Best handgun under 450

[gryphnrider]

I am looking for a new gun and have a strict budget. I am looking for a 9mm. Why does taurus have such a bad rap. And has anyone seen the sccy with a red dot site?

 

[gryphnrider]

I have owned an sccy before and I never had feed issues but I just want something that will be easy acquiring target.

 

[DadSmith]

Taurus G3c or the G2c are great little pistols. I've had 2 G2c both fired everything I put in it. My buddy bought one and I bought another for my sister because she liked the way it felt in her hand and the size, and capacity. Before I gave it to her I did my 1000rd test with it, and it did not fail me at all. Great little guns. The G3c is a newer version of the G2c. Grab one if it's available. Oh and sig p226 mags work in them if you want to get more capacity. You can buy the mec gar p226 18rd mags they work great in them. Go to eBay there is a guy that makes sleeves for them and the G2c. Also Ruger American 9mm very affordable and reliable. Built like a tank.

 

[jerrob]

I am looking for a new gun and have a strict budget. I am looking for a 9mm. Why does taurus have such a bad rap. And has anyone seen the sccy with a red dot site?

Perhaps look for something used with a few mags and some ammo too if possible. One gun and mag and no ammo make for some budget altering searches.
Your question regarding Taurus hate may be from some earlier semi autos having issues, I personally like their revolvers.
I think rkguns.com (Rural King) is running a special on the SCCY with optic right now, I have no experience or opinion on them
Good luck in your search.

 

[marvin02]

What @DadSmith said. The Ruger American comes in a compact version. Ruger EC9S or LC9S would be good to consider.

I don't know if you have a Dunham's near you but check their website. Dunham's and Rural King have had better hand gun stock than many LGS recently.

I believe there is a Ruger American 9mm in the classifieds right now.

 

[gryphnrider]

I have a local rural king that was where I first saw the sccy with red dot

 

[Biggredchev]

I bought a used Glock 19 gen 3 at the local LGS for $400 flat right before Christmas. If your looking for new i like my Walther Creed for a full size, if you want a compact im a fan of the Tarus G2C and G3S. Never touched an SCCY though.

 

[MrSmitty]

I've owned a G19...meh, I was excited to get it, but it didn't fit my hand right, I found an M&P 9c at a LGS awhile back for $349, it fit my hand, and I shoot it pretty good, so my vote goes for the M&P full size, or compact, my son has a Shield, but I like the higher capacity of my 9c. They're still available (?) and reasonably priced because they are not Glocks.....

 

[JCSR]

M&P or Canik

 

[92FSTech]

I've owned Tauruses (Tauri?) In the past...I've come to the conclusion that friends don't let friends buy Taurus. Both were revolvers (which actually have a better rep than their semis) and both had timing issues, shaved lead, and randomly failed to advance the cylinder. I traded off both at a loss and was happy to be rid of them. I've never had any of these problems with my Rugers or S&Ws.

Never owned a sccy, but I've not been terribly impressed with the ones I've seen. You can do better for $450.

I'd shop around and see if you can't find a used Sig P320, Glock, or M&P. A used Beretta 92 series, 3rd gen Smith, or used P2xx Sig sometimes pop up close to that price point as well. The Sig Pro line (SP2022 or SP2009) are also great guns that are often available under $450 if you can find one. I'd hold out...even if it means you have to save up a bit longer and buy new. There are good, quality options in your price range...but in today's market you may have to hunt a little harder to find them.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

S&w m&p ez 9mm
It's my daily carry and is a great handgun.

 

[TommyD]

I still like the Star Model Super B and the smaller BM.

 

[MCgrease08]

 

[Brandon]

M&p 9 either full size or shield.

 

[marvin02]

@fullmetaljesus, yeah I forgot the EZ9, going for $450 new around here. For $50-100 more you can get an M&P 9 compact or a Sig P320 compact (if you can find them in stock).

 

[KokomoDave]

If you can find a Canik, you would be better served than some.
Tara Arms is a new one on my radar. It is made in Montenegro from an aerospace firm. Low bore axis for less perceived recoil and great sight that can be easily replaced.

 

[marvin02]

If you can find a Canik, you would be better served than some.

Caniks are great guns, I had one that I really liked. The slide width made it less desirable for carry than I like. If you are comfortable carrying it, good guns.

@gryphnrider, here is a great sight for comparing the size of handguns:

Visually Compare Pistol And Revolver Dimensions, Weight, Capacity, And More | Handgun Hero

Handgun Hero lets you visually compare any two handguns side-by-side. Compare old pistols vs new pistols, pocket revolvers vs subcompacts, or anything else.

www.handgunhero.com

 

[bsmithg19]

I'll agree with a used G19 or a M&P. Not sure with the current used market madness, but a used gen 3 19 should be able to be had around $450. This time last year I witnessed several purchased at $400.

 

[EyeCarry]

...
@gryphnrider, here is a great sight for comparing the size of handguns:

Visually Compare Pistol And Revolver Dimensions, Weight, Capacity, And More | Handgun Hero

Handgun Hero lets you visually compare any two handguns side-by-side. Compare old pistols vs new pistols, pocket revolvers vs subcompacts, or anything else.

www.handgunhero.com

Plus one to Marvin02 for the website link. Thanks.

 

[SEKLEM]

I still like the Star Model Super B and the smaller BM.

I generally wouldn't recommend the Star models for duty pistols for numerous reasons.

Reliability of older guns with old parts is dodgy. I've read plenty positive things about Star pistols and plenty bad as well. Finding parts for them when they do go caput is becoming more and more difficult.

Manual of arms. For novice shooters, cocked & locked is probably not the best barrier of entry.

Capacity. Single stack conceal carry is almost a thing of the past. A pistol like the G3C has a clear advantage in capacity to the Star model BM as an example.

OP, Taurus does get some bad rep for their quality control and customer service. That said, most Taurus owners seem to agree, they find the value to be outstanding and its not abundantly common to see complaints considering how many of these guns Taurus sells. Taurus has literally forced American competitors like Smith & Wesson and Ruger to compete with them in the sub $400 price tier because Taurus dominates it.

Canik is worth consideration as well, as are a few other Turkish made pistols if you don't mind buying Turkish manufactured firearms. When it comes to protecting your life and the lives of others, it really doesn't matter where the firearm came from if it does the job.

I'd skip the SCCY with the red dot, in fact I'd skip SCCY all together. It's sad to say because the company seems to have excellent customer support and if you have a problem with their firearms they will make sure you get it fixed, but that double action trigger pull is petrified dog crap. Light primer strikes are an issue as well. You can also mess up reassembly pretty easily making it immensely difficult to get put back together correctly when it happens. Source, Me, it happened to me.