What are some lesser know pistol manufactures?

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A great deal on reliable pistols are the former Communist bloc offerings

CZ's, 52, 83, etcc
Hungarian FEG PA63
Makarovs, Bulgarian, East German
Polish P64
Tokarev

Chinese Norincos

ATI (American Tactical Imports)
Various 1911, High Powerand other copies made in the Philippines, Turkey and various places.

Israel
Jericho & Bul copies, very well made

Italy
Tanfoglio

Just a few off the top of my head. I am sure there are dozens others.
 
RESEARCH
for a first semi
just go find a 1 of 100,000,000 .22
like a buckmark or a Ruger MKIII
and shoot cheap ammo while you build your skill
and look around to find a gun YOU like
lots and lots and lots and lots of different guns from all over
just a matter of finding the one that tickles you fancy.
 
We are GREAT around here at spending OPM (Other People's Money). Tell us what you wanna' do & how much you've got to spend in your budget. We WILL give you more opinions than you could POSSIBLY want. :evil:
 
The Steyr M and S series come in 9/40 & .357 Sig. Nice improvement over the Glock. I wish the company were better at staying in the market and marketing.

Sig SP2022 is a great value. One of the best sub $400 guns on the market right now.

One often overlooked CZ is the 97B which is one hell of a 45 ACP gun which is areal tack driver. Too big for my hands but great guns.

If you are looking for something refined the Sphinx line of CZ clones are great Swiss made guns based on CZ designs.


I would pass on the Star and other things which are discontinued. Parts are and will become more of a problem.
 
you can always pick up a kel-tec pf9 for no more than $250. its small and a single stack, but it should do just fine for plinking
 
The Ruger SR9c and SR40c are fairly compact and pleasant shooting pistols at a reasonable price, you can sometimes find them just a wee bit under $400. Solid if not flashy Ruger quality and guarantee. My SR40c is a very pleasant compact .40 S&W shooter that is very accurate with adjustable rear sight and little snap and recoil for a .40. It comes with either a ten and fifteen round magazine or two tens if you live in CA. Mine has fired over 500 rounds without a hitch. If you aren't used to centerfire pistols you might prefer the 9mm which is a lighter recoil round and a lot cheaper to fire if you don't reload. I think these two compact pistols are a good compromise between a full sized pistol and a very small compact. The SRc series are easy on the hand, have decent sights and are still easily concealed.
 
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.
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I've got one for you. I just started reading about them a couple days ago. Arcus. it's a bulgarian company that is importing to the US via century(I know dirty word) but from the few people that I've found that shoot them the general consensus is that they are very good guns for the average 275-325 dollar price tag.

they have 2 main models that are both steel framed.
the 98 which is a DA/SA model with wraparound hogue style grips. it comes in a service size that takes a proprietary mag or a compact model that is able to take hi power mags in addition the proprietarys.

and the 94 which is a single action only version of the 98 but I think that both compact and service sizes only take the proprietary mags. they are ugly Hipower clones with angles instead of curves but from guys that shoot them say that they are rugged, reliable and fun plinkers. you might look into them.


EDIT: these are both only available in 9mm. apparently they are the official sidearm of the new gubment in Iraq...not that that probably means much but it's better than nothing.
 
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned FN. They aren't a major name in the US market but they make some fantastic pistols. Very high quality, made to military standards, and they're made in the USA.
 
If you want cheap and uncommon take a look at Dusty's list of Com block pistols above. A P64 for $170 is the best deal going. If you want a new gun, just get the CDNN catalog and see what they have for sale.

However, if you are an inexperienced pistol shooter there is a lot to be said for getting the most common platform available. Anyone working at a gunrange is familiar with a Glock for example. You also have a tremendous amount of aftermarket support. With a Tokarev you are on your own.
 
biggameballs said:
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.
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Stoeger Cougar , Here's why you should check them out (especially since you've mentioned the 92fs).

Owned by Beretta , the only difference from the Beretta Cougar & the Stoeger Cougar is the location they're manufactured at & the name Stoeger on the slide.

Beretta moved it's entire Cougar Manufacturing facility to Turkey, hired Turkish labor supervised by Beretta to run it.

End result, you can now purchase a $700 Beretta Cougar , that's now labeled Stoeger for $370 - $400 NIB

Same exact handgun, only now it's almost half the price.

Research the reviews, check out what owners on this forum have to say about Stoeger Cougars. You'll find that it's 99% positive

Stoeger Cougars take the phrase "Sleeper" to a new level.
 
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I agree that they're a lot of good off brand guns out there. The problem comes into play trying to find parts or accessories. Some prices for off brand mags are sky high, everyone needs more mags for range time. I think the biggest disapointment some people have is getting a great deal on a gun and then find out they're no way to get grips or mags for their new favorite gun.
 
Here's another vote for the Stoeger Cougar. I've got this one in 9mm and am thinking about getting one in .45. I added the Beretta grips.
Cougargrips002.jpg
 
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.
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Not really a secret on the internet but Rock Island Armory has been turning out some excellent 1911s at very reasonable prices. In addition to .45ACP they're available in 9mm & .38 Super as well. The bare bones GI model is around $450-ish or so. Their customer service is said to be top notch as well. Wouldn't know. I've never had to use it myself.

Be aware they are imported from the Phillipines & in no way affiliated with the American Rock Island Arsenal.

This is my Tactical model. Better sights, trigger, ambi safety and beavertail. $540 OTD.

100_1187.gif
 
+1 for CZ's. I bought a CZ97B from a friend who said it was to big and heavy. It is the most accurate factory semi auto I have ever owned and I have owned some pretty good ones including Kimber, Sig, Glock, Springfield and Hk.
 
Another big +1 for the Stoeger Cougars. They even have a sweet .45 cal model now.

FYI: After Beretta discontinued production (because the cougar is too much like the PX4) they sold the rights to Stoeger, and then Beretta shipped all of the tool and die equipment to Turkey. So the Stoeger Cougar is literally made on the exact same equipment as the Beretta cougars were.
 
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