3 gun defensive battery for <$1000.00

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3 guns

I'll bite as I have bought all these in the past 2 yrs and like them.
20g single shot NEF $129
Mossin Nagant 91/30 $125
S&W .38spec Mod 19or 64 etc from J&G $225
That leaves me $521 and I can get a used Ruger or Buckmark or Marlin mod 60 for well under that plus ammo for each and range time.
 
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I'll play. All based on prices I've actually paid.

Shotgun: Used Mossberg 500 26" vent rib barrel - $180
Handgun: Used 4-inch stainless Ruger GP100 - $325
Rifle: Scoped Remington 700 BDL in .30-06 - $450

All in for $955
 
Rock Island Armory (Armscor) 1911A1 - $400
New England Firearms (H&R) Partner Protector 12ga - $195
Saiga 7.62x39 - $350

All purchased New In Box...
 
Lucky

I have to say that it counts, mostly because I don't want to get too strict with the criteria. Also, I have always been a fan of the Savge 24 as a survival gun. As I said in my original post, you are building a battery that "you" would be comfortable with. You don't have to build one that I am comfortable with. When I posted this I knew there would be guys who would choose a lever action rifle and a revolver over a semi auto hangun and pistol. To be quite honest, I would be pretty comfortable with a lever action rifle in 30-30(used $250), a Ruger GP-100 or S&W 686(used $350) and a Remington 870 or Mossberg 590(used $300). Actually I could probably get the shotgun for $250 or less and that would leave me $150 for a decent used bolt action 22 or or a beater 1022.:) While I would be pretty comfortable with a battery like that, I prefer higher capacity guns that you can reload simply by changing mags.

For everybody else, I am a big fan of dual purpose guns like the Rossi tri-fecta and the Thompson Center Contender/(can't remember the name right now:eek:).
 
Wanna go cheap?

S&W Sigma 9mm: $250 used.
Mossberg Maverick 88: $150 used.
Mosin Nagant 91/30: $60~100 used.

Now you have about $500 to blow on ammunition. Or MRE's.

[EDIT= I wouldn't touch a Sigma with a stolen pole honestly. I would pick a Browning Hi-Power or an FNP series, myself.]
 
Embarrassed

In looking through my meagre armory, I find that I don't have a "3-gun defensive battery" that I can put together costing less than $1,000.

Part of the problem is no shotgun.

However, even if I just allow myself two rifles and a pistol, or two pistols and a rifle, even my cheap selection doesn't offer a three-way combo totalling less than $1,000.

For example (prices as new), S&W 586-7 ($550) + Taurus PT111 Millenium Pro ($350) + Marlin 336C ($450) = $1,350 combined. Maybe used I could get that same trio under $1,000.

Other combos: XD-40 ($600) + Taurus PT911 ($450) + Kel Tec SU-16 ($500) = $1,550 combined; M1 Carbine ($600) + Kahr P9 ($650) + PT111 MillePro ($350) = still well over $1,000.

Hmm. Wait. Maybe I do have something . . .

Marlin Camp 9 ($300) + PT111 MillePro ($350) + Marlin 336C ($450) . . . well, we're over by $100, but I do believe that's as close as I get with what I have in lock-up.

Now, if we were to consider .22LR as a "defensive" cartridge, I could squeek under the $1,000 wire. I could substitute either a $200 Ruger 10/22 carbine, a $150 Savage Mk 2 rifle, or a $300 Ruger Mk II pistol.

Funny, I never thought I'd be embarrased to have a stable of moderately expensive guns. Heck, I certainly didn't feel like a snob as I was obtaining them. Every one of them was a budget project. You know, rat away $20 here and $40 there until you have enough to pick up the piece you want.


Now, if I were going out with $1,000 in my pocket, and the objective was to pick up this magical self defense battery, I'd probably stay with a 9mm pistol, a 9mm carbine, and a Marlin 336, all used. There are a variety of decent 9mm pistols for that can be had used for around $300-$350 (some older S&W autos, various Taurus autos, and Ruger autos). There are also various 9mm carbines (Marlin, Ruger, Kel Tec, Hi Point), but I'll take the Marlin (if I can find one) -- the one I have is the sweetest shooting carbine I have inside of 50 yards. And a Marlin 336 of some flavor should be easy to get for $300 or less.

Maybe once I've actually learned how to handle a shotgun, and maybe actually own one, my list will change.

 
I got a ruger P 89dc for $200
a stag arms Ar-15 in 5.56 for $600
and a semi-auto 12 gauge (mossberg 9200) for $50
or you could replace that stag with a SAR-1 ak that was $450
 
the 12 gauge has a 20 inch vented barrel with the double bead sight. (one bead half way down the barrel and one at the end)
 
Arfin- there is nothing to be ashamed of

Except for the fact that you don't own a shotgun.:evil: Everybody needs a shotgun, well maybe not everyone.:) Personally, I think that the shotgun is the most versatile firearm around. If I could own only one gun it would be an 18"-20" barreled 12 guage 870 Remington. If you have the rifle and the pistol covered, a good case can be made for for a 1022 over the shotgun. While it is not nearly as intimidating a defensive weapon, I would not want to be on the wrong end of one loaded with a 25 round clip.:eek: Also, it could be used to take small game like birds, rabbits squrrels etc.

Also, this doesn't neccesarily have to be about what you own, though I do own most of the guns that I have put on my lists. I actually did this to get people thinking about all the good guns out there that are modestly priced. As I said in the beggining, I am all about bargain guns right now. My kimbers don't shoot any better than my Taurus 1911's nor are they as reliable. My Savage rifles have outshot guns costing 4 times as much. My two Olympic ARs are as reliable as my Bushmaster and more accurate, though they are heavy barreled guns to be fair. I recently bought a Rock Island Comp Tac and, while I am having a couple of minor problems, I know this will be an awsome value when all is said and done.

Right now there are a couple of "bargain guns" on my wish list. The first is the Kel-Tec SU16C. The second is the Zastava AK.
 
TAU PT1911 38SUP $409.99


KEL SU-16 223 SPT UTILITY RFL $448.44


H&R PARDNER PUMP 12 Gauge $170.09


Total new: 1028.52


Wish I could afford the Taurus in 38 Super and some loading dies.
 
I will toss some suggestions in as well:

1) SKS 7.62x39 - $250.00-ish
2) Winchester 1300 12 gauge - $175.00 to $200.00-ish
3) Glock 17 9mm 2nd Generation - $350.00 to $450.00-is

Lowball total = $775.00
Highball total = $950.00
 
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Any 870 12 gauge for under $300. I can buy a new Express for $277 at my local Walmart, or go used.

Saiga. Either 5.56, 7.62, or 5.45 will work, though I'd go for 5.56/.223. $340 at classicarms.

That leaves at least $360 for a handgun. I'd get something in semi auto and 9mm. Preferably a Glock but if I couldn't find one I would accept a Ruger or something of that sort.

Obviously this does not count ammo, magazines, or accessories in the price.
 
Ultra cheap version

1. High point carbine-250
2. S&W Sigma- 300
2. H&R pardner pump- 200
total-750

More expensive version

1. Kel tec SU16 used- 400
2. S&W M&P used- 400
3. Remington 870 used-200
total 1000

More traditional
1. Rossi .357- 400
2. S&W model 64 used from J&G-250
3. Stoeger coach gun-300
total 950
 
I like this game!

Ok, my first hand is:

Rifle: Saiga in 7.62x39. I paid around $380 for mine, including shipping and FFL fee. I feel like $380 is a pretty average price for that rifle.

Shotgun: Remington 870. I'd say the average price for one of those is about $300.

Pistol: Kel Tec P-11 or PF9 goes for about $320, i believe, which puts me at $1000.



My Second hand:

Rifle: I'm going to keep the Saiga, so thats $380.

Shotgun: I regularly see Mossberg 500 shotguns on sale at Big 5 for $250.

Pistol: I really like my dads Hi-Point in .45. Bought it and 2 boxes of ammo for $220

That leaves me with $150, which I can use for a box or two of shotgun shells and some 7.62x 39 ammo. Figuring one box of 12 guage at $25 and 3 boxes of rifle ammo (military surplus at cabelas) for under $5 each, I'm down to $110.

BONUS RIFLE: Mosin nagant on sale at Big 5 for $99.

How did I do?
 
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I prefer the way the gov't does it - issue an IOU if you don't have the money........so I'll go for a custom shotgun at $75,000, a custom pistol at $4,000, and a nice rifle running at $20,000...........that puts me under your requirements if you add a zero................... ;)
 
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I prefer the way the gov't does it - issue an IOU if you don't have the money........so I'll go for a custom shotgun at $75,000, a custom pistol at $4,000, and a nice rifle running at $20,000...........that puts me under your requirements if you add a zero...................
Click to expand...

You're gonna need to hire at least 100 people to operate those 3 guns though....and pay them $40 per hour to do it. Then you'll need another 100 people to do the paperwork on it...and then a czar to run it of course. I bet you could easily do this for a few million dollars no problem..and if not, who cares? Just get more funding and make it cost two or three times as much. Piece of cake!
 
But yeah, seriously I'm gonna have to go with the easy picks here.

Saiga $400
Any Glock 9mm or 40 trade in $375
Mossberg 500 12ga $225

I could probably get the glock for less or a wasr instead of the saiga or something if I had to modify those choices. It all depends on where you live and what's available.
 
I'll play! I went with:

12ga Mossberg 88 8-shot cylinder bore : $230 new
Springfield XD45T: $500 new
Yugo M59 SKS: $325 not new
Total: $1055

BOOYEAH!!!
 
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do 10 mosins count with enough cash for ammo?(joking)

rifle- saiga in 7.62x39 $339 @ classic arms
pistol-Czech CZ-82 9x18 Pistol $219.95@ aim surplus
shotgun- remmy 870 $220 @ gun store

that leaves PLENTY for ammo(for at least 1 trip to the rage).
 
We'll go with guns that I bought new within the last 12-18 months:

NEF Pardner Pump 12 guage-$190
S&W M&P 9- $440
Remington 710 in 30.06- $275

They all work great and do everything I want. Even left a Ben Franklin for ammunition.
 
OK, I'll throw out the ultimately cheap deal- based on prices I actually paid in the last 12 months:

USED guns, FTF transactions
Pistol: S&W pre-model-10 6": $140
Shotgun: Mossberg 500ABD: $75
Rifle: Yugoslavian Mauser 8mm: $150

Heck, that's under $400!


OK, this is more realistic- anybody should be able to do this one-
Zombie-certified:
Police-trade Sig: $450
Mossberg 500A: $150
WASR-10 AK: $400
 
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