Quality budget 9mm pistols

Had a Springfield XD9. Don't suggest if if you have big hands. I could not get a good feel of it. Just me.
Got a Taurus 211 on a sale where you got a Heritage 22 free. Sold the 22 so ended up with Taurus darn cheap. Although it is in the same size range as the XD9 it feels a lot better in hand. Think the grip is a bit wider than the XD9 because it takes a double stack mag.

I worked until recently in a firearms store. The S&W SD9VE is a very nice pistol indeed. What I learned is that it is loosely a copy in design to a Glock and if you lay a Glock next to one, you will see the pins, locks, and associated assemblies are indeed just like the Glock. I’ve never verified this but it was rumored that Glock sued for patent infringement and won and now a little bit of the money for each SD9VE goes to Glock. Like I said, I’ve never verified that. What I did verify is that the SD9VE is currently the most found pistol in police evidence rooms in this country. This is because the Glock thing reliability is known by the various gangs and because of the low price.

I got a M&P9 full size a year or 3 ago for 249 brand new, and had the deal with 2 boxes of carry ammo and a mag loader. Now that is a budget pistol with quality.

The Taurus G2C (wasn't the original version called the PT111?) is around $200 new and is extremely similar to a Glock 26. The trigger is kind of odd, but my BiL and I both have them and neither of us has had a problem. It's worth it to pay the extra $25 for stainless, IMHO.

The SAR B6P is around $225-$250 new, something like that. They are copies of a polymer CZ75 compact. Both of mine have been excellent.

If you want to go used...

The old Star 1911-style surplus pistols (I have a Super B and a BM) have a good reputation and didn't cost much more than $200 a year or two ago. I'm not sure of the price lately. I have friends and relatives who own them too, and all of us are happy with them.

Used Ruger P-series are pretty easy to find for $200-$250. They are kind of big and clunky, but I have three and they all shoot just fine for a service pistol.

I have two used full-sized polymer EAA Witnesses that I got for $250 apiece, which seems to be a pretty common price.

I have the sarb6p fullsize and like it a lot. I think I paid under $275 for it shipped and transfer with one mag.

I have a pt809 Taurus that I like and it was under $300.

Same with the ruger p89. I paid $150 for it as a beat up police trade in. I took it all down and restored it. It's a big old tank but it's a runner and it looks nice now to boot.

I found a arcus bhp clone for $less than $300 and it's a dream to shoot.

A few years back i would have said the zastava ez9 or cz99 was a great choice at the $250-275 they were going for. But now that zastava usa is bringing them in they are wanting $600 for them.

The canuck tp9sf I have is awesome but I see they went up in price as well. Still a good deal for their "one" version they have with one mag.

New pricing puts the Beretta APX at about $400

http://www.beretta.com/en-us/apx-st...658.532647904.1572749399-166226167.1567714349

Yeah, we have it really good right now when it comes to our options for semi autos and we can all thank Mr. Glock for that. Before the polymer frame pistol, we were stuck with metal framed pistols that cost a lot. Of course back then we all made more money with skilled labor, so I guess it equals out.

Anyway, today we've got stuff like Hi Point, which while not a good looking gun or ergonomic, it still works. The capacity of them has been an issue ever since the AWB ended, but Hi Point says their new YC9 will use high capacity mags.

Even stuff like SCCY and it's horrible trigger are good quality for the price and put any of the Zamak Davis, Lorcin, Bryco pistols of decades past.

Yup, there's not much to complain about when $200 will buy you something good that you can rely upon for self defense.

With the current $50 rebates on S&W striker fired handguns it's hard to beat them for the money. I like the Shield and the M&P 2.0 lines a lot.

There are guns available now,that are Discontinued models and other non fad guns etc. that can be had for almost 20 to 30% difference than some of the new popular models and yet are as high a quality or higher. And shoot as well or better. It pays to shoot as many guns as you can and shop around. There are super deals going on right. NOW! And many Prestine used guns hardly shot, as folks are trading them for new fad guns.

Jeb Stuart said:

There are guns available now,that are Discontinued models and other non fad guns etc. that can be had for almost 20 to 30% difference than some of the new popular models and yet are as high a quality or higher. And shoot as well or better. It pays to shoot as many guns as you can and shop around. There are super deals going on right. NOW! And many Prestine used guns hardly shot, as folks are trading them for new fad guns.

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Yep. I bought my M&P40c 1.0 with night sights for $300 last Fall.

The SCCY at $150 with a $25 rebate is about as cheap as it gets and locally a store had 2 SCCY mags for $10. The shield at $250 with a $50 rebate comes in a close 2nd. A LGS had the sd9ve for $199 for a full size that is good.

I also bought the Taurus G2c when it went under $200. Wonderful size and ergonomics! Mine apparently has a flawed trigger because not only does it have the painfully long and mushy trigger pull that others note, but it also has a "catch" halfway through the pull that drives me nuts. Replaced the plastic striker guide with an aftermarket stainless steel one and no help. Taken it apart and used a jewelers file to remove all contact points that I could see possibly causing the phenomenon all to no avail. Was thinking about buying another one, with stainless slide, to see if I got a good one, but don't need it and can't throw away a couple of hundred bucks just for curiosity sake.

Not a place to brag but today an old lady came in the gun store I work at partime, and got a great deal.
He husband died recently and she was not comfortable living alone she got a carry permit and some training but wanted an inexpensive weapon.
She was disappointed there was nothing available around $200.
I have and old Charter Arms 38 that is reliable but not pretty. I
Sold it to her for $50.00 and gave her 2 boxes of ammo and an hours training. I'm positive She is safe and comfortable with it and I'm confident she will feel better about being alone.

bikerdoc said:

Not a place to brag but today an old lady came in the gun store I work at partime, and got a great deal.
He husband died recently and she was not comfortable living alone she got a carry permit and some training but wanted an inexpensive weapon.
She was disappointed there was nothing available around $200.
I have and old Charter Arms 38 that is reliable but not pretty. I
Sold it to her for $50.00 and gave her 2 boxes of ammo and an hours training. I'm positive She is safe and comfortable with it and I'm confident she will feel better about being alone.

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You are a good man Doc. And that "Peace of mind" is worth quite a bit.

bikerdoc said:

Not a place to brag but today an old lady came in the gun store I work at partime, and got a great deal.
He husband died recently and she was not comfortable living alone she got a carry permit and some training but wanted an inexpensive weapon.
She was disappointed there was nothing available around $200.
I have and old Charter Arms 38 that is reliable but not pretty. I
Sold it to her for $50.00 and gave her 2 boxes of ammo and an hours training. I'm positive She is safe and comfortable with it and I'm confident she will feel better about being alone.

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Good on you! Sounds like a good idea for a thread...

I have 2 Taurus G2C’s and me and the wife both carry them in the summer months.

I’ll also add the Taurus G2C. It’s an excellent pistol even without considering the low price point.

Waiting to pick up an M&P Shield that I won at a SCSA prize table. I'm planning on making that my primary carry gun.

thomas15 said:

Waiting to pick up an M&P Shield that I won at a SCSA prize table. I'm planning on making that my primary carry gun.

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I had 2 shields, one in 9MM and one in .40. Sold them both. Didn’t like th trigger at all so off they went. You may fair differently so enjoy your winning. Hope it works out for you.

Right when the PPS M2 was about to be released, Walther was practically giving away the (far superior) Classic. I think the last one I bought new was $325. The first one about ten years ago was nearly $600.

I have other preferences than a Shield. Had one years ago. That said, they are terrific guns and great quality. And IMO one of the best buys out there. Just one example.

Jeb Stuart said:

I have other preferences than a Shield. Had one years ago. That said, they are terrific guns and great quality. And IMO one of the best buys out there. Just one example.

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I like my Shield. Like my M&P .22; it does what it is supposed to do. Nothing glamorous or exotic about it. Maybe a little bit boring? It is kind of blockish but not as heavy as my G2C. It is a brick. I'm still looking.