So, is there anything cheaper than a Phoenix HP22 that'll work?

[GatorFarmer]

My friend Joyce, down in MS, wants a handgun for herself. She's shot Glocks on and off for years and used to shoot her dad's revolvers and shotguns. The catch is that Joyce is stuck in a situation of under employment. She works, but two part time jobs that don't quite equal one full time job in terms of earning a good livelihood. She's got her custom leather working on the side and is still working on teaching herself to make holsters, but... she's in the same situation as a lot of people likely are these days. She simply doesn't have a lot of money to spend, yet she wants to obtain a handgun (or at least "a" gun) for personal defense. (Her theory is that something is better than nothing.)

My friend Dan bought one of the Phoenix pistols back in the mid 90s. Cheaply made, but worked better than my Beretta 21A. There's been more recent threads on them. She can probably get one via a local pawn shop for about 130 dollars and lock tite the firing pin safety. Not the best gun by any means, but ammunition is affordable and it's certainly better than not having a gun at all.

But that begs the question, is there anything to be had in the "very inexpensive" category that might serve better? A Heritage Arms revolver for instance?

Not the best neighborhood lately that she calls home, hence she wants something other than the box of misc knives and a large Maglite.

 

[jframe]

What about one of the NAA mini revolvers in .22 Magnum?

 

[Onomea]

How about an M10 with a really beat up finish?

Depending on how good a friend she is, maybe just give her one of yours that you don't care that much about.

(What goes around, comes around, as they say...)

 

[shooboy]

I've got a Phoenix Arms .22 with both barrels, two mags, paid $125 for everything in lightly used condition. It runs perfectly and is quite accurate enough for close quarters. I feel it's a great little gun and I'd carry it if I didn't have any other options. My buddy has a Rossi .38 snubby for $199 I'd consider if I was looking for an inexpensive wheel gun, looks alot like a snub Model 10. And I have had no problems with my Phoenix .22's safety, that's the first time I've heard about Loctiting the safety. Shoo

 

[Babalooie]

How about a Bersa Thunder .380? They're pretty decent guns for the money. I'd stay away from SKYE or SCYY - same gun just had to change the neme because of trademark issues.

 

[walnutred]

With a little shopping you can find the Hi Point C9 in the $130 price range. Once you get the magazine broke in they are usually very reliable.

 

[rond]

Bersa also makes the Firestorm in 22 lr, I got mine used for 150. Great for practice, also have the 380.

 

[Rule3]

Good Grief Charlie Brown! No disrespect to any Phoenix owners but if she wants a self defense gun there are certainly lots of other choices. With the amount of used guns on the market she can get a decent SD caliber for about the same money. How about a used Kel Tec 32 or 380? A Taurus/Rossi snub.? There is a a like new KT 380 at my local shop for $200 or less.

 

[walnutred]

In thinking about it last year I found a PA-63 for $160 and that seems to be the going rate around here. If she specifically wants a pistol that might be a viable option. Also, remember that in the 50's through the 80's both H&R and IJ had a line of inexpensive revolvers in 22 and 32 S&W Long. You can still find those int he 100-150 range.

 

[sar4937]

I just don't see a .22 as a good self defense weapon, yes it is better than nothing at all but a revolver with a beat up finish in 38 special would be better. (.22 ammo is quite unreliable as well)

 

[panther]

The PA-63 that was mentioned is a good option. 9x18 ammo is cheap and a little hotter then .380. FEG made a couple versions of those Walther clones and can be found in .32 and .380. Prices are usually reasonable.
Is she committed to a pistol? You can pick up good used single shot shotguns in the $100 range at most gun shops.

 

[DeadAye]

I'd also recommend a used M10 if a revolver is wanted.
In the house you just can't beat a short shotgun though.

 

[sigp220.45]

When I was poor and only cared if it worked, I had a .25 Raven. I think you can still find them for under 100 bucks. Mine always worked fine.

I got a Heritage Arms .22 magnum in a trade. I gave it to my Dad, but I shot it first and it worked just great. They're pretty inexpensive, too.

Does it have to be a handgun? If she can live with a shotgun I'm sure she can get a new single shot 20 gauge for around $100.

 

[venomballistics]

I may get pistol whipped for this, but someone already opened the can of worms with Bersa and a few other low buck offerings .... this might be what Taurus is for.

 

[scooter123]

I know a lot of people like to dun the Hi Points but they actually have a pretty darned good reputation for being reliable, fairly accurate, and dirt cheap. In addition Hi Point has a "no questions asked" policy in regards to warranty work, if it's broke they'll fix or replace it even if your the 18th owner.

Yeah, they are well struck with the "ugly stick", however if someone needs a reliable pistol in a caliber with some real SD capability and has a very limited budget, IMO they are the bast band for your buck on the market.

PS; I don't own a High Point and haven't ever shot one. However, I do know a few of their fans and some of them are pretty darned good handgunners.

 

[Jst1mr]

I would opt for a CZ82 9X18....nice capacity and size, decent SD capability, Czech surplus can usually be picked up for $159 or so...really a slick little pistol!

 

[Snowbandit]

You can find some passably decent 38 revolvers in some of the strangest places. After her husband died my sister left his old FIE with me. Thing probably isn't worth $100 but, it's all good steel, made in the US and looks to be sound. A bit of looking and a bit of luck will turn up something better than a 22.

 

[GatorFarmer]

The problem Joyce has run into is that selection is rather limited in her neck of the woods and deals at even gunshows are usually not the best. She's been looking on and off since summer for a decent price on a used Glock or revolver, but nothing really turned up. The gun show circuit was a lot of beef jerky and rusty rifles apparently, with even the MS trading and sales boards turning up mostly high prices for what you get. Enfield revolver for 500 bucks, used Sigma for 400.... You get the idea.

It's starting to seem as though just ordering something might be the only way to obtain something. Joyce isn't per se set on a handgun, though that seems most convenient. I even thought about sending her my Krag sporter (pre 1899 so no FFL needed) as a loan, but it needs work and ammo selection is also limited to what the nearest Walmart has. And .30-40 Krag rounds aren't on the shelf.

She's somewhat scared of military surplus, at least in terms of rifles, since she's not sure what to look for or how to clean one up. Are the current crop of PA63s coming in newly made or surplus? I'm not sure how easy or hard 9x18mm is to get there. .357 Sig ammo was apparently unavailable.

 

[truckemup97]

Bud's has used LE S&W 99s in .40S&W for a little over $300. Summit has Glock 22s for $315.

Also, I picked up a Heratage .22lr revolver for $80 OTD the other day. I've only had the chance to put a few rounds through it, but it seems to be fairly well made. She would just have to get used to a single action.

 

[charlie sherrill]

I picked up a Beretta .25 auto NIB a few weeks ago in a pawnshop for $150. It's a 30 year old gun that looks new. It failed to feed twice with the first two mags through it but after a good cleaning and 200 rounds it works fine. I found a pinned barrel model 60 a few days after that for $300. My daughter confiscated that one because she knew I already had one. Jr. found a C serial number pre 10 snubby in a pawnshop today for $250 (asking price) but didn't buy it because I already had two. I know where a Glock 17 is right now with one high cap mag for $350. The deals are out there. You usually find them when you aren't looking for them. I run across stuff frequently. I don't know how close she is to Brooklyn,Ms. but I would be glad to keep my eyes open for a deal. Need to know about what she wants and how much she can spend. I walk away from a lot of good deals on stuff I don't need.