How much is cost a primary focus when purchasing a new handgun?

[Spats McGee]

The original question: "How much is cost a primary focus when purchasing a new handgun?"

I have a budget, and have had for a very long time. I just don't have a few extra grand to spend on a top-tier pistol. So cost is a factor for me. I'm not saying that I'm looking for a reason to buy a bottom-tier CC pistol, but I'm a big fan of getting value for my money. But whether cost is a primary consideration depends on what kind of pistol I'm buying, why I'm buying it, etc. If I'm buying myself a birthday present range gun, I'm not too concerned with it. If I'm buying a pistol because I need something (i.e. "I don't have a pocket gun & I need one."), I'm more concerned about getting as much bang for my buck (pun intended) as I can. So I guess "value" is more of a primary concern for me than is "cost."

[Jim Watson]

You can also spend $3000 for a gun that doesn’t work or shoot well.

Yes, and it is amazing to see the litany of excuses posted for a Ballistic Lemon.
"Oh, every once in a while a bad example slips through anybody's QA."
"It didn't work but they had Real Good Customer Service and fixed it right up."

[Mike P. Wagner]

Originally Posted by Recycled bullet

For me, the price of the ammunition is a greater encouragement or deterrent than the cost of the gun.

I think this is huge - I am a little surprised at how many friends of mine how concealed carry say, “I haven’t been to the range in months. I really need to get back there and send a few down range.”

And six or eight months later, they are still saying the same thing.

I wonder how many people who carry actually shoot enough to be pretty certain of where there rounds are going to go if they ever need to fire their weapon.

One of the instructors where I shoot likes to talk about “little Timmy” - if someone misses a target, he says something like, “Poor Timmy. He’s never going to grow up to be a doctor now.”

He’s being funny - but also making a point.

I don’t carry at this point, in part because I don’t think that my accuracy/gun handling skill are up to snuff.

To improve those skills, I go the range and shoot for about an hour - probably 150-200 rounds on average.

I would think that to me a reasonable minimum for improving or maintaining if yo are carrying.

Call that 7500 rounds/year.

Right now, I mostly shoot 5.7x28 - I know, ouch. At about 50 cents a round, that’s $3750/year in ammo.

I also have a 9mm, and I get that ammo for about 18 cents a round, or about $1350.

[PatientWolf]

I would say for me it’s a consideration, but certainly not THE consideration.

There are a lot of very good pistols a tier above the bottom layers of the price market. I would much rather save a little longer and get a new or used CZ, HK, Glock, S&W, Beretta or Walther than a Highpoint or even something a step above that. I prefer to make a decision based on the gun itself. Even within brands there are pistols I (and i expect others) would and wouldn’t buy. For instance, I love the HK P30, but got rid of a VP9.

I find there are still some good values in the very competitive new market and have happened across some great bargains in the “used” (but especially maybe unfired) market. Some of those I passed on and returned an hour later to have missed or even had purchased out from under me while I “was deciding” on the other side of the shop. I don’t get upset with others as it was my own indecision that caused me to miss the deal, but I know there will be other opportunities.