The obvious first thought is to shop "used".
Taurus makes a great revolver and they usually are not that expensive.
Ruger semi-autos are often overlooked but are always reliable and never very costly.
I can't think of any quality 1911's that I would call cheap.
You can find very inexpensive revolvers and semi's made by Raven, Lorcin, etc., but they are all junk. You don't want them.