Best hand guns for under $300?

[wsenefeld]

For a hair over $300 you can get a used Ruger p95. Absolutely love this great little gun and if $300ish was all I had, this IS a gun I WOULD trust my life with.

 

[arsenal69]

Kel-Tec and Ruger both make good guns under $300

 

[sepe]

As ugly as they are, if you want to be able to afford the gun AND ammo...Hi Point is a good deal.

 

[public servant]

Add one more vote for the Ruger P-series if $300 is your limit. I've got an old P-89 I can dot the ass on a fly with.

I have no problem with the S&W or Taurus semi-autos. But the trigger on the Ruger is a lot easier to manipulate for smaller hands. My daughter and my wife started shooting with the Ruger. Affordable, dependable and built like a tank. If that's what you're looking for then you won't find anything better in that price range.

You don't need to spend $1000 to have a good, reliable firearm.

 

[forkliftdave]

I have seen some police trade ins at close to $300 . They had some barretta 96 g's for $325

 

[Bapak2ja]

Midwest Gun Exchange, in Elkhart and Mishawaka, is offering the S&W 220023 in.40 for $269, BRAND NEW. It also has the Taurus 709 Slim for $299, the Taurus M738 for $199.

Midwest has the Chiapa 1911-22 for $239-$319 depending on the model.

Finally, Midwest has the Kel-Tec P-3ATP for $239 and the PF9 for $249.

All of these, except the Chiapa, have been endorsed as good weapons at one time or another on INGO.

No, I do not work for Midwest, but I do own the Taurus.

Just FYI, Midwest is offering a Colt 1877 Bulldog Gatling Gun, built from the original Colt blueprints, for only $49,999. Now that is a great price!

 

[DestructionDan]

Check here Firearms, Guns, Rifles. Grain Valley, Missouri.
Police trade in for the high 300s ugly but will run all day every day.
Save a little more and buy something that you won't list in the FOR SALE forum down the road.
Kel-Tec is a carry only not a range gun. The PF9 is no fun to shoot and I would guess the same with all their pistols with that type of frame.

 

[kludge]

I'm gonna go with:

Bersa Thunder .380
S&W SW9VE or 40VE
Ruger P95

 

[jedi]

cityartisan
you may also want to consider self-defense insurance as well now that you plan on having a firearm.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...insurance_for_when_you_carry.html#post2130921

-Jedi

 

[Dirc]

CZ-82
Polish P-64
PA-63

I have a PA-63 and it's been dead reliable. I probably have 500-800 rounds through it without a hiccup. Hungarian Police turn-in from JG Sales, best $99 I ever spent. Little bit more recoil than expected for a 9x18 but I'm not buying a stiffer recoil spring for a $99 gun.

Add one more vote for the Ruger P-series if $300 is your limit. I've got an old P-89 I can dot the ass on a fly with.

Yours must be tighter than my old P85 was. That thing sounded like a Coke can full of gravel when I shook it. Speaking of cans, I was lucky to hit one at 15 yards. Probably hit a person though, and it went bang every single time, I'll give it that. It got stolen and I didn't really care.

Also consider a Rossi .357. Picked up a used one a while back for $210. I really like it a lot.

 

[marshallartist]

The Ruger P95 is a very reliable pistol that can be had for right around the $300 mark. Mine was 289 + tax a couple of years ago. The only drawback to this gun is that it is rather large and hard to conceal but for a bedside gun I would trust it completely.

As for the pistols on the list:

• I had an Arcus 98, not a bad pistol but heavy as Heck and extra magazines are very scarce (or were a few years ago).
• I have owned three Kel-Tec pistols and all of them have been reliable and accurate. I don't care for the way they feel in my hand but I'd take one any day over being unarmed and they are small enough to conceal easily (if you're going to do that). Unfortunately they recently changed their lifetime warranty policy to only apply to the original purchaser. If you're going to buy used a Ruger or Taurus would be a better choice as they don't care if you're the first or fifteenth owner.
• Rossi revolvers are also an excellent value. Generally they are a little bit cheaper than their Taurus counterparts but every bit as good. They just don't offer the wide variety that Taurus does. I believe they also have a lifetime warranty.

Hope this helps

 

[45fan]

Rossi revolvers are usually a safe bet on a revolver for under $300. If you do some searching, you may even be able to find a used Smith under the limit.

As far as auto pistols go, Kel-tek makes a decent pistol that can be found new within your budget. If a larger frame is more to your liking, a used Ruger P series, or a Taurus 92 shouldnt be too hard to find under the $300 mark.

Sigmas are ugly, have a heavy trigger, but do the job, and are fairly light weight.

If you are one of those that just has to be different, look at some of the Soviet surplus pistols. Tokorevs, Makoravs, or any of the other variants that they produced are usually inexpensive, have enough power to be considered for personal defense, and usually are as reliable as they come.

Biggest thing is find something that fits YOU, and that you will be willing to (and can afford to) shoot enough to be effective.

 

[cityartisan]

cityartisan
you may also want to consider self-defense insurance as well now that you plan on having a firearm.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...insurance_for_when_you_carry.html#post2130921

-Jedi

thanks for the info Jedi

 

[dhw9am]

Bersa Thunder 380. Totally reliable, and priced well under $300.
There is no more reliable pistol under $300, in my opinion.
Kel-Tec's are very consealable, but suffer in the reliablity dept.
Just my experience.

 

[indysims]

Funny... there is an article from Guns.com about this very topic...

Bargain Hunting: The Ruger P95 - Gun News at Guns.com

 

[public servant]

Yours must be tighter than my old P85 was. That thing sounded like a Coke can full of gravel when I shook it. Speaking of cans, I was lucky to hit one at 15 yards. Probably hit a person though, and it went bang every single time, I'll give it that. It got stolen and I didn't really care.

Mine is still in near mint shape. It's like anything else...you have to somewhat at least take care of it. As for hitting the can...the gun is only as good as the person pulling the trigger.

 

[hpclayto]

Mine is still in near mint shape. It's like anything else...you have to somewhat at least take care of it. As for hitting the can...the gun is only as good as the person pulling the trigger.

True that. My old P95 is as accurate as any of the guns i own if i do my part.

 

[indysims]

True that. My old P95 is as accurate as any of the guns i own if i do my part.

Same with my P90...

 

[Chapparal]

I am now placing on my flame retardant suit and sitting back waiting...

There is one thing I never understand:

People will state they want something reliable, inexpensive, and easy to use, sometimes they will add safer for the shooter

Then the same person will state they will not look at revolvers only semi-autos. Unfortunately, a revolver is generally the piece that best fits all the requirements outlined, especially for novice shooters.

It is my belief the rational is they believe they must have:

Tons of rounds to send down range (if you need more than three rounds you are already in trouble)

Appears more modern and sexy (semi-autos have been around for 100 years)

Belief in reliability (early models were mostly unreliable and were considered novelties, improperly maintained semi-autos are as good as carrying a small club, revolvers will work with less cleanliness and are really more reliable when needing something to go boom)

Ease of concealment (semi-autos can have the edge here)

I know others have differing opinions ...

 

[Super Bee]

I am far from a expert, and there are many on here with much more experience.

With that being said, in my opinion if you are going to carry this thing, going with a larger gun may be uncomfortable to carry daily. I have a Ruger LCP with laser and I have never had one issue with it. You can find this gun for $250 and some shows.

Now, if this will be your only gun and you won't be carrying everyday I would save up a little more cash and would go with something a little larger like a Glock 17.