25 "Must Have" Guns in a "Proper" Collection

[InkEd]

Let's try this again (original version was lost in forum glitch earlier today).....

Here are 25 types/categories that every "proper" gun collection should have at least one example of in it. Some categories "can" (technically) be filled by the same gun BUT it's not as much fun as buying one for each category.

Feel free to list the representatives from your own collections AND ADD ANY CATEGORIES THAT I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN. (The examples given afterward are from my collection.)

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver - S&W 442
2. Pump Shotgun- Remington 870
3. An Old West Style Gun- Ruger Vaquero
4. Polymer Service Pistol- SA XD
5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- Ruger Redhawk .44mag
6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- Sig 556
7. .22lr Pistol- Ruger 22/45
8. European Mil Surp None Yet
9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver- None Yet
10. .45acp 1911- SA Mil Spec
11. American Mil Surp- None Yet
12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend"- Kahr MK9
13. .22lr Rifle- GSG5 Carbine
14. Wonder Nine Pistol- SA XD
15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- Ruger LCP
16. SxS or O/U Shotgun-None Yet
17. <20oz CCW Pistol- Kahr CW9
18. NFA/Class III- None Yet
19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned- I can't recall
20. Something "Evil Looking"- MPA 30AT
21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun- Ruger Vaquero
22. Curio and Relic- None Yet
23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm- S&W Chief Special (stolen)
24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle- None Yet
25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry-Pick One

FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY CATEGORIES I FORGOT and list your collection's representives for the various categories.
24.
25.

 

[XxWINxX94]

My collection might not be as "Proper" as some folks want it to be. I don't have many new guns. General Old stuff that still shoots good is really my thing, and I own alot of these models:
1) Authentic Antique Western Lever - Winchester M1873, octagon barrel .44-40

2) Early 20th Century German Handgun - Luger, C96 Broomhandle or P38, Walther PP. If its Nazi marked or Imperial marked, thats even better. (I've got the Luger and P38, Luger is a late model S/42 and P38 is a Walther from 1944, both well littered with Nazi proofs.)

3) 1 or more Smith & Wesson Hand-Ejectors (pre-'57) (I've got a 2nd and 4th Change. One is a 1909 Nickel .38 Special, the other a 1934 Blued .32-20)

4) 1 or more Colt Snake revolvers (Anaconda, Python, Diamondback, etc). Had all 3 of these at one time but had to sell at the time.

5) Mauser action and/or Enfield Action. (I think the Enfield action is underrated). I've got a K98, No 4 Mk I, 2A, a Spanish 7x57, and a Siamese converted to .45-70.

6) Something Pre-Civil War, or even Pre-1800 would be really sweet, I have yet to get anything older than 1853. I've got the Springfield M1846 with an 1850s era cut down barrel with long range sights, plate dated 1853, barrel '55, .69 Caliber.

7) A Single Action Revolver. Got a Repro Colt New Frontier. .22LR with the interchangeable .22 Mag cylinder.

8) Early 20th Century American autoloading rifle (Winchester 07, Remington model 8) I've got the Win '07 in .351

9) Winchester model 36, 9mm Rimfire shotgun- Odd piece I used to have but had to sell awhile back.

10) Older Functioning Double Barrel. A.H. Fox, L.C. Smith number grades, Parker, or a damascus steel shotgun. I've got an 1898 L.C. 0 Grade.

11) 28 Gauge shotgun- Browning model 12

12) Winchester model 71 in the exclusive .348 Winchester. (Action is one of the biggest/toughest I've seen compared to the 1886) Also got one of these.

13) Colt Police gun, Police Positive, New Police, etc. Police Positive Special is my personal choice, got an earlier 1922 Mfg with the awesome 6'' barrel. Also the ability to include it in the lineup of modern .38 Specials.

14) Something in .218 Bee caliber, I have a Browning copy of the Winchester 65. Awsome cartridge!

15) Colt or WWII Era 1911. I'm a fan of the Gov't Series '70.

16) M1 Garand or Carbine, 03A3 would work too, I've got a pre-war 6-digit S/N January 1941 Garand and an Inland Division M1 Carbine.

List can go on, but some of those are really neat pieces that are a key part to my collection.

 

[dancz]

Wow interesting thread. I really think I’m going to have to buy some more guns as I can definitely see I’m well short of what I need to be close to the list of must haves. Never thought I was until now.

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver – None, all my snub nose are 45 cal or bigger

2. Pump Shotgun- Winchester 1300 defender, SPAS plus a couple of others. The SPAS is both pump and semi at the push of a button
2a. Semi auto shotguns – BRNO, Winchester 1400’s, SPAS etc

3. An Old West Style Gun- Winchester lever rifles if they count

4. Polymer Service Pistol- Nah maybe one day but I hate plastic pistols

5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- Nope just about several times though

6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- Not black but several sub machines might add up to one. Also several other selective fire carbines still not black though. What about my black SLR’s would they be okay?

7. .22lr Pistol- Margolin and CZ Kadet plus revolvers if they count

8. European Mil Surp Several from Scorpions and several sub machine guns and carbines through to CZ 59 belt fed machine guns and stuff and FN SLR’s etc. A lot are new as well

9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver- S&W’s plus BRNO’s and things

10. .45acp 1911- Yep

11. American Mil Surp- Not many do SLR’s count?

12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend"- CZ compacts and girly calibres both handgun and rifle but she does not shoot anymore

13. .22lr Rifle- 45 plus CZ/BRNO’s plus several other makes

14. Wonder Nine Pistol- Don’t know about a Wonder Nine but I do have a dozen or more 9mm’s

15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- Several including CZ model 22’s, 45’s, and browning 25 cals

16. SxS or O/U Shotgun- A dozen or so many BRNO’s but other makes as well in 20, 16 and 12 gauges
16a. Under/Over shotgun and shotgun/rifle combination guns – several BRNO’s
16b. What about double rifles?

17. <20oz CCW Pistol- Not allowed to carry here in NZ but have about a dozen that would be Okay

18. NFA/Class III- Not sure what NFA is, but probably amongst the hundreds I have laying around

19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned- No, I have 1760 photos of every gun I own on my phone as well as on six hard drives and computers

20. Something "Evil Looking"- No photos of me just of the guns so I guess not

21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun- Well yes but most of mine are different but there are a few pairs although sometimes the calibre changes

22. Curio and Relic- Loads of them

23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm- Yes but hardly worth anything, only Longbranch and winchester

24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle- Hundreds in several makes and a few custom ones as well. From .17 the .458

25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry-Never been a problem

FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY CATEGORIES I FORGOT and list your collection's representives for the various categories.


I added a couple of categories but you’ll always be able to split them more. I won’t bother adding all that I have. Here are a few of the Czech’s only.


http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=390312&page=2

Pics of some Czech's for anyone interested

 

[lizziedog1]

25???

Heck, a proper must have gun list should be at least 250 long!

 

[InkEd]

So, I take it you like .22s? (huh?) And I think you have the European Mil Spec and Bolt Action requirements covered too.

The 2nd posters has a nice but more specialized collection of antique firearms.

 

[dancz]

25???

Heck, a proper must have gun list should be at least 250 long!

So are you saying I'm over gunned then. Never thought that there was such a thing

 

[bikerdoc]

Something in a lever action!

 

[Archie]

My Collection is rather simple...

I collect:

"Cop guns"; mostly double action revolvers of the 20th Century with the occasional autopistol - a S&W model 39 for instance. These guns either were owned by a lawman or are 'of the type' that were used in the business. My tastes run to those issued/used prior to 1980 - and that is not an exact cut off. But I tend to avoid the later S&W autos and the polymer examples.

Target guns. Some Bullseye pistols and revolvers, PPC revolvers, a few Cowboy action revolvers, a Garand in .308 Winchester, a sniper rifle and so on.

Historically significant technical examples. The Colt Government Model is a prime example, as well as the Browning High Power and the already mentioned S&W M39. Technically, the Glock 17 would fit as well, but I don't have the stomach to spend money on one to put in the collection. Matchlocks, Flintlocks, Wheel locks and percussion guns would also fit into this, but I don't have the money or space to keep them, so I'm limiting myself to cartridge guns. A 98 Mauser is one such rifle I should probably have and the British SMLE probably fits in here as well. In my collection at any rate.

Additionally, I have a weakness for S&W pinned barrel revolvers of nearly any stripe.

That's only four categories and would probably beggar me if I really sought them out. Still fun looking.

Oh. Single shot rifles fascinate me, but again, space and funds...

 

[InkEd]

I believe lever actions were mentioned in the OP.

Next time somebody wants to post so many pics, how about a link instead?
Nice guns though.

 

[dirtyjim]

a proper collection would be 25 pre war british sporting rifles, 5 or 6 doubles and the rest magazine rifles.

 

[hso]

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver - Colt Detective Special
2. Pump Shotgun- Model 12 or Model 97 Winchesters
3. An Old West Style Gun- S&W Model 1
4. Polymer Service Pistol- strangely, none right now, but there have been plenty of G17 and G19 Glocks at one time or another.
5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- None
6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- Colt SP-1, AK-type semis, FAL para
7. .22lr Pistol- Ruger and Buckmark and Colt Diamondback
8. European Mil Surp Mosin Nagants, Enfield SMLEs, Finn Mosins,
9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver- Dan Wesson
10. .45acp 1911- Colt, Para
11. American Mil Surp- M1917, '03, '03A3, Garand, M1 Carbine
12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend"- My wife has her own
13. .22lr Rifle- custom AR-15 in .22, Ruger 10/22, various Winchester and Remington bolt guns.
14. Wonder Nine Pistol- BHPs, CZ-75s
15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- 1903 .32 Colt, 1918 .380 Colt, Colt 80 series .380, KT P3AT
16. SxS or O/U Shotgun-Churchill
17. <20oz CCW Pistol- P3AT, Colt MkIV .380
18. NFA/Class III- NA
19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned- Chinese RPD semi
20. Something "Evil Looking"- FAL para
21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun- SP-1s, Finn 39s, Mosins, ...
22. Curio and Relic- numerous
23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm- 1903 Colt Pocket, S&W Model 1, ...
24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle- numerous
25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry-none

 

[orionengnr]

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver - N/A (had a number of J-frames, but no more.)
2. Pump Shotgun- Remington 870
3. An Old West Style Gun- N/A, don't care.
4. Polymer Service Pistol- N/A, had several, no more
5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- 4" S&W M25 in .45 LCRuger Redhawk .44mag
6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- AR15
7. .22lr Pistol- Ruger MkII
8. European Mil Surp N/A, do't care
9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver- S&W M19 or M66
10. .45acp 1911- Several
11. American Mil Surp- N/A, don't care
12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend"- N/A, she has her own...
13. .22lr Rifle- Marlin Glenfield M60
14. Wonder Nine Pistol- N/A, don't care
15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- Kahr PM9
16. SxS or O/U Shotgun-N/A, don't care
17. <20oz CCW Pistol- see iyem 15 above
18. NFA/Class III- N/A, don't care
19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned- N/A, don't care
20. Something "Evil Looking"- N/A, don't care
21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun- N/A, don't care
22. Curio and Relic- N/A, don't care
23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm- N/A, don't care
24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle- Remington BDL 700 in 30.06
25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry-N/A, don't care

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // I apparently have some gaps.

1) .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver--------------------Colt Detectives Special .38 snub, 1953
2) Pump Shotgun------------------------------------Remington Model 31, 12ga., 1945
3) Old West Style Gun------------------------------Colt 1851 Navy, .36cal , 1861,,,,,,,,, High Standard ,Double Nine, .22
4) Polymer Service Pistol................................
5) Large Bore Revolver...................................S&W model 29-2, .44mag ,8 3/8", 1974
6) Defensive Carbine......................................Saiga Izhmash AK47, .223rem, 2010 (but mine is green)
7) .22lr Pistol................................................Hi- Standard , H-D Military, .22, 1947
8) European Milsurp........................................Mosin Nagant, Hungarian , 1953
9) .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver...............DW 15-2, Pistol Pack, .357/.38, 1978 (2,4,6,8,15 inch barrels) Target//// Ruger, Service Six.
10) .45 ACP 1911 ........................................... """Colsest is CZ75B .40sw
11) American Milsurp.......................................M1 Carbine, Underwood , 1943 // M1 Garand, Springfield,1944
12) Something for Wife/GF...............................Remington 870WM 20ga., 1960
13) .22lr rifle..................................................Remington Model 12 , 1911
14) Wonder nine pistol.....................................
15) Pocket Pistol - Mouse gun ..........................Remington, Elliots Ring Trigger 4 shot Derringer, .32rim fire, 1869
16) SXS or OU.................................................'''Closest is Savage 24v .30-30/20ga.
17) <20ozCCW "Revolver".................................S&W 442, 2007
18) NFA Class III..............................................
19) Firearm you forgot you own..........................Hi-Standard "Sport King"
20) Something "Evil Looking".............................Remington, 870 Tactical, w/ GRS 2009
21) "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun........................... Remington 870 WM ---X4
22) Curio and Relic...........................................S&W Model 1 1/2, .32rf, 1867
23) Inhereted/Gifted Firearm.............................Marlin Model 60
24) Bolt Action Hunting Rifle............................ Winchester 69A, .22, 1939
25) Something that made your wife GF angry.......Not Yet

**Addition for consideration: *26) Firearms you wanted from childhood and have aquired.*

26) C96 Mauser AKA "BroomHandle" w/ shoulder stock, 7.63, 1911 ( As seen in the movie Joe Kidd)

Will need to add a few more, after drooling over the other posts

 

[earlthegoat2]

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver - S&W 60, 38, 10
2. Pump Shotgun- NONE
3. An Old West Style Gun- NONE
4. Polymer Service Pistol- NONE
4.1 Any Service Pistol-NONE
5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- NONE
6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- NONE
7. .22lr Pistol- NONE
7.1 .22lr Revovler-S&W 17
8. European Mil Surp- No. 4 Mk. 1
9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver- Model 10
10. .45acp 1911- NONE
11. American Mil Surp- NONE
12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend"- S&W Model 38
13. .22lr Rifle- Ruger 10/22 RSI
14. Wonder Nine Pistol- NONE
15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- NONE
16. SxS or O/U Shotgun-NONE
17. <20oz CCW Pistol- NONE (Isnt this the same as #15 Pocket Pistol???)
18. NFA/Class III- NONE
19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned-
20. Something "Evil Looking"- NONE
21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun- S&W Snubbies
22. Curio and Relic- No.4 Mk. 1
23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm- Ruger 10/22 RSI
24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle- No. 4 Mk. 1
25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry-NONE

 

[kenhwind]

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver - S&W 442.....Colt Detective Special; Cobra; Agent
2. Pump Shotgun- Remington 870.....Ithaca M37
3. An Old West Style Gun- Ruger Vaquero.....Colt Single Action Army
4. Polymer Service Pistol- SA XD.....FNP 40
5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- Ruger Redhawk .44mag.....Smith & Wesson M25-2 .45 ACP
6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- Sig 556....Mini-14; AR; AK; M1 Carbine
7. .22lr Pistol- Ruger 22/45.....Star Model F; Colt 22 New Frontier; GSG 1911-22
8. European Mil Surp None Yet.....Mauser M98
9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver- None Yet.....Too many choices to list here
10. .45acp 1911- SA Mil Spec.....Colt GM or Commander; also one in .38 Super
11. American Mil Surp- None Yet.....M1 Garand
12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend"- Kahr MK9....blank
13. .22lr Rifle- GSG5 Carbine.....Savage Bolt Action LH
14. Wonder Nine Pistol- SA XD.....Browning HP
15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- Ruger LCP.....Walther PPK; some day
16. SxS or O/U Shotgun-None Yet.....Ithaca NID
17. <20oz CCW Pistol- Kahr CW9.....Colt Defender
18. NFA/Class III- None Yet.....BAR (when I hit the lottery)
19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned- I can't recal.....I have a bunch of thosel
20. Something "Evil Looking"- MPA 30AT.....Remington Model 81 "Police Special"; wish list
21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun- Ruger Vaquero.....Remington Model 81 .300 Savage (2)
22. Curio and Relic- None Yet.....covered by other selections
23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm- S&W Chief Special (stolen).....dad's guns
24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle- None Yet.....Rem M700, Savage M10, Winchester M70
25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry-Pick One...why pick one when you asked for 25

25A. Service Revolver- Colt Official Police

This is just an opinion of additional firearms, I've owned most of these, still own some, and some are fill in the blank.

I must add:
Winchecter Model 94 25-35 and 30-30; had several
Winchester Model 71 .348 WCF; had one
Winchester Model 97 Shotgun; has several
Remington Model 8 .35 Remington; have one
Ithaca 4E Trapgun; wish list item
Colt pistols and revolvers
S & Ws
etc.

 

[InkEd]

I like the addition of a childhood dream gun category.

 

[dancz]

Next time somebody wants to post so many pics, how about a link instead?
Nice guns though.

My apologises. I had not thought of that and certainly did not mean to break any rules or offend anyone. I’m still new here and promise to learn from my mistakes

You are quite correct a link would be easier to show the photos and I have deleted them for you. I have a few hundred and some of the Czechs are shown here http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=390312&page=2 for anyone interested.

 

[shiftyer1]

I'm all over the place when it comes to my collection. I have it narrowed down to guns that tickle my fancy.

 

[Sunray]

"...probably amongst the hundreds I have laying around..." You'd remember paying the tax.
There's no such thing as a 'proper' collection, but 'collections' tend to be one type/maker/era, etc. vs a bunch of assorted firearms. Mind you, a bunch of assorted firearms is a bad thing either.
"..."Pair of"..." Has to be consecutively numbered, not just 2 of the same thing. There's a shop up here with a pair of consecutively numbered, 5.5", engraved, Vaqueros with the fake ivory grips at $2929Cdn.($3,026.76US) They have a set of 5 Colt 1873 SAA Sherrif's models with an oak display case at $5499Cdn.($5,682.55US) too. I'd have to sell a kidney.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // Thanks for the comment InkEd.

I figure there might be folks like me that still can't believe they actually own and shoot a dream gun. Even though mine are all bottom shelf shooters.

 

[rocinante]

I have or have had 15 of that list, more if you let the same gun fit multiple categories.

 

[Smaug]

I'll do mine with pix, wherever possible

1. .38/.357 Snubnose Revolver - Ruger SP-101, 3", .357 w/CTC:


2. Pump Shotgun - Stevens, it was my great grandfather's. Browning design.


3. An Old West Style Gun - (none)

4. Polymer Service Pistol - Had a Glock 34, didn't care for it.

5. Large Bore Revolver (.41+)- S&W 625 45 ACP




6. Defensive Carbine (aka Assualt/Black Rifle)- Marlin 1894




7. .22lr Pistol- Ruger Mk. II Target




8. European Mil Surp - (had an SKS; didn't care for it)


9. .38/.357 Target or Service Revolver - Ruger Redhawk in 44 Magnum is my target revolver




10. .45acp 1911- Para GI Expert




11. American Mil Surp - (none)

12. "Something for your Wife/Girlfriend" - Browning Buck Mark (upper right)




13. .22lr Rifle - Ruger 77/22, Marlin 60






14. Wonder Nine Pistol- Daly Hi-Power




15. Pocket Pistol/Mouse Gun- (none)

16. SxS or O/U Shotgun - (none yet)

17. <20oz CCW Pistol - Bersa Model 83 ("Pre-Thunder")




18. NFA/Class III - (none, don't want one)

19. Firearm You Forgot You Owned - H&R "22 Special"




20. Something "Evil Looking" - (had an SKS w/bayonet and grenade launcher; didn't care for it. I would love a Mini-14 or AR-15 one day)

21. "Pair of" or Duplicate Gun - (none)

22. Curio and Relic - (none yet. Would love a Luger and a CZ-82)

23. Inherited/Gifted Firearm - (Granddads childhood single-shot "Ranger" 22, no pic, and the hunting rifle below is also inherited, so is the H&R "22 Special")

24. Bolt Action Hunting Rifle - Remington 788 in 6mm Rem




25. Something that made your wife/girlfriend angry - (Refer to the S&W 625 above)

 

[InkEd]

A "pair of pistols" do NOT need to have consecutive serial numbers. It's cooler
if they are consecutive BUT they definitely don't need to be that way. If it is the EXACT same model of gun then it counts as a pair.

Gun I wanted from Childhood- I already have a few BUT a F/A Thompson would be great. However, I don't see it happening and that's REALLY okay.

Specialized collections or collections with an emphasis on one (or a select few) types of guns are great, if that is what peaks your interest the most. Personally, I find it more enjoyable to have a "spice rack" with things of all different "flavors" of guns, rather than just several containers of pre-ground black pepper. However, it's all about enjoyment for the INDIVIDUAL who owns the collection.

 

[InkEd]

Also, just wanted to re-mention that the same gun CAN fill multiple categories.

 

[rogertc1]

Hate to brag but I got them all plus some...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7274692#post7274692