Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It...

...is to find Epijunky a handgun.

Her criteria are pretty open, but tough:

Protection for myself and the kiddos. That's all I want. And despite what my former partner says, I'm not a horrible shot. Really I'm not. And I'm already enrolled in a class. (Thanks former partner :))

I'm asking from the position of someone with not a whole lot of cash to spend. That being said, I have some friends who are willing to donate to the cause... So think $300.00 or so. For a handgun.

What do I need to protect myself??? In addition to a CCL.

Hmmm. The $300 is somewhat limiting. For new handguns, it's pretty much either junk guns (Raven, Cobra, etc.), small stuff like North American Arms, or lower-end. A couple of options that don't suck are the Smith & Wesson Sigma series or Charter Arms revolvers.

The S&W SW40VE is a decent option - on sale, at the local gun shop, it's running $290 - $310 for a new gun. And S&W customer service is excellent. This model line has had its share of complaints, though, most centering on the rough trigger. With time and some work, though, it's a decent starter gun. It's a little big for concealed carry, but for 15 rounds of .40 S&W goodness for around $300, it's not a bad option.


The Charter Arms Mag Pug looks like a decent option for a new revolver. Five shots of .357 Magnum goodness will settle any goblin's hash, and you can practice with more benign (and less expensive) .38 Special. An MSR of $375 means this should retail under $300 as well. I'm not terribly familiar with Charter Arms, as they're not on the Approved Firearms Roster here in the Volksrepublik. I know they've gone into bankruptcy a couple of times, first as Charter Arms, then Charter 2000, and I think there might have even been another iteration in there somewhere. But the guns are solid, if a little less polished than a Colt or Smith.


Another option would be a Kel-Tec PF9 or P11. Both pistols are chambered in 9mm, which is on the lower end of self-defense caliber but still passable. The PF9 is a single-stack model (7+1 capacity), the P11 is a double-stack (10+1, and it will accept S&W 59-series high capacity magazines). Both are available for around $300 new. I've got a P3AT, the .380 ACP version (my gun to have when I can't have a gun), and I love it for concealability - it weighs like half a pound and is just teeny. It has always gone bang when I pull the trigger, altough the sights are rudimentary and take some getting used to to get on target.

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For everything else, it's really going to be something used. Either the Smith & Wesson M&P series or Glock's mid-sized line (19 or 23) should be plentiful in the mid-$300s for decent, affordable, reliable self-protection. Either choice there would be backed by the manufacturer should anything go wrong, although in both cases there's not a lot expected to go wrong. As I mentioned in last Friday's gun pr0n, people say a lot of things about Glocks, but being unreliable generally isn't one of them...

There's quite a few bargains to be had with Smith & Wesson autoloaders out there, particularly their "budget" line like the 410 or the 908. The Ruger P345, which Bruce swears by, is a little on the heavier side for concealed carry but does offer 8+1 rounds of .45 ACP goodness. For a bit of German engineering, you can't do much better than a SigSauer P6/225 ($280!), although once again a bit on the heavy and large side for a concealed piece.

In the revolver world, there's still lots of old S&W model 10s out there with the 2" barrel that are perfectly adequate for self-defense, and with everyone looking for semi-autos, prices are very reasonable - guns in good condition can be found for around $200 - $250. Used 637s and 642s (snub-nosed revolvers either with hammer or hammerless) are an excellent choice for concealed carry - I carry a snubnose revolver probably 8 months out of the year - but do take a little getting used to, with less weight to absorb recoil.

Another option would be any of the fine revolvers available from Mssrs. Sturm & Ruger. The SP 101, while a tad heavier than I'd like for concealed carry, offers five rounds of .357 Magnum firepower in a concealable package. The GP 100 is larger (harder to conceal) but more "shootable" and has the extra round capacity as well. Both should be available used for around $300. Colts, for the most part, are out unless you're looking at well-used Official Police Specials from the 1950s.

That's the basics of what's available in this price range in "serious" calibers. There's a lot of .380s out there that are quite concealable and fall into this price range, but that's starting to fall outside the scope of the original question. There's also options like the AMT Back-up .45 ACP, which is both small (concealable) and inexpensive, but it's not an option I can recommend. The company is out of business, so if something happens to the gun you have a very expensive paperweight; and generally the AMTs were hit-or-miss with quality control to start with.

So...

What did I miss? I know for certain my experience is significantly limited, living in the Volksrepublik of MA. I'm sure I've missed a whole slew of excellent handgun bargains that are available to people living in America. Jump in with your choices or feel free to critique mine.

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As for my opinion of what I'd get in this price range, I'll hedge my bets. If I were getting something primarily for concealed carry, it would be a used Smith & Wesson model 642. I've been very well-served by my model 38 (old-school shrouded hammer) for summer duty, and with two Bianchi speed strips, 17 rounds of .38 Special +P goodness ought to do the trick quite nicely.

If it's something for home protection, but with the option of home defense, I'd look for either the Ruger P345 or a Glock 23. The Glock has the advantage of 15 round magazine capacity (using G22 magazines), the Ruger having the advantage of being in .45 ACP...

That is all.