What is a "Well Rounded Battery" to you?

[huntsman]

IMHO everything mentioned are sidearms and small arms...parts of an arsenal, not a battery. A battery is either a fortified artillery location, or a group of artillery pieces meant to be fired in unison.

I believe there's a definition here that fits the OP

•group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
•a device that produces electricity; may have several primary or secondary cells arranged in parallel or series
•a collection of related things intended for use together; "took a battery of achievement tests"
•a unit composed of the pitcher and catcher
•a series of stamps operated in one mortar for crushing ores
•barrage: the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target; "they laid down a barrage in front of the advancing troops"; "the shelling went on for hours without pausing"
•an assault in which the assailant makes physical contact

 

[Shadow Man]

In the most literal sense, Desidog has a point. And in your defenition Huntsman, only defenition number three comes close...in defenition one, the word "guns" refers to artillery or naval guns, not small-arms. Semantics, yes, but a critical point nonetheless

 

[huntsman]

I was alluding to #3 a stretch maybe but still acceptable.

 

[Shadow Man]

A bit of a stretch, however, acceptable when used around like-minded folk. In mixed company, not so much.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

1. .22 Rifle
2. 12ga Shotgun
3. Small frame pistol
4. Full size pistol in 9mm or .45
5. Semi auto Carbine (AR or AK (SKS, CETME, FAL, Etc, Etc.))
6. Long rifle (Full power cartridge)
7. Scoped rifle

 

[Ed Ames]

A well rounded assortment, to me, includes at a minimum:

One *very accurate* .22lr pistol. A MkII target model works, as do many others. The goal is to minimize weapon accuracy as a factor during practice.

Two service pistols. Could be glocks, 1911s, BHPs, M10s, or anything else. While they don't have to be matched, two is one and one is none rules here. My 1st choice would be 1911s if I was rich, S&W Sigmas or imports if not so flush, and XDs or CZ75s in the middle ground. I've found I have no trouble concealing service size weapons (e.g. my gov't 1911). If I did, I might swap them for compact models.

One Cap & Ball Revolver or ML pistol. 1860 army repro. by preference, but a flintlock/caplock pistol would be just as good. These are great fun, great for bringing certain types of new shooters into the sport, and are one of the few types of weapons I'm comfortable having in a display case in my livingroom with minimal security...I'm not too concerned about criminals using them if stolen.

Amusingly, the first firearms purchases I was (indirectly -- I was a minor) involved in were a Ruger MkII gov't target, a matched pair (consecutive serials) of 9mm service pistols, and a cap and ball revolver, not quite in that order. So I'm mostly echoing borrowed wisdom.

One deep concealment pistol. Could be an LCR/Airweight style revolver, a P-3AT/P32 style pistol, or even an NAA mini mag...has to be pocketable in light clothing.

One magnum revolver. S&W 629, Ruger *Hawk, or similar would do it.

One accurate .22LR rifle. I was endlessly frustrated with the first couple semi-auto .22LR rifles I fired because they could barely hit a paper plate at 50 yards. Too frustrating to use. Then I got an accurate .22 (coincidentally a bolt gun) and that thing is great.

One pistol caliber carbine, caliber matched to one of the handguns (preferably the magnum revolver). Could be a lever gun (like my 1892 repro), a semi-auto (deerstalker, Sub-2K, etc). These things are fun, nice to have if you want to travel with minimal redundancy, good for introducing new shooters, and practical for gathering/SD.

One 20ga shotgun. Preferably a semi-auto but a single or pump would be fine too. Each has advantages, and all are both useful (hunting/SD) and great for bringing new (especially smaller) shooters into the fold. I think the 12ga is less "well rounded" because it isn't so good for starting new shooters along with. I started w/ a 12ga pump and now rarely use anything but my 391 or H&R.

One high powered rifle (30-06, 7mm-08, .270, 6.5x55, or similar), preferably outfitted with good peep sights and a detachable scope. I personally would go with an old battle rifle (M96 mauser, garand, FAL, etc) but a modern civilian gun is OK in a pinch.

That's 10 guns which can do anything from bringing new shooters into the sport, to close-in self defense, to work, to pure sport shooting (IPSC, skeet, target competition), to long range shooting for food or defense.

I know a lot of people will say that the intermediate power rifle (.223 or similar) is missing, but the .22LR or proper loads in the high powered rifle or PCC will do for anything the .223 can handle, chipmunks on up. It doesn't actually round out the assortment. That said, an M4gery or cute bullpup sci-fi rifle would be great for show&tell with new shooters, to nip any incipient "black rifles are evil" idiocy in the bud.

 

[ol' scratch]

Well rounded battery for me includes
12 gauge shotgun, pump or reliable semi
.22 rifle or handgun
30-06 bolt or semi
full size service pistol in 9mm or .45
AR or AK in 5.56 or .223

I have others but this is what I consider to be well rounded. You can take just about anything with the previously mentioned firearms.

 

[federalfarmer]

.22 handgun
.22 rifle
.45 handgun
12 ga shotgun
.270 rifle

But all are welcome!

 

[Mike J]

When I first started buying guns I figured
Centerfire bolt gun-.30-06
Pump action shotgun-12 gauge
.22 Rifle
But then I figured I should get a pistol so I got a revolver-then I figured I needed a semi-auto
.357 or larger revolver
.9mm or larger auto
Then I started getting more interested in firearms & it seems there is always something else one wants but the list above will do about anything I would need.

 

[Erik M]

this thread again

a rimfire, a centerfire, a shotgun, a j frame, a 1911, and a small auto for cc. Thats a good foundation for a good armory.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

Here's my idea :

22 rifle/pistol
357 mag revolver
40 S&W semi-auto pistol

.308 semi-auto
30-06 bolt action
.223 semi-auto

12 gauge shotgun, 2 barrels, one 18.5", one 26".

If I'm going into grizzly country, add a 454 casull.

 

[David E]

I think having a .38, .357, and a .44 is kind of redundant. Same with a 9mm .40 and .45 semi auto.

For you, this may be true. For me, it's not.

A 4" .357 with adjustable sights, if it's not THE epitome of the "all around handgun," it's very, very close. It can shoot plastic bullets, shotshells, full wadcutter ammo, .38 standard and Plus P and a full house .357 magnum......all in the same cylinder, without fail, simply by pulling the trigger 6 times.

Great for instruction, carry, hunting, home defense, IPSC/IDPA and everything in between. Ammo is easy to find. Even at the Ace Hardware store in Clayton, OK. An extremely versatile package.

The .44 magnum starts where the .357 leaves off in power. I got my first deer with a .44 Magnum revolver. I consider the .357 a bit too light for that task. It's also comforting to carry in bear country or while hunting wild hogs.

The 9mm in a high capacity platform allows cheap shooting, high capacity, easy to control recoil, fast reloads, etc. It is also good for CCW, home defense and IPSC/IDPA. Being chambered in one of the world's most prevalent centerfire handgun calibers nearly guarantees being able to find ammo and/or components for it.

The .40 S&W combines capacity with bore size. A very popular police round, this cartridge won't be disappearing anytime soon. This also covers the CCW/Home Defense/Competition roles, but allows me to compete in different divisions than the 9mm. A factor for me.

The .45 acp would be chambered in the classic 1911, a design that will be 100 years old next year. The gun/cartridge combo is hard to argue against. Parts are plentiful. Options abound. You could even swap out the top end for other calibers, but only register one frame. Who knows how handy this may turn out to be? Like the .40, it would allow me to compete in a different division than the others, including the 1911 Single Stack Nationals. Again, a factor for me.

While there is some overlap, each gun/caliber platform allow me to do things the others do not.

Again, this is not a "minimal" battery/arsenal/assortment, but a well rounded one.

 

[azyogi]

with all due respect to coromo, IMHO one each unless it's a matched pair.

 

[c919]

I consider the "classic 4" (rifle, shotgun, revolver and semi-auto handgun) a well rounded collection. If it consisted of three .22's and a single shot 410 then I'd say not so much. However if one had an AR/AK, Rem. 870, any decent semi auto and a good wheel gun, I'd say they have enough. I think your collection is well rounded when you have a good gun for any occasion in which you feel that you would need or want a gun.

If for some reason I had to thin the herd, I would consider myself covered with the following:

-A full size semi-auto such as my M&P .45, Sig 226 9mm, or my Beretta PX4 .40 for a good range/HD gun.

-An all purpose rifle such as my S&W M&P15X.

-I'd like to also have a Marlin.44 lever gun for a woods/range/around the house non-EBR gun.

-A .22 semi auto for cheap plinking such as my Browning Buckmark.

-2 good, dependable carry guns (one wheely and one auto) and those would undoubtedly be my SP101 .357 2 1/4" and my Walther PPS 9mm.

-I spend a good deal of time in the woods so a double action .44 such a the 4" Ruger Redhawk .44 is a good one to have for woods gun.

-A good shotgun with the ability to be converted into several different configurations such as a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500.

 

[dromaeo]

A 10/22
A cz 7.62x25, a five seven, or other 100 yard pistol
A 9mm, or 45, or 40 depending on which ammo is easier to get.
An AK, or SKS, or a mini14/30.
A bolt action rifle 30-06, 308, or 270.
And an 870 or saiga shotgun.

And a strong pellet rifle especially if you live in the city.

 

[Bobarino]

in my opinion, it would consist of:

a defensive pistol to carry daily. i opted for an HK USP-Compact .40S&W and a Blade-
Tech IWB holster and a Blackhawk Serpa for OC.

a .22 - bolt action or semi auto. i'm partial to Marlins here. i like the 60 for a semi and the 981-T for a bolt action. i have both and they both shoot wonderfully.

a deer rifle of some sort. .270, .308, .30-06, .30-30. i opted for a Winchester '94 in .30-30. it also serves as my Black Bear defense rifle at my property which is squarely in Black Bear territory.

a SHFT rifle in whatever flavor you want. here, i chose a Bushmaster M4-A3 clone with an HBAR. i put a four rail gas block on it and flip up/down front and rear sights with an EOTech 512, ergo grip and an A1 flash hider and a Grip-Pod.

a 12 ga shotgun in whatever flavor you chose. i picked a Verona SX405 semi auto with a 28 in bbl. i use it for clay games but it could easily transition into the field for fowl. i've shot a 91/100 in the trap range with this one so i'm confident i could hit a bird if i need to survive.

this one is optional in my opinion but i also just acquired a long range precision rifle in .308. i suppose you could call it a "sniper" rifle but since i'm not killing humans or Snipes, it's a long range precision rifle. it's a remmy 700 action with a 26" varmint contour barrel and 6-25x56mm scope and it shoots 1 3/16" groups at 300 yards with the right ammo. it might be useful for long range hunting or eliminating enemy targets in a Red Dawn type situation, but i just bought it for fun range time and the challenge of hitting little bitty targets really far away.

other than that, i have a Kel Tec Sub 2000 in 9mm that takes Glock Mags for, well, i don't know what. but i have it, and it's fun, and my girlfriend can shoot it very well. as she can my M4 clone. (she's quite a woman!)

so there ya go. i have what i feel is a complete battery of guns for survival. anything from now on is just for fun. i'm in the market for a Marlin 1895 SBL and a Para P18 if anyone has one for sale

Bobby