Question on Firearms

[kahr404life]

A friend of mine asked me what firearms I would recommend for a minimum battery of guns. I recommended a Marlin M336 30/30, Ruger 10/22 .22Lr, Rem 870 12ga, S&W 686 .357mag, Ruger SP101 .357mag, 1911A1 Style .45acp with .22Lr conversion unit. This friend lives in rural area and my choices would be different if he lived in the city. I was wondering what our members might recommend for either area.

 

[1 old 0311]

Good choices. For Urban I would add a pocker pistol. My .380 guardian is PERFECT.

Kevin

 

[Sinsaba]

Good choices. For Urban I would add a pocker pistol. My .380 guardian is PERFECT.

Kevin

I think a Carry pistol would be advisable (unlsess that is what the .45 is for). My personal pref. is a Glock 19

 

[kahr404life]

I like the Kahr 9's for city carry.

 

[redneck2]

Kinda depends on what your version of "minimum" is...

With a decent wheel gun (.357 ,.44 Mag, or 45 Colt 4" barrel) you could CCW and hunt

Add a 12 gauge with slug & shot barrels (actually you could use the smoothbore for slugs) and you could conceivably do about anything

Remember, the mountain men survived for years at a time with a .50 cal single shot rifle

I don't understand the logic of two .357's. Then again, I'm not a .357 fan at all. There's nothing that a .357 will do that my .44 mag or .45 Colt won't, but there's things they'll do that the .357 won't. YMMV

 

[Dionysusigma]

Bolt-action, iron-sighted rifle in .308
Remington 870 12ga, with 18.5" and 24" barrels
AR-15/ AK/ SU-16
1911A1 or other large autoloading pistol
4" 6-shot .357/.38spl revolver
Compact autoloading pistol, like a Kahr or Bersa
.22lr revolver, pref. a Heritage

Enough to handle any situation, whether you're hunting, in a war, defending your home, competing in a match, or just generally bored.

If you wanna go bare-bones, then an 870 12ga and a .22lr/mag snubby revolver. Can do everything the above-stated can do, but not quite as well, IMO.

 

[kahr404life]

My bare bones firearms would be an 870 12ga rifle sighted 18.5 inch smooth bore and a S&W 686+ with 3inch barrel. 870 12ga for buck and ball. 686+ 357/38 for concealment carry.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I recommended a Marlin M336 30/30, Ruger 10/22 .22Lr, Rem 870 12ga, S&W 686 .357mag, Ruger SP101 .357mag, 1911A1 Style .45acp with .22Lr conversion unit.

It looks like you have it covered. Personally, I would add a .22 centerfire to the battery for groundhogs, crows, etc. (My own preference here is a Kimber M82 in .22 Hornet, or one of the new Kimbers in that caliber or .223 Remington.)

I might also choose a Winchester Classic Model 70 in .30-06 over the Marlin -- just in case he wanted to hunt something a bit bigger than whitetails.

 

[f4t9r]

list looks good to me

 

[Kaylee]

seems an awful lot for a "minimum" battery -- especially as anyone who's asking for "minimum" ain't likely to be making a hobby out of it all. More something to keep in the bedstand or closet "just in case."

Seems to me a basic handgun (plain ol' .357 revolver sounds good, yeah) for the nightstand and possibly a shotgun and/or a rifle would be just dandy.

Personally, if someone wanted the most bang for their buck, I'd suggest a police trade-in S&W Model 10 or suchlike, a break-open or 870 shotgun, and an SKS, in that order. Stopping anywhere along in their would likely be just dandy. Add a cheap .22 if garden pests and the like are around that traps or critters can't take care of.

if any of that gets 'em hooked.. add the rest.

 

[epijunkie67]

I think a lot would depend on what you consider "minimum". And as always you have to ask "what do you plan on using the weapon for" since that determines everything. In my mind minimum battery means the fewest number of weapons that would cover the widest range of needs.

Needs; Hunting small game, hunting large game, target shooting, self defense.

Now realistically you could cover all of this with only 2 or 3 guns if you had to do so. You wouldn't even need a pistol. But lets say for sake of argument you wanted one for CCW.

So for me I'd have to advise the following.

Rifle in .22 or .22 mag, which covers the target and small hunting needs.

Pistol depends on if you want to carry concealed or not. Hard to go wrong with a good .357 though .44 is also a good option. In truth most any good quality handgun in 9mm, .45, .357, or .44 would work out fine. If you wanted to use a pistol caliber rifle I'd look harder at the revolver rounds, especially the .44.

12 gauge pump action shotgun. 870 is the most popular choice with the mossburg 500 being a strong second.

The large game hunting needs could be covered by the shotgun but a lot of people would want a rifle for this. To me you can one of two ways here. Longer range with a .308 bolt action or closer range with either a 30-30 or a lever action in .357 or .44

This system works out to 2 rifles, 1 shotgun, 1 pistol and covers about every conceivable situation the average person needs to deal with. Aside from the shotgun I don't have a specific model for any of these because I think thats very dependant on how much they can afford and what they like to shoot.

 

[AStone]

I'm a minimalist at heart. I'm not a collector. Being nomadic in philosophy & practice, I tend to travel light (based on years of backpacking experience). I'm not a range junkie. I use the range to practice, not for recreation.

I work & live (nightwatchman for my professional gear) in a warehouse converted to a studio in a commercial/industrial neighborhood in a medium-sized city in the Pac NW. After 10 PM on weekdays (when my last students leave) and most of the weekend, I'm "alone" in my neighborhood. (The exceptions to "alone" are people of questionable backgrounds sleeping in their cars on the street, and occassional prowlers, which are more common out here than in residential neighborhoods.)

I've spent the last few months on THR researching a minimal but functional set of weapons that will meet my basic needs in a variety of situations (SD, SHTF, TEOTWAWKI).

Here is my minimal (yet complete) list, in the order that my collection is evolving and in order of priority:

1) Kahr K9 9mm (SD if #2 is not handy; CCW)
2) Rem 870P 12 ga (SD; with longer barrel, everything from rabbit to goose to deer)
3) CZ 452 .22 LR (small game: squirrel, rabbit...)

I may add the following, though am not sure yet:

4) some .357 wheel gun; current top choices are SW 686 or Ruger GP100 (significantly more power than a 9mm, but larger than I want to carry in everyday world as we know it now)
5) a .30 rifle. Current favorites are Rem 700 XCR in .30-06 or Marlin 336 in .30-30 (for winter meat, in case I become part of a larger band of future-primitive nomads after TEOTWAWKI)
6) a rifle chambered in .223. One strong possibility that I'm researching is a Rem 7615P (for marauding pirates)

All but the Marlin & the 7615P (lower priority) are illustrated below in my current desktop image that I refer to as my "dream collection". This collection is subject to change as my knowledge changes.

Your mileage may vary. No warranty is offered, expressed or implied. Large grains of salt are suggested.

Nem

 

[c_yeager]

The absolute minimum for me would be a medium framed .357 (prefferably S&W K frame, but there arent all that many *bad* revolvers in the U.S. market right now), a 30-30 lever action (either winchester or marlin), and a 12 guage shotgun (any U.S. make). There are few things that cannot be accomplished with that battery of firearms, and the whole bunch of them can be had for shy of $1000. Heck if you trade the 30-30 for an SKS, and go used on the revolver (you really should anyways) you can probably get under $600 for a complete battery that includes everything you will ever *need* as an American gun owner.

The logical choices for enhancing beyond the minimum would depend on what your hoping to accomplish. If you spend a lot of time at the range or you hunt small game then a set of .22s would be a nice addition. If your a "tactical" sort of person who doesnt hunt much you could easily exchange the 30-30 for an EBR (one could actually hunt with their chosen rifle if they went with a .30 cal). Of course one would tailor the shotgun to suit their specific tasks. You could also trade the revolver for a decent semi if you had a preference. I would add a small framed auto myself as I am lazy about wearing holsters. All in all i feel that a person pretty much *needs* at least one decent example of a rifle pistol and shotgun in order to claim to be an independant person.

 

[El Tejon]

1. Centerfire rifle in .30 caliber;
2. Single shot shotgun in 12 ga, or maybe double barrel;
3. centerfire pistol of his choice, I would buy a backup ASAP;
4. Rimfire rifle or pistol in .22lr.

*possible to purchase combo gun like Savage 24C (20ga/.22lr) and replace #2 and #4.

Remember guns are just tools. Think of them this way and let the job define the tool and it will help reduce clutter.

 

[clt46910]

I also agree you have to defined "miminum".

absolute miminum would be a revolver. Personal choice would be a .357 Model 66 or 686 Smith.

Home defense and carry only would be a revolver and shotgun. My personal choices would be a .357 Model 66 Smith and 18.5" 870.

Survival living and home defense would include revolver and shotgun plus a .22 and centerfire rifle. Bare miminum would be only adding the .22 and count on slugs from shotgun to handle any larger game.

 

[rudolf]

Old style: Ruger blackhawk 44 mag 4 5/8, Marlin cowboy in 44 mag, 12 gauge coach gun

New style: Clock 19, Mossberg 590A1 with bayonett, Ruger mini 14.

 

[hso]

I agree that Ruger .357 seems redundant and that a bolt gun needs to be added. I have a preference for 7.62 NATO, but any good 30.06 or 300 WM or 7mm Mag or other .30 cal would do fine. The new Ruger rifles feel good and point quickly.

I might suggest that the lever gun be a .44 mag and a .44 mag revolver be matched to it or that the lever gun be a .357. Commonality of ammunition has some benefits and hot .44 will drop whitetail at brush ranges.

 

[1911_Mitch]

Pistol - 1911. Any size or configuration with the 22 conversion, but I prefer Kimber CDP Compact.

Rifle - M4gery (ABC or R) (with 22 upper) and/or LRB M14SA

Shotgun - Tactical Rem 870 or Moss 590A1 (add 24-28" barrel for huntin')

Of course plenty of mags and ammo.

There are many others that you could add for fun, but this about covers the basis for my bare bones.

 

[benEzra]

I'd say one centerfire handgun and one centerfire rifle would be a better expression of "minimum." Ditch everything but one medium-frame .357 and the .30-30, and you're still covered. The shotgun is neat, but the revolver and the rifle cover any situation you can think of except bird hunting. (Add a shotgun if you want to do that.) Three handguns, two or three rifles, and a shotgun aren't really a minimum, they are a nice collection.

For me, the minimum would be an S&W 3913 9mm pistol and a SAR-1 7.62x39mm rifle, no shotgun. For someone else it might be a handgun and a shotgun, no rifle, depending on her/his preferences.

 

[outofbattery]

It depends upon the level of interest and budget.If I had no guns and $500 to spend it on I'd go with a used S&W Model 10,Mossberg 500 and spare barrel and a Ruger MkII.If I had a couple more bones I'd pick up a used J frame for CCW.