Most cost-effective gun for self-defense (2022 edition) - Pew-pew for me and you-you

[namvata]

For a rifle? Get an Anderson Arms poverty pony lower for like $50 and build your own AR
For a shotgun? Stevens model 320, it's like $200
For a pistol? Literally anything by glock. If you want a home defense pistol get a glock 17, if you want a carry piece get a 43x

 

[TheRedChair]

For a shotgun? Stevens model 320, it's like $200

Get a Mossberg 500 Combo kit. Both for hunting and removing varmints from the
face of the earth and you can get them cheap.

 

[GeeksHaveBigDisks]

I'm no gun expert but if your concern about ammo prices, you'll want a .22 Revolver. The gun should cost at least 200$, .22 ammo in bulk is very cheap, and very easy to clean, and low recoil for people new into guns.
My first gun is a Smith&Wesson M&P compact 2.0. A good quality gun and nice texture around the grip.

+ a suppressed 22 is really silent
- 22 is a weak caliber, so if the goal is to drop the attacker as efficiently as possible you should rather use a semi auto gunshot
But of course that depens on the self defense situation you have in mind. If you're thinking about an home intrusion scenario the best is a 10 rounds semi auto shotgun with self defense ammo. If your scenario is you walking in a dark street and you see two guys with knifes approaching in that case a Glock is more appropriate but if you watch police cams video you'll see that cops have often to empty their full 9mm mag on a crazy drug addict before he drops, so don't hesitate to take a glock with 20 rounds in the chamber.

 

[WelperHelper99]

+ a suppressed 22 is really silent
- 22 is a weak caliber, so if the goal is to drop the attacker as efficiently as possible you should rather use a semi auto gunshot
But of course that depens on the self defense situation you have in mind. If you're thinking about an home intrusion scenario the best is a 10 rounds semi auto shotgun with self defense ammo. If your scenario is you walking in a dark street and you see two guys with knifes approaching in that case a Glock is more appropriate but if you watch police cams video you'll see that cops have often to empty their full 9mm mag on a crazy drug addict before he drops, so don't hesitate to take a glock with 20 rounds in the chamber.

.22lr, memes aside, has been surprisingly lethal in history. If you're older or just want something small and on the cheap, it may not be  my first option, but i wouldn't reject it either. Hell the Ruger Standard Mark II in 22 was used by the navy seals for a time, as pictured. And the M&P in 22 isn't a bad gun, brother has one, it shoots just fine.

 

[Badungus Kabungus]

.22lr, memes aside, has been surprisingly lethal in history. If you're older or just want something small and on the cheap, it may not be  my first option, but i wouldn't reject it either. Hell the Ruger Standard Mark II in 22 was used by the navy seals for a time, as pictured. And the M&P in 22 isn't a bad gun, brother has one, it shoots just fine.

View attachment 4157289

Back in late Soviet/early Russian times the .22LR MCM Margolin pistol was used rather effectively by mobsters and hitmen. Light, pocketable, and accurate.


Oh yeah and it was also Princess Leia's blaster in the original Star Wars.

 

[Rapier Ape]

Ok wut? Actually CCW'ing a Judge? In her purse or something? It's not the worst in terms of cost effectiveness but it's still big.

Purse and in a holster under her jacket.

 

[Death of an Ego]

The most cost effective gun is the one you have on your person, no matter what it happens to be, that you can use to try to defend yourself. Because if you don't have it, it's useless, and doubly so if you wind up dead.

Spoiler: Gun sperging

I've always personally been more a proponent of learning about firearms, which is mostly free, and training with them, which can be more valuable than any hypothetical type of gun, or yours, if you don't have it, but is only free if you have connects. Obviously we aren't talking about training grandma with osteoporosis with a PTRD.

As has been stated, use of firearms is highly situational, and that's where training helps the most. You can't really conceal a rifle for mid-close, and you can't hit anything reliably with a pistol at middle-long without a lot of training and luck. Shotguns are good for home defense and hunting, but not much more. Avoid semiauto shotguns for defense unless you know the gun and are good at handling the recoil. Pistols can take time to get used to and be accurate with. Play the field. Learn what works for you. Rifles require a different kind of training. Learn them all, if you can. Only buy used guns if you have a few you are familiar with that are reliable. Never cheap out on ammo. Keep your guns clean, and your mind cleaner if you think you will be in a situation you will have to or possibly have to use them.
Never stop training with your guns. Good luck, and I hope you never have to use them in anger.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Back in late Soviet/early Russian times the .22LR MCM Margolin pistol was used rather effectively by mobsters and hitmen. Light, pocketable, and accurate.
View attachment 4160901
View attachment 4160905
Oh yeah and it was also Princess Leia's blaster in the original Star Wars.

I've seen a few of those online but didn't know the history. Cool to know it was Leia's blaster. Once again though, it proves 22 still has a place and in the right hands, very lethal. Would I prefer better? Yeah. But if it's this or no gun, I'll take this any day.

Purse and in a holster under her jacket.

That at least makes some sense, more than appendix carry lol. You can get 410 shells anywhere, and there are a few defensive loads that look pretty decent, and you always have 45 colt if you really want. Just with the Judge you have to deal with less stabilization due to the unique rifling, bur at close range... I've seen enough watermelons go bang with good defensive 410 shells that I believe it'll put down a crack addict.

 

[Black Spruce]

If you want inexpensive guns that are reliable, then I would recommend a S&W Sigma as a handgun for around $300, Maverick 88 as a shotgun for around $250, and a WASR-10 as an "assault rifle" as the media would call it for around $900. So that's something you could feasibly carry, something to hunt or use for home defense, and something you can rely on for SHTF. However I would recommend saving up for better guns because each of these has superior options for not that much more money. You could get a Glock 17/19 or a 26 if you want it more easily concealed instead of Sigma for around $600. You could get a Mossberg 590A1 instead of the Maverick for around $700. You could get a VEPR instead of a WASR-10 for around $1,500.

 

[WelperHelper99]

If you want inexpensive guns that are reliable, then I would recommend a S&W Sigma as a handgun for around $300, Maverick 88 as a shotgun for around $250, and a WASR-10 as an "assault rifle" as the media would call it for around $900. So that's something you could feasibly carry, something to hunt or use for home defense, and something you can rely on for SHTF. However I would recommend saving up for better guns because each of these has superior options for not that much more money. You could get a Glock 17/19 or a 26 if you want it more easily concealed instead of Sigma for around $600. You could get a Mossberg 590A1 instead of the Maverick for around $700. You could get a VEPR instead of a WASR-10 for around $1,500.

The Sigma is interesting. Old, heavy trigger, but pretty reliable, being such a direct copy of the glock that it created the SD VE series just to get out of law suits. If you want the modern successor that you can find cheap used, the SD VE series is a good choice and highly customizable.

 

[robobobo]

Let's focus on some realsies real quick. Base on the following assumptions: OP is a newbie and not going to spend months in tacticool firearms classes to become John Wick. A self-defense scenario is going to involve a range of 10 feet or less. OP is going to get a concealed carry permit, because the gun sitting on a shelf back home is not helping anyone.

Those statements in place, I recommend a snubby .357 revolver. Here is why. When you're being culturally enriched by diversity, you want a minimum of fiddly controls in the way like safeties or racking the slide to potentially fuck up. And if you have an automatic without a safety and you're carrying it cocked, someone has an unfortunate liability to shoot themselves in the dick when they're trying to draw, which is also not great. A revolver has a long heavy trigger pull, so it's difficult to squeeze hard enough for it to go off while you're drawing it. A revolver has only the bang switch, so there's nothing for even a frightened person to fuck up. Pull it out, point it at the diverse person's belly, pull the trigger until the bangs stop. Five or six .357s in someone's torso will likely handle any scenario with no requirement for aim as they're probably only a few feet away when you're shooting them. Running around with 15+ capacity mags is beyond overkill; if you need that many bullets you're probably already fucked. A revolver's limited capacity is ample enough if you're dealing with a couple people, and even if you're looking at a few people, if you put a couple bullets in one of them the others are likely to not hang around.

 

[Blasterisk]

Let's focus on some realsies real quick. Base on the following assumptions: OP is a newbie and not going to spend months in tacticool firearms classes to become John Wick. A self-defense scenario is going to involve a range of 10 feet or less. OP is going to get a concealed carry permit, because the gun sitting on a shelf back home is not helping anyone.

Those statements in place, I recommend a snubby .357 revolver. Here is why. When you're being culturally enriched by diversity, you want a minimum of fiddly controls in the way like safeties or racking the slide to potentially fuck up. And if you have an automatic without a safety and you're carrying it cocked, someone has an unfortunate liability to shoot themselves in the dick when they're trying to draw, which is also not great. A revolver has a long heavy trigger pull, so it's difficult to squeeze hard enough for it to go off while you're drawing it. A revolver has only the bang switch, so there's nothing for even a frightened person to fuck up. Pull it out, point it at the diverse person's belly, pull the trigger until the bangs stop. Five or six .357s in someone's torso will likely handle any scenario with no requirement for aim as they're probably only a few feet away when you're shooting them.

Newbies are scared by a full-size .45 half the time, the idea that a flashbang dispenser that also shoots bullets is the optimal solution just doesn't seem accurate.

The argument about safeties died with the Glock, and is dead-dead now that guns like the M&P Shield, P365, Hellcat etc. have double-tapped it.

Running around with 15+ capacity mags is beyond overkill; if you need that many bullets you're probably already fucked. A revolver's limited capacity is ample enough if you're dealing with a couple people, and even if you're looking at a few people, if you put a couple bullets in one of them the others are likely to not hang around.

Tell it to Rittenhouse. He "put a couple bullets" in two "of them" and was still challenged to a quickdraw competition by a fake paramedic who rushed into harm's way.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Let's focus on some realsies real quick. Base on the following assumptions: OP is a newbie and not going to spend months in tacticool firearms classes to become John Wick. A self-defense scenario is going to involve a range of 10 feet or less. OP is going to get a concealed carry permit, because the gun sitting on a shelf back home is not helping anyone.

Those statements in place, I recommend a snubby .357 revolver. Here is why. When you're being culturally enriched by diversity, you want a minimum of fiddly controls in the way like safeties or racking the slide to potentially fuck up. And if you have an automatic without a safety and you're carrying it cocked, someone has an unfortunate liability to shoot themselves in the dick when they're trying to draw, which is also not great. A revolver has a long heavy trigger pull, so it's difficult to squeeze hard enough for it to go off while you're drawing it. A revolver has only the bang switch, so there's nothing for even a frightened person to fuck up. Pull it out, point it at the diverse person's belly, pull the trigger until the bangs stop. Five or six .357s in someone's torso will likely handle any scenario with no requirement for aim as they're probably only a few feet away when you're shooting them. Running around with 15+ capacity mags is beyond overkill; if you need that many bullets you're probably already fucked. A revolver's limited capacity is ample enough if you're dealing with a couple people, and even if you're looking at a few people, if you put a couple bullets in one of them the others are likely to not hang around.

Not even that heavy, you can get a 357 magnum revolver, load it with 38, good stuff like the FBI load, and watch as well over 100 years worth of results puts the burgler down. Your gun basically won't wear out at that point, not with 38, even p+

That said, get what you're comfortable with. 9mm +p 124 grain will fuck shit, even out of a 3 inch barrel, which guns can be found plentifuly behind any used case. I say that as a revolver guy myself. Now a 15+ rounder is fine if it's a bedside/duty gun, but I would only carry it as a spare in a CC situation.

 

[Exceptional individualist]

If you’re serious about saving money, all you need is a hardware store and a little time…

 

[BoshiBro69]

As far as ammunition goes, .22 is dirt cheap, but not super effective. I went by a gun store in Rapid City called “First Stop”. They had some cute .22 revolvers for just under $200. Only problem is they had manual safety’s. If you want a cheap training handgun, that’s your best option. You might find something cheaper at a more mainstream store.

 

[WelperHelper99]

As far as ammunition goes, .22 is dirt cheap, but not super effective. I went by a gun store in Rapid City called “First Stop”. They had some cute .22 revolvers for just under $200. Only problem is they had manual safety’s. If you want a cheap training handgun, that’s your best option. You might find something cheaper at a more mainstream store.

You can get a Heritage Rough Rider with a 6.5 inch barrel for 139.99 with a additional rebate. It's single action, but it's something. Could als9 upgrade to 22 magnum with the Rough Rider platform.

 

[Blood Bath & Beyond]

If you're looking for something that is strictly for home-defense I'd argue a high-capacity pump-action 12ga shotgun to be the best option. You can get a Mossberg Maverick 88 All-Purpose 5+1 for about $250. Generally reliable and accurate enough for close quarters and short-range defense. Have the chambered shell as a warning birdshot followed up by 5 slugs and (so long as you aren't completely incompetent with a weapon) if they don't run after getting peppered with hundreds of BBs then they aren't going to be running at all anymore with that 2-inch hole in their chest.

 

[$80 Nude Haircut]

As far as ammunition goes, .22 is dirt cheap, but not super effective. I went by a gun store in Rapid City called “First Stop”. They had some cute .22 revolvers for just under $200. Only problem is they had manual safety’s. If you want a cheap training handgun, that’s your best option. You might find something cheaper at a more mainstream store.

Why are you recommending a .22 for self-defense? Vermin survive being shot by that round. A nigger burgling to fuel his ongoing PCP trip isn't going to drop to an entire mag of .22

 

[biggacracka]

If you're looking for something that is strictly for home-defense I'd argue a high-capacity pump-action 12ga shotgun to be the best option. You can get a Mossberg Maverick 88 All-Purpose 5+1 for about $250. Generally reliable and accurate enough for close quarters and short-range defense. Have the chambered shell as a warning birdshot followed up by 5 slugs and (so long as you aren't completely incompetent with a weapon) if they don't run after getting peppered with hundreds of BBs then they aren't going to be running at all anymore with that 2-inch hole in their chest.

Careful with warning shots. sometimes it can bite you in the ass especially if you wounded the other guy. I'd say either shoot to kill or don't shoot at all.
Also, bird shot, depending on the caliber, size, and range, can still be fatal to humans

 

[Justtocheck]

The grip of the Glock sucks. It's fucking hard to conceal without a coat. The m&p is better, plus has metal sights.