best bang for your buck, but no budget

For me I buy all my guns as the best bang for buck, or "value purchases" somewhat ignoring the ultimate price tag. If I can't swing it, I keep saving.

1. S&W M&P 9c - CCW firearm of choice
2. Beretta A400 Xplor 12 ga-Upland Bird/Turkey gun of choice
3. Remington 700 in .260 REM (Up to Elk)-Big Game
4. S&W M&P 9 Pro 5"-HD firearm of choice
5. Ruger 10/22


I have other guns but those are my value bought guns of choice.

My 700 is custom and was admittedly a gun I really went all out on (LRI built) but really any reliable bolt gun in .260 would be cool with me.
 
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Don't pass up used pistols. I bought an immaculate used Ruger P-89 with 5 magazines for $300. Sometimes buying a nice used firearm can get you started with a minimum investment.
 
Guess I'll be the contra - I prefer to buy the highest quality, not the cheapest thing that might work........

Shotguns? I'll take a good Beretta semi, quality O/U and an even better-made SxS. Pistols? Lots of high quality without resorting to HighPoints
Same for rifles.......
 
You can contra all you want but the truth is not everyone has $500 to $2000 to spend on a gun purchase. That's why either less expensive, but not cheap guns, or good quality used guns, can be an alternative to not having any guns at all.
 
"best bang for your buck" means that you are getting a lot of gun for the dollars you paid for it. This could be an inexpensive gun or an expensive gun. Price as compared to what someone has to spend is really irrelevant to the meaning of this phrase.

For example, with my Sig X-Five competition - I paid $1250 for it slightly used. It consistently performs better at especially longer ranges than my fully custom STI 2011 .45 that I paid a good bit more for. It allows me to kick-butt in many informal competitions. Now, this is not a cheap gun, but it is one heck of a gun and will permit me to beat people who are using even higher priced guns than this one. This is an example of "best bang for your buck" in that it allows me to compete nicely without having to spend $4,000 on a custom 1911.

Another example I gave is my AC556. I paid about $2,400 for it. I shoot it and have fun with it. It's worth over 3X what I paid for it. That's another example of "best bang for your buck" from an appreciation+fun perspective. Obviously, this is in hindsight. When I bought it, I had no idea that it would appreciate like this. But, I did know that for a full-auto/tri-burst 5.56, it was the best value out there, even when i bought it.

I often cite the S&W 659 as being a heck of a lot of gun for the price. You can still find nice ones in the $350 range. If you can handle the slightly thick grip, this is a nice-shooting, nice-looking, accurate, well-made full-capacity, professional quality 9mm. It too is a lot of gun for your money, but an example of a "cheaper" gun that isn't cheap in quality.
 
but the truth is not everyone has $500 to $2000 to spend on a gun purchase. That's why either less expensive, but not cheap guns, or good quality used guns, can be an alternative to not having any guns at all.
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If you shoot any decent amount of ammo, the gun becomes the least expense over time, so buy once, cry once, and have a gun you'll be able to shoot all the time instead of waiting for it to come back from the repair center for the umpteenth time.
 
By best bang for the buck gun would have to be my Marlin 795. Paid $99 + tax at Dick's, and it is a great little plinker that has put its fair share of bunnies in the pot over the last few years. Many told me to get a 10/22 instead, but at twice the price or more, I just can't see how the Ruger would have been a better choice.
 
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