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Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:12 pm
by The Annoyed Man
Liberty wrote:My Dad once told me " There are Vettes and Cadillacs. Neither will get you there any better than the Belair.

I don't know much about revolvers or Rossi, but I have owned a P95 and even qualified with it a couple of times. It shoots well and can be trusted to go bang every time. I have a couple of other more expensive handguns, but I don't shoot any of them better, nor trust any gun more. This all being said it's not everyone's cup of tea. Long DA trigger, heavy, and not very pretty. I won't ever get rid of it.
That seems to be the consensus on Ruger semiautos. I’ve fired one once, but never owned one. The one I’ve fired seemed reliable and solidly made - even if it seemed to me to have a bit of that “com-block tractor factory” aesthetic appeal.

I don’t know much about Rossi revolvers, except that they look like another knock-off of S&W.

In answer to the OP’s question (which I did not address above), if $450 was the limit that I could spend for a long time, and I had to have two guns.....and then that was it....well then yeah, I would say go for it. Those are probably good choices.....although I would spend half of it on the Ruger pistol and the other half on a .22 rifle. But like bmwdr said below, as a matter of personal habit, I have always taken quality over quantity, and in the end, that standard has served me well. I don’t have all the guns I want, but I definitely have more than I need to survive - more guns than a lot of people have - and going for quality over quantity hasn’t stopped me from accumulating guns. So I guess I’ve been blessed. Of course, one man’s “quality” is another man’s “junk”. Happen to like Glock pistols as carry/home-defense pistols, and I like S&W and Ruger revolvers, so I would have probably bought one or the other, knowing that I would eventually own both anyway. But a lot of people on this forum would consider my choice of Glocks as junk, and would have gone for a CZ, or a nice 1911, or whatever. And caliber has something to do with it too. Is that Ruger semiauto a 9mm, .40, or .45? If its a .40 or a .45, the amount of money you spend on ammo over the long haul will end up costing you more than you saved on the gun, compared to my 9mm Glock, for which ammo is cheap, even though the gun cost more at the outset. So the question the OP poses doesn’t have a simple answer that is right or wrong for the majority of people. It’s like asking is it better to buy two gasoline powered F150s at a lower price, or one larger diesel powered truck at a higher price. What’s the application? If you live in a large travel trailer and intend to move it occasionally across state lines, the single diesel truck is the better choice, even though it cost more.

To each his own. There is no right answer. There is only that answer which works for that individual.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 4:56 am
by MaduroBU
Cost is what you pay, value is what you get for your money. Those two things can be completely divorced, often unexpectedly. If you value things that the market at large does not recognize or value, there are many deals to be had.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:16 am
by bmwrdr
Speaking of cheap guns, I purvhased a Walther CCP for about $300, took it out to the range and shot about 75 rounds before it failed. It seems like the slide over traveled slightly and the recoil just felt different. I packed it and went on shooting my trustworthy H&K P30.
When I got home and started cleaning the Walther I noticed a small plastic piece at the rear of the slide sticking out for just 1/20th of an inch. I inserted the disassembly tool for that gun and tried to take the slide off when a spring came lose pushing the plastic part I mentioned out. Walther USA was sending me a Fedex shipping label immediately when I called in. The gun was fixed and returned within 8 days which is a pretty good turnaround time. They did not mention what the cause of the failure was.
I used standard pressure cartridges and actually think it is a good gun and excellent shooter for its size.
Range time will tell if it was just a single incident or if it is junk. If so I will post a detailed report.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 9:33 am
by Liberty
MaduroBU wrote:Cost is what you pay, value is what you get for your money. Those two things can be completely divorced, often unexpectedly. If you value things that the market at large does not recognize or value, there are many deals to be had.
:iagree:
There are other factors that come into play, particularly when it comes to guns. They can serve different roles. We can spend a lot of money to get a fine tuned race gun or a pretty 1911 to open carry. A gun like the Ruger P series can be just about perfect as a truck or nightstand gun, but most people would find it has severe limitations as an EDC. The Rossi could be an inexpencive way to shoot a revolver once in a while for those of us who don't shoot them very often.

In reference to my Chevy simile, The old Belair was ideal as a family car and more suitable than the Vette or Caddy even though they could be considered a better nicer car by most people.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 2:24 pm
by K.Mooneyham
I have a 20-year old P89 (first pistol I ever purchased myself). It has gone bang every time I've fired it (minus one brand of ammunition from Hungary with very hard primers, MFS). The only maintenance it's ever had is field strip and cleaning after most shooting sessions. I did add Hogue grips, and two Mec-Gar 17 round magazines to replace the Clintonian-ban 10-rounders that came with it. I lost count long ago how many rounds have been through it, somewhere between one and eight thousand rounds maybe? :???: It is a big ol' brick of a pistol, it will win no beauty contests, and it doesn't shoot MOA no matter how good of a shooter you may be. But it consistently will shoot MOBG and since it's so reliable, that's what matters most. It's the one pistol I really would never want to sell.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 4:38 pm
by Pritchical
The Annoyed Man wrote: Edited to add.... I just found that thread from last May: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=88291&p=1142160&hi ... 2#p1142160
Thanks for the link, Man. I had heard about the problems with the first gen, but not the gen 2. Either way I've had no ill experiences with mine. It's just an interim gun until I can round up enough scratch for a better one.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:01 pm
by Daddio-on-patio
Ruger P85 MKII. I like the full size "working man" feel. Countless rounds with no failures. No, not an easy EDC, especially for a fella my size. Great value. I tend to buy most goods based on value. I utilize the towing and bed hauling ability of my truck. That's what I bought it for. Didn't see the need to spend extra on a "package" name (Harley, Texas, Rubicon edition, etc). Just value. Probably why I carry a 9mm. Affordable and available ammo with reasonable capabilities. Just my way.

Re: Cheap guns

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 8:24 pm
by Ed4032
I’ve got a P89. I don’t know if it works. It’s still unfired in the box. Had a P85 though. Great gun and I regret selling it.