Typically, when I’m recommending a product, regardless of category, I tend to point people to the best in breed for that product. Usually that means a more expensive option. As the saying goes: “buy once, cry once” – that is, buy a better quality item regardless of price, as it will last longer and be more useful during its lifetime.
That adage is especially true when it comes to firearms and accessories. The lowest priced option in guns and accessories isn’t usually worth the cost in the long run, as they don’t perform as well or last as long as the more expensive one. (EDIT from WKL: I have found this to be especially true for optics). That said, there are some quality bargain options available. We’re going to take a look at a few of those today.
If you’re looking for a bargain gun, there are several options in new guns – but don’t sleep on the used market. If you’re willing to overlook some wear and scratches, used guns can be a great value proposition. If you do go the used route, be sure to go over the gun carefully and make sure nothing is broken, and check for any serious damage. As far as new guns go, here are a few of my picks for bargain options:
Handguns
The Canik TP9 series is one that I like for a bargain priced pistol. I did a review of the SF model a while back, you can read the full review here. The base model TP9 retails for around $380, the SF runs around $400. For that price, you get the gun, 3 mags, a fitted hard case, extra back straps, a cleaning kit and even optics mounting plates if the gun is optics ready.
The Palmetto State Armory Dagger is another bargain option. Retail starts around $300. While I don’t have any experience with this particular handgun, I do have some experience with Gen 3 Glocks, and this pistol is functionally a Glock clone. All the reviews I’ve seen point to a reliable, decent quality pistol.
If revolvers are your bag, take a look at the Rock Island M-200/206. The M-200 is the 4″ barrel option, whereas the M-206 has a 2″ barrel – both are chambered in .38 Spc. This is another pistol I reviewed, you can find it here. You can pick up this Philippine made gat for under $300.
Rimfires
This category has a goodly number of lower priced options available. You probably already know some of the names in the bargain priced rimfire market.
Savage, Ruger, Marlin and Winchester all make quality rimfire rifles that won’t break the bank. I really like the autoloading Winchester Wildcat, you can read my review here. While you can get a Mossberg 702 for under $200, I’d steer you away from that one.
If you’re looking for a bolt gun, the Savage MKII is an excellent choice that you can get for around $270. The newish Winchester Xpert, a bolt action .22, intrigues me, and it runs around $250
Some pretty good values can be found in rimfire handguns as well. The Heritage Rough Rider is a decent little single action revolver that comes in under $200 for the base model. The Ruger Wrangler is another low priced revolver. It comes in around the $200 mark as well.
If you’re looking for a bargain autoloader, take a look at the Taurus TX-22. You can usually find one for less than $350. The Walther P22 is another good choice in this segment. They retail for a bit less than $300.
Centerfire Rifles
This category comes down to two manufacturers: Savage and Ruger. Yes, Mossberg markets a budget rifle, the Patriot, but I have heard absolutely nothing good about them-and a whole lot of bad. I’m tempted to include the Winchester XPR, but with a retail of $600 for the base model it falls outside of the “budget” category.
Savage’s bargain line is the Axis series. Again, this is a rifle I have reviewed (you can find that review here). For around $400, for the blued/synthetic base model you get a very accurate rifle with a nice trigger and an optic. It’s chambered in a wide variety of calibers that will suit your particular needs.
The Ruger American is the other choice in this space. While I have had mixed results with Ruger products in the past-most notably an M77 Hawkeye that wouldn’t group smaller than 8″ at 100 yards-I have no reservations about recommending the American. I’ve had plenty of real world feedback about the American, nearly all of it good. The base blued/synthetic American retails for a bit more than $480. If you add one of the bargain priced optics I’ll get into below, you can have a reliable and accurate rig for right around $600.
I’m going to take a second here and talk about AR-15 style rifles. Call me elitist if you like, but I wouldn’t recommend most bargain priced AR rifles – this is another example of “you get what you pay for”. And unfortunately, they have all had different problems, so it’s not like I could recommend one and the fix for whatever problem it has. In the lower cost sphere, I’ve had the least number of problems with Palmetto State ARs. As of this writing you can get a 16″ flattop for around $450, but PSA is known for their ‘flash’ sales and you might find one considerably cheaper than that. I’ve also heard good things about Bear Creek Arsenal, but don’t have any personal experience with their rifles.
If you want a new AR, I’d tell you to get one from a reputable maker. Am I saying go out and drop $2k on a Daniel Defense? I did, twice, but you likely don’t need to do that. Just do your research before you buy.
You may want to consider building an AR. It’s easier than you think, and tends to be cheaper than buying a complete rifle (EDIT from WKL: be sure to also buy a quality armorer’s tool if you do this). You can also spec it out the way you want.
While we’re on the subject of ARs, let’s discuss caliber choice. If you’re going small bore, make sure your rifle is chambered in 5.56 NATO. 5.56 and .223 have the same external dimensions, but the 5.56 NATO round is loaded to higher pressures and the chamber leade (the area just before the rifling starts) is cut differently.
So while you can chamber a 5.56 round in a .223 rem chamber, the resultant spike in pressure from doing so can cause rapid unintentional disassembly of your rifle. Does that happen often? Not really, but it does happen.
I’d also steer you away from any AR chambered in 7.62×39. ARs chambered in the Soviet round suffer from major feeding issues due to the case taper. Well, there is an exception (of course), but starting at $1900, the CMMG Resolute is outside the scope of this article.
As an aside, I’m always available to talk about gun purchases and more than willing to help anyone with that.
Shotguns
This one is a little difficult to parse, as there are a ton of sub-segments in the shotgun category. One thing I will say straight off is to stay away from the really cheap Turkish made guns. Brands like Pardus, Escort, G-Force and Dickinson are all to be avoided if possible.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive pump gun, you can’t beat either the Maverick 88 or the Mossberg 500. You can usually find the 88 for under $250 and the 500 for 50 bucks more. If you’re going that route, look for a combo with both bird and slug barrels. The combos usually run $50-75 more but are worth it for most folks.
The Winchester SXP is another good choice. They usually start around $350 and go up from there.
If you’re looking for an out-of-the-box ready home defense gun, the Stevens 320 Security is an excellent choice. It comes with an easy to use ghost ring sight and either a pistol grip or a cutaway stock. It’s based on the Winchester 1200/1300 and accepts all accessories and parts for that series of guns. They typically run in the $250 range.
The least expensive autoloading shotguns that I would recommend are the CZ 1012 and Weatherby Element and SA-08. All three are in the $600 range, though you can find them for less. The Element and 1012 are inertia driven guns while the SA-08 is a traditional gas gun.
Optics
I will admit to being an optics snob. Very few of the optics in my extensive collection cost me under $200. There is a reason for that though, and it comes down to the quality of the glass. The least expensive rifle scope I use regularly, an Arken Optics SH-4 4-16×50, cost me about $400. They get a lot more costly from there (I’m looking at you NightForce).
Do you need to spend that much on a scope though?
For most, if not all, of you the answer is no. So the question becomes what optic gets you the most bang for the buck. There are a lot of lower priced scopes and optics out there, but some are better than others.
Were I looking for an optic on a budget I’d look at one specific manufacturer; Vortex. Their entry level rifle scopes, the Crossfire series, cover a wide range of sizes and magnifications. Retail starts at about $120 and goes up from there depending on features and magnification. They are the clearest scopes I’ve seen at that price-point and have an unlimited lifetime warranty. And when I say unlimited, I mean unlimited. If you drop your rifle out of the stand and damage the scope, it’s covered. Run your gun over with the truck? Covered. And they have the best customer service in the industry.
But, let’s say you can’t get Vortex where you live, what then? Hawke optics make some decent quality scopes for less than $200. Athlon is another decent choice. Their Neos line starts at $150 and goes up from there.
Red dot and reflex sights are becoming more and more popular every day. There are some good choices out there in the bargain space. One of the names has already been mentioned, Vortex. They have affordable, durable and accurate red dot options available and they all have the same unlimited lifetime warranty as their scopes.
The Sig Sauer Romeo MSR is a good choice for a rifle/shotgun red dot sight. The best part is it comes in under a hundred bucks. It has a 2 MOA dot and a 20,000 hour battery life. The Crimson Trace CTS-25 is another lower priced rifle red dot. This 4 MOA dot runs about $80.
Pistol reflex sights tend to be a bit more expensive. Most of the value options start at the $200 mark and go up from there. The Sig Romeo Zero is an exception, coming in at $139. I have this optic’s sibling the Romeo Zero Elite mounted on my EDC gun, and I couldn’t be happier with it.
The Crimson Trace CTS-1250 is a decent pistol dot that you can usually find for about $140.
Pistol optics in particular are an area where you shouldn’t cheap out if it can be avoided, though. Since most optics will mount to the slide that means the entire optic will be violently flung back and forth each time you fire, in a way that wouldn’t be true while mounted to a rifle or shotgun. This is difficult for cheap optics to handle – they will tend to lose zero quickly, and may actually break entirely from the shaking.
Keep in mind, you may be able to find the products I’ve mentioned here for less. The prices I’ve listed are either MSRP (and frankly, very few shops sell guns at MSRP) or actual street prices here. Guns and optics regularly go on sale, so look for that when you do your shopping.
If you have any questions about anything in the article or gun related in general, let us know in the comments.