Top 5 BEST Budget Handguns (You Can ACTUALLY Get) Amidst COVID-19
Adam Scepaniak 03.28.20
If you have been spooked by the coronavirus and are looking at purchasing your first firearm, but do not want to break the bank, there are several things that you should keep in mind. Aside from choosing a handgun that is going to be affordable on your wallet, you will want to think of caliber. The Top 5 BEST Budget Handguns we are about to name are all chambered in 9mm. For someone who is a 1st time handgun buyer, it goes without debating that they should purchase a 9mm. The ammunition is typically the cheapest you can get among all the popular semi-auto handgun choices on the market, the self-defense (hollow-point ammunition) available in 9mm is stout enough for defense, and there are exponentially more options available in 9mm than any other possible cartridge out there.
Another element you will want to look for is reliability which almost goes without saying. If you, or your family’s life is threatened, and it prompts you to display a firearm, in that moment of dire need it HAS to work. Because of this, every firearm on this list has a good track-record of reliability (regardless of urban legends spread around the water cooler) and they all carry a lifetime warranty. With those 2 strong points being covered of caliber choice and reliability, let’s jump into the Top 5 BEST Budget Handguns (you can actually get) in no particular order.
Top 5 best budget handguns – Smith & Wesson SD9VE 9mm
The Smith & Wesson SD9VE 9mm is the embodiment of what we are looking for. The funky name and acronym for this pistol stands for “Self Defense 9mm Value Enhanced.” It has a simple dis-assembly and maintenance process (it copies a standard Glock) and it has only the bare, essential features someone would need in a home defense or beginner CCW pistol. It also carries 16 Rounds in its 2 magazines you receive and has a semi-attractive look with a Bi-Tone finish. At an MSRP of $389 and often sold for much cheaper than that, it is hard to go wrong with the Smith & Wesson SD9VE 9mm.
Top 5 best budget handguns – Taurus G3 9mm
This is one of the newest firearms to make its way onto this list, but in less than a year it has been shown to be reliable, have multiple magazine sizes for varying situations and needs, and a very affordable price-point which we all have come to expect from Taurus. With an MSRP of $345, good stippling for dexterity, and a high capacity of 17 rounds this is a great starting point for many people if this is going to be their 1st handgun.
Top 5 best budget handguns – Ruger Security-9 9mm
This pistol got extremely high praise from James Reeves of TFBTV who is on our sister-website of TheFirearmBlog. This pistol has an MSRP of $379, but can easily be found for sale around $300 online and has drawn strong comparisons to the stalwart and storied Glock 19 (but it punches in at nearly half the price). So, for simplicity, affordability, and reliability… Ruger has a winner in this economy pistol for any new shooters in the reading audience.
Top 5 best budget handguns – Hi-Point C9 9mm
I know what everyone is thinking… has this writer lost his freaking mind! Hi-Points are the eternal butt end of every firearm joke! He cannot be serious?!… The truth of the matter is though that I am serious. Most of the naysayers of Hi-Point firearms have never actually shot one. They are, in fact, incredibly reliable for the most affordable pistol on this list. There are videos on YouTube and people abusing these pistols to high heaven, and they flat out work and keep chugging along. Where the Hi-Point C9 fails incredibly in aesthetics, it is the undefeated world champion in reliability. So, with an MSRP of $199 and a street price that flutters in the low 100s, it is hard to not mention the Hi-Point C9 in a virus, doomsday bug-out bag.
Top 5 best budget handguns – SCCY CPX-2 9mm
Finally, there is the less-often talked about SCCY family of firearms, who similarly to Hi-Point, make magically reliable firearms for an astonishingly cheap price. Based out of Florida with a lifetime warranty behind all of their firearms, the CPX-2 is a compact carry pistol with no manual safety and affords the owner 10 rounds in a very small package. You get 2 magazines (one flush to the frame and a 2nd with a small finger extension) and the pistols come in a rainbow of colors to suit anyone’s fancy. This pistol has an MSRP of $269.99 and is the personification of no-frills and all work when it comes to an economical carry pistol. Definitely something worth looking into if you are thinking of buying your first firearm.
