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bargain guns

223believer223believer Member Posts: 128 ✭✭✭
edited April 2002 in General Discussion
Taking a stroll around a gun show the other day, I got to thinking about what bargains are left to the gun purchaser. I mean, at the end of the month I usually don't find myself with $1,600 in the account to plunk down on a new Wilson CQB. So here's the question, and it's in two parts: 1. What are the better guns you can buy new for under $275?2. What are the better guns you can buy used for under $200?I'm thinking for number 1 about the Ruger target pistols, especially that 22/45. That's supposed to be a great gun. Maybe those Mossberg pump guns, which work well and are inexpensive. For number 2, it might be a used .38 Smith.
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  • 223believer223believer Member Posts: 128 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My heart lusts for a $2000 or $3000 AR in .308, or perhaps a Wilson 1911. My wallet says reduce that by about a factor of 10.

    So are there any bargain guns out there for about $300 or $400? I have long heard that the Smith semi-autos in the mid 90's were pretty darn good guns, if not the nicest semi-autos around. Smith's Sigma line always gets respect. The old Cold and Smith .38s can be had fairly cheaply. Some of these, those, rise well north of the $400 line.

    What are some other good bargain handguns out there with a budget of about $300 to $400?
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  • KnifecollectorKnifecollector Member Posts: 3,267 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I don't have an answer to your question. There are hardly any bargains where I live. You can check the pawn shops for a used gun and they ask more for it than you can by a new one for. There is so few gun shops around here the prices are inflated. If I am after a new gun I usally check at Wal-mart. They normnally beat everyone by 20%. The gun shop owner complains about no service after the sale from Wal-mart, but I get no service after the sale from him either so why pay 20% extra for nothing.
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  • S&W ManS&W Man Member Posts: 208 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It may cost a little extra for the gun shop, and it is worth it. When all the gun shops can no longer stay in buisness because the buyers go to Wal-Mart and such and then want help from the gun shop, there will be no gun shops. That will spell the doom of everything. The Government would love to see this. Than they can easily get the chains to stop. Also, Wal-Mart and such only offers what they want to. Try to order something special or extra thru them. No go. The gun shop will be glad to get you anything that they can. We NEED the gun shops and NEED to use them.
    The second admendment GUARANTEES the other nine and the Constitution!
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  • thunderboltthunderbolt Member Posts: 6,041 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The CZ 70 and Makarov pistols are a good value for the money. Rough trigger pulls,but solid steel at pot metal prices. Check my webpage for a nice CZ : www.angelfire.com/tn3/thunderbolt
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  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Good point about the gunshops but let me ask you this, if I am on a very tight budget and have x amount of cash for a new gun, if the dealer wants more than I have and won't come down what do I do? Go to Walmart and get the gun for the money I have or should I not buy a new gun? Sorry pal, I'm going to walmart. Call me what you want but I don't have the money to be generous and spend more than I need to. For a brand new Remington Walmart is $50 cheaper than our gun shops here, then shop owner claims he can't come down in price. What would you do? If I get some extra cash I'll drop $50 in his mailbox for charity because thats exactly what I'm doing if I buy from him insted of the cheaper place. Sure they can do things Walmart can't do as far as ordering but that is a total different deal. If he wants $514 for a new Rem and Wally world want $460 for the same gun, what would you do? If I was him I would get a new supplier or change my tactics, quit trying to pay the bills on one sale. Drop the profit margin on one gun and try to sell 3 or 4 to make that extra $50 bucks. Price is why people buy at Walmart, not to be mean.
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  • robsgunsrobsguns Member Posts: 4,581 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    WalMart will order guns for you, maybe I am just lucky, but they will get me JUST about anything I want. I like WalMart. I dont believe I am forcing any gun stores out of business by shopping at WalMart, you can thank the gun manufacturers for that one, because they sell to WalMart cheaper than the local gun store, due to WalMart's volume buying. The manufacturers could sell to Joe's Guns for the same price, but they wont do it, so I place the blame for that at their door. I know there are a lot of cost variables with shipping and such, but it still ticks me off that the gun manufacturers are biting the hands that fed them for all those years before WalMart. As far as service goes, I've never gotten good service from any store that deals with guns, only REAL gun shops with a gunsmith on the premises gives good service after the sale. I define service as the ability to FIX the gun, not get it fixed. I can do that, any moron can send the gun to the manufacturer. If I was looking for service after the sale of my car, I'd buy from a dealer with a service dept. on his premises, same goes for a gun store, IF I want service after the sale. The thing is this, any gun that is worth buying today, NEW GUN, has an impeccable warranty, and for service only needs to be sent to the manufacturer, so what exactly is it that the gun store is doing for me if I need my new gun fixed, which is what we are talking about here? NOTHING, but shipping the gun, that isnt service, and therefore that puts them on the same level as WalMart, at least to me. In fact, the manufacturers with those type of warranties are just about makeing the need for gunsmiths obsolete for anything but building a gun, restoring a gun, or fixing a gun out of warranty, or bought used. So like I stated earlier, what is the gun store doing for me that WalMart isnt, when I buy a new gun???As far as NEW guns go. If you are looking for a new gun cheap, but quality, I make it no secret that I love Ruger, but that is even a stretch to get a Ruger for that price in anything but a .22. I would be able to purchase 2 Bulgarian Makarovs for your price mentioned above, though, and I love those guns too. Yes, you can get them NIB for that. I bought two. These are the best value in a new gun I've seen in many years, if the caliber and gun suits you, like anything else.As far as used guns go, its a coin toss on who is selling it, not so much what brand it is. Looking here on the auction site will pretty much support that. I have had the same experience buying used as 'knifeuser' has, as far as where I am from currently. I'd make up my mind what I wanted and then just start searching for the best price over time. Hopefully you will find what you want at the price you think its worth to you. Oh yeah, and for the record, so you understand what I think is a value, and quality.... If buying a new shotgun, it will always be a Mossberg, I've never had a problem with these guns, love 'em. If buying a handgun, Ruger, nothing but the best, I love them, too. Rifles, Ruger, every feature I look for and have come to expect in a gun is found in a Ruger, from start to finish, Ruger is it, I've never been disappointed with them, in any manner. The only reason I dont buy their pump shotguns is... duh.
    SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC[This message has been edited by robsguns (edited 04-03-2002).]
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  • cavemancaveman Member Posts: 30 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Back in feb. I picked up a Daewoo DP51C. It's a compact 9mm. About the size of a officers model 45. 10 shot. Brand new $260.00 +tax. The damn thing is accurate. Will shoot anything I feed it.Gonna hafta get another one, Mrs. Caveman wants this one.
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  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I've found the Kel-Tec P-11 in 9mm to be the best bargain yet. I've purchased two in excellent condition for $125 apiece on GB. Great little concealable guns and a sweet price.
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  • 223believer223believer Member Posts: 128 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Saxon,Where the heck did you find those guns at those prices? I would have snapped up every one of them.
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  • Gordian BladeGordian Blade Member Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm going to put in a good word (sort of) for your friendly local gun shop. Like anything else, there can be better ones and worse ones. I've been to 4 within a reasonable drive of where I live. Two of them had newer facilities but the people behind the counter seemed to have some kind of attitude. One of them charged me way too much for a Mossberg shotgun before I knew better. That mistake cost me about $50, but now I've learned to be more careful so maybe it was cheap tuition to attend the College of Hard Knocks. At least I got a reliable gun out of the transaction.It seems to me that the older shops have a friendlier attitude. My favorite is a small shop in a blue-collar neighborhood. I've gotten some nice used guns there for reasonable prices. (I checked versus prices on GB.) And it's good to talk to someone who really knows guns, including details like how to clean them and what to use for it.If you're already an expert and don't need that extra advice, then Wal-Mart is OK. In an ideal world, I'd like to see both the small gun shops and the Wal-Mart gun departments prosper, giving us more choices.
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  • woodsrunnerwoodsrunner Member Posts: 5,378 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If limited to your price range, I'd concentrate on the used rack at my local gunshop.Under $275.00Used Remington 870's & Ithaca 37 shotgunsUsed Winchester 9422's & Marlin 39'sSKS and variantsSwedish MausersI passed on a Eddystone P-17 last gun show because I have an 30-06 and wanted a .303S&W model 19 or Mod 10 Under $200.00#4 Enfield, The SMLE is one of the most fun guns to shoot!!Winchester model 94's stamped with the Revelation or Ted Williams names.Ruger 10/22 The Ruger .22 auto pistols and Single six's are around $200 in this area 98 Mausers abound well under $200.00NEF Handi Rifles are fun if you don't mind them being single shot.Those would be the ones I'd look for in your price range. But the only ones on my list you'd be buying new would be the 10/22 or the Handi rifle.WOODS
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  • biggunrbiggunr Member Posts: 20 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hi-Point. Nothing fancy, but reliable, and most of all, cheap.
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  • thesupermonkeythesupermonkey Member Posts: 3,905 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    MakarovIf you know what it is, you love it...
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  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    ditto on the makarov thing.Wal mart can sell guns cheaper than joe the dealer for one reason, they order train car loads of them at one time for pennies over manufacturing cost. These are contracts worked out by the buyers for said corporation. They do have an advantage over your local dealer due to the fact that he can't buy the same amount of the same guns to get the price break. He will ALWAYS be beat out by the wal marts of the world. AND, ROBSGUNS is correct, they do not advertise, but, wal mart has a special order catalog under the counter which has all currently manufactured gun brochures in it and they will order you whatever you want.
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