[ElMonoDelMar]

I've got some holiday cash burnin' a whole in my pocket. Are there any good deals to be found in a .357 for around $200? I don't care about holster wear I just want the gun to be solid and mechanically sound. Does anyone here have anything that would fit the bill or should I stick to gunsamerica.com?

 

[killerb]

Find yourself a good used Ruger GP 100. I don't know about $200, but maybe close. S&W is nice, but they are going to run you more. Rugers are strong guns that can handle lots of heavy loads.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

I'd be fine with a Ruger, Taurus or even a Rossi. I'm not too picky right now I just want to get some sort of wheel gun.

 

[Justin_Thompson]

Well buy something of quality, otherwise you'll wind up regretting it. I'm sure you can find a .357 for around $200 if you looked, but there's no telling how good it'll be or how long it'll hold up before breaking from use.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

If I can't find a good one around $200, I'll just save my money. I don't really have too much extra cash that I can devote to this right now. Maybe I'll just buy a pocket auto. I know those can be found for around that price.

 

[hoashooter]

You'll probably have to save a few more pennies to get in the Rossi/Taurus area :wink:

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

What is everyone's opinion on the Bersa 380? I could probably find one of those around here for 2 bills.

 

[uglydog]

The Bersa seems a decent gun for the price from what little I know of it. In the same price range I think the Kel-Tec is a better deal. I have two KTs, a P-40 in 40 S&W and a P-11 in 9mm. These are fairly small guns in calibers that have a little bit of bite to them, on both sides of the barrel. The P-40 has been discontinued but it isn't too bad to control as long as 165 gr or lighter bullets are used and especially if the +1 magazine extension is added. This gives one a total of 10 rounds available otherwise it is 9. The 9mm is much easier on the hand and is a pussycat with the extension added. Total capacity is 11, 10 without extension. Kel-Tec has a couple of other models available in even smaller packages with a single stack 9mm being the most potent and the P-3AT in .380 ACP being the most popular. There is a good Kel-Tec website whose URL I can't think of off hand. They have lots of mods one can do to their gun to increase it reliability and ease of shooting. I've done several of them to my guns and the diference is very noticable. One can also use S&W mags in the Kel-Tec though some tweaking may be needed to get them to work properly. This is a nice feature as the Smith mags are cheaper, easier to find, and have a larger capacity than KT. I carry my KTs regularly as a back up gun and not infrequently as a primary when out and about. They are not long range guns but with a little practice one can be fairly proficient out past 50 feet.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

Thanks for the writeup. I'm going to do a little digging into the KT's. After looking around, the Bersa .380 might be hard to find in my area, so I'm glad I've got the KT to look at.

 

[wwb]

If you're looking for a .357 wheelgun for around $200.... that's a tough call. One that you might come across is a Ruger Security Six. They go for $250-$275 in 95% or better, but if it has a fair amount of wear, it might drop to $200.

The were a generation earlier than the GP-100, but still rock-solid (and very underrated) guns.

 

[Justin_Thompson]

Listen to WWB, he's smart. I've got a Security Six and it's a great gun. Weighs about 2.75 lbs., making it slightly heavier than the S&W 686 with 4" barrel. That also means it's more durable and more comfortable when using .357 Magnums.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

I'll keep my eye out for a security six. I'm not going to get my hopes up, though. It might be difficult to find one in the condition I'm looking for. I'm going to drop by a few FFL's today.

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

The FFL in my area was able to hunt down a new kel-tec in 380. I went ahead and purchased it. Due to my holiday schedule, I probably won't be able to pick it up until Jan 5th.

 

[BigDog]

Short answer is no, save your money so you can get what you want down the road. Good used revolvers Colt, S&W etc are running about $ 500 - $ 750 in my area depening on what you want in terms of model, barrel length, etc.

It's not uncommon to pay $1,000 for a good revolver - in excellent condition.

 

[Guest]

I bought myself a nice used GP100 satinless with the 4" bbl looked like it had never been fired in excellent condition all paperwork and box it was 375$ I got the guy down to $325 since i have spent almost $3k in that shop in the last 6 months and it was before they had to pay taxes on their inventory. I havent seen a deal like that on one since but the 6" bbls tend to be more common used and go for a lower price its an excellent gun i wouldnt trade for anything thats what i would look/save up for if I was in your boat sp101's are slightly cheaper i believe if you can find one of those used as well

Aaron

 

[New_Geezer]

It depends what you want the gun for. If you just want a basic reliable revolver for home defense then Rossi is a decent no frills inexpensive choice. I have a 971, have shot a few thousands rounds thru over the 2 years I've owned it with no problems. It was accurate right out of the box and remains so.

That said, The Rossi is not built as precisely as the classic S&Ws, nor is it built to be as indestructible as a Ruger. I have no problem recommending a new Rossi but take it for what it is, like basic transportation, it's a Corolla, not a Ford 150, or a sports car.

Regards the Bersa 380, I have one and it's a good piece, easy to carry, and reliable. Over several gun forums, I've read many favorable comments about Bersa in general and especially about the .380. It may just be they aren't that popular but in fact I really can't recall any serious negative comments about Bersas of any caliber. Just based on what I've read, Bersas may be one of the best values in firearms out there, which is not the same as saying they are the best available.