Hey i've been looking in to getting a handgun but don't want to spend all of my money which one would be better Llama or Firestorm in .45ACP i have no idea people have told me not to go with Hi-Point they said they are very cheaply made.

Hmmmm.... unless a full-sized pistol just won't work, I'd spend about the same amount of money on a Ruger P90 (or one of their other autos).

I find it hard to believe that anyone can make a good reliable 1911-pattern handgun in the $300 price range. The 1911 is a complex design and if it's a cheap copy, corners had to be cut somewhere.

I've had a P90 since the first year or two they came out and it's been dead solid reliable. Even used it for a few bowling pin matches. Magazines are cheap too.

If you're going to carry, making your carry gun cheap is probably not a real good idea.

Hi-Points are in fact quite cheap in every sense of the word.

The Firestorm Government Model in .45 ACP is not made by LLama but of similar quality and also made in Spain. I bought one because I already have a Ruger P-90 for defense and wear it as a duty weapon. It is just an inexpensive knock-off of the 1911 with a few updated features (commander style hammer and extended beaver tail grip safety). I use it for plinking and for the ability to have something in my collection that looks and shoots like a 1911. I've only put about 100 rounds through my Firestorm so far, just to check it out for functionality and to also check out how the extra 10 magazines I got for a sweet deal would work. Everything has performed excellently so far.

For a cheap imitation 1911 I'd say it is ok. For a general purpose firearm that you may want to lay your life on the line with, I'd recommend saving up a little extra and get a Springfield Armory 1911 of your liking.

I'll second Mike's suggestion. If you want a lower cost .45 that doesn't compromise quality and reliability, get a Ruger. I'll grant they're a tad bulkier than a 1911 but for about half the price I could adjust if money is a deciding factor.

Steer clear of Hi-Points. They are garbage exemplified.

I also would save a little more and go with the Springfield Mil-spec. 1911. I have one and sold my Kimber Stainless Target model because the Springfield shot a lot better. Just my humble opinion.

Hey i've been looking in to getting a handgun but don't want to spend all of my money which one would be better Llama or Firestorm in .45ACP i have no idea people have told me not to go with Hi-Point they said they are very cheaply made.
If you are not bent on 45 acp I would look at cz. I have a CZ40. This pistol was joint venture between colt and cz. The one I have has fed everything I have tried to put through it with out a hitch. Except for some reloads that I did not seat deep enough. Typically they run around 300 dollars. It is a nice package shoots well. It is much like a 1911. The biggest drawback I have about it is there is little I have found in way of aftermarket items if you wanted to dress it up. Forgot to mention it 40 S&W caliber. While not quite a 45 it is nothing to scoff at either.

If you cannot get what is IMO the Cadillac of pistols, a HK, then I have to agree with the others that the Ruger is by far the cheapest route to go to get a quality RELIABLE autoloader. I have also heard great things about all things CZ, but regarding Hi-Point, FireStorm, Llama and guns like them, IMO save your money. If you are going to carry this weapon, as was previously mentioned, what is your life worth? Don't even think about cheaping out on a carry weapon.

Another to consider, although the price is higher than the Ruger is a Sig.
They are mfg. in just about every popular handgun [read auto] caliber and are VERY reliable and user friendly!
The mag release is able to be switched for lefties too!

I own the 229[40], the 228[9mm] and the 245[45acp]...all good reliable guns.

I worked on a Firestorm 45 Gov't That a friend of mine had. It is made of soft metal and will wear faster than others. Most of it's parts are of their oun design and aftermarket triggers and such won"t work in them. But for the price it does eat up all of the ammo that was put through it without any problems. I would go with the Springfield if you can. Bobby Wasilla, Ak. Gunsmith

I don't shoot any Ruger autos, but I know quite a few people who do and they are reputed to be very reliable with good accuracy. If you want a budget 1911, you really can't go wrong with a Sprinfield Armory pistol. They make a mil-spec model with the old style (not great for accuracy) sights that can be had for about $400 at my dealer. I bought a "loaded" model full size with the Novak fixed sights a few years ago and it has proven to be an excellent, reliable, pistol. I think it cost me about $550, but I haven't priced one lately.

I worked on a Firestorm 45 Gov't That a friend of mine had. It is made of soft metal and will wear faster than others. Most of it's parts are of their oun design and aftermarket triggers and such won"t work in them. But for the price it does eat up all of the ammo that was put through it without any problems. I would go with the Springfield if you can. Bobby Wasilla, Ak. Gunsmith

Thanks for the heads up Bobby. I intended to add the Firestorm to my WWII era collection. I have an M-1 Garand and an M-1 Carbine. Though the pistol is not a genuine issue piece it just kinda goes along for the look. I like all 3 of these guns but do not take them out to the range very often. But, they all are a lot of fun to shoot.

Just curious, did your friend keep track of how many rounds he put through his Firestorm Government model before he started having trouble? And was the problem repairable? The importer/manufacturer has a limited life time warranty on the Firestorm line of products. Did he call them first? Again I thank you for your response. :confused:

Hey! The Firestorm 45 Gov't had 700 founds through it when he brought it in to have a action and trigger job done to it. It didn't have any problems. I tightened the slideand polished it some. Then worked on the trigger pull to get a 4.5 lb. pull. Because this gun has large tolerances in it's parts it is was not very accurate.With the work that I did to it the accurcy improved to the point that at 30m he could put most shots on the paper. Bobby

kciH, I built up one of the mil-spec Springfields. When I first got it I took it out for a test run, couldn't hit a bucket at 25 yrds. with it!! O-man what a beast I got, but it worked flawlessly. With quite a bit of work it is a tack driver now! I tightened the slide and frame to take out all of the slop, added a oversized barrel bushing to fit, milled off the hood and soidered on a newhood and smoked and fit it to the slide, welded up and recut the lugs and added a new link. Put in a Wilson Combat Match trigger and set the pull to 4 lbs. I ended up with a .45 that shoots better than I can shoot with it. I can get 5 shot 3" strings at 25 yrds. with FL ammo. Bobby

Bobby,
thanks for the report on the Springfield. I didn't think you could get too much precision for $400. Your experience backs up what I tell most everyone who wants to buy a 1911. My theory is that if you want a nice one, you should spend your money up front because if you modify the pistol after purchase it will cost you twice as much and be worth half what the original higher quality pistol would have cost if you need to sell it. What would you have charged a customer, I'm guessing you're a gunsmith, for the work you did on that pistol? It does sound like you project turned out nicely.

kciH,
You are right you get what you pay for! But with some of these more expensive one's you don't always get the best accurcy some are looking for. That is where the custom smith takes up the slack!
There is a lot of time and $ put into custom work. The piece that you end up with is usually one of a kind just for you. My gun was built as a race gun but with a carry trigger weigth. $ 2,000.00 might cover the gun, time and extras that it has. Not everyone could or would spend that kind of money. But how sweet it is to shoot!! Bobby

many folks want to buy several cheap guns and use 1 or 2 as a carry gun. i don't want to give advice or suggestion because of possible civil lawsuits such as "well, asianthug47 told me to get a used taurus .357 magnum and i can't protect myself because the gun recoil too much and the trigger is too heavy for me."

if i am broke to the point i can't afford to shed out much protection, i'll get 2 guns. they will be a nice revolver in .357 with about 3 inches barrel and a saiga 12 gauge shotgun. a saiga cost less than 150 bucks brand new and it is as reliable and tough as an ak47. it acually is a ak chambered in 12 gauge. one gun is for carry and one gun for the house. it can't be simple than that.

i will probably eat less, don't drink and smoke, and avoid dining out or going to movie or whatever neccessary to get 2 good guns. some folks think karate is the form of protection. it is a good protection, but it cost more than a les baer, kimber, wilson combat, colt, and ar15 combined when you reach a point of being able to use it.

the best defense is still a gun and simple exercise and some boxing technique.

a good revolver is less than 400 bucks brand new. i like my guns to be made of real tough metal. glock can keep his precious polymer.

the day i pay my own money to get polymer gun is the day women will take a regular glasses (coke bottle or whatever) put on their aluminum ring instead of big diamond on a plantium ring.

i have 2 glocks and they're gift. they shoot greats and are very reliable. however, i don't know how long a polymer can take all the abuse in the name of reducing recoil. even the tough ak47 receiver get loose after so many rounds and will require adjustment to get a decent accuracy.

Hey i've been looking in to getting a handgun but don't want to spend all of my money which one would be better Llama or Firestorm in .45ACP i have no idea people have told me not to go with Hi-Point they said they are very cheaply made.


I don't know anything about the Firestorms, but Llama makes one heck of a good gun, but some of them need to be ramped by a gunsmith to be able to feed hollowpoints. And as for Hi Points, my favorite gun shop sells them like hot cakes, and they haven't had many bad reports. One guy did bring one back for repair (there's a gunsmith rite next door.) because he dropped it down some apartmment stairs, but they haven't heard a lot of bad talk about them as far as the workmanship goes. I'd go with a Llama personally. If you're looking for a compact and don't mind a DAO with a polymer frame, the Republic Arms Patriot is a great gun, inexpensive, and, as much as I HATE the trigger pull on most DAO autos, The pull on this one is pretty good.

Kimber makes an excellent gun, too, but if you're on a budget It may pose a problem. But like it was said in previous posts, What's yur life worth??? Ruger P90 and P97 are good guns too, I've heard.

:cool:Walter30-06

I can't get over the Taurus PT99 I recently bought, used, for $300. It has yet to jam, and I can consistently put rapid, aimed shots into a 2.5inch cloverleaf hole at 25yds, from the Weaver. I am not the greatest pistol shot, either, so I have gained enormous respect for the inherrent accuracy of this gun.