Best value handgun?
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I like the way you stated the question. Individual personal opinion changes the value of any item. And since you posted this for newbies...
"Value" is a tricky word.
I love how TV commercials say things like "get these ginsu steak knives, a 99 dollar value, for only 19.95!"
To me "value" is what something is worth to me personally and has nothing to do with a sales price or what value the seller wants me to think it is. So if I think the ginsu steak knives are worth about 50 cents, then that is the value to me, not 99 bucks or 19.95.
Most shooters prefer certain grip angles and types of actions better than others. The feel of the gun to the individual is more important than price in my opinion. Shipwreck may value the P99 a lot higher than someone else who does not like the way it feels in his hand.
My view of value is usually made with concealed carry in mind. But if it is a gun for casual range shooting or a collector piece of course my view is different.
Caliber. Some guns are only available in certain calibers. 9mm and 40S&W are my favs but I carry .380 and 45acp sometimes also.
Reliabilty. If I cannot count on the thing to go bang when I really need it to, or if it has a reputation of breaking, or if it only feeds or fires certain ammo types, it may not have much value above an average paper weight to me. In my experience, Glock, SIG, Springfield XD, CZ, and Walther, run great. I don't trust S&W autos but their revolvers are great. I don't trust Kahr or Kel-Tec at all.
Size, weight, and round count. If it is a carry gun, this can be very important. How much weight do I want to lug around all day? How many shots do I have without reloading, how easy is it to conceal with different types of clothing? I will usually opt for a narrow single stack gun for easier concealability. This lowers my round count so I carry an extra mag sometimes.
Pointing and comfort. When bringing the gun up to fire quickly, you want it to "naturally" point at the target with your wrist straight and without having to adjust your grip. Some guns have replaceable backstraps to assist in getting the gun to point straight for different sized hands. Others can be improved with different grips.
Action type. Some people like Double Action or Single Action, some prefer external safeties and other people don't. I prefer DA/SA with a de-cocker the most. And I like DAO the least of all actions.
The price is only important once I've decided that I may want to buy it based on the above criteria. Or when I am trying to decide between two similar guns.
My opinion of best value is... the SIG P239 in 40S&W. It just feels right to me. Easy to conceal, points great, reliable as you can get.
I carry... (not at once)
SIG P232 .380
Walther P99cAS 9mm
SIG P239 40S&W
SIG P245 45ACP
I also think these are good values also, some I already have and some I want to get.
Springfield XD9 9mm
CZ75 SP01 9mm
FNP9 9mm
HK P2000 9mm
Glock 17 9mm
Glock 19 9mm
Glock 26 9mm
Kimber Ultra Carry II 45ACP
TA
"Value" is a tricky word.
I love how TV commercials say things like "get these ginsu steak knives, a 99 dollar value, for only 19.95!"To me "value" is what something is worth to me personally and has nothing to do with a sales price or what value the seller wants me to think it is. So if I think the ginsu steak knives are worth about 50 cents, then that is the value to me, not 99 bucks or 19.95.
Most shooters prefer certain grip angles and types of actions better than others. The feel of the gun to the individual is more important than price in my opinion. Shipwreck may value the P99 a lot higher than someone else who does not like the way it feels in his hand.
My view of value is usually made with concealed carry in mind. But if it is a gun for casual range shooting or a collector piece of course my view is different.
Caliber. Some guns are only available in certain calibers. 9mm and 40S&W are my favs but I carry .380 and 45acp sometimes also.
Reliabilty. If I cannot count on the thing to go bang when I really need it to, or if it has a reputation of breaking, or if it only feeds or fires certain ammo types, it may not have much value above an average paper weight to me. In my experience, Glock, SIG, Springfield XD, CZ, and Walther, run great. I don't trust S&W autos but their revolvers are great. I don't trust Kahr or Kel-Tec at all.
Size, weight, and round count. If it is a carry gun, this can be very important. How much weight do I want to lug around all day? How many shots do I have without reloading, how easy is it to conceal with different types of clothing? I will usually opt for a narrow single stack gun for easier concealability. This lowers my round count so I carry an extra mag sometimes.
Pointing and comfort. When bringing the gun up to fire quickly, you want it to "naturally" point at the target with your wrist straight and without having to adjust your grip. Some guns have replaceable backstraps to assist in getting the gun to point straight for different sized hands. Others can be improved with different grips.
Action type. Some people like Double Action or Single Action, some prefer external safeties and other people don't. I prefer DA/SA with a de-cocker the most. And I like DAO the least of all actions.
The price is only important once I've decided that I may want to buy it based on the above criteria. Or when I am trying to decide between two similar guns.
My opinion of best value is... the SIG P239 in 40S&W. It just feels right to me. Easy to conceal, points great, reliable as you can get.
I carry... (not at once)
SIG P232 .380
Walther P99cAS 9mm
SIG P239 40S&W
SIG P245 45ACP
I also think these are good values also, some I already have and some I want to get.
Springfield XD9 9mm
CZ75 SP01 9mm
FNP9 9mm
HK P2000 9mm
Glock 17 9mm
Glock 19 9mm
Glock 26 9mm
Kimber Ultra Carry II 45ACP
TA
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15,574 Posts
Well, I think a couple of really good values for the money are the Bersa 380 and the Stoeger Cougar. They are essentially the same gun as the Beretta Cougar essentially - Beretta just transferred the equipment to a subsidiary.
The Stoeger is the cheapest 9mm I would ever buy and be satisfied with that it was a reliable and good working gun.
But as Texas Armadillo stated above - ya just gotta be crazy for passing up a Walther P99 :lol:
The Stoeger is the cheapest 9mm I would ever buy and be satisfied with that it was a reliable and good working gun.
But as Texas Armadillo stated above - ya just gotta be crazy for passing up a Walther P99 :lol:
My roommate has a Star BM that he bought for $175. It's not a bad little piece, the only thing hindering it's carry ability is the huge horn on the hammer. It's a 9mm, 1911-type frame, and compact as hell, and he gets decent groups at 10 yards. Not a bad little gun. In the same case they had a neat little Makarov, so whoever said that a Makarov was a decent value, I agree, though I never shot it.
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Value to me generally means bang for the buck. I am surprised the FNP 9/.40 aren't getting a little more love here. At $350.00 for the 9 and $369.00 for the .40 I don't see where you are going to find a better value. These guns still have some longevity and reliabilty questions that more time will tell but overall a fantastic value in my opinion.
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I thought the Bersa 380 was more like PPK and the SIG P232. My brother has a Firestorm 380. (which I think is really the Bersa 380) And he had feeding issues when he first got it, so I'm not warm and fuzzy about them yet. Although, I may borrow it from him and see if I can "wear" it in and make it reliable.ShipWreck said:
TA
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Yes, the Bersa 380 looks very much like the Sig 232. But they are nice guns.
I had one, and I sold it to my mom who liked it and wanted a small pistol. Its a decent size, and the caliber isn't THAT bad. My local shop has one new for $199 again. They have been raising in price to $250 or so lately, because of their popularity.
I don't think I would buy a Bersa 9mm or 45 ACP (the 9mm is supposed to be a clone of a Walther actually) - But the 380 is nice.
I had one, and I sold it to my mom who liked it and wanted a small pistol. Its a decent size, and the caliber isn't THAT bad. My local shop has one new for $199 again. They have been raising in price to $250 or so lately, because of their popularity.
I don't think I would buy a Bersa 9mm or 45 ACP (the 9mm is supposed to be a clone of a Walther actually) - But the 380 is nice.
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4,479 Posts
Yes it does somewhat. I have the SW642 Airweight. And it will fire +P's but it has alot of muzzle flip and of course has only 5 rounds. And I'm not real fast at reloading revolvers yet.AGG said:
And since it's hammerless it's DAO which I am not fond of in small guns. Too hard to be accurate.
It makes a good backup gun though.
TA
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636 Posts
I know a guy whit the same gun had a home invasion it jammed in the middle of the fire fight he ran up stairs tring to clear it turned around at the top of the steps kick the door shut as one of the guys was chasing him the guy shot again as he cleard the gun kicked the door shut the round passed through the door and grazed his head taking a small peice off the top of his left ear cheep guns + cheep ammo Are not always a good thing!dahahn said:
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1,094 Posts
I think that the Springfield Armory XD's are the best value in handguns currently available.
They are the lowest priced but they are one of the best handguns available and are available for a lower price than other guns of comparable function.
They come with 2 magazines, a holster, loader and mag pouch, The holster alone can save you $50.
They have an ambedextrious safety, tactile cocking indicator, and a visable and feelable loaded chamber indicator. They also have a grip safety which some will like and others can just ignore.
Most of all they are as reliable as any handgun made, my 4 have been 100% with all loads. They are as accurate as other guns that cost twice as much.
So again they aren't the lowest cost but they are the lowest priced for one of the best guns.....................................DJ
They are the lowest priced but they are one of the best handguns available and are available for a lower price than other guns of comparable function.
They come with 2 magazines, a holster, loader and mag pouch, The holster alone can save you $50.
They have an ambedextrious safety, tactile cocking indicator, and a visable and feelable loaded chamber indicator. They also have a grip safety which some will like and others can just ignore.
Most of all they are as reliable as any handgun made, my 4 have been 100% with all loads. They are as accurate as other guns that cost twice as much.
So again they aren't the lowest cost but they are the lowest priced for one of the best guns.....................................DJ
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Back before SA got involved I had a chance to buy them for about $250 as HS 2000's.
I usually see them for around $500 give or take which is about the same as a S&W M&P that doesn't have the goodies (and the M&P I shot had 3 FTF's in 100rds of factory ammo), Glocks are usually a little more and don't have the ambi mag release.
I kinda looked down my nose at them as cheap guns until I started shooting one. Now I tend to shoot them more than my Glocks, Sigs and H&K's because I think they are better guns in some ways even though they cost less........................................DJ
I usually see them for around $500 give or take which is about the same as a S&W M&P that doesn't have the goodies (and the M&P I shot had 3 FTF's in 100rds of factory ammo), Glocks are usually a little more and don't have the ambi mag release.
I kinda looked down my nose at them as cheap guns until I started shooting one. Now I tend to shoot them more than my Glocks, Sigs and H&K's because I think they are better guns in some ways even though they cost less........................................DJ
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apbt1, Sounds like you got a great deal on your M&P 45! Most of the one's I've seen were in the Mid 5's with 2 mags and no holster.
I would consider the interchangable backstraps an advantage for the M&P over the XD but probably not enough to counter the ambi mag release on the XD.
BTW the M&P I shot was a 40 S&W, maybe the 9's and 45's are more trouble free. It shot very well but the FTF's really bothered me since I've never had a single failure in any of my 4 XD's.............................DJ
I would consider the interchangable backstraps an advantage for the M&P over the XD but probably not enough to counter the ambi mag release on the XD.
BTW the M&P I shot was a 40 S&W, maybe the 9's and 45's are more trouble free. It shot very well but the FTF's really bothered me since I've never had a single failure in any of my 4 XD's.............................DJ
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Who knows most of the time a FTF is ammo IMO..Some times you get a bad one out a a run ? who knows?..Mine is a .40 S&W ...I was going to get the XD i just thought it had too many parts and the rear safty was a big turn off for me ? hey to each his own rightdjpaintles said:
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