The Philly Armory is having a show on 4/1-4/2 and I was hoping to be able to find a .380/ 9mm/38 for around $150.  I have not kept up on handgun prices for a while so I am kind of clueless if I can find a decent one for that price.  It will be for my wife whom I am seperated with but I want her to have a gun in the house.  Do you guys think it's possible for me to find something in that price range?  I know it won't be the nicest thing in the world but it will almost never be shot except to practice once and a blue moon and god forbid used to save her life.  Thanks for the help or feel free to give me some other ideas

thanks guys,
Bill

You might be able to find something in that price range, but it will be used. I feel that when purchasing for self-protection - buy according to what your life's worth -. I hope you will be taking your wife with you so she can do the paperwork to purchase the handgun, here in PA. it's no legal to purchase a handgun for another person. I'm sure you meant you would be assisting her in the purchase of it. The National Guard Amory show should give you a good feel for what's available, I like that show, even though others may say it's a waste of time. I'll be there Sat. at opening time.

In PA you are allowed to buy a handgun for your spouse.

thanks for the info

Quoted: In PA you are allowed to buy a handgun for your spouse. thanks for the info

just to back your claim,it is ok to buy your spouse a handgun,but after the divorce(im not trying to be rude,if it isnt the case),have it transfered,so your no longer connected with the gun.
as far as a cheap handgun,you might be able to get a 4" 38 for that,(taurus,ruger)but autos in that price range are really not worth the money(jennings,bryco,high point,milsurp comblock)IMHO.
but your probally looking more in the 200-300 range for a decent used auto or revolver.i recently picke up a pair of 357 (smith& taurus) snubbies for under 250 each,but i dont recomend a snubbie for a house gun,stick with a 4"for that.buyer beware,most funshow dealers are just looking to seperate you from your hard earned duckets,and may feed you a line of b.s. to make a sale.
why not find a good gunshop,have a one to one with the salesperson,and tell them what you have in mind.ask them if they stand by there used guns.most reputable gunshops have a smith to check out the used guns,and will stand by the sale. good luck!

Star Model B in 9mm.  There are a bunch of them on the market right now and will put you back around $160.  Think of a smaller colt 45.  Functions are about the same.  They are used but do what they were built to do.....and your not buying a lorcin or some other similiar POS.

Cheap Used guns are not a good idea for Life Insurance

I would try to find a Charter arms blue .38 special 2" barrel.

NIB can be found for $250  - you get a warranty and peace of mind

thanks for the replys guys.  

I have actually thought about a Star 9mm and I have heard alot of good about them, if I can find one for a decent price I might pick it up.

I might also look into what AKRules recommended that actually doesn't sound too bad for the price and I like the revolver for a women.  I'm going to go the the philly show and hopefully find something decent and at a decent price.

LearningAsIGo:  do you have a source for the Star 9mm, I remember a little while back someone had a link to a company selling them for around that price

Star B might be ok, but you may want to watch out for the BM's. While most may be ok, I picked up one at a show that looked fine but would not eject. Luckily the dealer made good and replaced it. But it would not be my first choice for personal defense.
Just my view!

I would not trust my life with one of the autos at the bottom end of the price scale but I have a cheap Taurus 38 snub nose revolver that is 100% reliable and accurate.  I would expect that you can get a really nice 38 revolver for under $150 and the revolver will be 100% reliable, would be easier to learn to use, and it will work fine even if it is never maintained.

My wife has a Glock 26 with an internal lasermax and night sights.... but that is about $1000 worth of gun...  The Taurus M85 with the little 1.5-inch barrel that I believe I paid $130 for will out shoot the Glock any day of the week BUT the taurus is 5-shots of 38 compared to 10-rds of 9mm.

I would go with the revolver at the price range you are talking about.

Quoted: I would not trust my life with one of the autos at the bottom end of the price scale but I have a cheap Taurus 38 snub nose revolver that is 100% reliable and accurate.  I would expect that you can get a really nice 38 revolver for under $150 and the revolver will be 100% reliable, would be easier to learn to use, and it will work fine even if it is never maintained. My wife has a Glock 26 with an internal lasermax and night sights.... but that is about $1000 worth of gun...  The Taurus M85 with the little 1.5-inch barrel that I believe I paid $130 for will out shoot the Glock any day of the week BUT the taurus is 5-shots of 38 compared to 10-rds of 9mm. I would go with the revolver at the price range you are talking about.

I am kinda of leaning towards the revolver because of all the reasons you stated, easy to shoot, will go bang every time, no stopages to clear, cheaper and so on

thanks for the info

WMHM4,

I picked up a real nice FireStorm duo-tone .380 for $250 - just to have a Walther style knock around gun.  I've been impressed as heck with the thing.  Light, way more accurate than expected for a little gun, and I've fed it with everything from Hornady Gold Dot, to Blazer, to Wolf, to UMC with no stoppages.  My wife dubbed it her gun when we were at the range last time.

I also picked up a surplus Makarov in 9 x 19 (9mm Russian).  Heavy as a hammer, but has eaten 1,000 round of Wolf with out a glitch.  There's a $150 gun that I've never had a complaint about.

Revolvers are nice, but I'd stay away from some of the cheap used guns.  I had a used Rossi that the cylinder was out of alignment and would spit lead out the side when the bullet was shaved by the barrel/cylinder interface.  I also had a used Taurus that after a couple trips to the range the cylinder would not rotate or even open.  Thank God it's empty and I can send it back to Taurus.   The point is: Revolvers are always the #1 recommendation for new or infrequent shooters, but they are not as infallable as some would have you believe.

+1 for the 4 inch barrel as a home gun.

If I had to rely on a $150 gun it would be a Makarov.  It's not a budget gun, just a surplus one.  For the most part any domestic gun will be cheaply made.

I'm not so sure why you're so eager to buy at a gun show.

John at Seneca in Green Lane has a real nice selection of revolvers and pistols right now, and he can help steer you in the right direction. I'm pretty sure he can get you a decent gun for your purpose in your budget and he's just half an hour up the ortheast extension.

Trainers' and Surplus City usually have large stocks of guns and good prices. I don't know about the quality of the advice.

My experience has been that the bargains at the shows are far outnumbered by the average or overpriced stuff, and the guys in the know pick out the bargains pretty soon after it opens. John will sell you the gun at a very fair price, and give you good advice.

BTW, I have no interest in John's shop and I doubt he knows who I am.  He's been straight with me and everyone I know who has shopped there.

Quoted: I'm not so sure why you're so eager to buy at a gun show. John at Seneca in Green Lane has a real nice selection of revolvers and pistols right now, and he can help steer you in the right direction. I'm pretty sure he can get you a decent gun for your purpose in your budget and he's just half an hour up the ortheast extension. Trainers' and Surplus City usually have large stocks of guns and good prices. I don't know about the quality of the advice. My experience has been that the bargains at the shows are far outnumbered by the average or overpriced stuff, and the guys in the know pick out the bargains pretty soon after it opens. John will sell you the gun at a very fair price, and give you good advice. BTW, I have no interest in John's shop and I doubt he knows who I am.  He's been straight with me and everyone I know who has shopped there.

I just figured a gun show would have a large and diverse selection to choose from plus I have only lived in PA (PHILLY) for 2 years and I really don't know much outside of philly.  I might have to check out thoose 2 places you said.

thanks for the help

WMHM4,
If you don't find anything at the gun show...I'd also advise you to check out Seneca Arms in Green Lane, PA. John's got a bunch of S&W .38's ranging from mid-2's to 3 bones. I just picked up a Model 37 from him and the gun was almost NIB. John doesn't seem to take any "crap" into his inventory...and is always up-front and honest if you ask him about the "quality" of any of his merchandise. BTW, the Model 37's  MSRP is 5 bones.  I'm actually thinking about going back and picking up a .357 he had in his case.

Anyway, like AKsRule said, "Cheap used guns are not a good idea for Life Insurance". I personally don't like "cheap" guns....because you get what you pay for. Just my .02 worth.

~Mickey

P.S. Seneca Arms address is: 116 Gravel Pike, Green Lane, PA. 18054. Tel 215-234-8984

P.S.S. Yes, I carry his card with me...that tells you how much I like doing business with him.

I'll also vouch for John and Seneca Arms.  He treats all his customers well and will take some time if you explain to him what you are looking for.  He will not sell you a piece of junk.



Surplus City had Star B's for quite some time.  Give them a call and ask if they have any in inventory.  They were running like $160 out the door when they were down at the VF show about a year ago.

Sorry for the late reply.  I don't always check up in here.

I didn't realize you are local... I live near Valley Forge.

Honestly, I have not found many shops in my area that I would consider to have really great prices but I do have a favorite shop if you find yourself out in the Hershey Area...  tropgunshop.com/  They tend to have a huge assortment of used guns and I have picked up quite a few great deals from them over the years...  Hell, I worked there for two years before we had kids.

I also would not rule out the gunshows but you need to be careful there as some tables are way over priced while other tables seem to have guns with issues...  The Valley Forge Show is the best in the area.

Good Luck!

i think for her a .38 revolver would be the best bet,...i got my nag a 2.5in. Rossi .38 special,.. 250 with a lifetime warrenty,....she cant hit a barn 10ft away on the dbl action,...but on single ,...she can nail beer bottles 25ft away.

the reason i got her that is because she does not have the strength to work the slides on any of my semi auto pistols

+1 about the Makarov's,..just as reliable as a AK,.. usually 125-200 in price,..and with Silver Bear 115gr HP they pack a pretty good punch. i use to carry one until i got my piggy bank's full enough to buy a .45ACP  Taurus PT-145,... but i wouldent hesatate to carry the little PM again if i had to.

+1 on John at Seneca arms.  He gets all of my business.