Cheap handgun for security

I'm looking for a budget handgun for security. I have a decent background with firerms, hunted as a kid, shot expert in the Corps. This would be for security only, maybe practice and clean once a year, no more. I don't particularly care for guns anymore so a high quality pistol wouldn't get me all excited and my budget is very tight. I'd require a caliber of decent power - if the triggers gets pulled, hopefully never, it has to mean business. So, something bigger than a 22, maybe a 38 or bigger?

Would online shopping be the best route?

Thanks.

Taurus .40 cal not great for ccw because they are heavy. But for home defense at a good cost they're great

.38 lacks stopping power which is a big reason leo dint carry them any more, the 9mm punches through with to much chance of collateral damage the .40 is the best of both worlds good stopping power less chance of punch through.

Last night really renewed my interest in having one. Personally I want a springfield arms XD in a 40 or 45 caliber

Do your online price comparisons and check local gunshows. Get your purchase permit first though

For home defense and simplicity of use I like revolvers. Taurus .357 will give you all the stopping power you could ever want/need with the ability to practice using cheaper .38 shells. No magazine to mess with and a VERY reasonable buy in price.

I bought my sister one and she's killed more with it than I ever could have imagined. (Veterinarian)

I'd try a police turn in. Usually shot not much and carried alot. $400ish would get you something very reliable and serviceable.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/654_910/Used+Guns/Police+Trade+Ins

ruger LCP? http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_49_1815/products_id/54585

a makarov? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarov_pistol Or cz 82?

Check slickguns for deals. http://www.slickguns.com/category/hand-guns

What's your budget? $100? $500? "Cheap" is a relative term. You can get a decent used gun in the 3-400 range.

This was several yrs ago but I bought my father a brand new ruger p89 for 389 out the door

Find a local gun trader site. For example we have floridaguntrader.com and many deals can be found. There are a ton of local sites and Facebook groups that are for selling/trading. Just don't expect google to help much with firearms anymore

$300-400 should get you a quality firearm. From a new Rock Island 1911 to a used glock, Springfield XD, Smith&Wesson M&P, or a .357 revolver. Like KyAllroad said, .357 give you the option of training with cheaper and less powerful .38 special.

I don't buy into the whole "9mm punched through walls too easily" argument. If your walls are cheap drywall any caliber will penetrate them. Its a scale of ammo availability, capacity and felt recoil. There are pros and cons to each weapon and caliber choice.

Depends on what you want and what feels best in your hand, try holding a number of different firearms and sew what feels best to your hand, the more comfortable you are with it the better you and it will function should you ever need it.

For both budget and security I would go with a shotgun honestly. There are some nice Savage defense shot that are a little over $200. You can tailor what you load to conditions bird shot for playing around to buckshot and slugs.

Handguns in my opinion are what you carry away from home when you are concealing. They have their uses at home but I would say if you aren't planning on carrying it outside the home look to the shotgun.

If you are set on the hand gun see what fits your hand and your natural point of aim best. There are bargains out there but if they don't fit you properly they will do you no good. I most often pack a 9mm because I know I can shoot fast and accurate follow ups with it. I also pack my .45s but follow ups are slower. In an auto for home a .45 isn't going to have quite the over penetration of the hot 9 mm's on some walls and the like. Slower moving and heavier. However quality hollow points of either caliber will do quite a bit to limit that. Both will easily punch through most walls in your home however. Thing like a .357 or .44 Mag are going to have a lot of punch and tend to penetrate multiple layers of wall. Look around at what quality defense ammo is most available in your area. Some areas certain ammo is more available than others. Where I live that is .9mm, 45acp and .357 mag. I know I can walk into one of several stores and normally always find good defense ammo locally for those. Not so for other calibers.

Check out surplus arms as well. Not long ago you could pick up Sig P6 handguns for at or under $300 with extra mags and a holster. There are always police Glocks popping on the market normally in .40. If you aren't going to conceal carry forget about getting a little pocket gun like the LCP they have crap for sights anyway.

If you are doing home defense then get night sights and also look for something with a rail in case you want to mount a light later on.

If you can swing it the SIG Pro 2022 in 9mm or .40 can still be had right around $400. Very inexpensive for the quality.

2nd the shotgun, I didnt even yhink of long guns at all.

Here is the shotgun I was thinking of the Savage / Stevens 350 with ghost ring sights. You can sometimes find the on sale for under $200.

True, I forgot about shotguns. If you have kids coming around they take more effort and space to secure but they are cheaper than a handgun. $150-300 and you have a good scatter gun. If you go with a pump instead of a semiauto, after 100 rounds or so if you haven't tad issues you should be golden.

Ok, a lot of information. I would buy the cheapest one available as long as it was safe. I figured $200+ but would snag one if it was $100. The caliber info is interesting and will check out some that were mentioned. Hadn't thought of a shotgun. There is the possibility of someday travelling so the size might be a problem.

Good stuff.

I'll do the whole "shoot/drive/play" before buying thing.

I want the thing that I'm gonna be able to accurately place holes in stuff with, over "If's and buts."

I'm dead-nuts accurate with some stuff. Not so much with others. Some fit my hand well. Some don't. I was solidly in the "Shotgun" camp, but as a matter of convenience, when things go bump in the night, I go for the Glock over the Mossberg nowadays.

And I'm REALLY glad I went to the range with buddies who had tons of guns before buying. And regretting paying way more for the .357 ruger lcr than the standard .38 sp version, based on a bunch of online reviews. With .357 loaded, it always wins "least fun gun of the day" at the range.

My $.02 YMMV.

KyAllroad wrote: For home defense and simplicity of use I like revolvers. Taurus .357 will give you all the stopping power you could ever want/need with the ability to practice using cheaper .38 shells. No magazine to mess with and a VERY reasonable buy in price. I bought my sister one and she's killed more with it than I ever could have imagined. (Veterinarian)

I'm with this guy. I will also throw out some of the older Ruger wheel guns too.

I vote revolvers too. 38 mag or larger.

The only hand guns I have fired were military semi auto 45s and a 38 revolver that I carried when working at a brother's liquor stores. The 38 had a smoothed hammer for ease of pulling from a pocket. I liked the bigger grip of the 45 but it really wouldn't matter to me.

I think it's boiling down to caliber choice and price.

As far as shotguns go my brother had a clip fed saiga 10 g that he loved.

Riot shotgun, my H&R Pardner Pump Protector 18" was $212 OTD on sale at Dunham's and is better built than any current production 870 its knocking off short of a military model(because the Norinco/"Hawk" built 870s ARE military models).

Good choices:
http://www.jgsales.com/handguns-c-16_365.html?sort=4a&page=1
http://www.jgsales.com/handguns-c-16_150_497.html?sort=4a&page=1
http://www.jgsales.com/handguns-c-16_149.html

And the cheapest thing meeting your needs that you will find today that will reliably go bang:
http://www.jgsales.com/handguns-c-16_235.html

Home defense? Shotgun. Handguns were invented, not for concealment, but to let people who were working carry defensively while keeping their hands free. It is hard to learn to fire a handgun accurately, especially in a high-pressure situation. The most decisive blow is going to be dealt by a shotgun. End of story.

To defend a house/apartment the shotgun is the best bet all be it a bit odd to handle in some situations dependent on what/where you use.

A revolver/.40mm is the best at short/mid range GTFO of my house but this is dependent on just house/range use.

I really want to buy a revolver now......