If you would like to be a gun owner, and don't have much money, what can you do? Gun ownership should not be reserved for the wealthy!
Bear in mind that ammunition is a large part of the cost of having a firearm. The least expensive ammo is .22 caliber, about $10 per 100 rounds for high quality cartridges. Practice rounds can be less than half that price. 9mm cartridges are the least expensive center-fire rounds. Winchester "White Box" in 9mm caliber may be found for $16 per 100 at WalMart. Military surplus ammo (especially for the Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54 rifles) is very inexpensive (but going up fast). Buy your ammo NOW, as the price is going up, due to a world-wide demand for copper and lead.
It is easy to find a new .22 rifle WalMart for under $200, and you should have one of those before getting a handgun, in my opinion. You can have inexpensive fun with it, shooting targets. You can also keep it in a convenient place and use it for home defense. A bullet from a rifle goes faster and hits harder than one from the same caliber handgun. You might also use it some day to harvest small game for your table. I also recommend getting a 30/30 lever action rifle (Marlin or Winchester). You can find these used for about $200 at pawn shops, and they are good rifles. I've gotten good buys at both pawn shops and gun stores.
Reliable inexpensive handguns are harder to find. There are only a few brands that are affordable new. You may need to hunt for a used gun, in order to stay under a $200 budget. (And don't forget taxes!) You can get an idea about what a particular model sells for at GunBroker.Com. Remember, too, that actual prices at gun stores vary quite a bit from place to place, and may be somewhat lower than "manufacturer's suggested retail."
Please note carefully: Sometimes guns that are cheap in price are also cheap in quality. I am not recommending ANY of the guns listed below. But they ARE affordable, and some of them are good guns. If you get a cheap gun, try to be knowledgeable about what you have bought. Study and learn! Inexpensive new guns (under $200.00) that have been found reliable include the Hi Point c9 (9mm) and Phoenix Arms .22 caliber semi-auto models, and Heritage revolvers. Bryco and Jimenez are considered sub-standard quality by many gun owners, but they are cheap, and may do for self-defense, if you can't afford anything else.
An excellent high-quality affordable GLOCK imitation is the Smith and Wesson SW9VE (9mm), which can be found $200 cheaper than a GLOCK.
Mouseguns Photo Gallery of Saturday Night Specials
Chart of the Cheapest New 9mm Guns (Prices as of January 2011)
Jimenez JA 25 Photo Gallery (Dependable, and inexpensive)
Cobra Enterprises of Utah (small and inexpensive derringers and semi-auto pistols)
Heritage Manufacturing Revolvers
Discussion: Best Handgun for Under $100
Looking for an Affordable Assault Weapon (Discussion)
Cobra 9mm discussion with photos
Kel-Tec Bargains
P-64 (Poland)
P-64 (Passagen Article)
The Unofficial Polish P-64 Website (and Bulletin Board!)
High Road Discussion of P-64
CZ-52 (Serger article)
Box O Truth Review of the CZ-52
CZ-52 Page on Makarov.com
Bob Tuley's CZ-52 Page
Get a Tokarev for less than $250
The History Behind the CZ52 (VZ52)
CZ-52 Prices on "Froogle"
Cheap Guns Discussion and Pix
Bryco, Jennings, Jimenez Forum
Shining Star Investments/Source for Jimenez Firearms
The Jimenez JA-380
Jimenez JA-380 Discussion on KTOG
Jimenez Discussion on the USRange
Jimenez Arms
Wikipedia Article on Jimenez Arms
Phoenix Arms HP22
Ayoob: "Cheap Guns Are Good Enough"
GlockTalk Budget Guns Discussion
Budget 9mm Pistols
Hi-Point 9mm Review and Discussion
Mousegunner's Hi-Point C9 9mm
Mousegunner's Summary of the Gun Tests Review of the Hi-Point CF-380
Hi-Point Link Central
Full Text of Gun Tests Review of the Hi-Point C9
More Kudos for the Ugly, Cheap, but Reliable Hi Point
Hi-Point C-9 Owner's Review and Discussion
Unofficial Hi-Point C9 Comp Site
Hi Point Pistols Reviewed
Another Hi-Point Discussion
Packing.Org Discusses the HiPoint Pistol
How to Clean Hi-Point 9mm (many photos)
Big List of Hi Point Web Information
Manuals for All Hi-Point Pistols/Carbines (PDF Format)
Owner's Report on Hi Point Pistol
22 Handguns Under $200 Discussion
Bargain Pistols (Article)
Gun Test Reviews of Cheap Guns
Saturday Night Special Forum
Raven Firearms
Bryco/Jennings Firearms and click HERE, too
Phoenix Arms HP22
Mousegunner's Phoenix Arms HP22A
Some User Reviews of the PA HP22
FiringPin.Com Guns for Sale
Hi-Point Firearms
Hi-Point Discussion on the HighRoad
Hi-Point CF380 Recommended by Law Enforcement
Hi-Point Yahoo Group (Excellent Resource)
Hi-Point Pistols Discussion
LastSonOfGilead Reviews Hi-Point Pistols
Lloyd Walker Reviews the Hi-Point C9 Pistol
Cobra Firearms
Bersa Thunder 380 (an excellent pistol, and can sometimes be found for under $200 in basic black)
Another Bersa 380 Review
Bersa 380 at Gander Mt, $199.99
Cobra Patriot Pistols
Patriot 45 Yahoo Group
Derringers
Heritage Revolvers
Makarov Pistol
Makarov Forum
Makarov Discussion
CZ52 Military Surplus Pistol
CZ-52 History and Review
Lots of CZ52 Links Here
Cheap Gun Discussion
Taurus PT22
Second Hand Ruger P Series
Firing Line $200 Budget Gun Discussion
Another Firing Line Thread
Economic Discrimination of Expensive Firearms
Blackmanwithagun.Com
"Shootin Shack" Sparta TN
NAA Mini Revolvers
Rossi Revolvers (Buy used for under $200)
9mm Star BM
Another Star Model BM Page
Surplus Rifles A Bargain
Tokarev Pistol
Tokarev.net
More Tokarev Pix and Info
Tokarev Prices
Lorcin 9MM
CZ52 for Self-Defense (Discussion)
Saturday Night Special Forum
Discussion: Reliable Semi-Auto Pistol Under $160
Cabela's Remington Rider Pistol (4.3mm)
Stoeger Cougar (Half-price Beretta made in Turkey)
Official Stoeger Cougar Website
Would you like a GLOCK, but can't afford the $520 for a gun? For $320 you can get a brand new sw9ve by Smith and Wesson. The sw9ve is Smith and Wesson's 9mm GLOCK clone, but with a much nicer grip, and a heavier trigger. S & W also offer the same pistol in .40 caliber.
This page is a part of www.mouseguns.com.
