Was thinking the other day about buying a pistol that was intended to live in my truck. I'd keep it in a small safe when I parked, but otherwise just so there is always a gun at hand even if I wasn't able to carry on my person that day (due to work usually). ANYWAY

Cheap - like under $300 or prefer closer to $200.

Decent brand and model that will work.

not just blued metal - either treated, aluminum, stainless, plastic, etc

Don't care which caliber. .380 and up.

Don't care if revolver or semi-auto.

Thoughts ?? Thanks ahead of time for any input. Can't have all my cake and eat it too?
Or just haunt the pawn shops ?

I don't want to leave my DAK in the truck all the time and I don't want to leave my SP101 in the truck all the time...

Maybe a used Glock 19 or 23 Gen3. I prefer the 19 myself but the 23 in .40 would probably be significantly less. Tons of great values in used pistols right now if you are OK with .40.

If you want new maybe a Smith and Wesson SD9VE.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/ca...W+SD9VE+16%2B1+9mm+4

My DAK is a .40, so have plenty of .40 ammo on hand. Didn't realize they were going for discount now days..

Just got a message from Tanner's. They have a new Kahr CT40 for $235. Stainless slide on polymer base.

Maybe a used S&W 64. I have a police trade in S&W 65 that wasn't much over $300.

I had a S+W SW9VE sigma 9mm. Polymer frame and S/S slide, comes with 2 16 or 18 round magazines, I can't remember which, under $300. I had one as my first gun and had zero malfunctions until the 6500 round mark when I had one FTE. Pistol was very accurate, great ergonomics, and looked perfect when I traded it with 10k rounds through it. It had a horribly heavy DAO trigger.

If you search around, you can find used Gen 3 Glock 22s and 23 around $300 or so.

Summit Gun Brokers has police trade-in M&P .40s for $249. (I've never had a problem with my M&Ps rusting, but the factory sights tend to.)

For new - I'd go with the S&W SD9VE. I saw on Mrgunsgear's Facebook page that Brownells had them for $249 shipped with a code.
The factory trigger...well...sucks. But for $20 you can get the Apex Tactical spring kit which make a HUGE difference.

Kahr polymer pistols have stainless steel slides IIRC, you could find a used 9mm for under $300

AIM Surplus has some trade in Glock 21's for $299 right now, and I've been seeing a fair amount of police trade in 3rd Gen Smiths in .40 at shows and in gun stores of late.

I'd probably try to find one of those Smiths for your requirements.

S&W M&P9 1st Gen. You can find them right around $300 used. or any used Glock 17 or 19, or Used P99 or PPQ. or FN FNS9.

I'd take any of these as used guns before I buy some of the 'budget' guns new.

916 Home Security Pack MSRP $215.00

Cheap, reliable, lifetime warranty, and a powder coated lock box suitable for home or vehicle.


https://www.hi-pointfirearms.c...e-Security-Pack.html

As mentioned above on the used firearms.

New walther PPS are just under $300 and have the tennifer finish.

The Kahr CT40 as mentioned above are single stack as well, 7 shot with stainless slide and polymer frame. I picked one up just because of the pricing out there.

Bersa Thunder .380 Stainless.

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:
If you search around, you can find used Gen 3 Glock 22s and 23 around $300 or so.

Summit Gun Brokers has police trade-in M&P .40s for $249. (I've never had a problem with my M&Ps rusting, but the factory sights tend to.)

For new - I'd go with the S&W SD9VE. I saw on Mrgunsgear's Facebook page that Brownells had them for $249 shipped with a code.
The factory trigger...well...sucks. But for $20 you can get the Apex Tactical spring kit which make a HUGE difference.

This is great advice.

I ordered a used police trade-in M&P .40 with 2 mags from Summit Gunbroker for $249.00 and the thing was MINT. You can also buy spare mags from Mark for $12.50 each. My night sights are even bright. This is the best deal on an inexpensive high quality handgun that I've seen to date. Buy with confidence.

I recommend a glock. Whatever one makes your price/caliber/size point. I have conducted a series of bad storage tests and hands down the glock wins every time over any other name brand (Of course I don't own everything but for sure I can say over HK, SIG, S&W, Ruger et al.
FWIW.

For bouncing around in a truck, getting dusty and dirty and subject to weird weather conditions, not costing much, being able to be totally safe while bouncing around under and around you and your loved ones and tolerating lots of neglect....but still 100% reliable..

Find an old Ruger P89/P93.
Ugly, but perfectly reliable.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: inspcalahan,

Ruger SR9/40
Walther Creed
Any old P Series Ruger
Used Canik
Used G22 or 23

quote:

Originally posted by inspcalahan:
For bouncing around in a truck, getting dusty and dirty and subject to weird weather conditions, not costing much, being able to be totally safe while bouncing around under and around you and your loved ones and tolerating lots of neglect....but still 100% reliable..

Find an old Ruger P89/P93.
Ugly, but perfectly reliable.

I was going to say a Ruger P95 or P97.

But, that is because I have the P97.

I'd feel comfortable with it for your role.

Get a used Ruger GP-100. There was a place selling them used for around $300 a couple of years ago, so they're out there.

Many of the above posts already cover the usual suspects so I'll add to them instead:

Taurus G2/G2C: requires the potential buyer to get over the trauma/stigma of buying from a company that in the past was infamous for making crappy firearms that too often didn't perform, or outright broke. These days that sort of thing is a rarity with their current lineup. The G2 and G2C are indicative of what a company can build after making the RIGHT change in management. Taurus is hell bent on trying to fix their notorious reputation that they're willing to entice folks with dirt cheap pricing just to get the word out that they DO know how to build high quality guns. However anyone who remembers or experienced the garbage products will have a much higher bias to overcome. Both G2 and G2C are shockingly good shooters; so-so on the triggers but more than usable and effective as-is. Can't say for certain how good the guns will be against corrosion, however, or how either would hold up to neglect and abuse.

Walther PPX: just like the Creed, only slightly older. Decent trigger, big, robust and packed with a solid feel. How the Germans would construct a High Point.

Ruger SR9/SR40, stainless slide (used): these days the new ones are priced slightly over $300, so to keep to your criteria you'd technically have to look at used ones to keep it under your pricing threshold. Ruger makes/made comparable versions that are cheaper like the aforementioned Security 9 or the discontinued 9E, but the SR series is where those came from. You have to put up with all of the lawyer crap but they work pretty well despite all of the legalese BS plastered in and on them.

================

Of the guns already mentioned, I'd seek out a 'Teflon' finish Gen3 40S&W Glock for its ruggedness, durability and maintained reliability. 40s LE trade-ins are cheap these days, including Glocks. So many are scared off from the caliber, which means more ammo for the rest of us. The slicker Teflon-like finish is indicative of a slide that also received the Tennifer acid pretreatment. Later Gen3s got the Tennifer-delete just like all of the Gen4 guns. Damn bean counters...

I've seen rusty M&Ps; 1.0s got the Melonite finish which turns out is a poor match with stainless slides...which S&W uses as their baseline slide material. Melonite makes SS more vulnerable to corrosion, which is why S&W switched to a different finish with the 2.0 guns. M&Ps also don't appreciate being doused with water, and do poorly in exceptionally dirty conditions especially when the crud works its way into the innards of the firearm. Plus their triggers too often suck.

Walther: the PPS M2 is now easy to find priced under $300. I like mine a lot but I have no knowledge or experience with it in dirty and abusive conditions. I suspect that the "ain't no Glock" rule will apply. I've jammed up a PPQ before, and frankly I don't see any reason why the same couldn't happen with the single stack if I were properly motivated. As much as I like the gun I generally don't feel as if it's going to be as reliable as the typical abused and neglected Glock.