PN>A new compact _and_ a new Chief's Special, or whatever, ain't in the
PN>cards.  Anybody with any thoughts on bargain compact firepower?
Wheelgun:
   Compact:  Ruger SP-101: 5 shot .357, new models capable handling of
             full power .357 loads.
   Regular:  Taurus 65/66 for budget .357, 689 for nicer .357.  Also
             excellent for .38spls.
Pistol:
   Small/backup (.380):  S&W sigma is about the cheapest i'd still
             trust.  My AMT 380 DAO backup is reliable, but it took a
             bit of work to make it so.
   Compact:  Astra A-75:  DA with decocker, no manual safety.  Available
             in 9mm steel (30 oz) or alloy (24oz), or .40S&W steel.
             Capacities are 8+1 or 7+1.  Of course I'd reccommend the
             .40S&W.  Not the cheapest gun in the world, you should be
             able to locate a blued model for around $350, but pit-bull
             tough and reliable.  The makarov of 9mm or 40S&W.  :-)
             Star's Firestar is also pretty good, I may be buying my
             brother's 9mm.  It needs a bit of work, he has a few
             failures to strip the bullet from the magazine, but that's
             not a major problem to fix as I see it.
Were I buying a pistol for my wife, it would be the Astra A-75 in 9mm 
alloy frame, and would add custom grips (thinner, to fit her hands 
better) to it.
þ SLMR 2.0 þ "Life is like a box of Hoyt Clydewell's reloads..."
* LAKOTA v1.5
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