, because this type of handgun has fewer functions to remember.

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Not necessarily. Most DAO pistols do not have externally settable safeties so they operate pretty much like a DA revolver. You simply point and pull the trigger. The major advantage with the pistol is higher round capacity and many are more compact.

Both are excellent choices for home defense. It really comes down to a matter of preference; which one the user can employ best when the need arises.

With the simplicity of many DAO pistols, the revolvers greatest remaining advantage is that no heavy springs needs to be manipulated in order to load or unload. They are very easy to determine the loaded condition, also.

The advantage of a revolver is they are always trustworthy. The disadvantage is the ammo they hold and the speed of reloading. Since most fights end after a few rounds, IMO, the advantage is greater than the disadvantage.