By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
A few years ago I received an enquiry from a reader. He said in part he simply could not afford the more expensive firearms of a thousand dollars or so and a six hundred dollar gun was a struggle as he attempted to build a battery of rimfires, handguns, defensive rifles, and shotguns.
When it came to the cheaper guns he was frustrated with malfunctions and failures to fire. Like many of us young and old he wanted to embrace the shooting sports including hunting but was limited by his budget.
I took it upon myself to help find the best firearms for the money possible. The primary goal was building a defensive battery. They may be called “Dumpster Fire firearms.” They are purchased on the cheap as spare pistols, extra rifles, and backup shotguns or perhaps because they are the only firearms you can afford.
Food, housing, clothing, a truck, and emergency first aid kits may not leave a surplus of funds for firearms. The bare minimum serviceable firearm is all that is left. Even if limited to $500 bucks apiece to stay within the Dumpster Fire theme I found good handguns, rifles, and shotguns. As it turns out I found that some offer performance comparable to much more expensive firearms.
As of this writing there are tons of used guns floating about in a favorable market. Some should be avoided. Others turn out very well indeed. I cannot tell you exactly what your pick should be, it is your choice, always, but I am qualified to lead you in the right direction. Remember your choice also leads to your consequences. Purchase the best firearms you can afford. Sometimes it takes a lot to put out a dumpster fire.
Dumpster fire definition: An utterly calamitous or mismanaged situation or occurrence- a disaster. A dumpster fire is hard to put out and often there is no good outcome.
Shotguns
During the pandemic there was a glut of overpriced Turkish shotguns. Some are better than others but all were double priced during panic buying. Today the situation is far different. A few months ago local shops had racks of used shotguns and some new pieces available for as little as one hundred dollars. Most were Turkish pump action shotguns. Some are smoother than others, and they are not all mechanically the same. Then the Black Aces self-loading shotgun is often found for less than three hundred dollars and makes a great defensive shotgun. The Mossberg Maverick pump action as a good choice. When it comes to shotguns you can really save money and yet have an effective firearm.
Rifles
A rifle that everyone must have is the Ruger 10/22. You may learn to shoot and practice marksmanship, hunt small game, engage in some contests, and defend the property with a Ruger 10/22. The beauty is you may purchase a rack grade Ruger 10/22 and add custom stocks, a heavy duty barrel, and other accessories if you wish and own as fine a rifle as possible. This is a must have rifle.
Next is America’s rifle, the AR 15. There are a number of impossibly cheap rifles that somehow manage to function. The furniture isn’t that nice and the rifles are delivered with no sights. The main problem with these rifles is the trigger action. When an AR fails it is usually the trigger parts. A rifle I have enjoyed good results with is the entry grade Anderson rifle. The Radical Firearms RF 15 has also given good results. It is simple enough to add upgrades or not add upgrades you don’t need. For personal defense and informal target shooting these rifles are fine. There should be a get your feet wet rifle just as there are go downtown and over the river good rifles. These AR 15 rifles are affordable if not something to be shown visiting dignitaries.
Handguns
The revolver is a baseline for those that are beginning their journey in handguns. During the past few months I have found several used but good quality .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers available. One of these was an Astra double action revolver. It showed finish wear but was in good condition internally.
Unfortunately many older revolvers are overpriced and it seems a high percentage have lockwork problems or broken parts. Forty years of Magnum pounding takes a toll. The Taurus 66 double action revolver has proven smooth, reliable, and accurate enough for most tasks. A snub nose .38 isn’t something you can leave in a drawer for months and expect to shoot it well. If you are willing to master the piece and understand its limitations the short barrel revolver is a viable tool. The Taurus 856 is good choice and one that I recommend after a month’s-long test program. Retail is about $400 or less.
In semiautomatic pistols the odds don’t favor cheap guns. In 1911-type serviceable handguns begin with Metro Arms. For a few more dollars the Springfield Garrison is a very decent handgun.
A polymer frame striker fired handgun is the baseline for personal defense. If the polymer pistol costs less than the Glock corners have been cut to cheapen manufacture. If the pistol costs more then what are you really getting? The Glock is affordable. It isn’t unusual for a well-stocked shop to have a rack of used Glock 9mm handguns. An average price is around $400. A new in the box Glock Gen 3 is $500 or so. Think hard about the used gun.
A new player that is getting a lot of attention is the Ruger RXM 9mm. Very similar to the Glock Gen 3 with Ruger reliability and affordability in its favor the Ruger is going to make big waves in the market. You may find the Ruger for $399.
Some folks like metal frames nice finishes a crisp trigger action and solid reliability perhaps even soft recoil. I recently added a new Bersa TPR to my emergency battery. The Thunder Pro Redesign is an update of the old Thunder Pro. A compact version of the Thunder Pro 9mm has served for over a decade. This handgun is comparable in performance to the SIG P226 or Beretta 92 9mm but with a much more attractive price tag. At $500 or less this pistol gives service size 9mm fans an affordable choice.
As for my own choices? A well-worn Cerakoted Remington 11-48 in 20-gauge is always ready to load up and go. I often take it traveling in order to remain at the top of the food chain. All of my family can handle this shotgun and it has never stuttered.
My front line rifles include a Radical RF 15 and Ruger 10/22 with Adaptivetactical.com stock. A go anywhere do anything handgun is a four inch barrel .357 Magnum, currently the Taurus 66. I like the one more shot seven shooter a great deal. For daily carry a well-worn Glock 19. A proven track record in thousands of pistols manufactured is a huge factor in my choice.
Dumpster fires are something that occur too often to be ignored. A serviceable firearm will save the day and if it doesn’t the put the fire out at least you wont get burned to a crisp!
