Thread: Looking for an affordable, home protection firearm

Greetings,

I am in search of an affordable handgun for home protection. I must first preface that I am a graduate student on a somewhat tight budget. In addition, it must be something that my wife can easily shoot that has some sort of stopping power. Over the course of my extensive investigation, I found three possibilities for what I'm in search of: .38 special, Makarov, or a CZ 83. From what I understand, the ammunition for these firearms is relatively cheap (and thus, what I'm also looking for). Does anyone have any of these firearms or any other suggestions?

I reside in the Portland metro area.

Thanks and best wishes,

Jefe

How much are you looking to spend?

It looks as though my limit is around $300. Depending on the condition of the firearm, and the asking price being reflective of the price of the gun, found elsewhere, I could go higher. My extreme cap is $400, but I'm hoping for around $300. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something affordable, of military-issue quality, that takes cheap ammo.

These types of questions always make me ask, are you going to be willing and afford to shoot it at a range at least once a month so you get used to how it works and feels to shoot? Will your wife do the same? Will you carefully learn how to clean an maintain this tool?

Otherwise you have a very powerful tool which you won't know how to use very well in a critical situation. If your answer is NO, then why not go spend $30 on a nice aluminium baseball bat. Heck, get 3 of them. One for the bedroom, one for the coat rack by the front door and one, say in the kitchen for mice.

Purchasing a firearm for home defense is a great idea, but only if you take the time to know how to use it. I'm not assuming you won't do this, just pointing out how important it is that you to understand that purchasing a firearm for home protection means knowing how to use it for home protection. I'm just making sure you reflect on the responsibility you are accepting by exercising your right. It always saddens me to read articles where people try to defend their self only to have their lack of training impair their success.

As for the firearm, some will beat me for saying this, go to one of the several local gun stores and get a police trade in Glock 17. It will run between $300 to $400 and most likely be a decent and reliable firearm. They will be in 9mm which when used correctly will meet base needs. Also, the ammo is on the cheaper side and magazines and accessories are easy to find and inexpensive.

I reluctantly have to agree with the LEO trade in glocks, reliable and reasonable. My P series ruger has functioned flawlessly for several thousand rounds, and can be found for around the $300 mark.

I was just out this morning with two corrections trade in S&W Model 10s that I recently purchased for $199 each. Actions were all broken in and very smooth and as a bonus a blast to shoot.

Originally Posted by Morpheus

These types of questions always make me ask, are you going to be willing and afford to shoot it at a range at least once a month so you get used to how it works and feels to shoot? Will your wife do the same? Will you carefully learn how to clean an maintain this tool?

Otherwise you have a very powerful tool which you won't know how to use very well in a critical situation. If your answer is NO, then why not go spend $30 on a nice aluminium baseball bat. Heck, get 3 of them. One for the bedroom, one for the coat rack by the front door and one, say in the kitchen for mice.

Purchasing a firearm for home defense is a great idea, but only if you take the time to know how to use it. I'm not assuming you won't do this, just pointing out how important it is that you to understand that purchasing a firearm for home protection means knowing how to use it for home protection. I'm just making sure you reflect on the responsibility you are accepting by exercising your right. It always saddens me to read articles where people try to defend their self only to have their lack of training impair their success.

As for the firearm, some will beat me for saying this, go to one of the several local gun stores and get a police trade in Glock 17. It will run between $300 to $400 and most likely be a decent and reliable firearm. They will be in 9mm which when used correctly will meet base needs. Also, the ammo is on the cheaper side and magazines and accessories are easy to find and inexpensive.

I have 2 Mosin-Nagants (M44 and a 91/30) already, and I shoot and care for the rifles. As for a handgun, my wife and I will be shooting it on a regular basis. I've only shot the Mosins because a friend and I go off into Yamhill, OR and go shooting. With a handgun my wife and I can, at least, shoot somewhere in the Portland metro area. I want her to get accustomed to handling firearms, which is why cheaper ammo is a must. I've been researching and looking at handguns since July/August. After acquiring a handgun I plan on signing us up (if available) for a home defense training course, or at least a training course for the proper handling and shooting of the firearm.

With regards to the acquisition of a firearm I'm looking for FTF. Besides my not wanting to dish out money for a background check, I don't want to be placed on any government list that says I own a firearm. I'm nearly 30, and I suppose this is the reason why I hadn't before (2011) looked into acquiring a firearm. I didn't know the State and Federal laws pertaining to firearms and I thought my only method to acquire a gun is by submitting my name/info to the government. Although I'm fairly certain I will receive criticism for this stance, this is just how I personally feel. The government shouldn't know if I went to a store and purchased a rifle/handgun. If I have a guaranteed right to acquire and bear arms, then the government doesn't need to monitor my activity. What of my privacy? Same can also apply to "freedom of assembly." The whole "permits required" and "unlawful assembly" garbage really gets to me too. We shouldn't ask permission to exercise our (supposedly) legally-guaranteed rights. I apologize if one reads this as my "going off on a tangent," as this was not my intention.

I will look into the Glock 17, but I read on another forum that the Glocks are overrated?

Jefe,
This is the type of response that I love to see! It is great!

Glocks are, well, good dispensers of ammunition. Some people love them, some don't. I'm kind of 'eh' on them. I wouldn't suggest it if I wouldn't own one myself. AS for FTF, I'm right with you.

Good luck with your search.

M

Remington 870
mossburg 500
browning bps

all can be found for around $200
i would suggest a 18.5" barrel for HD.

Originally Posted by jefe

I will look into the Glock 17, but I read on another forum that the Glocks are overrated?

They are absolutely overrated. That being said they are absolutely reliable (but no more than several other brands) and widely available and popular which makes them affordable.

Of the 3 you mentioned, I own a revolver in .38 sp and a Makarov PM.

IMHO, .38 Special is not cheap.. A cheap alternative to .357 maybe, but not cheap unless you reload. Good FMJ's in .38 are hard to come by under $15. Even if you have a BiMart nearby, the soft point stuff they frequently put on sale leaves rings in the cylinder and makes cleaning a chore. On the plus side, it's a very easy cartridge to handle, even for a novice.

9x18 is only cheap if you buy the steel cased Russian stuff online, for $10-$12 a box. You have to spend at least $50 (4-5 boxes) to make it worthwhile because shipping is a killer. And, it ships painfully slow too. Nobody in the Willamette Valley seems to stock 9x18, except in the expensive brass cased stuff and the personal defense loads, which are doubly expensive. I have to order mine from Texas or Arizona... All this aside, I love shooting the Mak, and everyone I've let shoot it feels the same. It's a real easy pistol to manage, easy to clean, easy to conceal, and fairly accurate.

I personally recommend something in 9mm, like a used Ruger P95. It's an excellent little pistol that can be found under $300. And, 9mm Para can be found most anywhere for under $12 a box. I sometimes wish I'd gone this route.

I can certainly appreciate your being budget conscious as I am too. Not all of us can afford Trijicon Scopes and Kimber 1911's!

Good luck.

plus one on the shotgun

Originally Posted by eldbillbo

Remington 870
mossburg 500
browning bps

all can be found for around $200
i would suggest a 18.5" barrel for HD.

But wouldn't a shotgun have the potential of causing more damage to the structural integrity of the house, than a handgun? I mean, if I were to "miss" wouldn't the shotgun blast would cause more damage to the house/furniture than a handgun?

If you have to use a firearm in a selfdefense situation, bubblegum the furniture. A shotgun is a great HD tool an can be wielded expertly as can any firearm.

Originally Posted by Aero Denezol

Of the 3 you mentioned, I own a revolver in .38 sp and a Makarov PM.

IMHO, .38 Special is not cheap.. A cheap alternative to .357 maybe, but not cheap unless you reload. Good FMJ's in .38 are hard to come by under $15. Even if you have a BiMart nearby, the soft point stuff they frequently put on sale leaves rings in the cylinder and makes cleaning a chore. On the plus side, it's a very easy cartridge to handle, even for a novice.

9x18 is only cheap if you buy the steel cased Russian stuff online, for $10-$12 a box. You have to spend at least $50 (4-5 boxes) to make it worthwhile because shipping is a killer. And, it ships painfully slow too. Nobody in the Willamette Valley seems to stock 9x18, except in the expensive brass cased stuff and the personal defense loads, which are doubly expensive. I have to order mine from Texas or Arizona... All this aside, I love shooting the Mak, and everyone I've let shoot it feels the same. It's a real easy pistol to manage, easy to clean, easy to conceal, and fairly accurate.

I personally recommend something in 9mm, like a used Ruger P95. It's an excellent little pistol that can be found under $300. And, 9mm Para can be found most anywhere for under $12 a box. I sometimes wish I'd gone this route.

I can certainly appreciate your being budget conscious as I am too. Not all of us can afford Trijicon Scopes and Kimber 1911's!

Good luck.

I noticed the price of .38 Special ammo, and months ago I saw someone selling a .38 Special for a decent price, which is why I am leaning toward that handgun. I appreciate your commentary on your experience with the .38 Special.

Until I started this thread, I had never heard of the Ruger P95. I will check it out. I suppose I lean toward the Eastern Bloc stuff because it had to be functional. Firearms in the Eastern Bloc had to be cheap and quick to manufacture, and yet they also still had to function when needed!

Originally Posted by slimer13

If you have to use a firearm in a selfdefense situation, bubblegum the furniture. A shotgun is a great HD tool an can be wielded expertly as can be any firearm.

Your logic makes sense. I will consider this!

Originally Posted by jefe

But wouldn't a shotgun have the potential of causing more damage to the structural integrity of the house, than a handgun? I mean, if I were to "miss" wouldn't the shotgun blast would cause more damage to the house/furniture than a handgun?

I think the bigger concern isn't as much as your furniture as it is something going through you wall and ending up in the neighbors furniture or the neighbor. Thus the shotgun being preferred.

Shotgun is the ultimate home defense weapon for me. I would grab my shotgun over my AR or handguns. With the narrow hallway in my office (where I spend 99% of my time) 00 buck wouldn't spread more than 5 inches.

Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by jefe

But wouldn't a shotgun have the potential of causing more damage to the structural integrity of the house, than a handgun? I mean, if I were to "miss" wouldn't the shotgun blast would cause more damage to the house/furniture than a handgun?

Go with the shot gun...Less chance of wall penetration and you can always use bird shot.

I have shot a lot of rounds through a lot of guns and .38 will go through a wall. Buckshot in most cases will work wonders for home defense . My little wife can handle a pistol grip 12 guage with buck as well.