20 Firearms That Are Worth More Than Their Current Price Suggests

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Price and value are two very different things when it comes to firearms. Some guns carry big price tags mostly because of a name, finish, or reputation. Others sit on dealer shelves at surprisingly reasonable prices even though they give you the kind of reliability, accuracy, and durability that usually costs considerably more.

Those are the guns I pay attention to. A firearm does not have to be cheap to be undervalued. It just has to give you more than competing guns in the same price range. These 20 stand out because I think buyers are getting considerably more gun than the price tag would lead you to expect.

Taurus TX22

The TX22 changed my expectations for affordable rimfire pistols. Taurus currently lists the standard TX22 around the mid-$300 MSRP range, while the newer optics-ready version remains under $400. That is surprisingly little money for a .22 LR pistol designed around high-capacity magazines and full-size handling characteristics.

What makes it valuable is how useful it is. You can train inexpensively, introduce new shooters to handgun fundamentals, or spend an afternoon burning through .22 without feeling like you are shooting a miniature target pistol. Plenty of rimfire handguns cost considerably more while doing essentially the same jobs. The TX22 may carry a budget-gun price, but its usefulness goes well beyond that.

Mossberg Maverick 88 Security

There are very few new firearms left that make roughly $300 feel like serious buying power. The Maverick 88 is one of them. Mossberg currently lists several Security configurations around $290 to $304, including 18.5-inch and 20-inch versions.

You are getting a pump-action shotgun with twin action bars, dual extractors, steel-to-steel lockup, and compatibility with a large number of Mossberg 500 accessories. It is not polished like a premium sporting shotgun, and nobody buys one for fancy walnut. That is exactly the point. For a truck gun, property shotgun, home-defense gun, or rough-use 12 gauge, it gives you an incredible amount of capability for the money.

Ruger American Rimfire

The Ruger American Rimfire is easy to overlook because it sits in a category filled with inexpensive .22 rifles. Spend some time with one, though, and it becomes obvious that Ruger gave buyers considerably more than a bare-bones rimfire.

The biggest advantage is compatibility with Ruger’s 10/22 magazine family. Standard .22 LR versions accept BX-1, BX-15, and BX-25 magazines, which gives you magazine availability that many bolt-action rimfires cannot match. You get an affordable bolt gun that can serve as a trainer, small-game rifle, or suppressor host depending on configuration. It may never carry the prestige of an expensive European rimfire, but for somebody who actually intends to shoot the thing constantly, the value is hard to beat.

Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport III

The AR-15 market contains rifles at practically every price imaginable, which makes it easy to assume an affordable factory rifle has to be compromised somewhere important. The M&P15 Sport III makes that argument harder to defend.

Smith & Wesson currently lists the standard Sport III at $799 MSRP. It is chambered in 5.56 NATO and gives buyers a factory-built AR from a major manufacturer without immediately pushing into four-figure territory. That matters to me because most owners do not need a rifle covered in expensive components just to train, shoot recreationally, or build a dependable general-purpose setup. Spend the savings on a decent optic, magazines, and ammunition and the Sport III starts making even more sense.

Savage Axis 2

Budget hunting rifles have become so capable that spending twice as much does not automatically get you twice the performance. The Savage Axis 2 is one of the clearest examples.

Savage currently lists standard Axis 2 rifles with MSRPs between $489 and $559, with numerous hunting chamberings available. That puts it well below many rifles marketed as premium hunting platforms. Yet for the hunter who needs a rifle to hold zero, shoot accurately, and survive being carried through brush and bad weather, the Axis 2 covers the important stuff. The stock and finish may not impress someone collecting heirloom rifles, but deer are not going to know what you paid for it. For pure hunting usefulness per dollar, the Axis deserves more credit.

Ruger Blackhawk Convertible

The Blackhawk Convertible is one of those guns whose value becomes obvious once you realize exactly what you are getting. Ruger has offered versions that include both a .357 Magnum cylinder and a 9mm cylinder, allowing the same revolver to fire multiple widely available cartridges with a cylinder change. Ruger’s .357/9mm convertible models have carried MSRPs around the $999 mark.

That is not bargain-bin pricing, but compare it with buying two separate quality revolvers. Suddenly the Blackhawk looks much cheaper. You get the strength of Ruger’s single-action design, the ability to shoot .38 Special and .357 Magnum through one cylinder, and inexpensive 9mm through the other. For somebody who actually shoots instead of merely admiring revolvers, that versatility carries real value.

CZ 457 Varmint MTR

A quality precision rimfire can get expensive very quickly. Stocks, triggers, barrels, and aftermarket upgrades can turn a cheap .22 into a surprisingly costly project. The CZ 457 Varmint MTR gives you much of that capability from the beginning.

CZ currently lists the 457 MTR around $999 MSRP and specifies a heavy barrel, match chamber, adjustable trigger, and 1 MOA accuracy specification. A thousand dollars is not cheap for a rimfire, but you are getting features that owners regularly spend considerable money adding to lesser rifles. It is capable enough for serious target shooting while still being useful for small game and practice. When you compare the complete package rather than just the sticker price, the 457 MTR starts looking like one of the smarter buys in quality rimfires.

Smith & Wesson Model 19 Classic

It is becoming difficult to find a quality American-made revolver with real history behind it without spending serious money. That makes the current Model 19 Classic more interesting than its price initially suggests.

Smith & Wesson currently lists the Model 19 Classic No Internal Lock at $1,119 MSRP. It uses a blued carbon-steel frame, 4.25-inch barrel, and traditional double-action/single-action setup. That is certainly not inexpensive, but look at what older desirable Model 19s can command and the new gun begins to make sense. You can actually carry it, shoot .357 Magnum through it, and enjoy it without worrying about reducing the value of a pristine vintage revolver. For someone wanting a traditional K-frame shooter rather than a safe queen, the price is easier to justify.

Beretta A300 Ultima

Semiautomatic shotguns are another category where prices can get out of control quickly. It is not difficult to spend well over $1,500 chasing features that the average hunter may barely notice.

The Beretta A300 Ultima starts around $999 and includes enlarged controls along with Beretta’s Kick-Off recoil-reduction system. It is offered in both 12 and 20 gauge. That gives you a proven gas-operated hunting platform without immediately stepping into Beretta’s considerably more expensive shotgun lines. If I needed one semiautomatic for dove fields, duck blinds, clays, and general hunting, I would have a difficult time convincing myself that spending dramatically more was necessary. The A300 sits in a sweet spot where the performance feels more expensive than the gun actually is.

Ruger 10/22

Sometimes a gun becomes so common that people stop recognizing how good the value really is. That has happened to the Ruger 10/22.

Millions have been sold over more than half a century, and the rifle has developed one of the largest aftermarket ecosystems in the firearm world. You can leave one completely stock and have an excellent recreational rifle, or gradually turn it into something entirely different as your interests change. That flexibility matters. You are not buying a disposable beginner rifle that you will immediately outgrow. A 10/22 can start as a kid’s first rifle, become a squirrel gun, and eventually turn into a serious target build. Very few firearms give owners that much room to grow without requiring another purchase.

Walther PDP F-Series

The PDP F-Series tends to get marketed toward shooters with smaller hands, but that sells the pistol short. Walther redesigned several important dimensions rather than merely shrinking the grip.

Walther says the F-Series uses reduced trigger reach and requires roughly 20 percent less force to operate the slide than the standard PDP design. Standard models are currently listed around $699 MSRP. That puts it in the same broad price territory as many ordinary striker-fired pistols while giving buyers some meaningful ergonomic changes. For shooters who struggle with thicker grips or heavy slide manipulation, those differences can be worth considerably more than another set of cosmetic features. It is a specialized pistol without the specialized-gun price.

Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 Sport

The M&P15-22 remains one of the smartest training rifles around because it lets you practice many AR-style manipulations while feeding it inexpensive .22 LR.

Smith & Wesson currently lists the M&P15-22 Sport at $519 MSRP. That is not much when you consider how quickly the ammunition savings can add up compared with training exclusively with 5.56 NATO. The rifle also has value beyond training. It works well for recreational shooting, teaching younger shooters, and introducing somebody to the AR layout without throwing noise and recoil at them immediately. Owners sometimes dismiss rimfires as toys, but a gun that encourages you to shoot more often can become one of the most useful firearms you own.

Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol

The A300 Ultima Patrol is not cheap, but tactical semiautomatic shotguns with similar capabilities can become much more expensive. Beretta currently lists the Patrol starting at $1,199.

That price gets you a gas-operated 12 gauge with enlarged controls, an enhanced loading port, M-Lok mounting points, and a 7+1 magazine tube. More importantly, it gives you those features directly from Beretta rather than forcing you to start with a sporting gun and replace half the components. There are premium defensive shotguns that cost hundreds more while performing the same basic job. For someone who actually wants a semiautomatic shotgun set up for serious defensive or property use, the A300 Patrol delivers an unusually complete package for the money.

Smith & Wesson Model 29

The Model 29 is never going to qualify as a cheap revolver, but I still think the current price understates what you are buying. Smith & Wesson’s current four-inch Model 29 Classic carries a $1,229 MSRP and retains the blued carbon-steel construction and six-shot .44 Magnum chambering people associate with the model.

Think about what many older Model 29s cost once collectors become involved. With the current gun, you can actually shoot it without worrying that every cylinder of .44 Magnum is reducing the value of something increasingly collectible. It works as a hunting sidearm, range revolver, and modern version of one of America’s most recognizable handguns. Compared with many premium revolvers now creeping toward $1,500 or beyond, the Model 29 does not look nearly as expensive as it first appears.

Ruger Precision Rimfire

If you want to learn precision rifle shooting, jumping straight into a centerfire rifle can become painfully expensive. The Ruger Precision Rimfire gives you a much cheaper entry point while still providing many of the adjustments and handling characteristics shooters want from a precision-style rifle.

Current versions carry MSRPs around $629, depending on chambering and configuration. That gets you an adjustable stock, heavier rifle layout, and a platform suitable for positional shooting and rimfire competition. More importantly, you can actually afford to shoot it extensively. A rifle that allows you to practice wind calls, trigger control, barricade shooting, and positional fundamentals with .22 LR can easily provide more real training value than a more expensive centerfire rifle that rarely leaves the safe.

FN 509

FN does not have the same enormous civilian following as Glock or Smith & Wesson, and I think that occasionally works in the buyer’s favor. The standard FN 509 is currently listed around $639, while optics-ready variants climb higher.

At the base price, you are getting a full-size striker-fired pistol from a manufacturer with a serious service-gun background. The 509 platform traces its development to FN’s entry for the U.S. military Modular Handgun Trials. The civilian gun market loves chasing whatever pistol is newest, which can cause mature designs like the 509 to get overlooked. That does not make them less capable. If you care more about durability and shootability than owning what everyone else has, the standard 509 gives you a lot of pistol for its price.

Henry Big Boy .357 Magnum

Lever-action prices have climbed enough that calling any $1,200 rifle a bargain sounds strange. The Henry Big Boy still makes a strong case when you consider what modern lever guns now cost.

Henry currently lists the brass-receiver Big Boy Rifle in .357 Magnum and .38 Special at $1,205 MSRP. The standard rifle holds 10 rounds and uses a 20-inch octagonal barrel. You are getting an American-made lever action capable of firing inexpensive .38 Special for recreation while still handling .357 Magnum for hunting and property use. Lever rifles also tend to hold buyer interest better than many ordinary bolt actions or polymer pistols. It is not inexpensive, but the combination of usefulness, build quality, and long-term desirability makes the price easier to swallow.

Savage Axis 2 Pro

The regular Axis 2 is already a strong value, but the Pro version is worth a look if you want something a little nicer without jumping into premium-rifle money.

Savage currently lists the Axis 2 Pro between roughly $679 and $719, depending on configuration. It is offered in a huge selection of chamberings including .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Winchester, 7mm-08, .350 Legend, .400 Legend, and several others. That versatility makes it easy to choose the rifle around the hunting you actually do. You can spend far more chasing a nicer stock or famous brand name, but the Axis 2 Pro already covers the things that matter once hunting season starts. For a rifle intended to get scratched, wet, and used, that is where the value is.

Ruger American Rimfire Compact

Youth rifles sometimes feel like stripped-down guns that were made cheap because manufacturers assume kids will outgrow them. The Ruger American Rimfire Compact avoids much of that problem.

Ruger currently lists .22 LR Compact versions beginning around $469 MSRP. They use an 18-inch barrel and retain compatibility with the same 10/22 magazine family used by full-size Ruger rimfires. That makes it a great first rifle, but adults who prefer shorter stocks can use it just as easily. More importantly, it is not something that becomes useless once a child grows. It can remain a handy small-game or property rifle for decades. When a firearm can serve multiple shooters and remain useful long after its original purpose changes, the purchase price starts looking very reasonable.

Maverick 88 Security/Field Combo

If I were trying to stretch a firearm budget as far as possible, this might be the first shotgun I looked at. Mossberg currently lists the Maverick 88 Security/Field Combo around $321.

For that money, you get both an 18.5-inch security barrel and a 28-inch field barrel. That changes the gun completely. With one barrel it can handle defensive or property duties. Swap barrels and you have something suitable for birds, clays, and general hunting. Buying two separate shotguns to accomplish the same thing would obviously cost considerably more. It is not fancy, but this is exactly what real value looks like to me: one inexpensive firearm that can cover jobs people often buy two or three guns to accomplish.