Cheap Guns

[Bzcraig]

I don't know why but I'm attracted to some of the really cheap guns! Today I bought a Davis IND. (Predecessor to Cobra) 32acp. It is 99%, owner claimed to have purchased it new and fired 24 rounds through it and it's chrome. I gave him the $95 he was asking for it. This is the first time I have given in to the urge to buy one, now I'm afraid I'll have several before it ends! 😎

[sghart3578]

I am the same way myself. For years I have bought any cheap gun that comes my way. I think it is because I always root for the underdog.

I recently tried a new Charter Arms Bulldog in 44 spl. I loved it so much I bought one in 357 mag.

I also just bought a Hi-Point carbine in 9mm. That rifle is indestructible and feeds everything.

Let's hear it for budget guns.


Steve in N CA

[jonp]

I buy guns like that. I have a Jennings and a Lorcen in the safe. I bought them just to see if they worked and to tear them apart and take a look. Surprisingly, they work fine.

On High Point: Budget and cheap are not the same thing. Hi-Point's are budget but the ones I have and from people I talk to always go bang. Cheap guns are cheap and may or may not work right.

[Multigunner]

I was given a Davis .380 pocket pistol that had been found in the effects of a deceased relative. I'd never buy one of these after seeing the sad shape of most of them after only light use.
I was surprised to find this example was not that badly put together, and so far it has fed and fired without a hiccup.

The Davis has a bad reputation for misfires, but I think I figured out why.

When racking the slide there's a distinct click before the slide moves far enough back for the sear to engage. I suspect many who have used these guns think the first click means its cocked, but when they pull the trigger nothing happens.

Still I'd never trust my life to this type of low end pocket pistol. The firing pins seem especially prone to breakage.

While small in profile it appears to be heavier than strictly necessary and makes a noticeable lump in the pocket. The grip is way too small for my hand making extracting it from a pocket awkward. A snub nose revolver is much handier.

A cheap .22 German made revolver my older brother allowed me to borrow many times when I was a youngster was one of the most accurate handguns I've ever seen. I had no problem popping 6 oz Coke bottles at a full 50 yards with that little gun, I never missed even once.
It looked like a child's toy gun vaguely resembling a Colt SAA, but was double action. It was very small, much smaller than a Ruger Bearcat with about a 4" barrel. I think it held seven rounds. Only thing I fired in it were .22 Shorts.

Another good cheap German Revolver he owned was a very simple but sturdy .38 Special snubbie with solid milled steel frame. It was about the size of a Model 13 but held only five shots. A good honest no frills revolver with excellent trigger pull and uncommonly accurate for a snub nose.
There was no cylinder latch, you just pulled the cylinder pin forward to swing out the cylinder.

[richhodg66]

Not handguns much, but rifles and especially shotguns here lately. I have become kind of enamored with single barrel break open shotguns of late for a lot of reasons and have several. I spied a little 20 gauge Savage 220B in 20 gauge in a shop I liked, asking price was $85 bucks and wife picked it up for me sometime after we left for a present. Anyway, it has a nice, if plain walnut on it and things like the wood to metal fit and finish of the overall gun is better than even good stuff nowadays. I've been squirrel hunting with it when I can lately and really like how trim and light it is and it kills squirrels as well as an expensive gun.

I like the savage 340s and Remington 788s which many sneered at for being cheapies when they were made. The list could go on and on. Most of the guns I own I have no plans to ever have my life depend on or even an important hunt.

[GhostHawk]

3 weeks ago I was browsing through Bud's Gun shop, wife looks over points What's that??

Why that is a Phoenix Arms HP-22a in .22lr and it is for sale at the unheard of price of 107$.

It looks small, roughly 4x5 inches. "I wants it precious"

Ok. I'll be test shooting it today at the range.

Holds 10, granted it is .22lr which means better than nothing, but not a lot better.

Way I looked at it, for less than 150 $ total I can throw a gun in a soft case under my wifes seat.
And if she ever needs it, it will be there. Damm cheap insurance.

My wife struggles with Arthritis in her hands. She won't shoot anything that recoils now. She's a crack shot, i've seen her light things up with a variety of handguns. But for now it is .22lr or nothing.

I did spend a half hour tweaking it, disabling safety's that prevented you from removing the magazine if gun is on safe, magazine disconect so gun won't fire if magazine is removed.

Seems decent, considering spending the 37$ to get the 5" barrel for it and a spare mag.

Yeah I like cheap guns. Single shots 100$ and down, Hipoint Carbines and pistols.

Yeah, I live there.

[Hogdaddy]

3 weeks ago I was browsing through Bud's Gun shop, wife looks over points What's that??

Why that is a Phoenix Arms HP-22a in .22lr and it is for sale at the unheard of price of 107$.

It looks small, roughly 4x5 inches. "I wants it precious"

Ok. I'll be test shooting it today at the range.

Holds 10, granted it is .22lr which means better than nothing, but not a lot better.

Way I looked at it, for less than 150 $ total I can throw a gun in a soft case under my wifes seat.
And if she ever needs it, it will be there. Damm cheap insurance.

My wife struggles with Arthritis in her hands. She won't shoot anything that recoils now. She's a crack shot, i've seen her light things up with a variety of handguns. But for now it is .22lr or nothing.

I did spend a half hour tweaking it, disabling safety's that prevented you from removing the magazine if gun is on safe, magazine disconect so gun won't fire if magazine is removed.

Seems decent, considering spending the 37$ to get the 5" barrel for it and a spare mag.

Yeah I like cheap guns. Single shots 100$ and down, Hipoint Carbines and pistols.

Yeah, I live there.

^^^Had one when they first came out, cheap ,One jam as far as I remembered, It came with
2 size barrels about $150, The safeties were awful but shot to POA. Kind of a pain to take down & cleanso I sold it JMO ; )
H/D

[rancher1913]

to me guns are tools to be used. don't have a single top end high dollar gun but have a few middle of the road guns. if I had to be scared to let a gun bump around in my truck it would not be worth owning to me. I can see the fascination with the top end and collector guns but just can't justify spending the money.

[dverna]

If we were all the same, there would not be the range of offerings we are blessed with.

My cheap guns are Mossberg 500's for when things go bad. I have a Model 94 I paid $135 for that has some rust on it but is shoots OK.

Cheap is different than junk.

Don Verna

[atr]

here....it was a nice single shot break open .410 ($80.00) and a old J.C. Higgins .22 9-shot revolver ( $75.00)

[country gent]

As stated above there is a diffrerence between cheap and inexpensive. Inexpensive works and is a budget based fire arm desighned to a lower price point. Think Some savages, Rem 788, Some rugers and a few others. Lower cost than whats available top of the line. They work well are reliable function and are accurate. Cheap is just that poor fit and finish, not always reliable or accurate and usually a pain from day one.

[Budzilla 19]

I'll buy cheap Remington 870's all day long. Just a rock solid gun, and it's almost indestructible!!! Mossberg 500's same way, have yet to see one fail! I don't think a normal person will ever wear out either shotgun, in my opinion only. As for pistols, nothing cheap in quality for me! I want it to work, every time, every way, all the time. That being said, there are lower price point handguns that are great quality! Just my .02.

[jcwit]

Pistols? I own them all the way from $2,000 Kimbers to the lowly .22 Raven. Wife also has the Arthritis problem and finds it impossible to rack the slide of those that have a strong recoil spring. Sooooooooooo she carries one of the Ravens, I've watched her put a full mag into the standard size notebook paper 8 1/2 X 11? at 25 yds, didn't think that was possible, but she did it! Some dude at the range said to her "with that thing your just going to piss someone off" Her reply was "Look at the target, how pissed do you want them get!!!!

Now then, who am I to argue, she's happy, and we yet to have a jam with the little thing.

I also have a 9mm Hi-Point, amazing gun, ugly "so they say" as all get out, but it never forgets to go "BANG" and if my shaking hand does OK it does hit the target. Now if I wanted accuracy to the utmost, one of my Kimbers or Springfields with custom barrels and custom gunsmithing done to them would be the way to go, but at my age of 73, with all the shakes, it just seems fruitless.

[RayinNH]

Pistols? I own them all the way from $2,000 Kimbers to the lowly .22 Raven. Wife also has the Arthritis problem and finds it impossible to rack the slide of those that have a strong recoil spring. Sooooooooooo she carries one of the Ravens, I've watched her put a full mag into the standard size notebook paper 8 1/2 X 11? at 25 yds, didn't think that was possible, but she did it! Some dude at the range said to her "with that thing your just going to piss someone off" Her reply was "Look at the target, how pissed do you want them get!!!!

Now then, who am I to argue, she's happy, and we yet to have a jam with the little thing.

I also have a 9mm Hi-Point, amazing gun, ugly "so they say" as all get out, but it never forgets to go "BANG" and if my shaking hand does OK it does hit the target. Now if I wanted accuracy to the utmost, one of my Kimbers or Springfields with custom barrels and custom gunsmithing done to them would be the way to go, but at my age of 73, with all the shakes, it just seems fruitless.

As long as you're still having fun JC, that's all that counts.

[Multigunner]

"I did spend a half hour tweaking it, disabling safety's that prevented you from removing the magazine if gun is on safe, magazine disconect so gun won't fire if magazine is removed. "

I had one of those I bought cheap because the previous owner had somehow pulled the floorplate out of the magazine trying to get the mag out while the safety was on.
After finding a new magazine I found the interlocking safety features taxing so I sold it for what I had in it at first opportunity.
These could be customized with a longer barrel which was fairly cheap and a magazine with finger spur. In that form they made a pretty decent field companion.

[Big Boomer]

I read about a CZ-75 9mm knock-off/clone made in Turkey in the American Rifleman (IIRC) some time back and ran into one in a local gun shop. The price was so low after dickering and including an out-the-door deal that I gave in and bought the thing. Sure have not been disappointed in this pistol. Only furriner I've ever owned except for my carry piece, a Sig P938 in 9mm. It is accurate for a 9mm and my Lee 356-125 boolits lubed with my own concoction shoot into nice small groups out to 25 yds off sandbags. I'm not likely to do something like this again because I already own enough guns. All my other shooters are either Ruger or S&W in handguns. Rifles are all U. S. made. Big Boomer

[Walkingwolf]

OK, let's get this out of the way~~owning a Saturday night special is like riding a moped. It feels good but you don't want your biker buddies to see you.

That said I have two charter arms, and my wife has a JA380, and a HP CF380, all have never failed. My wife uses the two for car guns when she travels. If they get stolen there is not a lot invested in them, and they work.

One thing about SNS is if involved in a shooting it is not like having your prize handgun seized by police for weeks, or months.

[Bookworm]

Back in the early 90's I was wandering thru a gun show, and somehow came out with a NEF .410 single shot - break open, full choke. Paid $40, IIRC, and it came with a sack of assorted shells - maybe 15 total.

I used it for squirrel, and a few yard varmints, for a few years, then it just sat in the safe.

Then, a couple years ago, a friend of mine with 5 year old boy saw it, and wanted it. He had a Ruger 44 Mag Carbine that I had been eyeing, and we worked out a trade that involved me giving him that shotgun (and considerable boot). He valued the NEF at $150 in the trade.

I think I did okay.

[gpidaho]

Love my Handi's, I own eight from 223 up to 444 and if they were still made I'd have a couple more. Also, my Hi-point 40S&W carbine never misses a beat. You can have a lot of fun out of inexpensive guns. Gp

[Blackwater]

Craig, et al, I have a friend who's used those little guns, provided he found them reliable in some test firing, to good effect on several occasions in his younger years, when it was all he could afford. He played in a little country band from the age of 13, and some of it was literally in those "bars" in the back woods that nobody knew about unless they were invited, and had chicken wire strung between posts to protect the band from flying bottles, and who knows what. He was cut a few times, and shot a few, always with small guns like the Davis .25. Had a vet's asst. sew him up to keep it out of the papers and off the sheriff's blotter. He always got "even," though.

He also was fishing once with a friend who's less than a mental giant, but is a really good ol' boy, and a pair of wood ducks came screaming in at the end of the day, coming to roost. His buddy said, "Take out that one in the lead, Jimmie!," just being a bit mocking. My buddy had one of those little .25's in his shirt pocket, drew it and swung ahead, just aiming instinctively, and fired. That lead duck folded up in classic style, and hit the water hard. His friend just looked back at Jimmie, and said, "Well, why didn't you take the other one. I've got a big family, ya' know?" There's no way he could have been convinced that Jimmie couldn't do that at will!

So never underestimate them, but don't OVERestimate them, eihter. He had no better option that he could reach. You do. But yeah, those shiny little things DO have appeal, don't they? Function testing is the first thing that MUST be done. Not all of them will feed. Magazines are hard to find, too, and expensive when and if you do. Mostly, their best use is either as trotline sinkers, or just for your viewing pleasure, but with some luck, they can - on RARE occasions - do some amazing things.

[rondog]

Hey, why not? Some people collect Volkswagons......

[GhostHawk]

Well my wife and I shot that little gun today.

Shoots to point of aim at 20 feet. Cycles most fine although it did hiccup a time or two. But then so did my Ruger Mk III 22/45 so I am calling it old bad ammo.

Comfortable in the hand. Simple, easy to run. It is sitting in a case in my wifes car with a fully loaded mag but an empty chamber. Cock it, slap the slide back, let it fly and let fly.

My wife was hitting the 2" bullseye dead center once she quit trying to "aim" and just shot when it "felt right".

Sigh, wish I could do that.

She beat me with the Phoenix, with the Rugers it was a draw. We both put 10 into a 2" bullseye I had 8 in one ragged hole, with 2 more less than half an inch out. Her group was perhaps not quite as tight, but if she was aiming for eye's they'd of all been dead.

So as far as I can see it is a perfectly acceptable "truck' gun for my wife. Neither of us is really wanting to go to the bother of getting concealed carry. Both of us feel better knowing it is there if we need it. Dang cheap insurance policy in my opinion. I'll bring it in and oil it, clean it once in a while to keep it from rusting up on me.

Was easy to work on thanks to a few video's on Youtube detailing exactly how to fix each problem.

I'm thinking there may be another one in the near future for the other car.

[halvey]

I bought a Leinad 410 Derringer for $50. Always wanted a .410 pistol, but didn't want to pay $400 for a Bond Arms or Judge. While the patterns are large, it seems to pattern better than a lot of other.410 pistols so it's somewhat useful at 7-10 yards.

Funny, the Bond Arms reps were at a Shooters show this past summer where you can try out guns. You could shoot them, but they didn't have any targets for you to shoot at, just shoot to feel the recoil. I wonder why. :-)

[fatelk]

A friend had a Jennings J22 pistol recently, asked if I could help him improve it's reliability. I tinkered with it a bit, read up on it online, and we shot it a little. I then proceeded to remove the firing pin and fashion a small bolt to take its place holding the gun together. It's now a nice looking little paperweight. We both came to the conclusion that it just couldn't be made into a safe or remotely reliable gun.

I had a Jennings 9mm for a while back in the '90s, was glad to get rid of it. On the other hand I've got a safe full of inexpensive guns that I do like. I was a sucker for cheap mil-surp for quite a while. I sure miss the $50 Turk Mausers and Mosin Nagants, wish I had bought more. I bought a couple $99 Ishapore Enfields. I loved the Tokarevs and CZ52s, and Nagant revolvers, all under $100 each. My favorite of all inexpensive handguns was the CZ82 when you could buy them for under $200. That was the best value around, IMO.

[OutHuntn84]

My grandpa had a saying I heard him mention anytime we talked about guns. "I wouldn't own any gun I'd regret throwing in the river when I was done using it."

i used to carry a Berretta Jetfire as a back up / throw down piece. Guys would always give me grief about just pissing someone off, but nobody ever took me up on the offer of taking one in the vest lol.

[WILCO]

I don't know why but I'm attracted to some of the really cheap guns! 

Some really good guns come in the form of sporterized, misunderstood and obsolete.
Cheap prices just sweeten the deal. Glad you've discovered them.

[texasnative46]

In my case, I'd guess that I'm "just a cheapskate", as I'm a sucker for "garage sale guns" (and garage sale outboard motors, too).

In the last 5-6 years I've bought a:
1. circa 1900 River Arms 16-gauge single barrel for 20 bucks,
2. 20-gauge Revelation bolt-action shotgun for 25 bucks,
3. Astra 400 for 40 bucks
and
4. 12-gauge Savage 311 DB for 50 bucks.

All of those were DIRT CHEAP "hardware store-quality guns" but fully functional & useful.
(The bolt-action shotgun has taken more "game for the pot", rabbits/squirrels/doves AND a very likely rabid raccoon, than ANY of my expensive guns, as it "lives behind the seat" of my PU & is "all too available" when an opportunity to take small game knocks.)

Note: My latest "junk-sale find" is a 1958 Johnson 18HP Electric Start OB with tank/controls for 40.oo.
(For those of you who aren't "old OB addicts", that's a RARE outboard & will be worth $$$$$$$ when restored.)

yours, satx

[LUBEDUDE]

I will admit it, I'm a gun snob. Just can't find it in me to buy junk. I guess because I've seen so many buddies have problems with inferior guns over my lifetime.

There is ONE exception. I got caught up in the HyPoint Carbine craze 15-18 years ago because I heard great things about them. Funny thing is, I have yet to shoot it. I reckon because it's like the joke about the Moped and fat woman - you are too ashamed to be seen with either one.

[Hogtamer]

Confession time! Couple of years ago I bought a Hi- Point 9mm pistol. I can barely pull the trigger but it cost $169. Not nuch for handguns anymore, anyway. Turns out I shoot it pretty well, I just use both index fingers on the trigger! Can't help but laugh as I'm sure you would if you could see that picture...Ya'll don't tell anybody, OK? Hey LUBEDUDE, I'll trade you my handgun for your carbine, nice and broke in, local, one owner, a real creampuff! Comes with instructions on two-fingered trigger technique....

[GhostHawk]

Lubedube just go to a range where you are not known and try it.

IMO you can't beat a Hipoint carbine. You simply can not shoot 10 at a target and not have a smile on your face.

I have 2 now, had 3 but my shooting buddy bugged me and bugged me until I sold it to him.

LOL which I bought knowing he'd do.

Funny my Hipoint C9 has a pretty good trigger.

I don't buy ****, I love to find a good dependable gun for a very reasonable price.

Bond Arm's Derringers IMO are at least double what they should be. If your interested check out Cobra.

Last my wifes shotgun is a 70$ pawn shop H&R single shot. She has a box of brass hulls loaded for bear, mostly buckshot and punkinballs sitting right beside it. Plus 7 on the stock in the ammo carrier. You do NOT want to be on the wrong side of Momma and threaten someone she loves.She turns into a momma bear and has no fear.

[76 WARLOCK]

In the mid ninetys I bought a Norinco 1911A1, It worked very well so I bought another one. They cost $295 each, the first is more accurate the my Colt NM the second not so good, but I still have both.

[Harter66]

I bought a 03A3 about 15 yr ago rather poorly sporterized . I still don't have it shooting well but it's not a focus project. When I got home I found I'd paid for the complete rifle the bbl'd action price in Shotgun news .

On another forum a guy asked in course of thread drift if someone was interested in a 98 action and a couple of stocks . Well yeah ! $65 to my smith/FFL . I had to get bottom metal and a follower , springs and a trigger . So the smith calls me to let me know it is a good base for a build . Then tells me he has a 26" Shilien take off in oddball 35 cal wildcat with about 200 rounds through it . How about I cut the threads off ,rethread it for your Santa Barbara 98' and run my 358 reamer in it ? My dime ,you helped me out and saved me a fortune .
$200 in it with box of stuff K4 Weaver mounted last winter.

2 SR Mausers saved from the recycle bin 1 became a sub MOA 257 Roberts total investment $210 plus glass . The other is well on its was to a 2 MOA 45 Raptor same money .

I guess that covers the real steals .
The $200 Boito O U has been worth every penny even with the broken firing pin the left me on a sage hen hunt weekend with a single shot and a modified choke .

[Geezer in NH]

Inexpensive guns are usually very reliable. and trustable with your life.

Cheap guns not so much.

[jonp]

I will admit it, I'm a gun snob. Just can't find it in me to buy junk. I guess because I've seen so many buddies have problems with inferior guns over my lifetime.

There is ONE exception. I got caught up in the HyPoint Carbine craze 15-18 years ago because I heard great things about them. Funny thing is, I have yet to shoot it. I reckon because it's like the joke about the Moped and fat woman - you are too ashamed to be seen with either one.

I have a few of the different calibers. Go ahead and shoot it, you will enjoy yourself! They always go bang.

[FISH4BUGS]

I ran across an American Arms 12 ga Knickerbocker 2 3/4" 32" F&F. This gun was made by Crescent Arms (probably in the 1920's) for American Arms Co. which in turn sold them through mail order houses, sporting good stores and hardware stores.
The gun was made the same as the Crescent Arms shotguns but very plain with plain wood. Crescent made side lock shotguns for anyone that would order 100 or more guns and they would put anyone's name on them.
These guns were sold as inexpensive working guns. They were bought and USED, so it is rare to see on that is in mint condition.
I ran across this one with mirror bores, 99% barrel blue and 98% case colors. Actually a very pretty cheap shotgun. It is rare to see them like new, PLUS it is a 32' F&F....somebody's duck gun no doubt.
The dealer wanted $795 for it PLUS 5% Maine Sales tax. Forget the sales tax, but I wonder if this gun is worth it. This is the best condition one I have ever seen.
The gun was probably $4 when it was new. This one has been used so little there is virtually no wear on it except for the handling marks on the wood.
Condition is everything. And it is pristine.
What do you guys think? $795 is fair?

[Geezer in NH]

Tight on face, lever not centered, Barrels ring when hanging by the lug with no buzzing. Not bad price IMHO I see the junkers go for 350 with the barrels falling apart.

[WJP]

I don't really buy "cheap" new guns with a unreliable track record. I did try to buy as many cheap mil surplus guns as I could. Mosins, k31, mausers, enfields, etc.

[clum553946]

I have a chrome Raven 25 auto new in the box. I won't fire it, but it's sleek lookin!

[GhostHawk]

Just bought another of those Phoenix .22lr, this one nickel plated. Price went up a little but at 125$ it is still a bargain IMO. At some point I will invest the 36$ for 5" barrel and spare 10 round magazine.

It is easy to shoot and at that price to me makes a great car gun. Lubed, loaded, fix a couple of the safety's put it in a cheap case and slip it under the seat. My wife and I do not carry, mostly have no need for it up here. But knowing that 5 seconds could put a loaded gun in my hand at need to me makes it worth the modest cost.

If I want accuracy I'll use the Ruger Mk III 22/45.
But for a budget car gun, with small size, easy to slip into a door pocket or under a seat I have never seen anything better.

Considering buying one in .25 acp. Same everything except barrel and magazine from what I have seen.

[dave524]

Milsurp SKS's and Moisin Nagants are the cheap ones up here now, as a kid in the 50's there were barrels full of SMLE's for real cheap in every rural hardware store, now an unBuba'ed original issue one goes for a very good buck.

$219 Canadian is about like $149 US [smilie=b:

http://www.firearmsoutletcanada.com/russian-sks-7-62x39-20.html#.WKIpkfkrLIU

[Thin Man]

All this thread reminds me of a discussion I had with a friend many years ago. He asked me to find him a "good cheap gun." I asked which one of the two he wanted - cheap, or good? He understood my question and settled for "good."

I also remember when President Bill Clinton was upset from hearing about all the drug dealing and shootings and other problems on the public housing properties. He wanted to propose an order to prohibit public housing residents from owning and/or having possession of any firearm on the property of any public housing development. Good, says me. Let those people who are most vulnerable to the criminal element have no way to defend themselves.

All that is right on topic with the "cheap" Saturday Night Special debate. Outlaw them all, they are good for nothing. Well said, so long as one can afford a Colt or Kimber. Just don't tell the family that is down on their luck that they have fewer needs or rights to protect themselves than the well-healed have. If low cost is all they can afford, let the buyers buy the best they can afford and still feel safe.

Thin Man

[fatelk]

Inexpensive guns are usually very reliable. and trustable with your life.

Cheap guns not so much.

It's certainly true that "cheap" and "inexpensive" can mean two very different things. I have a lot of inexpensive guns, but I learned the hard way to avoid cheap junk.

While I don't ever see myself owning a Hi-Point, I have heard a lot of generally positive things about them. At first I assumed they were in the same category as Jennings/Bryco, scrap metal junk, but it seems that they actually make a decently functional inexpensive firearm. Ergonomics of a brick, of course, but they seem to work fine.

[Walkingwolf]

It's certainly true that "cheap" and "inexpensive" can mean two very different things. I have a lot of inexpensive guns, but I learned the hard way to avoid cheap junk.

While I don't ever see myself owning a Hi-Point, I have heard a lot of generally positive things about them. At first I assumed they were in the same category as Jennings/Bryco, scrap metal junk, but it seems that they actually make a decently functional inexpensive firearm. Ergonomics of a brick, of course, but they seem to work fine.

Hi Point does use the same 'scrap metal junk' zamak as Jimenez Arms, former Jennings/Bryco. My wife has both a Hi Point, and a Jimenez JA380, she would carry both before carrying the Glock 22 I bought her which lives in the safe. She carries a SMC380 which is a inexpensive FIE firearm, and a Colt Police Positive. Both the HP, and the JA have NEVER had a failure. The Glock 22 broke after 10 rounds factory ammo right out of the box. Glock fixed it, but still a brand new supposedly perfect non Saturday night special broke after only 10 rounds.

[GhostHawk]

Dave524 I could have bought some of those old cheap milsurps in barrels at hardware stores. Heck I could have bought an M1a1 carbine for 100$ back in the late 70's. Did not see the point then. I sure wish I had now.

I would love to have a nice SMLE or Mauser.

[Texas by God]

Ravens and Davises work great with fmj but don't ever dry fire them because the firing pin is also the ejector! I like the Ravens because every one I had was very accurate and 100% reliable. I had a Hi Point 9mm carbine that was flawless and quite accurate so I custom mounted a scope on it. I want a Hi Point pistol- just haven't got one yet. I got a Heritage .22 single action for Christmas(love it). And I'm a total sucker for the older H&R Topper shotguns. All inexpensive- not cheap. Utility guns is the true category. SATX- I'll double your money on that Astra 400 and drive to San Antone and buy you lunch to get it........ Best, Thomas.

[Rufus Krile]

In 1970 there was a sporting goods store in El Paso, TX that was selling O3A3's... unissued still in cosmoline... for $55 each. Or $300 for a wooden case of 6. I was much too smart to partake... and I was making the princely sum of $93/month.

[sawinredneck]

I've never seen a little 22/25 that I didn't fall in love with! Jenning, Davis, Raven, Tarus and even Beretta, but I've yet to own one that would ever feed! The little Beretta .25 was the best but a buddy wanted it a LOT more than I did so I eagerly took his money!
Had an old Rossi .357, chrome 5" barrel, shot good but shaved bullets spraying you with lead!
Had an old Llama 1911 in 9mm, most accurate gun I've ever owned, think I paid $125 for it? Found out it was stolen so the cops got it!
Still have my $35 Stevens 12 single shot with the mig welded hammer, chopped it down for a snake gun when fishing.
Had a Rossi .38 snub, really good gun but I convinced myself I needed .357 and stainless so it got replaced with an LCR.
Went to a gun show to get my son a "decent" single shot rifle last winter, no deals to be had. Went to Acadamy sports and came home with a Rossi trifecta, .243, .22 and 20 barels for $249 and tax.
A couple friends have the Hi Points and love them, I'm toying with getting a carbine in .40 and converting it to 10mm.
I'm not as bad as I used to be, but I still think I've got a problem.

[finstr]

A few years ago I bought a S&W revolver in 38s&w for $75. It's a great little wheel gun! I use it for ppc competitions mostly and cast all boolits for it.
I also picked up a Remington 121 Fieldmaster smoothbore .22 at a local gunshop for $150. I've killed squirrels mostly but one time I killed a mouse in our hunt camp with it. Great little pump shotgun!

[richhodg66]

My big turn off on the High Points, other than the fact that I don't care much for autos, is that for the size and weight of one, you're almost to what a rifle or shotgun would weigh. I am going to have one of the carbines someday, just looks like too much fun not to.

The little H&R single barrel shotguns are about as much gun for the money as a guy can get (also the similar ones by other makers) I started with one and lately have been squirrel hunting with a Savage 220B in 20 gauge and ha forgotten how cool those little guns are. Beautiful in their simplicity.

[GhostHawk]

I own a Hipoint C9, it is heavy but it is no where near what a rifle or carbine weighs. 2 lbs vs 6- 9.

I like mine, I like the yellow on the front sight. I used a fine point sharpie to put a black dot in the center which helps me keep my focus on it. When I do it right it tightens groups up nicely. Even if the target is a bit blurred.

The last time I had my little phoenix to the range it did have 2 hiccups. But it was older ammo, starting to look a little funky. I reloaded it with clean fresh out of the box and it cycled 30 rounds without a hiccup.

I have found 4 H&R shotguns at our local pawn shop. 3 12's and a 20. Most in very nice condition. The 20 has a box of Magtech brass hulls loaded for it. It will be my wifes shotgun if it ever comes to that. It is sporting a buttstock ammo carrier with some 7 rounds loaded and ready. Mostly #1 buckshot and .565 punkin ball.

100$ each is top price paid and the 20 ga only cost me 70$.

[Thin Man]

Not too long ago a friend brought me a Phoenix Arms Raven for correction. He claimed he could not get it to do anything reliably and asked if there was any help for it. I found the pistol very gummed up with dried oil, grease, carbon, and probably some French Fries buried way down deep in it. I did a complete clean-up and lube on it and tried 3 different brands of FMJ ammo in it. The pistol fired and functioned correctly every time I pulled the trigger. Luck happens. I also saved the brass for reloading.

Thin Man