Good cheap revolvers suitable for SD/HD

[Onward Allusion]

Armscor M200 or M206 - 38 Specials with 4" & 2" barrels, respectively. I have had both and still have the snub. Good solid guns, real steel, wood grips, AND SIX shots - even the snubbie. Outside it looks like a Colt Detective. Internally, it's very similar to a Colt D-Frame.

Used ones are under $200, new ones around $225 to $250.

CAVEAT - NO +P LOADS. Heck, stick with semi-wadcutters or full wadccutters and it'll do the trick.

 

[xjsnake]

Armscor M200 or M206 - 38 Specials with 4" & 2" barrels, respectively. I have had both and still have the snub. Good solid guns, real steel, wood grips, AND SIX shots - even the snubbie. Outside it looks like a Colt Detective. Internally, it's very similar to a Colt D-Frame.

Used ones are under $200, new ones around $225 to $250.

CAVEAT - NO +P LOADS. Heck, stick with semi-wadcutters or full wadccutters and it'll do the trick.

You beat me to it.

I picked up an M200 last year that now lives with my mother. I got it and put a few hundred rounds through it before I passed it on to her. Very basic functional gun.

 

[19-3Ben]

You know, another thought, if your employee is on a budget, is that a shotgun may be a better option for her for HD.
Yes, i know we're in the revolver forum here, but a shotgun can be bought BEFORE you get a pistol permit in most states, as you would not need a permit to buy it.
A good quality reliable pump gun for $200 is easier to find than a quality reliable revolver at that price, and being a long gun it can be shouldered and fired with more accuracy/speed than a handgun in the hands of a novice (especially a DA revolver which can have a heavy trigger pull that takes time to master).

I mean, a used Mossberg 500/Remington 870 express can be found in the $200 range all day long. Heck, an old Montgomery Ward/Savage/whatever shotgun can be found for even less!

If it's not a carry gun anyway, the real question would be, why NOT get a reliable pump gun that has high quality and reliability for less money, more power, and can be purchased today rather than waiting a week or two?

 

[RustyShackelford]

Smuggy buggy....

I don't think it's being a snob or smug to want a working firearm that can function in a critical incident.

A used S&W in decent condition is better than a brand new $160.00 hunk of crap that will fail a shooter 4 out of 5 times.
I'd take a hard look at the police trade in DA only 4" barrels from www.JGsales.com . If I had the $$$, Id buy a surplus gun($360.00 version) just to have on hand.
A loaded .38spl 4" stainless model 64 would be great for home protection or CCW. The employee could add a CT lasergrip to aid marksmanship training.

 

[MCgunner]

Originally Posted by Onward Allusion View Post
Armscor M200 or M206 - 38 Specials with 4" & 2" barrels, respectively. I have had both and still have the snub. Good solid guns, real steel, wood grips, AND SIX shots - even the snubbie. Outside it looks like a Colt Detective. Internally, it's very similar to a Colt D-Frame.

Used ones are under $200, new ones around $225 to $250.

CAVEAT - NO +P LOADS. Heck, stick with semi-wadcutters or full wadccutters and it'll do the trick.

You know, I've shot trapped hogs in the head with a 148 wadcutter over 2.7 grains Bullseye, one of my fave plinker loads, and was amazed at the penetration. On a 100 lb hog, shot in the top of the head, bullet penetrated over a couple of feet of head, neck, and chest to exit. That neck meat is pretty tough, too. I sure wouldn't wanna be shot with it. Far better than a .22LR IMHO, too. I've also shot and killed 'em with .22s to the head, but got no where near that sort of penetration.

I don't think it's being a snob or smug to want a working firearm that can function in a critical incident.

A Rossi will do that. Now, if you say a Smith and Wesson will do it better, that's your snob side showing, because a bullet to the chest is a bullet to the chest. Is the Smith more refined, more of a pleasure to own, well, that's your call. I'd sure say so, but I ain't gonna say a M36 is going to kill a man any quicker than my M68 Rossi. In fact, that particular gun, bought in 1981, is so well made if it didn't have "Rossi" on it, it could be mistaken for a Smith. It's got a 3" barrel and puts 5 rounds into 2" at 25 yards, good enough for self defense at bad breath range don't ya think?

Problem is, you can't get even a new Rossi for 200 bucks, not even on sale at Academy. 200 is just too low for any expectation other than used.

 

[B_Li_Ber_Tar_Ian]

I second the Rock Island M200, a no frills .38 from Buds for $212.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...9731/Rock+Island+Model+51261+M200+6RD+38SP+4"

Summit has model 64's for $265.
http://summitgunbroker.com/65.html

 

[Cee Zee]

The honorable thing to do is give your employee a raise

Or a bonus. It is sorta implied that's all she can afford. Christmas is coming up in a few months! Seriously a bonus might be a good gesture.

I just wouldn't want someone I care about using a cheaper gun for SD. I realize many are fine guns but there's a reason the price is lower. QC is not always the best on such guns IMO. And it isn't about pride of ownership. It's about going bang when you pull the switch and then hitting what you're pointing it at. Sure if you're dealing with sane people most of them don't stick around to find out how well your gun works before they run. But we're talking a possible psycho bent out of shape by being dumped or whatever came between them. I don't care about the name. I care about reliability. That's why I still don't have an AR but I did own 2 SKS models until recently. They go bang every time even though they are much cheaper than AR's (which sometimes do have problems if you get a bad model). I sure ain't a gun snob. I just know that Rossi is connected with Taurus and Taurus guns can be great or they can be junk. You could get one and hope it works or you can get a different gun that is almost certain to work. Nothing is written in stone of course but the odds are in your favor with a Smith or a Ruger over a Taurus or Rossi. I even own a Taurus that is top notch but sometimes they just aren't.

 

[Stormin.40]

Another vote for the RockIsland M200 offered as a 2" snubnose in .38 Special with WC or SWC. It would be about perfect and almost in budget new.

 

[Sunray]

Cheap and quality rarely come together anywhere. You may want to look into your local liabilty laws before teaching her anything CCW related. CYA in the event she does have to defend herself and there's ever a wrongful death law suit.
Then take her shopping. The firearm has to fit her hand in order to shoot it well enough. I'd be thinking SS too.
In any case, an 'N' frame will very likely not come close to fitting her hand and they're too big to carry around anyway. An 'K' frame revolver, of any brand, may not fit her hand. A 'J" frame probably will but it might need new grips. Those wee grip frames are really small and tend to increase the felt recoil. Easily fixed with rubber grips though.
I'd be thinking one of the Ruger SP revolvers. If you can find a used one. Look on Gunbroker.

 

[Armor Snail]

Armscor M206 (2") or M200 (4")

Good quality on the cheap.

Don't expect to win any beauty contests with the parked finish but the they run and the price is right.

About the +P...

Ivan from Armscor USA has been quoted that the occasional use of +P is fine. Like to test the POI and recoil.

Definitely avoid a steady diet though.


One other option is the Czech built Alpha Proj brand imported and sold by Czechpoint USA

 

[vamo]

First I'll state that I always hate when someone post their budget and everyone immediately starts talking about guns out of the given range. But I think in this instance your range is a bit unrealistic, revolvers are an expensive platform when compared to semi-autos they have a ton of moving parts that have to work perfectly in order for the gun to shoot and tend to just plain require more materials to make.

You may get lucky on the used market, but you are going to have to do some searching.

If she could afford $300 then it opens up a lot more options. It will be very difficult to find anything that would be advisable to use for self defense at $200 unless she wants to get a derringer, which probably is a bad idea for an inexperienced shooter.

At a $300 budget then you will see a lot of taurus, rossi, charter arms, and used s&w model 10s come in range.

 

[vamo]

I somehow missed the posts about armscor on my first reading. I did not realize that anyone made new revolvers for so cheap. Might be a good option, I've never shot or even handled one so I can't speak from experience.

 

[Waveski]

Excuse me for repeating myself (or don't , doesn't matter ...) I have had 3 Rossis. One is excellent. One FTF , the other jammed the action altogether. If the person in question were my friend I would not roll the dice on a Rossi. Get a well used Smith j-frame and all is settled. $200 does not cut it.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Why....

This is why I brought up Pax's site for women.
Some forum members can pontificate until the cows come home but that's not going to mean anything if the "employee" or person buying the revolver(or any firearm) does not take the advice to heart.

This is also why I suggested formal classes & the CCWsafe.com site.
If this woman has serious domestic problems she needs to prepare & be ready to use a firearm or non lethal weapon to defend herself.
Cheap or "low cost" might not always work.
Knowing the local laws & training is a good start.

Rusty

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

I don't have any gun suggestions at that price *but* I'd think one could find a serviceable gun of some type that is well used and inexpensive yet will still get the job done. Lots of guns in local pawn shops for around $200 but they are not gems.

That said, I wanted to say I hope this issue passes quickly and safely for the OP's friend. I sure hope nobody gets hurt.

VooDoo

 

[DaBruins]

I stopped into my lgs today and they had two "like new" snubbies in their used gun case, a Taurus 85 for $199 and a LCR for $299, and both showed no signs of any wear & tear. They also had a special deal going: a brand new LCR (with or without hammer) with a speed loader and a box of ammo for $329. I don't carry, but I was tempted to buy one because it seemed like such a good deal, plus, I haven't bought any guns in the past 9-10 months so I've suffering from firearm withdrawal!

 

[19-3Ben]

They also had a special deal going: a brand new LCR (with or without hammer) with a speed loader and a box of ammo for $329.

That's funny. I read your post and I was thinking "hey, I got the email to say that Hoffman's is running the same deal as this guy's shop!" and then I saw you're also from CT...

 

[Armor Snail]

I somehow missed the posts about armscor on my first reading. I did not realize that anyone made new revolvers for so cheap. Might be a good option, I've never shot or even handled one so I can't speak from experience.

My dad has the 4" M200

Shoots well. Decent trigger (smoother than a new Taurus).

Front to back lockup is good.

They will take Detective Special grips and speed loaders.

There is also an illusive, hard to find 3" model.
M204 IIRC.

 

[gamestalker]

The first one that comes to mind, and although it is priced within the $200 range, it is anything but sub standard quality. That would be the S&W model 10. There are a lot of them around, and often safe usable one's can be had for $150 and up. I just saw one the other day in a pawn shop for $179, pretty beat up cosmetically, but it appeared to be in safe shooting condition over all. Locked up tight, cylinders looked fine, just had some exterior spots of surface rust and bluing was pretty bad, obviously holster wear.

That would be my first choice if I just had to have a SD weapon in that price range. I have one, a 10-5 and it is a shooter.

GS

 

[MCgunner]

I somehow missed the posts about armscor on my first reading. I did not realize that anyone made new revolvers for so cheap.

+1 I have no experience with these guns, had heard of 'em, but didn't know the price point. I'll let those recommending 'em pass judgement on them. They seem to think these guns work.

Back in the day, the H&R would have been my recommendation, but maybe these Armscor guns have taking that niche market.

 

[Waveski]

i too would be confident in an old Smith m.10.

 

[Sav .250]

Might try your local Gun Shows. if you have any. Great place to look, feel, etc . on most any type of handgun and cals. Nothing like handling one to see how it feels in the hand.

Plus,you can dicker on price some.

 

[Onward Allusion]

MCgunner

Quote:
I somehow missed the posts about armscor on my first reading. I did not realize that anyone made new revolvers for so cheap.

+1 I have no experience with these guns, had heard of 'em, but didn't know the price point. I'll let those recommending 'em pass judgement on them. They seem to think these guns work.

Back in the day, the H&R would have been my recommendation, but maybe these Armscor guns have taking that niche market.

Like I had said, I had both the 4" and 2". Both are Plain Jane guns that work, although I never used +P with them. Based on one of the other posts, it would appear that a cylinder or two of +P will not blow up the gun.

The H&R's are becoming collectibles. I kid you not. The 922's that used to go for $100 now go for a minimum of $200 if it is in decent condition. Crappy ones go for $150 minimum.

Oh, BTW - Armscor IS Rock Island Armory

 

[zdc1775]

Thanks for the responses.

As far giving her a raise or bonus that is out of my control. While she does work for me as the onsite supervisor I have no control over salaries or bonuses.

I perfectly understand that $200 is a very limiting budget but that is the amount she told me she could afford right now. While I understand that a used S&W is probably the best choice even close to that price I was just trying to determine if there were any particular brands or models that should be avoided do to them being unsafe. So far I see that some brands have spotty quality control and fit/finish but I will be able to check those things as it will be a FTF transaction or a firearm that is actually in stock at the LGS.

 

[35 Whelen]

While I confess to having no first-hand experience with Armscor revolvers, I've been quite intrigued with their overwhelmingly positive reviews at Bud's.

35W