Economy guns

[CLT65]

Is it just me, or are there more fairly decent "economy" guns nowadays, than ever before?

I'm talking about fairly inexpensive rifles, handguns, and shotguns that those of us accustomed to quality guns might turn our noses up at, but they actually work pretty well. Most of us remember the cheap guns of yesterday, the Lorcins, RGs; and even further back, the various junk revolvers of the turn of the last century. A lot of them were simply junk right off the assembly line.

I was just looking at a Rock Island .38 Special revolver at BiMart, for $199. It seemed like a very usable, serviceable gun for the money. They had Sccy pistols for less than that, and I know people who like them. On Black Friday you can pick up a usable budget hunting rifle for around that much. I don't care to own a Hi-Point pistol, but they have a pretty good reputation for what they are. I'm not a Rough Rider fan, but most people like them too.

I know so many guns were a lot cheaper back in the day, but when you factor in inflation, I have a feeling that they might be cheaper now, at least for usable inexpensive firearms. A nice, top quality revolver maybe not so much...

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[Andy54Hawken]

Lots of quality guns back in the day as well...
Many models of :
Winchester...
FN Browning...
Sako...
Marlin...
Savage...
Mossberg...
And others , were made by the above companies but were "Store Branded" like :
J.C. Higgins , Revelation , Ted Williams , etc...

But I do hear ya....its nice to see a decent quality , lower cost firearm out there.
Andy

 

[OldTengu]

Those rock island revolvers aren't bad. Not great finish wise, but run well. The m200 (4 in) is a bit more reliable than the m206 according to reviews, but for my .02, both are worth the 199. I love my SCCYs, though.

 

[Capn Jack]

But Plastic .....

 

[Member 34319]

Just don't bring up Kel-Tec





Oops...

 

[CountryGent]

But Plastic .....
View attachment 635344

Yah, I get that. I have zero interest in most plastic-fantastics. Though, I have no real interest, I've noticed the present market of good quality budget guns, and have had a number come in through the side business; their purchaser's seemed happy, and I was glad to charge the transfer fee. I'm guessing better automation and quality control has brought the cost down. Time was the bottom of the handgun market was pretty much worthless, Zinc-alloy, or pot metal crap. Not so now. (Though I still wouldn't own a Hi Point, even if offered for free.)

Too each their own.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

Aside from the constant onslaught of anti 2A dribble that some are spouting, we live in a wonderful time for buying guns. When you take into account inflation, ammo is very inexpensive, and there are countless guns that absolute steals.

Guns like the heritage .22lr, Turkish shotguns, $400 Ar15s, and name brand wonder nines for under $300, make getting into this hobby very affordable indeed.

 

[mkwerx]

I was shocked, but after a shooting session today and witnessing first hand, and getting trigger time on it.. the Taurus G2C is starting to get me to re-evaluate my anti-Taurus bent. I've had a lot of bad Taurus experiences, but this gun felt better, and ran better than I've ever seen a Taurus run before. A $179 sub compact 9. Not a single malfunction - it ate 147, 135, and 124 grain JHPs plus 115 and 147 grain ball ammo. The trigger was very Glock-like on the single-action mode, and the DA triggers are not bad either. Between 4 shooters, we probably put 200 rounds through that gun today, and that was after the owner had put in a good prior session through it - I"m guessing he's up over 400 rounds through it at this point without any malfunctions. I don't think I'd buy one just yet - but if he continues to have no issues or breakages, I may reconsider. That gun seems a lot better made than the earlier generations of their little auto pistols. Ergonomically it was good as well and it had features other more expensive guns include - like a rough textured grip that is in vogue, carry-bevel attention on the corners of the slide, high visibility sights (even if the stock sights are plastic, they seemed better quality and more visible than Glock factory sights)

I think I'd still opt for an M&P Shield over it, but if someone is very limited on funds, I think this would be a viable budget defensive gun.

I've also fondled the Stoeger STR-9 at Sportsmans a couple times lately, it's a $350 gun that seems way better quality than its price tag would indicate. Not got to shoot one, but its ergos and seeming build quality are impressive. A sleeper gun maybe - like the HS2000 was before Springfield got its mitts on it.

I've not met anyone who has bad things to say about the SCCY pistols, other than rough, heavy triggers. Everyone says they always go bang.

The technological advancements in machining and manufacturing may be working in our favor, bringing higher quality for lower cost? I mean, it was said 15 years ago that it only cost Glock $75 to make a pistol, which they sold for $500... if you can make a gun for $50-75 and sell them for $200-400, you can potentially flood the market. You won't make the same per-unit, but you can make a damn good profit at those rates.

 

[CountryGent]

Turkish shotguns

Curious about these. Last time we go to private club in the city, we stop by some gun stores and I saw some over-under shotguns that looked pretty nice. But they were from Turkish manufacturers that I've never heard of before. Good, bad, ugly? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Certaindeaf]

To me a Glock is an "economy" gun.

 

[CLT65]

Yah, I get that. I have zero interest in most plastic-fantastics. Though, I have no real interest, I've noticed the present market of good quality budget guns, and have had a number come in through the side business; their purchaser's seemed happy, and I was glad to charge the transfer fee. I'm guessing better automation and quality control has brought the cost down. Time was the bottom of the handgun market was pretty much worthless, Zinc-alloy, or pot metal crap. Not so now. (Though I still wouldn't own a Hi Point, even if offered for free.)

Too each their own.

That's exactly what I was talking about. I'm not terribly interested in the low end guns either, but they are generally a lot more serviceable nowadays than they used to be. It's not hard to find a usable handgun for a day's wage, pretty much no matter your wage.

I have older S&W revolvers, nice steel-frame autos, classic Remington 700s and Winchester model 70s. Most of these new, inexpensive, budget guns don't hold a candle to the older classics, but for the money they work very well.

I do occasionally buy these cheaper guns just to tinker with. I picked up a Rough Rider .22 revolver and was happy with it, until the barrel came loose. It was a brand new gun only a few months old and I had to ship it back on my dime, but they did fix it. I then bought a Ruger Wrangler, and for not much more money, it is head and shoulders above the Rough Rider in quality.

I bought a Chinese clone of a Rem 870 for $148 new at Walmart. It's actually well made and works very well. It doesn't compare to an old Wingmaster, but for the money...

I've handled a few of the cheap Remington, Savage, etc. hunting rifles they sell nowadays, and I'm not impressed with the plastic stocks and cheap feel, but I hear they usually shoot straight.

I saw that Sccy 9mm at Bimart on sale for $175, with a $25 mail in rebate, and was tempted. I don't know why though; I already have nicer guns in that category. I was even more tempted by the Rock Island .38, even though I have much nicer revolvers already. I guess I'm just a sucker for cheap guns to tinker with. Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps), I can't justify spending money on stuff like that right now.

To me a Glock is an "economy" gun.

When a working man can buy a police trade-in Glock for a day's pay, I guess you could say that.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I keep thinking about getting a Henry Repeating Arms , Single shot rifle in .30-30...
Nice to see a "economy gun" , that ain't got a lot of plastic on it.

At one time I owed a pre-war Savage 219 in .30-30 it shot like a house afire and was easy to carry....I'm thinking the Henry would be a good replacement for it.
Andy

 

[Reacher120]

Just don't bring up Kel-Tec





Oops...

PMR 30 +1

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

Curious about these. Last time we go to private club in the city, we stop by some gun stores and I saw some over-under shotguns that looked pretty nice. But they were from Turkish manufacturers that I've never heard of before. Good, bad, ugly? Inquiring minds want to know.

I have a Turkish made (Huglu) CZ over-under. For the price I think it's excellent. Great fit and finish, very acceptable walnut, and a nice enough trigger. My only complaint is the lock-up is a bit snug.

 

[CountryGent]

I keep thinking about getting a Henry Repeating Arms , Single shot rifle in .30-30...

I am thinking this would be a most blessed idea.

PMR 30 +1

I don't know about the PMR, but the CMR30 we bought for the beloved was a steaming pile of goat excrement. The damn thing, even after a trip back to the factory, couldn't get through a single magazine without multiple malfunctions. Dumped it was on the used market, with impunity. (And I'm not bashing Keltec, I have a P32 I've carried for 13 years that is absolutely, rock solid, reliable, and packs well. But the carbine just plain sucked.)

 

[thereddog]

Curious about these. Last time we go to private club in the city, we stop by some gun stores and I saw some over-under shotguns that looked pretty nice. But they were from Turkish manufacturers that I've never heard of before. Good, bad, ugly? Inquiring minds want to know.

Huglu and Dehaan and CZ used to all be made by the same folks over in turkey. They also stamped armsco on some of the stuff they sent out. ARMSCO 28 Gauge side by side for sale Armsco has the same leaflets and photos and 5 choke tube set etc as the Huglu and Dehaan.

Rumor has it that the huglu stuff for the european market was crap, but the stuff for the US Market was good. I am not sure how to tell the two apart, other than the european ones often have sling mounts on them. Be careful, because US Servicemen brought a lot of the European ones back from overseas "Apparently."

The turks have been building guns for hundreds of years.

 

[Alexx1401]

It is a couple things. One is demand. The more of something that is cranked out the cheaper per piece it gets. The other is the light years advances in mass manufacturing. As it's gotten faster and cheaper to make all the parts that go into guns, the price of the product of course goes down.

 

[titsonritz]

Police trade ins

 

[winterveil]

Curious about these. Last time we go to private club in the city, we stop by some gun stores and I saw some over-under shotguns that looked pretty nice. But they were from Turkish manufacturers that I've never heard of before. Good, bad, ugly? Inquiring minds want to know.

The Turks know how to make a Shotgun.

 

[P7M13]

SCCY pistols, other than rough, heavy triggers. Everyone says they always go bang.

They even had them for $135 from PSA after rebate. Thought about it, then remembered that trigger, and said NO.
I prefer steel / all metal frames.
Just picked up an old Stevens Double Hump 520 circa 1928-1932. $200. Very pleased. Taking it out today.