Is no gun better than cheap junk?

If a cheap gun is either all you can truly afford, or all you can lay your hands on at the time, my opinion is that it's better than nothing.

Sure, you may only get one shot off, if you have to shoot, before it jams. But that's one more shot that you would have gotten off with no gun.

According to Dr. Gary Kleck, the vast majority of confrontations in which there is a gun are resolved without a shot ever being fired.

If you're in that situation with a cheap gun, that's even better.

So, yes, ideally, the perfect carry gun would be one that is 100% reliable, and one with which you can hit your intended target 100% of the time, even in high stress situations.

But, as my signature line says, "Fate is one twisted bitch with a seriously warped sense of humor."

That's the only thing that we can ever truly count on.
 
The last statistics I read put the percentage somewhere around ~98%... %98 of the time no shots need fired. The presentation of the weapon itself is enough of a deterrent.

Having said that... I'd gladly take an inexpensive gun over nothing for self defense.... Hell, i'd take a spray painted water pistol over nothing for self defense....
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Be honest, why do any of you carry a gun or have one in your home ready to be used in case of an attack? Of course the real reason is because you truly believe that there may come a time when your life or that of a loved one could be in danger and there is nothing you would do to prevent that from happening. I get that and have no quarrel with that whatsoever.

That being said, how much are you willing to gamble that your spray painted water pistol will be enough to save your life or that of your wife, children, pets, parents or significant other?

There is the old saying, If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly!" In other words, don't do it half-assed. Get the best gun you can afford. Practice using it... a lot. Keep it close at hand.

According to Dr. Gary Kleck, the vast majority of confrontations in which there is a gun are resolved without a shot ever being fired.

If you're in that situation with a cheap gun, that's even better.
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Don't count on Dr. Kleck's statistics for saving your life, COUNT ON YOUR GUN!

Scott
 
This thread is most likely the biggest reason why I have started buying cheap pistols. Thusfar I still have all of the guns that I have bought in working order. I can't say that they are for everyone, but what gun really is for everyone? I generally don't suggest them for use, because you have to take them by an individual basis (both the gun and the shooter).
 
When I wrote this thread, I was meaning pistols used for defense. I have no problem with people owning cheap guns, and I have had a few in my day. But I am talking about using them to defend lives, not to take down paper targets or whatever else you may use them for.
 
That being said, how much are you willing to gamble that your spray painted water pistol will be enough to save your life or that of your wife, children, pets, parents or significant other?
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compared to having nothing?

I am willing to gamble that a spray painted water pistol works MUCH better than harsh words or my obese caboose trying to flee...

you seemed to have missed the "rather than nothing" stipulation.

would i rather have a completely reliable pistol or a painted water pistol? Well, that's just a stupid question.
 
you seemed to have missed the "rather than nothing" stipulation.
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And you seem to be missing the part that takes this from a theoretical "what if" situation to real life. There is some sociopath who intends to do you and your loved ones great bodily harm. They would probably just as soon put a bullet in your head than give you the time of day. Now you pull your spray painted water pistol and point it at his head. At this point you have threatened him and let him know you intend on stopping him by any means possible. Now if you want to count on some college professor in Florida to save your life, may god have mercy on your soul.

As for my family, my wife has a 9mm at her bedside and I have a 10ga double barrel shot gun on mine. If someone breaks into our house, may god have mercy on their soul!

Scott
 
I think an unreliable ANYTHING is to be avoided like the Plague. Who would want to live with an unreliable automobile, or a gas stove, or a toilet. With regard to firearms, especially defensive ones, I recall Massad Ayoob quoting a
gunsmith named Andy Cannon as saying "100% reliability is what you start FROM!"
 
Thank you SIGSHR!

And remember, the crack addict breaking into your house to steal your 52" plasma TV so he can buy more drugs won't be carrying a painted water pistol, why should you? The last thing you want is a level playing field. YOU want the advantage in your favor!

Scott
 
And you seem to be missing the part that takes this from a theoretical "what if" situation to real life.
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Nope, You're just in the wrong thread...

Of course everyone would rather have a good reliable gun... that's common sense. This is the thread that asks what would you do IF YOU COULDNT get that gun... if you were to decide between something cheap or nothing, what would you get? Your answer is an irrelevant ramble about meth heads and involves magically pulling a nice reliable weapon from your nether regions.

A painted water pistol may not be great, but it's better than your imaginary gun in this scenario ;)
 
A painted water pistol may not be great, but it's better than your imaginary gun in this scenario
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Now you are putting words into my mouth and twisting them around just like ilbob did. Is that the only way you can win an argument? Where did you get the idea that I was talking about an "imaginary gun"?

If you want to protect your loved ones with a dime store water pistol, that is your business. If you point what appears to be a weapon at someone who is in fact carrying a lethal weapon and has no qualms about using it, that is tantamount to committing suicide. You have absolutely ZERO chance of saving your life or anyone else's and I do believe that is worse than having no gun at all. If the other guy is going to shoot you, he is going to shoot you, but at least you won't be making an idle threat that you can not back up and risk forcing his hand.

Guns are not toys so stop putting them in the same category. If you buy a gun hoping it will just scare someone away, you might as well start getting your affairs in order. When it comes to self defense, you should buy a gun with the intent of using it if the time comes. And by using it, I mean actually pulling the trigger which can result in the death of another human being.

As for me, if I am ever in a situation where it is me or them, I am going to make damn sure to do everything in my power to see to it that I come out alive. No, you don't need a $2000 H&K Mark 23 or Colt 1911 to be in that position.

Like I said before, buy the best you can afford and make it your friend.

Scott
 
calm yourself and center.
So far you're all over the spectrum.


So would you take a cheap unreliable gun or nothing?

THAT is the question posed in this thread...

so far you have not given a clear answer. once you do that, then we can proceed....

So far you have said

1: take whatever you can get
Like I said before, buy the best you can afford and make it your friend.
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2: if it's not reliable you're a fool for getting it
So what is the top priority for your SD gun? If its not reliability, then you are a fool, and will probably be a dead one.
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and you gave a big +1 to
I think an unreliable ANYTHING is to be avoided like the Plague
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so what is it? you're contradicting yourself all over the place.
Nobody is twisting your words except for you.....
 
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if you have a Jennings, Hipoint, (insert other crap gun name) and the bad guy has a Glock.


how do you think thats gonna work out?
 
Would you rather have a cheap parachute or no parachute at all... I'll take a SLIM chance over NO chance every time. That being said, you do have a choice in this situation. Buy yourself a reliable gun and give yourself a GOOD chance at the very least...Just a thought.
 
If you just gotta have a gun, get a real gun, something capable of killing someone. The dime store stuff is suicide.

For MrNiceGuy, I will alter my last statement to "Buy the most reliable gun you can afford"

I still stand by my statement that reliability must be the first criterion of buying a gun for personal defense. What else would you put at the top of that list? If it doesn't go bang when you pull the trigger, everything else is moot.

If you can only afford a HiPoint, then by all means, get a HiPoint. Take the time to get intimately familiar with it. Take the time to figure out what works best in this gun. I don't own one and probably wouldn't (because I have no use for a $150 gun), but I understand you might have to experiment with different brands of ammunition to find what it likes to eat. Its going to take time and its going to take money to figure this out. Your cheap gun may end up not being so cheap in the long run.

Really guys, I am on your side when it comes to protecting your loved ones and your property, but why take chances? If you are going to get a gun, make getting a good gun a priority. If you are going to plink at beer cans on the fence post, quality and reliability is not as much of an issue, but we are talking about people... people that can not be replaced at any cost. This is not a time to go cheap!

Scott
 
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If anyone can explain to me why one shot is not better than no shot at all, I'll move over to no gun is better than a cheap gun side of this debate.;)
 
There are alternatives to firearms such as pepper spray and tazers.
I once owned a Raven arms .22 that was effectively a 0ne shot pistol. I tend to think pepper spray would be a better choice.
 
I would rather be fed and unarmed than starving with a gun in my hand.
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If I've got a gun in my hand (and ammo for said gun) you can bet that I won't be starving... There's too many things that I can kill and eat, so I would pick the gun... :p
 
jgcoastie, I think you are taking that statement out of context. I was responding to a comment made by ilbob who said
I know people who have had to sell all their guns because they determined they needed what the money could bring more than the guns.
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Theoretically, as long as you have a gun and ammunition, you shouldn't go hungry... as long as you live somewhere where there is wild game and fowl. If you live in an urban area, it might be pretty slim pickings. Of course you could use your gun to rob the local convenience mart and if you get caught you will be put in jail where you will get three hots and cot for a few years... so maybe you're right! And as a bonus, you will get free dancing lessons from a guy named Spike!

Scott
 
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