Cheap But Reliable

[dandyrandy]

Let's talk about any "cheap" gun that works and works well. In other words a firearm that is reliable and does not cost much to own.

First on this list is a couple of pistols. One is a Tisas and the other is a sweet little Charter Arms Undercoverette. Tisas 1911s Ive talked about before and they are a very affordable but most importantly reliable pistols. Mine was only around $400 and it has an all hammer forged frame slide and barrel something you only see on guns that cost double or triple the cost of the Tisas.

The Undercoverette is a wonderful small revolver that only weighs a little over 13 ounces loaded and most importantly it is loaded with six 32 magnums which is nothing to sneeze at for sure. This one is fitted with a Barami hip clip that negates the need of a holster where you can ride this gun for maximum concealment Magnum Pi style. Im going to get into the Charters more later. So what do you have?" Thanks for looking!

 

[UNCLE PAULY]

Back in the 1980's there was a "Street Sweeper". A cheap 12 ga pump shotgun, pistol grip, 18" barrel and a 12 rnd drum magazine. You could mail order one to your FFL for under $200.

I didn't buy one then, but now wish I did.

 

[Echo40]

Oh, I've got one...

The Smith & Wesson Sigma SW40VE
This is one of the classic gang bangers from the mid 90s clear on to today. A budget-priced pistol based on those produced by Glock which unfortunately became popular with street thugs due to their low cost. Fortunately, these pistols have a notoriously heavy trigger which often results in a tendency among inexperienced shooters to pull low-left, and they don't feed reliably if you limp wrist them either, so anything but a point blank shot was likely to end up off target, not to mention malfunction in the hands of your typical mook marksman who prefers to fire them sideways without even bothering to use the sights at all.

That being said, they're actually decent pistols, as this one has been my primary Winter Carry Gun since I bought it back in 2019 for a mere $199.

UPDATE:
The SW40VE has since been replaced by a newer model known as the SD40VE, but it's pretty much the same gun with some aesthetic tweaks and an improved trigger.

The Ruger LCP is likewise an excellent, yet inexpensive pistol, albeit not one which is particularly popular with the criminal element as far as I know. The one pictured is actually a 10th Anniversary model, yet it was still cheap at $230, and standard models obviously run substantially lower. I've seen them sell for as little as $150, which is an outstanding value for such a great little pistol. What it lacks in power it more than makes up for in sheer carry comfort. This sweet baby is almost always in my pocket, even when I'm just walking around the house, because it honestly takes more effort to leave it behind than it does to take it with me.

 

[lamarw]

Of course, there is always the Hi-Point. Pictured is my one and only. It is a Haskell. I have had it for years and bought it as a LE Trade-In. I suspect it was a confiscation.

I have never had it fail me, and it could serve as a boat anchor if need be.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Of course, there is always the Hi-Point. Pictured is my one and only. It is a Haskell. I have had it for years and bought it as a LE Trade-In. I suspect it was a confiscation.

I have never had it fail me, and it could serve as a boat anchor if need be.

I had a High Point that shot anything but it did finally work the rear
"Plastic sight" loose , and it needed a new sight to fix the problem.

Did you know that they are made in the USA ? !!

 

[growr]

My CZ 82 in 9x18 Makarov that I bought for 149.00 years ago wins for me.
Reliable as the day is long.

Randy

 

[Grayfox]

The Raven .25 acp. Yep, it was cheap junk. Sold for around $30 or less brand new. But the darned things go bang every single time. I have one and its never jammed or misfired.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Maybe the "king" of this category at $150:

 

[Racer X]

Of course, there is always the Hi-Point. Pictured is my one and only. It is a Haskell. I have had it for years and bought it as a LE Trade-In. I suspect it was a confiscation.

I have never had it fail me, and it could serve as a boat anchor if need be.

My partner's little brother has a Haskell.

 

[Racer X]

Taurus G2 or G3. They can use Sig P226 or 229 mags too. The G2C comes in a .40 S&W too.

 

[Biggfoot44]

I'll take a wild leap as to the OP's now rephrased intentions : That the emphasis is on current production , and not so much guns that were once plentiful surplus , nor models that for a period of time were blown out by a mfg for cheap to make way for a subsequent model or variation . ( In S&W context , after the Shield 2.0 came out , I bought the daughter an Original Shield for $199 after rebate .)

Hi Points . The pistols are AMC Pacer Ugly , unbalanced , are picky with jhp, and embarrassing to be seen with . But they reliably go bang with fmj , and you can't wear them out even when you try to torture test to destruction .

Since 1911's were evoked , Turkey and the Philippines are in a price/ value war , with a plethora of brand names , but from only a handful of actual factories .

Bersa's remain excellent values

I'll have to disagree about Ravens . My 1982 purchased had about a 20 lb trigger pull ( NOT a joke ) , making it essentially unusable even as a belly gun . The 1st Gen safey wouldn't self disengage if you even thought about looking at it , making it essentially uncarryable except in condition 3 . And they were notorious for breaking fine pins , then the owners were shock that the firing pin plus even a modest shop minimum fee added to more than the cost of the gun new . Later descended generations , under different brand names did have better triggers , and safeties on par with typical cheap pocket guns .

 

[Fishinfool]

Probably my most "bang for the buck" is my RIA 1911 .45 acp. Payed under $300 for it maybe 2009 or so. I made a set of stag grips for it, and have since mounted a Burris Fastfire red dot on it. About 1500 rounds, mostly lead hard ball handloads with reliability and accuracy. I have payed less for a gun, but this one is at the top of my cost / enjoyment ratio... Gun on the right in the pic.

Larry

 

[OLDSTER]

Old Bridgeport Charter Arms Undercover. Not "cheap", but "affordable". I shoot it better than either my 642 or 36.

 

[CajunBass]

I picked up this Star "Ultra Star" single stack, DA/SA, 9mm a couple of months ago, for less than $300, with two magazines, which in today's market is pretty decent, at least in my world. I don't shoot it a lot, but when I do, it's both reliable and surprisingly accurate. As a size comparison, it's a little smaller than a Smith and Wesson Model 39-2.

 

[max]

Mine is a 9mm RIA 1911. It has good sights and is totally reliable.

 

[diyj98]

Back in the 1980's there was a "Street Sweeper". A cheap 12 ga pump shotgun, pistol grip, 18" barrel and a 12 rnd drum magazine. You could mail order one to your FFL for under $200.

I didn't buy one then, but now wish I did.

Probably saved yourself a lot of headache that you didn't buy one. In 1994, the Treasury Department issued a finding that the Striker-12 and Streetsweeper shotguns did not have a sporting purpose. Since they have bore diameters over .50 inch (as do all 12ga and 20ga shotguns), this redefined them as Destructive Devices under the NFA. As such, existing ones had to be registered with the ATF, and sale of one today requires a $200 tax stamp and the standard NFA transfer process.

 

[hyena]

My Charter Arms Pitbull .45 ACP. Not as inexpensive as most of the examples thus far, but it's the perfect truck gun for me. .45 ACP goodness without needing moon clips.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Back in the 1980's there was a "Street Sweeper". A cheap 12 ga pump shotgun, pistol grip, 18" barrel and a 12 rnd drum magazine. You could mail order one to your FFL for under $200.

I didn't buy one then, but now wish I did.

I did buy one, and it was a fun toy to blast tin cans with in spite of its awkwardness, awful trigger pull, heaviness, lack of accuracy and the fact that it was miserably slow to reload. The ATF then made it a class III firearm and insisted that it had to be registered, sold or turned in. I sold it at a loss to a class III dealer, and the whole deal really ticked me off that I had to do so. Existing pre-ban guns should have been grandfathered, but no....

John

 

[mikerjf]

The SCCY CPX 9mm’s... cheap, reliable, revolver-safe, holds 11 rounds of 9mm in a package lighter than a Glock 26.

Light enough to have a little snap!

 

[DWalt]

I’ll nominate my SCCY CPX-1 9mm. I bought mine used for $175 about two years ago, in its original box with two magazines. It appeared to be unfired. Probably the safest 9mm mini ever made. It has a fairly heavy DAO trigger pull, an external safety, and is absolutely drop proof. Mine is 100% reliable with 115 and 124 grain RN loads, and shoots respectable 3” groups at 7 yards, with dead-on sights. It’s all I need in a carry gun. SCCY now has several somewhat improved models.Prices are very reasonable. All have lifetime guarantees.