Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Throw away guns

A friend of mine is a former sheriff and one day at his house I noticed two places where he had a pistol stuffed away. Obviously one in his truck, but also one in each other car, one on his motorcycle and a couple in his garage.

He bought them dirt cheap when he found them, then just put them in various places. I thought it was an interesting idea, but there are certain risks of course. His angle was he wasn't concerned about losing a cheap gun. But while he may have got them at bargain basement prices, none of the guns were "cheap". One was a Browning Hi Power that someone let rust, but mechanically it was still in perfect condition. There was a Series 70 1911 with the same story. And a 3rd gen stainless S&W 9mm (690x).

I got to thinking, what would be a cheap used gun that I wouldn't mind sitting around somewhere. The more I thought about it, a brand new S&W Sigma is about the price of most any used decent handgun, and Sigma's are actually very reliable pistols.

Too bad LE trade in S&W revolvers aren't around any more...

Any thoughts from the group??

I would never trust my life to a damned Sigma. I had one of the later versions and the trigger pull was so heavy that it was downright dangerous. I've heard others say the same thing.

LE trade in revolvers are still around if you go to gunshows. They have been supplanted to a great extent, by LE trade in semi-autos.

The question is very dependent on what somebody considers "cheap". You would be hard-put to get a Colt like that for much less than $600 around here. Glocks can be had for around $400. So if $400 is the bar, why not several Glocks.

They sell some of those Sig's for around $300, brand new too.

Most of the guns cheaper than that, like a Kel Tec POS, I wouldn't trust the life of myself or my family to. I don't care how "uber" they are.

The triggers are crappy but they do work.

I was part of a group that put 10k rounds through a Sigma when they wen to the "E" series Sigma's, they're reliable pistols. It's what I recommend to people who are on a very tight budget. I'd say in a pinch I could deal with a bad trigger. But in a pinch I'd rather have a reliable gun than a good trigger.

As for LE revolvers. Last time I was at a gun show the cheapest S&W model 10 was $359.00 and my buddy bought that one up. Every other one was $100.00 more. That's not cheap.

^^^THIS!!!^^^. Might as well buy a friggin Hi-Point

I noticed CDNN has some brand new Walther PPX M1 9mm's with 2 HiCap 16rd mags and a holster for $279.00. Don't know that much about them, but they have got to be more reliable than a damn Sigma.

Notice they also have NIB Ruger SR-9 or SR-40 on sale for $369. I bought my Mom a Ruger SR9 for home protection several years ago, and shot it extensively before I gave it to her to ensure reliability. It works great and has a pretty good trigger, too.

I love S&W Revolvers, but wouldn't recommend a Sigma to anyone ! You couldn't give me one!

Saw some LE trade in revolvers, S&W model 15 and model 10, 4 inch for around 350.00 at a recent gun show.
Some nicer than others, all tight.
They are still available.

A good Glock police trade-in would also be hard to beat. I see them usually priced at $350 to $400

Ruger LCRs

I have an old Charter .38 2" that fits the bill. Powerful enough to take care of 90% of the needs, but cheap enough that I couldn't muster a tear at losing it.

One of my favorite "cheap" guns is my old Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 spec.

Spot-on.

If you're a GSSF member or volunteer firefighter or some other stuff you can buy new Glocks from gandrtactical for $400.

Kevin, your Hi-Point pistols might qualify ...

Contrary to popular assumptions and universal thrashings,
the butt-ugly buggers are durable, dependable, and even accurate.
I wouldn't throw one away if I had one - but probably wouldn't cry either if I lost one.

I'd be thinking along the lines of a Ruger SR-9, or a 3rd Generation Smith and Wesson in about any chambering.

Other than that, a Walther P1 might fit the bill.

taurus and ruger revolvers. you could leave a loaded revolver sit in a mud puddle for weeks and it would still fire.

A hideaway gun should be as good as your everyday carry gun. You may ask it to save your life someday.. I have many stashed away around the house. I always have one within reach. They range from sig 380. To revolvers to 1911s
A python in the kitchen cabinet and an anaconda by the front door with a flashlight.
Kids are grown and gone. Would never do this with kids around..

I traded for a EAA Windicator .357 snubby a few days ago. The pistol is German built, all steel and accurate. They could have spent five more minutes smoothing some edges on the hammer and trigger though. These things retail for under $300. I'm in this about $200 NIB and real happy with it.

My choice over the years was some Colt Police Positives in 38 special, that had been used by LE in Brazil. Think I paid $79 each for 5 of them. The were pretty wore out and looked awful, but they still went bang reliably. Then the price on them went way up and I sold all but the best two of them.

Now I have a Ruger P95 stashed in my pickup and an old Charter Arms bulldog in my car. I think I have a total of about $220 invested for both of them. Either should discourage a carjacker and won't be any great loss if I get broke into.

If I leave something about the house or my truck for immediate use, it is a first line gun regardless of the cost or value. To me a throw away gun is a reliable gun that I don�t use and just have not gotten around to selling or trading, or I couldn�t get enough out of it to justify selling it. It is a gun I would give to a relative or friend if they needed a gun, but the type of person who isn�t going to cherish it like an heirloom even if I gave them a collector piece. Right now I can think of a Kel Tec P11 that has been 100% reliable, a Beretta Nano and an AK47 that I got really cheap a long time ago.