Hundred-Dollar Handgun?

[Jim NE]

I've recently bought a couple of sub-100 dollar handguns to find out if they were really as junky as I remember them being back when that was all I could afford. Conclusion: YES, THEY ARE.

One of my recent purchases was an old FIE Titanic .32 revolver for $89. (Anyone who names their guns after the Titanic ocean liner is doing so to prepare their customers for catastrophic failure. ) It only works about half the time. My other sub-100 acquisition of late is an old FIE Titan .25 auto for $43 (no mag.) It only works half the time, too.

To be fair, I have another .25 Titan in much better working condition (because I paid OVER $100 for it ), and it's very reliable, so I'm keeping the $43 dollar Titan as a parts gun. I also have bought some other guns in the $100 to under $200 range that work very good. They include (along with the Titan) a couple of Heritage revolvers, a Rossi .32 revolver, A couple of Hi Points and a really great CZ50 pistol. So there are decent inexpensive guns out there...

...just don't pay under 100.

 

[Jim NE]

If we are spreading into long guns...
This year I bought a Winchester 94 30-30 made in 1966 with some finish issues for $100, and he threw in an old Savage 620 pump 12-gauge shotgun.
Last couple years I got a H&R M48 12-ga. single shot for $99, and a H&R 158 Topper for $50.
About eight years ago I gave $150 for a bucket of Mossberg 500 parts shotguns and assembled three complete guns with parts left over.

Oh yeah, I forgot my long guns. I have a Winchester 190 .22 that I bought for $54 new, and it...but that was in 1976 or 7. It works great. I also have a Stevens 258A bolt action 20 ga. shotgun a few years ago for $95. Haven't fired it, but I'm sure it'll work fine, too. I think it's cool because everything from the 1950's is cool.

Close to the price range - I also paid $118 for a used Hi Point 9mm carbine without a sight, and it seems to work good enough for a $118 rifle.

 

[Mike J]

I didn't think about long guns either. I still have a Marlin model 60 I bought around '95 for $99 IIRC. neat little rifle. I had a mossberg model 500 20 gauge I bought in a private sale from an old hunting buddy for $100 but I sold it a few years ago.

 

[JohnnyB]

RE:351 Winchester

Wow 351W, did you ever get a deal! I always dreamt of something coming along like that, especially an old Colt

 

[C5rider]

Yeah, and Acera didn't do too bad either!

Some great responses here.

Just goes to show, that just LIKE a hunnert-dollar bill, there are some guns that are a great value, and some that are pretty crumpled and beaten, and almost void of their usefulness.

But unlike the paper bill version, sometimes, its hard to tell the good ones by appearance only.

 

[Dragon breath]

I picked up a nickel plated JC Higgins model 88 nine shot 22 off armslist last week for $120. Gun was nasty on the outside, but felt tight. I got it clean and its in great shape.