Lower price alternatives in a high priced field of dreams

 Hi Y'all,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  This update has no question. It does in a way carry on the theme of the last question.

Firearms and handguns particularly are not cheap. Oh I guess as compared with cars or flat panel TV's, or country club memberships, their not so bad, but they can be very expensive, and that's not even considering collecting and that marketplace. Fine firearms at Sotheby's and Christies Auction houses regularly sell from the tens of thousands to the millions, and those weapons are never fired. If you had the coin and the willingness to deal with the BATFE you could pay the tax stamp and buy a fully automatic machine gun. The wait for permission and the actual transfer if allowed takes months and the cost of let's say a fully automatic M-16 rifle is about $5000.00 and a Browning M2 .50 Caliber machine gun will run at least $15 to 20,000. That is serious jack and they are investments that don't lose value. But who has that kind of coin layin round? Not me. That's for sure. As CHL holders and normal people with normal jobs and lifestyles it's sometimes hard to put money aside even for self defense needs which are usually down the list of priorities. That is incredibly wrong folks ! ! ! In this day and in this world, if you don't have anything to defend yourself with and that one incident happens everything else changes in the "BLINK of an eye" and it changes forever. "Killin a man takes away all he's got and all he's ever gonna be..." Paraphrased but true. How much is your life worth? Your husband, wife, children, grandchildren and their lives? I can suggest some lower cost alternatives. Let's take a look. If you take heed and get your self/families self defense needs taken care of you will stand a good chance of keepin what you have inanimate or human when the door gets kicked in or you're attacked in the parking lot or your own driveway.

Revolvers:  Smith & Wesson has a police trade in program. They take police revolvers back from Departments and officers who upgrade and rebuild/refurbish them and wholesale them at a fraction of original cost. I see them all the time at gun shows although they appear at different times due to upgrade fiscal year policies. They are outstanding values. I usually see .38 special and .357 magnum models running from $230. to $300.00.
Rossi makes fine revolvers available at stores like Academy running $199. to $300. brand new, Taurus has some also. You can also find great deals at pawn shops and gun show tables used sections, and you can bargain with those folks. Don't overlook Ruger single action/cowboy type guns the Blackhawks run around $300. on used tables as do their double actions in older varieties.
E.A.A. has revolvers in the $250. range. all are good guns I have seen and handled

Semi Automatic Handguns: Price leader new is Hi Point from .380 to .45 ACP most under $200.00. Some "experts" and retailers will tell you they're  cheap, and they're right. That is cheap folks. Not pretty but they go bang. I know this for a fact. Seen em and handled em. I see Ruger and Taurus 9 mm handguns in pawn shops and at gun show tables used at around $239.00 to just under $300.00 great guns great buys. EAA has a witness line that new runs about $350 to $450. Once again you can find Police trade ins from Smith & Wesson running just under $300. to $400. depending on model if you shop at the gun shows. Glock and Sig Sauer both have the same programs but are slightly higher yet still far below new price. FN and FEG both have high quality Hi Power (Browning 9mm) spin offs that are fantastic buys.

The first rule of a gunfight is ...."Have a gun". You will have more success if you shop around. Trust me. By the way. The Police trade ins all come with full factory warranties and most semi autos have some frills like Nite Sites a must have. These are all weapons I have handled and fired and would feel perfectly safe defending myself with, and when you just gotta have that fancy 1911 from Baer..... trade it in or pass it down and knock yourself (and your checkbook) out! Me..... I don't need a thousand dollar gun. All these I recommend are under $500.00 sooooooooo...How much IS your life worth? your wife? your kids? your grandkids?

Ask me about any weapon you are curious about. Truthfully I've seen damned about all of them and handled and fired most.

Thanks y'all.                         Your Instructor......EDDIE

A HUGE P.S.: Academy is running a Taurus PT 101 ( I think that's the model) in .40 S&W for $299.00. Taurus firearms are usually outstanding values anyway but this is an exceptional one. This weapon is what I consider to be a product improved Beretta model 92/M9 Taurus firearms come with a lifetime guarantee and are top quality. I have handled and fired several and they are very accurate and well made. They come with two magazines (I believe 14 rounds) adjustable 3 dot sights and trigger locks. They have a hammer drop safety as well as the ability to carry in what is known as "cocked and locked or condition 1. That is where you have a round in chamber, hammer cocked and safety in on safe hence cocked and locked.

Hey, if you want a quality weapon this a hell of a deal. It is a full size service type weapon but I carried its Beretta counterpart for years and had very little difficulty concealing it. It would be a great Christmas present.           Eddie