New to handguns, haven't a clue where to start!

[Handsome Rob]

Cool info, thanks Dats! I'll take a ride up there tomorrow.

[Superman]

And they(Toliver's) always come down from the marked price. If you can talk to Mason, he is the best one there to deal with in my experience.

[tntnixon]

Ever thought of a Cobray or Leinad .45LC/.410 deringer? They're cheap enough and they'll do the job but not the prettiest thing that you ever saw.

Edited January 21, 2010 by tntnixon

[Sidinman]

I'm saying it will hard to find a larger cal handgun for under 200. Probably not impossible but not easy. Good luck to ya

[trblmkr13]

You could look into Hi-Points they are a lost cost option

[Guest jackdm3]

You guys are looking at this the wrong way. What the man needs is twin gold-plated .50 Desert Eagles with pearl grips and customized stenciling. Won't hit the snake, certain of that, but you know it will die of shock from the concussion.

But then there's the cost ...

[eapking]

Yeah Jack, I was thinking he needed a 10mm 1911 to shoot those wild hogs. But then...there goes the price right out the window.

[Handsome Rob]

LoL! you guys crack me up!

I had considered on of these........

but I figured that a) I couldn't afford it, I couldn't afford to shoot it & c) I like my arms in their sockets thankyouverymuch!

[Guest jackdm3]

Unreal! I thought it was photoshopped, but I know better.

[Handsome Rob]

No photoshop, it's an actual, working, production gun! The Pfeifer-Zeliska .600 Nitro.

Dumber than a sockfull of bees, but...erm....nope, that's about it really!

[gregintenn]

I'd search for a police/ security guard turn-in. A model 10 Smith and Wesson. You can expect little finish left, but a gun in good mechanical shape that has been carried a lot and fired very little. The last one I bought was $70, but that's been a while.

[Guest gasman59]

<<but is there anyone that makes a 'budget' revolver?>>

Your budget in mind, I'd be looking at Rossi or maybe Charter Arms, .38 special or .44 special.

[JAB]

I'd search for a police/ security guard turn-in. A model 10 Smith and Wesson. You can expect little finish left, but a gun in good mechanical shape that has been carried a lot and fired very little. The last one I bought was $70, but that's been a while.

Where in the world, much less in Tennessee, do folks find deals like that? Most of the model 10s I have seen are in the 'above $300' range and that is for older, beat-up looking ones at the shops where I consider them to have generally good prices! Most other used Smiths I have seen, in good shape, run closer to $400 or more.

I generally prefer revolvers but would absolutely trust my life to my Hi-Point 995 (9mm carbine) or to the Hi-Point 9mm pistol that is currently on loan to my mom so she can practice for her HCP (no, that isn't what she will carry - too heavy and bulky - but if I didn't trust it, she wouldn't have it.) That HP 9mm and my Ruger P95 are the only semiauto handguns I have that have never jammed, ever, period. Based on the results of everyone I have seen shoot it, the Hi-Point is also easy to shoot accurately. The 995 zipped right through some 'hard primered' ammo that the Ruger wouldn't even reliably fire without second strikes on every other round (meaning that the HP 9mm is the only semiauto pistol I have that has never even failed to fire on the first pull - of course, I don't have that many semiautos.) My brother in law bought a used HP .380 that looked as if it had never even seen a cleaning rod. The chamber was black from fired rounds and it looked to have little or no lube on it but we decided to see what it would do before cleaning, etc. Two boxes of ammo with zero malfunctions later, I was a believer. Thing is, snake shot isn't very likely going to have the power to cycle the slide on an HP. You could carry a mag full of regular rounds with a snake load in the chamber and then manually operate the slide after firing the snake load, I suppose, but I don't know that it would be optimal. The weight and bulk wouldn't be that big a deal if it were only going to be carried while hunting, etc.

As far as inexpensive revolvers, I have a Rossi R35102. It is a +P rated .38 Special five-shot snubbie revolver. My understanding is that these firearms are made for Rossi by Taurus under contract (the newer Rossi revolvers that are made by Braztech, that is.) They are said to be based on the old Smith and Wesson design with the firing pin mounted in the hammer. It shoots great, is quite accurate (as far as a snubbie goes) and the grips are very comfortable. The drawback is that the grips make it danged near impossible to use a speedloader but speed strips are an option and work fine, just not as fast. I got mine new in the box for $299 plus tax and background check (cheaper than even the least expensive, used S&W or Colt .38 in the same case.) That price was at my favorite LGS, though, and the other places I have seen them in this area have asked closer to $350 for them (at which price I'd spend the few bucks extra and get a used Smith.) I trust the Rossi 100% and it has been my primary carry, when I can carry, more often than not since I got it. I have practiced a little with it shooting at night with my mini-mag in my support hand as a light source and was surprised at how well I did with it. The advantage to a revolver, in your situation, is that it will fire snake loads as easily as anything else.

Edited January 21, 2010 by JAB

[Alpha7]

Unfortunately, probably half that. I know that I'm not going to get anything special or glitzy, but I don't want to have a bunch of money tied up in something that is undoubtedly going to get knocked around & scratched up and probably (hopefully) never even used.

I can't imagine I'm ever getting into collecting pistols like some do, because I suspect I'll never be able to carry one, so how it looks, who it's made by or wheter it's technologically up to date doesn't matter to me in the least. As long as it'll do what it needs to do, when I need it, I'llbe happy!

Then if you cant afford that get a high point then and be done with it 140 bucks out the door most places.

[Wingshooter]

This is about the cheapest I could find for a Smith on the internet. $219 for a Model 15 DAO .38spl.

Smith & Wesson Model 15, 38Spl 4in, DAO. Good to very good condition

[Guest tlondon]

This is about the cheapest I could find for a Smith on the internet. $219 for a Model 15 DAO .38spl.

Smith & Wesson Model 15, 38Spl 4in, DAO. Good to very good condition

I have one of these (not sold by J&G but have had it for several years) and love shooting it. This is perfect for what you want. You can get .38 shotshell for the snakes and .38 spl hollowpoints for the other "snakes"

[Handsome Rob]

Thanks for all the help & info folks, I really appreciate all of your time!

Looking at things with a little more knowledge now, it seems like I should be able to get myself set up for less than $250, but probably not for $200, with a good quality .38 revolver, which was my initial thought also.

I guess it's time to start shopping! I suppose a want-ad on here couldn't do any harm either

[Garufa]

PM Phantom6 here on TGO. He's with Austin's Tennessee Firearms in Oak Ridge, a TGO vendor, and has been known to get sweet deals on used Smith .38's and Rossi's. The very same security guard trade-ins you'll see on the net. His last batch looked brand-new, but that was last spring.

[Alpha7]

PM Phantom6 here on TGO. He's with Austin's Tennessee Firearms in Oak Ridge, a TGO vendor, and has been known to get sweet deals on used Smith .38's and Rossi's. The very same security guard trade-ins you'll see on the net. His last batch looked brand-new, but that was last spring.

Right on.

Long drive though from tullahoma.

[Handsome Rob]

Long drive though from tullahoma.

So's South Texas

I'll get a PM to him right away, thanks for the heads-up guys.

[Alpha7]

This on phantom6 website right now

Austin's Tennessee Firearms Gun Shop

CZ82 9x18 Makarov 2 mags Excellent condition $290

Polish P63 9x18 Makarov Very Good Condition 2 mags $243 Colt DA 5" Revolover Chambered in .455 Webley (Canadian Contract gun) $375 Sig Sauer P229 Black Nitorn with SigLite Night Sights, 3 mags, extra grips and case $700S & W Model #637-2 Airweight .38+P Like New $490S&W Model #64 4" Service revolver 38+P Excellent Condition $280Remington Model #710 polymer stock Blue barrel with 3x9x40mm scope chambered in 30-06 Like New $375

[Alpha7]

Last time I was in there he had some hi points in there in the case priced around 140 I believe.

[lowbud]

from what you describe a Hi-Point c9 should do the trick and probably under $150 out the door. 9mm ammo is pretty accessable just about anywhere and still cheaper then most other calibers.

I have had 5 different models of these and each one ran reliable. I still keep a c9 in the tackle box. The only ammo I have seen be unreliable in hipoints has been winchester white box. for whatever reason they just wouldn't run in any of the ones I had.

however, having said that. I shot 1000's of rounds of jhp's and fmj's that were other then WWB ammo and ran at 100%

Now, would I use it as a carry gun? chuckle., I don't think so. their big, ugly, and just too darn heavy for me to carry. Would I trust my life to it? Sure, why not.. after flawless operation of several hundred rounds. (just as I would any weapon) I have and do trust my life with it as a utility weapon, truck gun, tackle box gun, etc...

heck the one in the tackle box gets fired about twice a year, never cleaned, it's got rust on it, dirt on it, probably even fish scales.. lol yet every time I test fire it.. it goes bang every time.

Do I have better guns, sure.. are they more reliable... trick question.. how can you answer that when everything has fired 100%

each to their own tho....

[eapking]

LoL! you guys crack me up!

I had considered on of these........

but I figured that a) I couldn't afford it, I couldn't afford to shoot it & c) I like my arms in their sockets thankyouverymuch!

Now THAT'S A GUN!!!!

[StPatrick]

Now THAT'S A GUN!!!!

Goes well with this:

Wait...THIS is a knife:

/Insert three wolf knife jokes here.jpg