If one searches the internet, asks a friend, or consults an expert, they will find no shortage of sensible suggestions for a first firearm choice. To supplement widely available information and suggestions, this guide provides a broad list of of firearms categorized by type and price. The goal is to inform prospective firearm owners with a diversified map of choices to better suit a wide range budgets while establishing realistic expectations regarding the fair price for a quality firearm.

If someone simply desires an affordable range toy, a basic but reliable semiautomatic pistol or plinking carbine can be purchased for $150 – $250. If a hard-hitting home-defense gun is needed, a pump-action shotgun can be purchased for under $200 while a defense-oriented semiautomatic carbine can be purchased for $550 and above. For hunters, expect the minimum price tag for a full-length bolt-action rifle with iron sights will start around $350.

This guide is not a review of the firearms listed here nor is it meant to endorse the products them, and the prices listed are not meant to represent the lowest prices available but instead are meant to represent common retail prices.

For pictures and more information on each firearm, the included links will open their page on each respective manufacturer’s site. The listed MSRP listed by the manufacturer will typically be higher than the in-store prices shown below. The Buyer’s Guide section will offer tips and information for seeking lower street prices.

Purpose and Context of a Firearm Purchase

It is helpful to establish the context of a firearm purchase to maximize money spent on a firearm toward relevant features and capabilities.

The value of a firearm will be determined solely by the owner, and how the owner ultimately uses their firearm is much more important than if a gun is “cheap” or “expensive”.

For example, if a person needs a personal or home defense gun, it would do little good to spend $900 on a bolt-action hunting rifle when they could spend $200 on a pump-action shotgun. If a person simply wants a fun plinking gun, they would be best spending $220 for a semiautomatic rimfire carbine versus spending $4000 on a break-action waterfowl shotgun.

Handguns

Handguns are an appropriate choice for home and personal protection, and they are typically the only guns permitted for public carry while loaded. While there are many handguns designed primarily for target shooting, the handguns listed below are primarily for personal carry and home defense.

Carbines

Carbines are great for target shooting, plinking, sport & competition, and they often make the ideal home defense guns. While .22 Long Rifle is often considered the bare-minimum caliber for defensive purposes, semiautomatic carbines chambered in .22 Long Rifle have often been pressed into home defense roles with great effect.

Shotguns

Shotguns are versatile firearms the can load buckshot, birdshot, and slugs, making them appropriate for hunting, home defense, and competition shooting. While they can generate large amounts of felt recoil, people of all sizes and builds have learned to employ shotguns accurately and effectively, and they are often the most affordable and effective firearms for defensive purposes.

Rifles

Single-shot rifles are valued for their accuracy, range, light weight, and simplicity of operation. They are often selected for hunting, target shooting, and field shooting purposes. While not ideal for home defense, a trained rifleman can be fast and accurate even at close ranges using a bolt-action or single-shot rifle.

“Cheap” Guns

It is important to note that “cheap” firearms are not poor quality firearms nor are they unreliable products. On the same note, higher price tags of “expensive” firearms do not necessarily connote extra levels of reliability or safety.

The modern American firearm market is highly competitive, and manufacturers and designers consider performance, function, and reliability to be essential for any firearm to sell, regardless of price.

Some of the most affordable modern firearms achieve higher levels of accuracy and reliability when compared to many firearms manufactured and marketed in previous decades.

Many “cheap” firearms were conceived and designed to utilize newly-available, cost-effective manufacturing processes, materials, and simpler designs. At the same time, they still retain essential function and safety features which are present on all modern firearms.

Lower-cost firearms might lack refinement or ergonomics, but any lack of safety, reliability, and accuracy would be a statistical anomaly.

For example, Hi-Point Firearms is well-known for designing simple, inexpensive handguns and carbines specifically marketed to those with limited budgets. They believe every person has a right to personal and home defense, and their firearms are priced to allow those with limited budgets to own a reliable and effective firearm. Despite being criticized for lack of aesthetics and refinement, their firearms have gathered a reputation for being mechanically simple, easy to use, and easy to maintain.

“Expensive” Guns

If a prospective gun owner does their research, the old adage of “you get what you pay for” will come through in spades. A firearm is an investment that will often outlast the lifetime of its owner, and manufacturers have staked their reputation on their products’ ability to provide personal safety, put food on the table, and to function reliably for decades.

It is important to examine a firearm’s product history, reputation, and included accessories when performing a cost-benefit analysis. Higher prices for firearms are sometimes dictated by the inclusion of upgraded sights, extra magazines, holsters, and other accessories which would normally be purchased separately. Quite often, these extras are packaged at a significant bargain and reduced hassle of aftermarket accessory installation.

In an age where built-in obsolescence has become accepted standards for consumer electronics, software, and automobiles, firearms continue to stand out as a consumer product where manufacturers offer a lifetime repairs, upgrades, and spare parts with some manufacturers even attaching a lifetime warranty with newly-sold firearms.

Buyers Guide

Prices will vary based on a variety of factors. Big box stores will offer discounts for holidays, when stocks need to be cleared, or when newer iterations of certain firearms arrive on the market. Big box retailers will often offer lower prices to compete with other stores so it pays to do research.

Sales through online brokers will usually fetch the best price, but many small shops realize this and will match pricing from their own stocks in order to compete with the online market. Visiting a gun show allows for maximum price comparison while providing prospective owners the opportunity to handle and compare a much wider variety of firearms than at a big box store or at a small gun shop.

The used market often features the lowest prices while offering the highest value of product. Whether sales are conducted through individual listings or via consignment, it is easy to find used firearms in excellent condition. It’s much rarer for an owner to sell a thoroughly-worn firearm they’ve come to depend on versus an owner who is selling a seldom-used firearm that has spent most of its life in cold storage.

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