What are some lesser know pistol manufactures?

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biggameballs

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I'm in the market for a pistol. The only other hand gun I've owned was a Taurus Raging Bull in 454. More of a cannon then a gun. When I needed some cash it was easily the first thing to go.

I'm back in the market now and know I want something in a 9mm/40/45 for plinking at the range and home defense. I'll never be a carry guy. I've got a couple weeks before my purchase permit comes in so it's research time.

I know of most of what's out there with the well known companies like S&W, Glock, Springfield, etc.... but who are some of the lesser known (and hopefully less expensive) companies that make a good quality gun. I've never been one who needed to buy the "name brand" because most the time you're just paying for their ridiculous advertising expenses. If you make a good product I'll buy it.

So throw some ideas out there. I'll be hitting the board pretty hard for research for a couple weeks so I have time to kill!

Thanks in advance for any advice
 
I'm not trying to change your mind...but I would rather have a older, less popular model of a mainstream manufacturer (i.e. S&W 3913 or Model 10) than a frontline model of a lesser maker (Llama Comanche).
 
I guess I'm not asking for suggestions of companies that make cheap junk just to save a buck. I know there has to be some companies that to an average joe like me would be unknowns that make good stuff.
 
Well as suggested above the 3913 s&w is a lesser known model (these days) of a well known manufacturer. I am wearing one as I type this, I highly recommend the hogue grips for it, it is a great gun with a great price when you can find them.

The cw series kahr pistols are a great bargain IMHO

Some may disagree but the kel tec pf9 seems like a quality firearm, based on little personal experience.

Any other quality "lesser known" firearms I can think of are pricey.

If you are looking for a quality firearm for a bargain price that isn't mainstream, I have to stick with my guns (no pun intended) and say 3rd gen s&w.
 
What do you consider "less expensive" ??

Most the major manufactures already make very affordable high quality pistols. I don't see it as paying for a brand name. The big manufactures have high volume production which leads to lower costs, usually much better customer service, and availability of parts. SIG SP2022, S&W Sigma and SD, Ruger models, and Stoegar Cougar are some that come to mind right away in the $300 to $400 range.

Of course there is always High-Point. Not my cup of tea but many on this forum report they like them a lot and you can not get much more inexpensive than that.
 
Stoeger and Bersa (and CZ which has already been mentioned) come to mind when a high quality to price ratio is discussed.

Then of course there is Hi-Point which is very polarizing. Some say they represent great value because they stand abuse and go bang when the trigger is pulled while others say they're not inexpensive, they're just cheap and spending money on low quality is false economy. Everyone agrees they are ugly though!

Good Luck.

Dan
 
Here is an example. I'm on gunbroker looking at 1911's. I come across a company named PARA. I've never heard of them. Prices seem pretty good compared to some of the other stuff so the question is... is a $600 PARA a piece of junk or do they make a quality gun??

As a comparison I see Remington 1911's in the same price range and no offense to anyone who owns a remington but I wouldn't own any remington gun for free. Just never liked them.
 
Here is an example. I'm on gunbroker looking at 1911's. I come across a company named PARA. I've never heard of them. Prices seem pretty good compared to some of the other stuff so the question is... is a $600 PARA a piece of junk or do they make a quality gun??

As a comparison I see Remington 1911's in the same price range and no offense to anyone who owns a remington but I wouldn't own any remington gun for free. Just never liked them.
Click to expand...

See this is where you need to form your own opinion. Some people would say the same thing about para ordnance. Then on the other hand, alot of people swear by remington rifles.

you come off as kind of a newb, no offense but para ordnance is kinda known in the gun world, if you can't personally go to a gun store or such and personally handle a gun, don't buy it.

Don't take what people on this, or any other, forum say for gospel. Take what is said with a grain of salt, so to speak, and use them strictly as references. Do not buy a "one and only" handgun without first forming a personal opinion about it.

Try to find a local firearm to hold, tryout, shoot maybe, and then make your decision.
 
I am a newb to pistols. That's why I started this thread. I'm not a guy who knows a ton about the "gun world". I'm primarly a hunter. I own one shotgun and one rifle. I know of the "big names" when it comes to guns. Trying to learn about all my options before I make my purchase.
 
By the way right now my 2 top choices are the Beretta 92a1 or the Walther PPQ (which I haven't even handled yet). I really liked the CZ 75 I handled but the trigger was just a hair too far out for my reach when firing from double action.
 
Daewoo, they're no longer in business but they made quality guns. They were a very large corporation in South Korea that made almost everything under the sun until the South Korean government dissolved them into many smaller companies in a monopoly-busting action. Their semi-auto handguns were essentially S&W 3rd Gen clones but with frame-mounted safeties instead of slide-mounted safeties.

There are some good clones of Sig pistols, like the TZ-99. Norinco makes good pistols as well but I don't know if they're imported any longer.
 
If you like the Beretta 92, take a look at the Taurus clone of it.

My default recommendation for a undervalued handgun with great qualities is the Sig 2022.

If you don't mind buying used, the HS 2000 is a great value also, as is the Springfield P9

biggameballs said:
I know of the "big names" when it comes to guns
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While the adjective big is always relative, when looking at the 1911 market and not know how big a role Para-Ordance played in shaping the current offerings tells me you should likely not be looking at the 1911 platform
 
CZ, bersa, keltec, stoeger, Taurus, rock island armory, North American Arms, EAA. Anything you come across you should always research and find reviews to get a "feel" for what you might expect. +1 to the Sig SP2022, I bought mine NIB for $425, and it is a great pistol. There is a site called "the best nines" has some good info you might find useful.

Norinco is no longer imported, I've been trying to get ahold of their 9mm 1911 for some time now...
 
Daewoo, they're no longer in business but they made quality guns.
Click to expand...

The Daewoos are very high quaility guns for good prices. The little .22lr DH52 is one of my favorites, an all steel .22 made to real gun standards, rugged and reliable. Daewoo made some great rifles too.
The triggers on the larger DP51 and DH40 are unique and smooth. Excellent guns at a good value.
buckanddaewoo005.jpg
 
If it's not to be carried, then I have a killer double stack 9MM for you, the Star MOD 30. It's accurate, the easiest to takedown and maintain, and built like a '49 Buick. I see them for $275-$350 on Gunbroker very frequently. It was designed to be completely disassembled and reassembled with no tools. You don't even need to compress the recoil spring to put it back together; it's in its own keeper. It's heavy so the recoil is slight, making it great for accurate rapid fire. Oh yeah, it's got an ambidextrous safety, too.

Note about mags: Before anyone says that mags are hard to find, know that S&W 59-series mags work perfectly. Ramline makes a 17 rounder that's all over the place and cheap.

StarMod30MIleft01-1.jpg ​
 
There is a ton of them out there. However most don't really offer much warranty with the exception of a few such as Hi Point. That being said I think its important that you go with a company that has a good warranty for not if but when it breaks. Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, and most of the larger name brands offer great warranty as does Hi Point that others mention. Personally I am not against Hi Point but there is much better pistols out there. HOWEVER when I think about your question I have to be honest the one name that comes to my mind is Bersa, they are good pistols, affordable compare to most and they stand behind their product from what I have been told.
 
A big +1 on Stoeger. You're essentially getting a Beretta at a pretty nice discount, their MSRP is $450 and you know that means it's easy to find them for less. I got mine used for about $350.
 
NUSHIF I know those are not off brands. I started this thread to see if there are other lesser known companies that I should look at. Maybe I should clarify too. I'm not looking for cheap junk. When I said less expensive I should've maybe said more quality for my money.
 
voyager4520 said:
Daewoo, they're no longer in business but they made quality guns. They were a very large corporation in South Korea that made almost everything under the sun until the South Korean government dissolved them into many smaller companies in a monopoly-busting action. Their semi-auto handguns were essentially S&W 3rd Gen clones but with frame-mounted safeties instead of slide-mounted safeties.

There are some good clones of Sig pistols, like the TZ-99. Norinco makes good pistols as well but I don't know if they're imported any longer.
Click to expand...
Daewoo, is still around. While it's no longer the same huge conglomerate it once was, with South Korea government backing it still exists after restructuring as smaller companies.

One of these companies, S&T Daewoo, still manufactures firearms, but most of them are being sold in Asia, to military and police forces.

http://www.sntdaewoo.com/
 
I will second the Star recommendation.

I have a Star Firestar .40. It has been a great pistol thus far.
 
The problem with choosing a lesser known pistol is not the pistol itself, but rather the accessories. Holsters, magazines, etc and even ammo may be more expensive or not even available. Check on these things before you buy, also.
 
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