A handgun is the great equalizer. Someone once said that God made man, but Samuel Colt made them equal. In general, handguns tend to be the weapon most people turn to for self-defense. With that in mind, we scoured the 2024 SHOT Show floor to find the best budget handguns for any shooter. There isn’t any reason why the average person shouldn’t own a means for self-defense and we have the five best options we found at SHOT 2024.
Best Budget Handguns
Smith & Wesson SD9 2.0
Smith & Wesson has had the SDVE on the market in some for or another for what seems like decades. A descendant of Smith’s Sigma series of the 1990s, the market has long embraced it as an excellent defensive handgun with a few quirks. Smith & Wesson has finally upgraded the gun to the SD 2.0 series. These guns take the SDVE series and apply some modern upgrades without jacking the price too high. At only $349, the SD 2.0 still rings that budget bell.
To me, the biggest upgrade to the SD 2.0 series is the trigger. The SDVE trigger was never great. In fact, it bordered on bad. The SD9 2.0 has a much smoother trigger. Sure, it’s no match-grade gun; but it’s competitive with most striker-fired handguns on the market. Smith & Wesson also utilizes more aggressive slide serrations, improved sights, and a more aggressive grip texture.
It’s still a very plain gun. However, plain is fine as long as plain it’s reliable. The SDVE series were plain but reliable; so I don’t doubt the SD9 2.0 will feature that same reliability. The gun comes with a rail but don’t expect it to be optic cut, have night sights, or anything else. Smith & Wesson wisely kept the same SDVE mags, meaning they are common, available, and hold 16 rounds of 9mm. While the SD9 2.0 might not turn heads, it’s a budget-priced, reliable, and well-made handgun that cured some of the original SDVE’s shortcomings.
SDS Imports Inglis Hi-Power
Ever since the year of the Hi-Power, I’ve been a fan. I’ve acquired multiple Hi-Power variants from several different countries and understand why they’re so beloved. The Inglis Hi-Power was the famous British Hi-Power variant that served for decades as the L9A1, aka the P-35. SDS Imports is reviving the L9A1 in a clone-ready configuration that mocks up the British model perfectly.
With the Inglis, we get the famed lanyard loop just in case it falls out of your bucket or a leather British military holster. In addition, this pistol features the ring-style, no-bite hammer, ambidextrous safety, plastic checkered grips, and all-black matte finish.
It’s plain as you’d imagine any British military pistol would be. As far as I can tell, this is easily the most affordable way to add an Inglis L9A1, or something akin to it, at a very affordable price point.
Currently, we’re looking at a price point of less than $500 and a Hi-Power for less than $500 is an absolute deal. To keep prices low, these aren’t made by the biscuit-crumb-covered hands of a man late for tea in the British isle. These are Turkish imports, and that helps make them affordable and fun collectibles.
Tisas PX-5.7
The 5.7x28mm has experienced a very successful revival. FN, Ruger, PSA, Smith & Wesson, and more all offer some kind of 5.7 pistol. Furthermore, PSA has begun producing very affordable ammunition for the 5.7x28mm cartridge. Tisas aims to bring us an even more affordable 5.7 mm pistol with the PX-5.7. This big, full-sized 5.7x28mm pistol uses a polymer frame complete with an accessory rail.
At the top of the gun, it boasts an RMSc optic cut. The 5.7x28mm round can fly quite far and flat, and an optic makes it really easy to reach the round’s full potential. The PX-5.7 features a nice tactical trigger with integrated safety akin to the Glock’s. The trigger’s single-action design accompanies a roughly four-pound trigger pull.
While the grip is forced to be fairly wide, you can tell Tisas trimmed where they could to make the grip fairly ergonomic. It fits really well in my hand, and it’s quite comfortable for a 5.7x28mm handgun. The flush-fitting magazine holds 20 rounds, which is always one of the perks of the 5.7 cartridge. The Tisas PX-5.7 has an MSRP of $499 and will likely sell for a bit less than that.
Diamondback SDR
The Diamondback SDR, or Self Defense Revolver, was quite the surprise to me. This wasn’t Diamondback’s first revolver. After all, they did produce a rimfire cowboy-style revolver. However, this was their first defensive and centerfire revolver. It’s also an interesting step for a company known for some fairly innovative designs. With that said, the SDR isn’t just a slapped-together gun.
The SDR utilizes a six-round cylinder chambered for the .357 Magnum. The cylinder release is a button rather than any kind of tab or release. It’s an interesting setup that’s quite flush with the frame, helping reduce any kind of snag on the draw. The button is very intuitive to use. The gun ejects empties with ease while the ejection rod is protected by a full underlug.
What I love the most about the SDR are its sights. It actually has sights, which is rare for a snub-nose revolver. The SDR includes high visibility front and rear sights that makes aiming easy. It’s much more intuitive than a trench rear sight with ramp-style front sight. I found it to be quite accurate and very enjoyable to shoot. At around $777 , it’s pricier than most budget handguns on this list, but fairly affordable for a revolver.
European American Armory MC14T
I love tip-up guns. Beretta pioneered the design, but they haven’t kept many options. European American Armory, however, has imported the MC14T series for quite some time, and they’ve been real winners. This year, they’ve introduced a number of new options, including a fairly fancy wood and gold finish model. European American Armory has also shown a model with an interesting optics option.
The optics model mounts the optic to the barrel and doesn’t reciprocate. A nonreciprocating red dot is easier and faster to track. The differences are minor, but worth noting. The other MC14T models feature rails and 13-round magazines. Additionally, the magazines integrate this clever design where a single round is held on the base plate. This single round is designed for loading the tip-up barrel.
The MC14T series now also features a ported model. Six ports, three on each side, provide excellent control over the gun and keep the gun low and on target. These are blowback-operated guns, so don’t expect low recoil. However, since Beretta doesn’t seem keen on releasing a tip-up .380 ACP, the MC14T fulfills a niche market at a great price point among other budget handguns.
A Gun Worth Your Budget
SHOT Show 2024 showed us you don’t have to spend a fortune to obtain a well made, accurate, and reliable handgun. Prices are being driven down and new guns at budget levels offer a dose of the Second Amendment for everyone. Budget handguns aren’t isolated to a single company, genre ,or style and SHOT 2024 offered something for everyone at every budget.
