Brands to stay away from??
- Thread starter justagirl28
- Start date
Stressfire
New member
Ok, but I'm expensive
Sorry, I had to.That said, as others have stated any fly-by-night should be avoided. Jennings, Bryco, Raven, Hi-Point (not great for a first-buy).
And yes, you will get what you pay for, for the most part.
Cheapshooter
New member
1. yes. for a starter, a good quality 22.
2. A 12 ga. shotgun.
justagirl28
New member
Did I say buy 2 guys? haha Didn't proofread too carefully!
Cheapshooter
New member
But if a tree fell in the forest, and nobody was around, would threegun go on line to tell everybody not to buy a gun with a ZAMAK slide?
glocking45
Inactive
stay away from Gen 4 Glocks.
What do you Want?
I think the way you should approach a gun purchase is by deciding on the basic criteria of what you want, revolver or auto, caliber,capacity, polymer frame, steel, or alloy, size of the gun, etc. Go to the gun shops and see what they stock more of and check prices. Go to the "big box stores" also, but only to check out prices after you have made a decision. Don't expect any sound knowledge or advice there. Also beware of the advice you get at any store. A lot of stores will hire anybody to push a product, like a nephew that can't get a job anywhere else. People will knock almost every brand at some point. There is a lot of snobbery out there. Try to narrow your search, then try to talk to actual owners and former owners. People will knock Taurus, Glock, S&W, HiPoint, or Ruger. Most of that is preference and / or operator error. The decision is really yours.
I think the way you should approach a gun purchase is by deciding on the basic criteria of what you want, revolver or auto, caliber,capacity, polymer frame, steel, or alloy, size of the gun, etc. Go to the gun shops and see what they stock more of and check prices. Go to the "big box stores" also, but only to check out prices after you have made a decision. Don't expect any sound knowledge or advice there. Also beware of the advice you get at any store. A lot of stores will hire anybody to push a product, like a nephew that can't get a job anywhere else. People will knock almost every brand at some point. There is a lot of snobbery out there. Try to narrow your search, then try to talk to actual owners and former owners. People will knock Taurus, Glock, S&W, HiPoint, or Ruger. Most of that is preference and / or operator error. The decision is really yours.
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sigcurious
New member
stay away from Sigs! Cause I want them all and you can't have one!
But seriously, whatever you end up going with you may want to consider brands that offer .22 conversions or have reputable aftermarket .22 conversions. Typically a "premium" brand gun + conversion is still cheaper than two separate guns, and offers you the ability to practice for cheap with .22 and train your skills with the exact same trigger, safety setup, etc you will be using for SD/HD should the need arise.
But seriously, whatever you end up going with you may want to consider brands that offer .22 conversions or have reputable aftermarket .22 conversions. Typically a "premium" brand gun + conversion is still cheaper than two separate guns, and offers you the ability to practice for cheap with .22 and train your skills with the exact same trigger, safety setup, etc you will be using for SD/HD should the need arise.
justagirl28
New member
That's interesting...basically 2 guns in 1? What is an example of a gun that will shoot both .22 and something more powerful? Thanks!
sigcurious
New member
Factory made: CZ, Sig, Kimber, EAA off the top of my head.
Aftermarket: Glocks, Beretta, most 1911s (Kimber's will fit most, Marvel makes a reputable conversion kit also for 1911s)
Other people can probably add more to the list.
FWIW, Sig is the only one you can start in .22 and go up in caliber with the p22x series. and as I may have implied, I really really like mine.
The EAA witness can be bought as a 9mm/.22 combo for a very good price. I think a few people on the forum have recently purchased it. There are probably some recent reviews on it floating around.
Aftermarket: Glocks, Beretta, most 1911s (Kimber's will fit most, Marvel makes a reputable conversion kit also for 1911s)
Other people can probably add more to the list.
FWIW, Sig is the only one you can start in .22 and go up in caliber with the p22x series. and as I may have implied, I really really like mine.
The EAA witness can be bought as a 9mm/.22 combo for a very good price. I think a few people on the forum have recently purchased it. There are probably some recent reviews on it floating around.
bustersmaster
New member
the right handgun
Just a thought about good handgun choices for women. I went to the range yesterday with my neice who was wanting to try out her new concealed carry revolver. She already has a Ruger GP100 which she shoots very well, but wanted something a little easier to conceal. Her husband bought her a taurus 5 round pocket sized light weight revolver (sorry, I don't know the model) that offers a thumb cocking exposed hammer, thinking that if the double action trigger pull was too tough, she could always shoot it single action. Well, that exposed hammer was just a serrated nub that felt like it would peel your finger tip off if you were actually successful in cocking it. I felt bad for her as she was rapidly loosing interest in shooting, as it was just too hard to cock and too tough of a trigger to pull in double action.
I gave it a try myself and I was only able to cock it once and the double action trigger pull was all I wanted after about 10 rounds.
As I get older, I'm beginning to experience some of the things "the weaker sex" has been putting up with all along.
Basically, whether you are trying to rack the slide of a semiauto or pull a double action trigger on a revolver, the smaller the gun, the more difficult that becomes.
If concealment is important, that seems also to present some unique challenges to the female shooter and I guess that part of it is definitely above my paygrade.
Just a thought about good handgun choices for women. I went to the range yesterday with my neice who was wanting to try out her new concealed carry revolver. She already has a Ruger GP100 which she shoots very well, but wanted something a little easier to conceal. Her husband bought her a taurus 5 round pocket sized light weight revolver (sorry, I don't know the model) that offers a thumb cocking exposed hammer, thinking that if the double action trigger pull was too tough, she could always shoot it single action. Well, that exposed hammer was just a serrated nub that felt like it would peel your finger tip off if you were actually successful in cocking it. I felt bad for her as she was rapidly loosing interest in shooting, as it was just too hard to cock and too tough of a trigger to pull in double action.
I gave it a try myself and I was only able to cock it once and the double action trigger pull was all I wanted after about 10 rounds.
As I get older, I'm beginning to experience some of the things "the weaker sex" has been putting up with all along.
Basically, whether you are trying to rack the slide of a semiauto or pull a double action trigger on a revolver, the smaller the gun, the more difficult that becomes.
If concealment is important, that seems also to present some unique challenges to the female shooter and I guess that part of it is definitely above my paygrade.
Here is something you may want to consider. There are some FFL's who get their firearms from Davidson's Supply Company (a firearm distributor). Some firearms that come through Davidson's offer a lifetime replacement policy. If you go this route, make sure you get documentation showing your firearm is covered and send in the Davidson's warranty registration right away (make copies for your records first). Here is a link listing the warranty. There are some manufactures for which I would want this coverage, as I would not need to deal with the manufacturer. Other manufacturers have a good reputation of taking good care of their customers.
http://www.davidsonsinc.com/consumers/subsites/legal.asp?preview=
http://www.davidsonsinc.com/consumers/subsites/legal.asp?preview=
I agree 100%
Another post worth repeating. But Id lower the auto price threshold to around $325 because the Bersas.
Personally Id probably scratch the Taurus and Keltech off his list but Ive never owned either. Not because I think they are complete garbage!
Keltec seems to have great customer service. But it makes me nervous how many of the 'Keltech fans' tout that they are so easy to work on yourself and get to work great. They strick me as the old VW bugs - Cheap and easy to work on... thankfully, cause its likely it'll need it.
Taurus seems to have too many Taurus fans complaining about their customer service and turn around time for repairs. The fanboys complain more about the customer service more than the fact that it broke in the 1st place.
Justagirl28/Sara
Every brand has a lemon (or more). But... none of the 'reputable' brands have $225 or less semi-autos. Bryco, Lorcin etc do. If you see a $200 price tag on a new semi auto, its a brand that very few will recommend.
I saw a Hi point 9mm for under $180 at Turners. Yes, some might recommend them but the vast majority wont.
justagirl28
New member
TY guys...this gives me more to go on. I'll definitely keep those certain brands and price points in mind! I've got a lot of info (maybe too much? lol), now I'm ready to go get my hands on a few and see what I think.
I have had very bad experiences with two Turkish made guns: One is a Regent R100 1911 copy and the other a Sarsilmaz 12 ga autoloader. The Regent is a very sloppy, poorly fitted POS with crudely cast parts; The Sarsilmaz is a jam-o-matic with a multitude of feeding problems.
Also, stay away from anything made of Zamak.
Also, stay away from anything made of Zamak.
There's some notable exceptions! If you take into account military surplus or used guns in particular. For example the Makarov, CZ-82, P-64 are all accurate, reliable, durable, and safe weapons and all priced between $170 and $250. There's some excellent quality new production autos as well below the $350 mark NIB.
SIGCurious mentioned that you can go from .22 up through the calibers in the SIG P22x series.
Both SIG and CZ also have .22LR conversion kits for many of their service caliber pistols. (Note: this post falls under the heading of "good brands," not ones to stay away from.)
The conversion kits are nice, because now you can train not only with a similar gun, but with your normal gun's frame (grip, trigger, and controls) while shooting inexpensive .22LR.
Both SIG and CZ also have .22LR conversion kits for many of their service caliber pistols. (Note: this post falls under the heading of "good brands," not ones to stay away from.)
The conversion kits are nice, because now you can train not only with a similar gun, but with your normal gun's frame (grip, trigger, and controls) while shooting inexpensive .22LR.
Probably LOL. The lady asked BTW. Hardly me looking for any reason to trash the otherwise "stellar" reputation of such a wonderfully built reliable platform such as the Hi-Point. You recommend this lady the cheapest hunk of dung to protect herself and family with. I prefer to be honest and share my vast (I know you hate this but it is vast) experience with the firearm. It hasn't been very good BTW.
Oh and no one or firearm company has paid me to say that. HiPoint has never hurt me or stompt on my favorite toy before.
However unlike others I don't have a bad decision to purchase one to protect either.
carguychris
New member
However, to play the devil's advocate, the chances of getting factory service and support for these firearms is slim to none. Most of them were produced by the state armories of countries that technically don't exist anymore!
Are they well-built and durable firearms? Sure. However, there's a reason for the lower price. Not everyone who posts on here is a diehard like you or me (
) who is willing to take something apart and tinker with it if something goes wrong.In this regard, one is generally better off with a used gun from, say, Ruger or S&W. Even if it's 20-30 years old and discontinued, the factory can still offer service for many components in the gun, albeit with a few exceptions.