For $500 to $1000, you can outfit yourself with a very nice, name-brand pistol. And for people with $500-$1000 to spend on a handgun, it's a good situation. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to simply ring up a brand new H&K P7 on the ol' credit card. Whether you're a PTer on a limited income, a nearly broke college student, or simply have fallen on hard times, there are still viable options out there for you. So let's take a look - how much handgun can you get for $200 or less? Before we begin, though, let's set some guidelines.

What do I want a handgun for?
If you're on a tight budget and looking for a competitive target pistol, you're out of luck. While there are some bargain target pistols, they're all still fairly expensive. I'm sorry, but you'll have to save up more money or arrange to use/borrow/rent someone else's. If you're looking for a hunting weapon, you're also out of luck. The bargain rifles on the market are far better suited for hunting use (and cheaper than the pistols, too). That leaves us with only one more possible purpose for a bargain handgun: self-defense. Fortunately, this is a task that an inexpensive pistol can perform quite well.

A defensive pistol should be really small, right?
Frankly, no. Concealability is important, but there are several other factors to be considered in a defensive pistol.

Number 1: caliber. With very few exceptions, small pistols use small cartridges. We want a big, or at least medium, caliber weapon. This is a defensive tool: its purpose is to stop an attack immediately, and that requires a fairly large bullet moving fairly fast. A hit from a .22LR, .25ACP, .32ACP, or .380 can kill a person eventually, but the chances of it stopping them before they can harm you are comparatively low. We want a pistol that is readily capable of stopping an aggressor quickly, so let's stick to larger calibers.

Number 2: ergonomics. Aiming, reloading, and clearing malfunctions are all much easier to do with a large weapon than a small one. Big pistols have bigger, more accessible controls, bigger sights, longer sight radii, and larger surfaces to grip. All of these things are important considerations for a defensive weapon. When your heart's racing, your adrenaline is pumping, and your life is in your hands you need your weapon to work with you, not against you.

Is there really anything good under 200 bucks?
Frankly, yes and no. For this kind of price (and keep in mind that prices vary from place to place), you will not get a superb pistol. It won't be particularly accurate and it certainly won't win any beauty contests. But it you choose carefully, it will be comfortable to shoot, accurate enough for all practical uses, entirely reliable, and durable enough to last you a good many years.

So why is it that so many pistols fetch prices of $1000 and up when a quite function piece can be had for a fifth that cost? Well, basic handgun technology is nothing new. The Colt 1911 was designed nearly 100 years ago, and is still one of the most common handguns around. Double-action revolvers date back even farther and are still ubiquitous today. New innovations are relatively few and far between, and none of them have rendered older weapons ineffective. A Colt Peacemaker will kill you just as dead as a Glock will.

One quick note about calibers - there are several different common cartridges which are 9mm in diameter, but differ in length. The standard 9mm known as 9mm Luger and 9mm Parabellum) is 9x19mm. Slightly shorter is the 9mm Makarov cartridge, which is 9x18mm. Shorter still is the .380, which is 9x17mm. None of these cartridges are interchangeable.

Now that we've got all these factors in mind, let's have a look at some pistols.

Star Model B, Model B Super
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Capacity: 8+1
Approximate Price: $150-$200+

The Star Model B and B Super are Spanish-made loose copies of the Colt 1911. Few parts are interchangeable between the two, but the ergonomics are very similar. It has a slightly longer grip than the 1911, as it was initially designed for 9x23mm ammunition, but thanks to its single-stack magazine it is still comfortable even for people with smaller hands. Major differences from the 1911 include an external extractor, no grip safety, and a magazine disconnect.

The Good:

• Because they have the size and weight of a full size .45 but fire 9mm, the Stars are very comfortable guns to shoot. Recoil and muzzle flip are light, allowing for fast follow-up shots.
• The 9mm ammunition they fire is the cheapest centerfire pistol ammo on the market.
• Accuracy is pretty good - no prize-winning groups, but shooting one ragged hole at 7 yards isn't uncommon for a Star in good condition.
• Their reliability is excellent.

The Bad:

• Being originally military sidearms, Stars usually won't feed hollowpoint ammunition.
• Spare parts are very difficult to find, as Star has gone out of business. Your best bet for spare parts is to simply buy two Stars of the same model.

A Good Buy? Yes.

Jennings Model J9
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 12+1
Approximate Price: $50-$100

Jennings is one of several manufacturers of very cheap pistols. They also offer smaller pieces in .22, .25, .32, and .380, but those are too small for our requirements.

The Good:

• They look halfway decent.
• In an emergency, you can distract an attacker by throwing your Jennings at him.
• They're just about the least expensive new-production handgun around.

The Bad:

• Reliability is a term that generally does not apply to Jennings pistols. Don't expect any of them to cycle a whole magazine without malfunctioning.
• Durability is also an attribute ignored by Jennings. These pistols are made out of weak zinc alloys, and break in all sorts of interesting (and catastrophic) ways.
• Even if you can get your Jennings to fire multiple times, you'll still have nothing worth speaking of. Accuracy with Jennings pistols is poor to abysmal.

A Good Buy? No.

Makarov
Caliber: 9x18mm Makarov
Capacity: 8+1
Approximate Price: $100-$200

The Makarov (mah-KAR-ohv) is a Cold War era Warsaw Pact military issue sidearm. They were manufactured and issued by several nations, including China, the USSR, Bulgaria, and East Germany. The best quality are the East German ones, but they are more expensive. The best buy today is a Bulgarian one - quality is quite good, and they are the most easily available. These are simple and fairly small weapons, and very popular with their owners. There are some Russian commercial Makarovs available that have widened frames and use 10- and 12-round magazines, but not very many. There are also a few available in .380 caliber. Skip these for ones chambered in 9x18 Makarov.

The Good:

• Accuracy is usually very good with these pistols
• Makarovs have an excellent reputation for reliability, with both FMJ and hollowpoint ammunition.
• Their small size makes them more easily concealable than many other pistols.

The Bad:

• Their 9x18mm ammunition is the weakest caliber I would recommend for a defensive handgun. It will suffice, but even 9mm Parabellum is more potent.
• Some shooters find the Makarov uncomfortable to shoot. Others find it just fine. Handling or firing one before buying is always a good idea, but particularly so for a Makarov.

A Good Buy? Yes.

FEG PA-63
Caliber: 9x18mm Makarov
Capacity: 7+1
Approximate Price: $100-$150

The FEG PA-63 is a Cold War era Hungarian pistol. FEG originally made copies of the Walther PP and PPK in .32 and .380, but later diverged a bit from the PP design and introduced the PA-63 in the 9x18 Makarov caliber. This pistol looks similar to a PP, but has a few differences. It was used for some time as a standard Hungarian military and police sidearm, and now many are available on the surplus market in the US.

The Good:

• Small and concealable - the PA-63 is smaller and lighter than most other pistols in 9x18 caliber, including the Makarov.
• Being based on the excellent Walther PP design, the PA-63 is a very reliable gun.

The Bad:

• Like the Makarov, the PA-63 uses 9x18 ammunition, which is not a very potent cartridge. Better than .32 or .380, but not by too much.
• Because of its light weight, the PA-63 has stiff recoil. While some shooters may not mind this, shooting comfort is an important issue for a defensive weapon.
• PA-63s often have stiff and heavy triggers, making accurate shooting more difficult.

A Good Buy? Yes.

CZ-52
Caliber: 7.62x25mm Tokarev
Capacity: 8+1
Approximate Price: $100-$150

Another Cold War pistol, the CZ-52 was introduced in Czechoslovakia in (as the name suggests) 1952. It is a big hulk of a pistol, and fires the 7.62x25mm cartridge, a high velocity bottlenecked round. It utilizes a roller-locking action, rather than the straight blowback mechanism common in Warsaw Pact handguns. Some were converted to 9mm Parabellum, but these are much less common than the original 7.62 versions.

The Good:

• Reliability is generally quite good with these pistols.
• Their long sight radius (the barrel is 120mm/4.75" long) makes aiming a CZ-52 easier than most other smaller pistols.
• The 7.62x25mm cartridge is definitely a step up from 9x18mm in power.

The Bad:

• The ergonomics of the CZ-52 are about what Ayn Rand would expect from a bunch of communists. They're blocky and awkward to hold.
• There are several weak part in the CZ-52, particularly the firing pin and rollers. Both can be replaced, and should be if you plan to trust your life to the pistol (new manufactured parts can be purchased through Makarov.com, at http://www.makarov.com/cz52/index.html).

A Good Buy? Yes.

Hi-Point pistols
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP
Capacity: 10+1, 8+1, and 7+1
Approximate Price: $100-$175

Hi-Point manufactures a line of very inexpensive pistols including four models which meet our criteria - a 9mm, 9mm compact, .40S&W, and .45 ACP. They are probably the ugliest pistols ever manufactured, but they do seem to work better than their appearance would lead you to think (though that's not saying much).

The Good:

• The .40S&W and .45 ACP variants are two of the few inexpensive pistols in major calibers.
• Hi-Point offers a very good warranty - they will fix any broken pistol free of charge.

The Bad: