Buying first pistol

[SMS]

Hi-point for fun...sure. For self defense...are you f-ing kidding me?

There's a vid in here of a hi-point puking repeatedly during an IDPA match. Can't make it through a game, but trust it for the real deal? Nope. (and it's being run by a guy who is very skilled at running a gun...imagine how it'd look with a guy who only shoots a couple hundred rounds a year blasting trash at WMA range)

http://www.okshooters.com/showthrea...Oil-Capitol&highlight=hi-point+idpa+challenge

 

[RKM]

Geez........what a bunch of gun snobs! The OP wanted opinions on guns around $200 and all we can do is tell him to pony up more cash, get a shotgun, get an extra job, or blast any gun they consider "cheap". A budget is a budget....if all the guy can afford is 2 bills then that is what he is going to get. period.
My first gun back in the late 70's was a Raven 25 auto because at the time that was the only gun I could afford. $39.95 brand new. I didn't shoot it much but it went bang everytime and I did feel safer with it on my night stand. Of course as time went on, I purchased higher end weapons, but only when I could afford it.
Some of you have provided very good links to some good handguns for around $200, but they were shot down by others. Let's just try to help the guy out instead of blasting his budget.
As for Hi Point failure, I've seen $900 Kimbers that couldn't get a full magazine through them.

 

[taaz67]

Same here . Apply clp lube and continue to bang after every trigger pull. 900 + rounds out of a c9 and still going .

 

[JMS]

Just buy one of those $200-250 Sigmas and don't look back. They are very reliable and the design is solid. That is what I did when I bought my first gun and I got most of my money back out it when I decided to upgrade years later. That's one of the up-sides to buying guns. In general they hold their value pretty well provided you aren't an idiot. (No offense meant if you are. ;-) )
But whatever you buy, be sure to look at the cost to feed it. If you shoot much at all, you can easily exceed $2-300 a year in ammo. Just because some caliber bullets are small, don't assume they are cheap.

 

[roachjuice]

nothing wrong with hi points. they jam because the mag grabs the tip of the bullet. very easy fix. google it. pair of needle nose pliers and pry the ends out a little on the mag. good as new. lifetime warranty. cant really beat em. accurate too! so what they are ugly. so what they are heavy. so what they are cheap. it works right? i didnt think looks or being heavy or cheap prevented the gun from operating? ive also seen 500+ dollar guns jam. had a glock i rented that i couldnt get a mag through without it jamming. before any of you say "oh you limp wristed it" friends of mine shot the gun to and same results. didnt have a problem on any other guns we brought that day. gun snobs crack me up. look on youtube the hi point ultimate test.

 

[SMS]

Let's just try to help the guy out instead of blasting his budget.
As for Hi Point failure, I've seen $900 Kimbers that couldn't get a full magazine through them.

...and you didn't see anyone recommend a Kimber did you?

Some of us are trying to help him out by trying to steer him away from junk, precisely because he listed home defense as one of his needs/wants/requirements and came to a public forum for advice/opinions.

If he just wanted a pistol for blasting at the range I would've told him to buy whatever he could afford and to have fun shooting it. But when someone lists self-defense as a requirement, the standards change.

Don't agree with that? Then offer alternative advice...go ahead, tell him to buy a Raven 25 for home defense...if you can in good conscience.

 

[RKM]

Step on some toes? The Kimber comparsion is to prove that high end guns fail as much as the "cheap" weapons.
There have been plenty of guns listed for around $200 dollars that I would feel more than comfortable with. Hi Points.....owned half a dozen over the years...all shot, fed and ejected fine. Colts....have them too, mostly safe queens....my nightstand gun....Glock 33. If I didn't have any, I would feel comfortable with a Hi Point or the CZ. I gunsmithed for years so I have seen the failure rate in some of the high end guns that came through our shop. I've seen crap workmanship in Smiths, Colts, Springfield and Kimbers, work so bad I would consider them "junk".
As for recomendations....there seem to be plenty from other members....it's the gun snobbery I have a problem with.
Like I said....a budget is a budget. If two bills is all you have there are still some reliable guns out there.

 

[Trashboat]

If your in a gun fight that requires more than a couple of shots then you need to leave anyway because you are in the wrong place. You can't be to choosy with $200. A high point or keltec will do whatever you need it to do.

 

[SMS]

Step on some toes?

Nope, just cranky and argumentative today. Cheers.

 

[RKM]

Same here........must be the Monday cranks!