Is no gun better than cheap junk?

My last new gun was purchased in 1980. Since then I either use trade or offer services to acquire guns. Most of my guns are well worn and quite a bit below factory new. If I can find an old widow who needs her garage cleaned out for a Kimber, S&W or Colt then I would have a fancy looking sidearm. Until then my junk will have to suffice.
 
They are all good .To some people if it not a 1000.00 dollars or better it is junk. They are all good some are a little better than others.BUY WHAT YOU CAN IN YOUR PRICE RANGE.
 
Ok, since people are starting to distinguish between cheap and unreliable, lets just cut to the chase and say unreliable, because the thread was titled, "cheap junk gun". But even with an unreliable gun the first round is gonna go boom. So worst case scenario, its either single shot, or no shot, ask someone who carries a derringer or something similar what they think about it. I say single shot. Thats usually all it takes, and if its not, well you had a good run and god has probably got lots of cookies for you when you get there.
 
If there is even 1 chance in a millionb the 'Cheap gun' might save my life, I would rather have it than zero chances without the gun.
 
cracked91 wrote, "But even with an unreliable gun the first round is gonna go boom."
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I printed this out and gave it to my wife. In the event she becomes my widow, I will hold you personally responsible for making sure she is financially secure for the rest of her life if my $150 HiPoint does not go boom on that first round.

Scott
 
Unless you have a very seriously molested gun, a hi point will go boom on the first round every time. A cobra, well the firing pin in mine bent, so maybe not so much
 
I have probably the cheapest gun you could imagine it is a 38 spl made by RG(Rotten Gun Co.):) it was maybe 30 bucks new a few years back and given to my wife by her father who had it awhile. about as cheasy as it gets but even after shes put 600 plus rounds through it it still goes bang everytime. will it eventually fail or fall apart? probably but she has faith in it and hits what she aims at so cheap isnt always the worst but thats ok I have her back with the 12 gauge but cheap is better then none at all
 
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W houle wrote:You could say that guns are like any other tool you would consider buying. You start off not having much of anything and basically depend on Harbor Freight for your tools. As you continue to work with these tools, you notice which ones are are adequate for the job and which ones need upgrade. You save up for the better tools while the ones you have get the job done. After a while you will eventually have all good tools.


This is probably the best analogy on this thread. Sometimes you have to crawl before you can walk. I would rather start off with a cheap gun such as a High Point as much as I dislike them and work my way to whatever it is that my heart desires than not have anything at all to defend my home and my family with. Just like many others have said, Practice with it and get to know it no matter what kind of gun it is and then you will know the limitations of your gun. So is a cheap gun better than no gun? Absolutely!
 
You own a Cobra? Good God man, this thread is about cheap guns not worthless guns.
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Tell me about it! Well, its not completley worthless, it makes a pretty good hammer, and I bet I could crack someone skull if I threw it hard enough
 
Meh, I have a Cobra CA 380, and while it isn't all that great in the accuracy dept. it does go bang. It is kinda picky about ammunition, but it is accurate for every distance I would encounter inside of my house.
 
I must agree with others..

..cheap and junk are not always the same. Once again I bring up hi-point, mine purchased for $119 NIB, put about 2k rounds through it of cheap crappy mixed reloaded junk, fired great, fairly accurate. As with any gun keep it clean it fired good for me. It is cheap because it is big, blocky, chunky, ugly, heavy, and the roll marks were done by a demented monkey, but it has been very reliable. No I dont like it as much as guns I paid 800 for but it still gets the job done. Now I had a jennings - that was junk regardless of the price.
I Would much rather have a cheap reliable gun than nothing.
 
Just today, at the gun show, you could get a romanian Tokarev for $169. Spare mags were $10, and ammo was cheap, too. That's HiPoint prices, folks, for an all steel service handgun.
 
my cobra went bang, three times and then stopped working. After pulling of the slide, the firing pin fell out, and it was BENT! Never trusted that gun since then, i bent it back and it still goes bang, but still.
 
This reminds me of the saying "A .22 in hand beats a .45 at home in the safe" which is a philosophy some of the other posters in this thread have replaced with "Never leave your .45 at home in the safe".

I'd much rather have a nice gun made by a manufacturer with very good reputation. We all would. That's not the point of this question and any poster who has said "Only the good stuff for me" doesn't get it IMHO.

Unfortunately not everybody can afford an $800 gun, for some even a $400 Glock is too much. To me there's 4 basic tiers of defense handguns (by price point) and having no gun at all:
  • 1. Expensive guns that most people don't like getting all scratched up with use ($800+). The cost of these guns is a hefty percentage of many people's annual net income. It's unrealistic to expect somebody to buy an HK .45 for self defense if they have an income of $20,000 or less.
  • 2. Midrange guns that most people own and shoot (things like Glocks, XDs, S&W, Ruger,...). We're talking about $400-800 for these, most are $500-600. Someone making 20k a year might have to stretch to buy one of these but they can do it if they really want and they don't have a family to feed.
  • 3. Affordable guns (Taurus, Bersa, Kel-Tec, surplus handguns) which are pretty economical, between $250 and $400. Some brands, like Taurus, may have bad reputations for reliability. Others, like Bersa, have excellent reputations. Most people (80% or more) can afford one. Some may need to scrape together the funds but they can do it if they want.
  • 4. The guns that nearly all of us sneer at and refuse to own. This is stuff like Hi-Point, Jiminez, Cobra, RG, Nagant revolvers, etc. Anyone can acquire one of these guns. Most of them aren't reliable or durable because the materials and workmanship aren't very good. Some people buy them because they have much to learn about guns and others buy them because it's all they can afford.
  • 5. Pepper spray, stun gun, knife, baton, spray painted water pistol, "reasoning". Pepper spray or stun guns can incapacitate if used properly. Knives won't look good in court, a fake gun is a bluff with good odds of working and disastrous consequences if it doesn't, and violent criminals are past the point of reason.

So, is having a tier 4 gun better than having no gun? I think so, but not much better than having pepper spray. Most times criminals want to gain at your expense with a minimum of risk to themselves. Having a gun presents a credible threat that changes the risks for a criminal. Even a crappy gun can kill so criminals will likely seek easier pickings from someone else. I'm pretty sure that a Hi-Point is better than harsh language when it comes to home invasion. If it was all I could get, that's what I'd have. I'm fortunate to have better.

That said, IMHO you should seek the best weapon you can afford. Drawing a gun is no guarantee of deterrence. A criminal may be mentally ill, on drugs, or undeterred by the sight of your gun. At that point your odds with a painted water pistol suck, they improve with a cheap gun, and they get much better with an XD or Glock.
 
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Just having a gun without a shot being fired makes the BG go away in the great najority of cases. In those common cases, it doesn't matter if it is junk.
 
Inexpensive guns don't equal cheap guns.

I have 3 hi-points at my house. They are inexpensive. They go bang 98 % of the time. FTF is the only issue with them. I am still breaking them in. and working on the right handloads.

I have a Cheap Jennings J22. I won't sell it because I don't think anybody else should have to suffer it. it is now a single shot.

Inexpensive guns are FAR better than no guns.

Cheap guns are ALMOST as useless as no gun.

I have other, more expensive guns, but I like my inexpensive guns, too.

I DISLIKE snotty snobs looking down their nose at people who choose to purchase a certain brand or style of product.

Please note - I haven't associated the description above with ANY individual here. However, maybe that shoe fits and if so, you will realize that not everybody shares your values.

Mark
 
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