Please explain "Why cheap not the best"

[Kirk Freeman]

Why would you carry the cheap gun and not the best (be it a Ravine or a Bear or the other way around) you can in defense of your life? It seems to me if your life or your loved one's life depended on it you would want the best tool to protect them in your holster that you could afford.

It is the defense mechanism of rationalization.

See if this helps=>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationalization_(psychology)

 

[LarryC]

I certainly carry one of the best firearms I own, if (and I pray it never happens) I have cause to use it and it is confiscated so be it! If I am still alive the cost of the gun is immaterial, it has done the job and if it is never returned I would not be concerned. I carried a SS Colt Double Eagle 45 ACP for over 20 years. I trained with it, and I was more than accurate enough for the task, fired several thousand rounds through it and it was eminently reliable.

As I aged (I am now 78) it became uncomfortable to carry as it is heavy and fairly large, I carried it in an ITBH in the small of my back. I had told my sons I was getting ready to purchase a Kimber Solo so two of my sons and their wives gifted me with a the Kimber a couple of years ago. With +P defense ammo it has proven to be quite reliable and accurate. I still don't like the 9mm caliber as well as the 45, but I do carry it and feel sure it will do what I need.

I too can't understand why anyone would worry about carrying an expensive gun they own that is reliable just because of the concern it might be confiscated! To me it would be like not driving your safest, most reliable vehicle in bad weather because you might damage it.

 

[Tactically Fat]

What *I* don't get is the folks who make the decision to spend $500+ on a carry gun + a few mags... And then continue to use a damned crappy Walmart belt and as cheap of a POS Serpa or Uncle Mike's holster they can find.

People would be WAY way WAY better off with a $300 Ruger Security-9 and a QUALITY holster and QUALITY belt over a $500 G19 and a crappy belt and holster.

 

[rb288]

At different times and under different circumstances, I carry a CZ Rami, a Glock 26, a CZ P07, or a Glock 19, or 19x.
I don't consider any of those as "cheap or inexpensive".

 

[bwframe]

How much you spend on the gun vs how much you spend training to use it effectively?

 

[Trapper Jim]

I would never buy a Baer/Wilson etc let alone carry one.
But I do jump off head first sinking funds into dark holes that I do carry. But in this I am fully competent they will work if the need arises. And like most I pray it never does.

I can make no argument as to the Poly offerings mentioned. They serve a well defined purpose. And serve it well.

Just curious. Why no to Baer/Wilson?

 

[churchmouse]

Just curious. Why no to Baer/Wilson?

Easy. For that money I can build my own to the same or better level. I have a safe full of them.
It is just the way my mind works. No knocks on those offerings but mine are just.....well.....better.
In my mind anyway.

 

[EricG]

One would have to define "cheap" and "best". Both are sorely subjective in the gun crowd and how does one measure those?

Assuming mindset is already cultivated...
1)Buy a firearm and its supplemental equipment. (Holster, safe, cleaning equipment)
2)Train(at least annually) and practice regularly(at least weekly).
3)Measure performance regularly and push your limits.

Whether that's with a $300 J Frame or $1800 Roland Special, know how to use it.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Just to stir the pot a little, I do have a C9 that has never misfired or jammed...

 

[HoughMade]

I have an M&P 9c that I have trained with, am proficient with and has never failed in any circumstance.

Why would I assume that spending more money than that cost would result in any benefit in a self-defense situation?

 

[Trapper Jim]

Easy. For that money I can build my own to the same or better level. I have a safe full of them.
It is just the way my mind works. No knocks on those offerings but mine are just.....well.....better.
In my mind anyway.

good answer brother. Have built and shoot several myself but love my Ed Browns too.

 

[2Lucky]

Cheap is not good and good is not cheap!!!!!!

 

[HoughMade]

Cheap is not good and good is not cheap!!!!!!

Not always true.

 

[thecapn2004]

i have a Hipoint 9mm pistol in my safe...the cost was cheap, its heavy, ugly but has never jammed, misfired or any defect. It has been a rock solid firearm.

 

[Sigblitz]

Price does not always correlate to reliability or suitability for a particular purpose. In the case of handguns, there are new high-dollar pistols that will **** the bed if not babied and used $300 pistols that will eat anything you feed them. Obviously, one should avoid the REAL junk at the very bottom of the barrel. But you don't have to spend a grand to get a good, reliable firearm.

I know some people that can afford essentially any commercially available firearm available in the world. Their justification for carrying a "cheap" side arm is that if they are ever forced to use it then when it is confiscated as evidence and "misplaced" in the evidence room they aren't out much.

+1

 

[Sigblitz]

I wasn't going to make any recommendations but seeing that others have.
My first gun was a Glock 23 gen 2. I'm so used to it, it's my preferred carry. It's cheap, concealable, has plenty of stopping power, and 100% reliable. It hits the bull if I take the time to line up the sights.
My favorite gun to shoot is a 1911 I bought from a member. It naturally hits anything I point it at. But it has a couple of safeties and I like that the Glock is always on. And I would cringe if it got impounded.
I have bought 4 figure guns that are crap. Until you lay down the cash and get it in your hand, don't believe the hype. Like Red Wing shoes, they hurt your feet and fall apart in a month, but they must be good. They have a good advertising budget.

 

[Beowulf]

Just to take a slightly different tack, when people have asked my advice for a "cheap" home defense gun, I've often had them look at surplus guns.

For example, my brother, who despite having grown up in a shooting household, never really cared much about guns. A few years back, when there was a plethora of used police S&W Model 10s on the market for $200, I picked two up, and gifted one to him (I made sure that I went over the one he got to make sure it was mechanically sound). I know that old Smith will go bang if he ever needs it and it's simple enough to operate under duress in almost any conditions (pick it up, pull the trigger).

More recently, there's been a large number of Beretta Model 81s hitting the market for just around $200. Despite being super inexpensive, they are Beretta all steel guns and are rock solid. Sure, .32 ACP isn't the most puissant cartridge in the world, but a good solid platform with extremely minimal recoil and a high level of reliability (and holding 12 rounds) would do really well for a home defense gun for folks on a budget.

So, when talking about cheap, you don't always have to go down to the latest and greatest plastic guns from Brazil or the Space Coast.

BTW - if you haven't picked up one of those Model 81s yet, you should. They are a lot of fun and a steal at $200. I got one for the hell of it and had ZR Tactical thread it for me. .32 ACP is natively subsonic, so it makes a fun little suppressor host.

 

[Beowulf]

Of course, for the budget conscious and recoil non-sensitive, the large number of .40 S&W police turn in guns on the market for $300 (Glock 22s, S&W M&P 40, etc) or less are a pretty good bargain for someone who wants a reliable and functional HD gun without a lot of coin to spend.

 

[Dead Duck]

Glocks Suck!

 

[singlestacksig]

the cheap gun in your stuff hand is much better than the $4000 one in the safe


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