If you would like to be a gun owner, and don't have much money, what can you do? Gun ownership should not be reserved for the wealthy!
Bear in mind that ammunition is a large part of the cost of having a firearm. The least expensive ammo is .22 caliber, about $10 per 100 rounds for high quality cartridges. Practice rounds can be less than half that price. 9mm cartridges are the least expensive center-fire rounds. Winchester "White Box" in 9mm caliber may be found for $16 per 100 at WalMart. Military surplus ammo (especially for the Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54 rifles) is very inexpensive (but going up fast). Buy your ammo NOW, as the price is going up, due to a world-wide demand for copper and lead.
It is easy to find a new .22 rifle WalMart for under $200, and you should have one of those before getting a handgun, in my opinion. You can have inexpensive fun with it, shooting targets. You can also keep it in a convenient place and use it for home defense. A bullet from a rifle goes faster and hits harder than one from the same caliber handgun. You might also use it some day to harvest small game for your table. I also recommend getting a 30/30 lever action rifle (Marlin or Winchester). You can find these used for about $200 at pawn shops, and they are good rifles. I've gotten good buys at both pawn shops and gun stores.
Reliable inexpensive handguns are harder to find. There are only a few brands that are affordable new. You may need to hunt for a used gun, in order to stay under a $200 budget. (And don't forget taxes!) You can get an idea about what a particular model sells for at GunBroker.Com. Remember, too, that actual prices at gun stores vary quite a bit from place to place, and may be somewhat lower than "manufacturer's suggested retail."
Please note carefully: Sometimes guns that are cheap in price are also cheap in quality. I am not recommending ANY of the guns listed below. But they ARE affordable, and some of them are good guns. If you get a cheap gun, try to be knowledgeable about what you have bought. Study and learn! Inexpensive new guns (under $200.00) that have been found reliable include the Hi Point c9 (9mm) and Phoenix Arms .22 caliber semi-auto models, and Heritage revolvers. Bryco and Jimenez are considered sub-standard quality by many gun owners, but they are cheap, and may do for self-defense, if you can't afford anything else.
An excellent high-quality affordable GLOCK imitation is the Smith and Wesson SW9VE (9mm), which can be found $200 cheaper than a GLOCK.
Mouseguns Photo Gallery of Saturday Night Specials
Jimenez JA 25 Photo Gallery (Dependable, and inexpensive)
Cobra Enterprises of Utah (small and inexpensive derringers and semi-auto pistols)
Heritage Manufacturing Revolvers
Discussion: Best Handgun for Under $100
Looking for an Affordable Assault Weapon (Discussion)
Cobra 9mm discussion with photos
Kel-Tec Bargains
P-64 (Poland)
P-64 (Passagen Article)
The Unofficial Polish P-64 Website (and Bulletin Board!)
High Road Discussion of P-64
CZ-52 (Serger article)
Box O Truth Review of the CZ-52
CZ-52 Page on Makarov.com
Bob Tuley's CZ-52 Page
Get a Tokarev for less than $250
The History Behind the CZ52 (VZ52)
CZ-52 Prices on "Froogle"
Cheap Guns Discussion and Pix
Bryco, Jennings, Jimenez Forum
Shining Star Investments/Source for Jimenez Firearms
The Jimenez JA-380
Jimenez JA-380 Discussion on KTOG
Jimenez Discussion on the USRange
Jimenez Arms
Wikipedia Article on Jimenez Arms
Phoenix Arms HP22
Ayoob: "Cheap Guns Are Good Enough"
GlockTalk Budget Guns Discussion
Budget 9mm Pistols
Hi-Point 9mm Review and Discussion
Mousegunner's Hi-Point C9 9mm
Mousegunner's Summary of the Gun Tests Review of the Hi-Point CF-380
Hi-Point Link Central
Full Text of Gun Tests Review of the Hi-Point C9
More Kudos for the Ugly, Cheap, but Reliable Hi Point
Hi-Point C-9 Owner's Review and Discussion
Unofficial Hi-Point C9 Comp Site
Hi Point Pistols Reviewed
Another Hi-Point Discussion
Packing.Org Discusses the HiPoint Pistol
How to Clean Hi-Point 9mm (many photos)
Big List of Hi Point Web Information
Manuals for All Hi-Point Pistols/Carbines (PDF Format)
Owner's Report on Hi Point Pistol
22 Handguns Under $200 Discussion
Bargain Pistols (Article)
Gun Test Reviews of Cheap Guns
Saturday Night Special Forum
Raven Firearms
Bryco/Jennings Firearms and click HERE, too
Phoenix Arms HP22
Mousegunner's Phoenix Arms HP22A
Some User Reviews of the PA HP22
FiringPin.Com Guns for Sale
Hi-Point Firearms
Hi-Point Discussion on the HighRoad
Hi-Point CF380 Recommended by Law Enforcement
Hi-Point Yahoo Group (Excellent Resource)
Hi-Point Pistols Discussion
LastSonOfGilead Reviews Hi-Point Pistols
Lloyd Walker Reviews the Hi-Point C9 Pistol
Cobra Firearms
Bersa Thunder 380 (an excellent pistol, and can sometimes be found for under $200 in basic black)
Another Bersa 380 Review
Bersa 380 at Gander Mt, $199.99
Cobra Patriot Pistols
Patriot 45 Yahoo Group
Derringers
Heritage Revolvers
Makarov Pistol
Makarov Forum
Makarov Discussion
CZ52 Military Surplus Pistol
CZ-52 History and Review
Lots of CZ52 Links Here
Cheap Gun Discussion
Taurus PT22
Second Hand Ruger P Series
Firing Line $200 Budget Gun Discussion
Another Firing Line Thread
Economic Discrimination of Expensive Firearms
Blackmanwithagun.Com
"Shootin Shack" Sparta TN
NAA Mini Revolvers
Rossi Revolvers (Buy used for under $200)
9mm Star BM
Another Star Model BM Page
Surplus Rifles A Bargain
Tokarev Pistol
Tokarev.net
More Tokarev Pix and Info
Tokarev Prices
Lorcin 9MM
CZ52 for Self-Defense (Discussion)
Saturday Night Special Forum
Discussion: Reliable Semi-Auto Pistol Under $160
Cabela's Remington Rider Pistol (4.3mm)
Stoeger Cougar (Half-price Beretta made in Turkey)
Official Stoeger Cougar Website
Would you like a GLOCK, but can't afford the $520 for a gun? For $320 you can get a brand new sw9ve by Smith and Wesson. The sw9ve is Smith and Wesson's 9mm GLOCK clone, but with a much nicer grip, and a heavier trigger. S & W also offer the same pistol in .40 caliber.
This page is a part of www.mouseguns.com.