What's a good, inexpensive handgun?

Question

I'm new to the world of guns. Now that I am 21, I would really like to buy a handgun. I know I want a Springfield XD more than anything, but I can't really afford the roughly $500 it will cost. Can anyone tell me about a good semi-auto handgun that's fairly inexpensive?

I'm most interested in 9mm or .40 S&W since I'm a beginner and the ammo is cheaper. I'd greatly prefer a polymer frame.

I've heard a little about Hi-points-are they good quality firearms?

Thanks

I will be using the gun for target shooting and home defense. I do not plan on carrying it.

Answer 1

Let me tell you a story that happened to me. I had a house I was building destroyed by another cut throat builder, though I could never prove it, he was also threatening me. Well after I got the house fixed and my customer was going to close on it in a week, I decided to sleep in the house for the week. I brought a Beretta 9mm semi-auto pistol and a Ruger .22 pistol for backup. Well I never had to use them but later that month I brought them to a shooting range. First I tried the Beretta, it had a massive jam where it needed a little screw driver to fix, so I picked up the backup Ruger .22, it got one round out and jammed on the next bullet loading. Moral of the story, these automatics would have let me down if I needed them. After that happened I traded them in for concealed carry stainless steel revolvers.
I never had any failures at all with any of my revolvers, that's 100% operation. This is the only way I feel secure in my weapon. I also still have a Ruger P94 9MM so I can compare shooting side by side with my .357 Magnum Revolvers. Basically when I shoot the 9MM, the push of the slide action gets on my nerves and I cannot shoot it accurately. The Taurus 617 SS 7 round .357 Magnum Revolver gives a nice solid kick, no pushing action. I can shoot that thing so good, even with both hands.
The gun feels so good in the hand, and the stainless finish is awesome. It also conceals much better than a 9MM, and the power of a .357 should be close to the .40 S&W.
BTW I shoot my revolvers in double action mode as smoothly and as quickly as any semi auto. I never pull back the hammer because for some reason I cannot get a good grip when the trigger is so light. I prefer a nice smooth double action trigger that I can get a grip of and then I am quick and accurate. I did the best shooting in my CCW class.
Anyway, just my opinion and good luck and be safe.

http://www.taurususa.com/products/product-details.cfm?id=260&category=Revolver

Answer 2

Buying a gun is like buying a car, you get what you pay for. Best word of advice, there is NO SUCH THING as a good, CHEAP handgun. To get one worth your hard-earned dollars, new or used, plan on laying out at least $300-400. Anything less is gonna be JUNK, or even WORSE, a HOT one.
If you buy used from a private party, take it to a reputable gun shop (a friend and/or relative may recommend one) and have it inspected and have them run the serial #number with local law enforcement. An honest gun dealer will provide this service for a nominal fee (about $10 usually) & sometimes free, especially if you're nice enough to buy some ammo & accessories from him. ANY private deal who refuses to comply is a SURE sign that SOMETHIN' ain't kosher! (Either it's JUNK or STOLEN!)
The Springfield XD is a fine choice in any caliber, from what I have read about them, & is not a bad buy, although I have seen them at slightly less than the $500 you quoted. I don't have personal experience with the XD, but I own both the H&K USP in .45 and a Glock mod.17 in 9mm Luger, two other polymer frame pistols, and have gotten excellent service from both. A year or so ago you could buy a used Glock for about $400, but I don't know if that still holds true today.
On the other hand, from what I have read and heard, the Hi-Point, in any caliber, especially if you are thinking of defending yourself and your family, is a GREAT boat anchor! I personally wouldn't have one if it was GIVEN to me for FREE! I have seen and heard of them blowing to pieces brand new, right out of the box!
P.S: Since you are honest enough to admit you're a novice, whatever you decide to buy, invest in some firearms education and safety training, as well. If you are lucky enough to live near a shooting range, indoor or outdoor, the operators may provide instruction on-site, or recommend a source, if not.

Answer 3

Single and double action is going to be a larger pistol. For a carry piece I have a few suggestions. There are the micro 380 like the keltec p3at, the hellcat, and the ruger LCD. All are the same idea. Small, concealable and light. They ten to be ammo finicky and very sensitive to limp writing. Get one and expect to have some trigger time to find out your guns favorite ammo and the best way to grip the firearm. They are tiny so a pinky grip and grip sleeve would do wonders. Next up: subcompact 9mm. These are the ruger lc9, Kel tec p9 and p11 and the new smith and Wesson shield. These are slightly bigger, slightly less finicky and tend to have better grips and triggers than their tiny counterparts. Then compact 9mm and 40 and 45. These are the khar, glock 26, 27, and countless others. A few sigs and officers model 1911 come to Mind as well as the sub caliber emp. A hit expensive though. Any bigger and you are stepping into medium, large and duty size firearms that are more difficult to hide well. My suggestion is get a compact like the glock 26 or maybe the ruger sr9c, and learn to shoot them first. It's easier to learn on a mid size gun than a little 380 or a 50 cal big bird. I suggest fiocci or American eagle fmj for range ammo and hornady critical defense for social work. In densely populated areas such as trailer parks, apartments and developments full of McMansions I would also get federal guard dog ammo for around the house.

Answer 4

I own 2 HI-Points. A 9mm and a 40 SW They are great semi-autos. Made in America and a lifetime warranty! I have never had a problem with either one. I just recently got the 40SW for $173.99 out the door. Go to there website for more info and links to some shooting forums. Some people think because they are cheap to buy they must be cheaply made and are not good shooters. This is as far from the truth as you can get! I have owned several high dollar pistols including currently a Taurus 454 Raging Bull. The Hi-Points rank right with them as far as quality and shoot ability!

Answer 5

I would suggest a quality fire arm like Ruger & Smith & Wesson and Colt and there are many. I am a revolver fan and my personal favotite is S&W revolvers mainly a 686 combat magnum a .357 gives you all the power you need. 1550 feet per second with a wallop 158gr hollow point is better than slow moving autos that are prone to jamming and it gives you the option of also fireing 38spl that have come along way. If you are really set on an auto then make it colt govt. in 45 auto. Good luck.

Answer 6

The Hi-Point autos are gaining a rep for being a lot of gun for the money. I recently saw a .40 cal. selling for about $150.00. That's dirt cheap for a new gun. The draw back to the Hi-Point is it is a butt ugly gun. It is also a large gun compared to other handguns on the market.
Check out the Taurus line of autos. The 24/7 is a polymer framed, full size handgun. The Millennium series are compact autos with polymer frames. I've seen these guns priced between $280 to $400.
You can also check out the used gun market for a quality handgun.

Answer 7

If you want a solid, dependable semi-auto, find a Russian Makarov. Chambered for the 9x18mm cartridge, they're pretty easy to handle and can be very accurate guns. Or look at the CZ-52 handguns, chambered for the 7.62x25mm cartridge. Recoil is a little stout, but they have power to spare.

Either of these two pistols can be had for about $200, and ammo isn't that bad. Both are dead reliable and easy to maintain. Make sure you get a Russian or East German Makarov, though, don't even consider the "Polish" versions.

+1 on the High-Points. Check 'em out. They're worth a look.

Answer 8

"I will be using the gun for target shooting and home defense, I do not plan on carrying it"

If it were me I would buy a nice .22 rimfire pistol like the Ruger MKII for target practice and an inexpensive pump 12ga for the home. The money you save shooting .22 LR over 9mm should allow you to save enough to buy the Springfield XD in no time, and you'll still have a great target pistol in the Ruger to practice with.

to check them out
http://www.gunbroker.com

Answer 9

If you want to target shoot, you had better buy what you want-period. Don't fixate on a concrete price. I believe that you are cheating yourself if you thunk that target shooting with a polymer is all that. You can do it, but steel is better for target. Polymer is a little too practicle for anyhting other than combat or plinking. I've owned Glock (9mm/40sw/45acp), Ruger (9mm), and SW Sigma (9mm) polymer guns.
For deliberate slowfire they suck. These are combat (c-o-m-b-a-t) guns.
If you are happy with one, good. But make sure you know what you are buying. I am from Dayton, OH and HI-POINT is redneck/biker garbage pistol. I am embarassed that they are in Ohio.

Answer 10

If you are getting it mostly to have fun with, not sure what you will use it for, and don't want to spend a lot of money, go for a .22. You can't find cheaper ammo (5 bucks for 550 rounds) and the guns are pretty cheap as well (a brand new browning for right around 200). If you like it and learn how to use it properly, then move up to a better one, and you won't have to buy it based as much on price, but rather on what your expierence has told you that you will like.