Brands to stay away from??

I would go to a gun shop/range,and see what they have on the rental shelf.
They are not likely to have any problem children on there,no matter what they sell.
 
@justagirl28

If you have a range close by that has rentals, I would suggest renting a few and finding what works best for you. Sig makes a great product, but they don't fit my hand so I won't buy one.

You also need to determine what the purpose of the firearm is. Are you looking for a plinker, CC weapon, night stand duty, etc? You need to find the product that matches your needs. Ask 20 people about what handgun to purchase and you'll get 30 different answers.

My recommendation would be to do your homework and try out what you're thinking about getting, then purchase the highest quality firearm you can afford.
 
I guess...to clarify...I'm not really asking what TO buy, but what NOT to buy. lol And when I say what not to buy, I'm just referring to brand. I guess to put it another way - let's say I picked up a Lorcin (don't even know what one is or looks like) and I shot it and really loved the gun and it fit my needs and so on - would anyone here recommend I buy it?
 
I'm not going to name names, but if you read through enough of this forum, you will start to assemble a list of the usual suspects.

Better thread idea: A list of gun manufacturers with a reputation for great customer service. Even the very best manufacturers have a lemon leave the factory now and then. How they deal with it is the key issue.
 
I guess to put it another way - let's say I picked up a Lorcin (don't even know what one is or looks like) and I shot it and really loved the gun and it fit my needs and so on - would anyone here recommend I buy it?
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No, I would not recommend that you buy a Lorcin, or a Raven, or any of the cheap pot metal handguns that are out there. There's too much at stake if one of them should fail at the wrong time.

Brands that I have had good experience with :
revolvers: Ruger, Smith and Wesson, Dan wesson, Freedom arms, and Colt
auto loaders: Ruger, Smith and wesson, Springfield, Colt, Sig, Glock, Browning, Beretta, HK, and CZ are some ( but not all ) of the more common named ones that have worked well for me and friends.
 
Well - a list of suspects is not a bad thing to have! :) I truly didn't mean to start any type of argument about brands or anything like that. lol Just trying to get a general idea of brands that the majority of people normally frown upon.
 
Generally, when you are dealing with reputable people who want your future business, you get what you pay for: if that pistol or revolver is priced at $200, you won't get $200 worth of ammo through itbefore you have issues......

Long established domestic gun manufacturers (Smith and Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Springfield Armory, etc ...... ) value their reputation, and so do their best to address and resolve any quality or cusomer service issues quickly ..... companies you've never heard of (and one I can think of that spends more money on advertising than QC!) may have a different business model.......

Were I you, I'd find a local full service gun shop, and get to know the proprieter ...... you may pay a bit more in the short term, but you'll get better customer service than from an anonymous internet gun broker or big box store......
 
I'm glad you said that because I was debating about going to like a local store or trying out one of the "big box" stores as you called it, thinking I'd save money - but what you said does make a lot of sense. :)
 
One of our local full service gun shops will order anything you want ..... for dealer cost +10% ...... including FFL transfer...... shop around for a trustworthy dealer (one who asks what he can do for you, as opposed to one who tries to tell you what you need ...... if you get one of the latter, move on, as somebody out there wants to help you!).
 
In post #12, threegun gave you a list of brands that very few knowledgeable people would recommend. That seems to be the info you are looking for - the pistols you shouldn't even look twice at. Go shopping, eliminate those, and then tell us what you are considering. I doubt you can pick a medium- to good-quality handgun that someone on here doesn't own or hasn't owned.
 
well i don't believe you can find a brand name or model that hasn't had a problem. i have been lucky, i own 12 different brands of handguns and non of them have ever given me a problem.
 
I guess that's why I'm asking for some examples of brands that are usually no good! I'm kinda looking for ones that have had a lot of problems as far as quality and not being built well or built with materials that are lower quality, if that makes sense??
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Perfectly.

Another way you can look at it is price. Stay at or over 350 for auto's and 300 for revolvers. Pick your favorite thats in your price range and we will give you the skinny.

Remember there are tons of decent guns out there. Guns that will likely serve you well for years. Then there are really good guns that will serve you for years and do so in style.

Glocks, XD's, PX4 Beretta, Kahr PM9,CM9,CW9, Ruger SR9, S&W M&P, Most Sigs, H&K, and a few more I surely missing are top flight.

Taurus, Bersa, S&W sw9/40, Kel-tec being good

I forgot what your intended use is going to be for this gun Sara?
 
Makes sense! I was gonna say...you get what you pay for! Well usually anyways. What I'm using it for....well I do like the idea of having a gun to do more practice with. I know I've read a lot that a .22 would be a good pistol for that since it's cheaper to shoot. I'd also like a more powerful gun for just peace of mind/home protection. I wouldn't mind buying 2 guys, but probably will just buy 1 for starters and see how it goes. It's good to know some of the brands to stay away from though! I don't really have a specific budget, but probably no more than $500-600 for 1 gun. thanks!
 
Hit a few gun ranges and talk to people and see what they have to say. Pick a few and rent for a day at the range. trust me when i say 100.00 to try a few brands and ammo is well worth a 1000 dollar mistake.:(
 
Well if its not going to be a carry gun then size is less of a factor. Opens up the full sized handguns for you.

Are there any features that you must have?
 
I definitely want a high quality gun that's known to be reliable - I guess that's obvious though. Umm....as far as features, I do have pretty small hands so it woudl be important for it to be easy and comfortable for me to hold. I don't know how powerful I want to go, but as long as it's enjoyable to shoot and I can handle it ok and shoot it well, then I guess as powerful as I can get and still have fun shooting it without it scaring me half to death every time I pull the trigger. lol As far as other features, I honestly don't know at this point. :)
 
If not for carry, take a look at a quality .357 with a 4" to 6" barrel. It'll be plenty accurate, and relatively easy to shoot. You can start with .38 SPL, work into .38SPL +P, and then onto true magnum loads. It is a firearm you can grow with. Just my two slugs o' copper.
 
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