Every once in a while we find a budget gun that really impresses us. From formerly a Bear Creek rifle that outshoots brand names three times the price, to the Turkish copy of an expired-patent pistol that includes upgrades the original maker never incorporated.
I prefer the term, "budget" over, "cheap". To me "cheap" implies low quality and not always low price. "Budget," on the other hand is something sold at a target price point. Before S&W got greedy and (or coincidentally every retailer?) jumped the price of the SD9 series 40% from $249 to $349 to take advantage of panic buyers I would have considered the SD9 to be a budget/value gun. But is it a particular price range that makes something, "budget"? How about high-value guns like the Canik pistols inspired by Walther? The TP9 series have always been priced lower than their German inspirations and been great guns.
What's your favorite "budget" gun? We've seen enough of them to create an entire playlist of "Affordable Options" that are either priced lower, or yield more proverbial bang per buck than the competition. With over 200 videos in this playlist we'd like to know which were your favorites and which we haven't reviewed yet.
One of the most unknown and underrated entry level competition guns is the Bersa Thunder 9 Pro XT. It’s a 5” da/sa with a smooth double action pull I measure at 7 pounds, and a crisp single action that is just under 3 pounds on my scale. Unbelievably short reset…hand fit barrel…LPA adjustable rear sight and fiber optic front sight. And it comes with five (5!) magazines. Non-captured recoil spring that is compatible with standard 1911 springs making it easy to adjust to your hand loads. It’s a delightful option that is essentially unknown. I only see 2 downsides. One is availability- you’ll almost certainly need to hunt for it online and have it shipped to your local FFL. And the other downside is the grip girth is not compatible with small hands.