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Episode-2454- Choosing the 6 Basic Guns that Cover 99% of What Anyone Needs

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I recently got an email about getting new guns, not to pick on the guy but here it is to show the problem I want to fix today, some specifics redacted for privacy.

I have a different take on a gun build question. I would like your help in building the ultimate prepper / hunter / red neck arsenal starting from near zero.

Based on your expertise and the objectives I outline, I’d like you to tell me how many guns I should have, what calibers, what accessories, etc to most efficiently accomplish what I’m trying to do.  Your budget is $5,000.

My situation

– I live in xxxx and have a ~50 acre ranch in xxxx, County.  Ranch is overrun with brush and won’t get shots longer than 100 yards

– I will occasionally hunt with clients for work (I’m in high end sales)

– I can give you a little bit of a head start because I currently own a 70s-era 12 ga. Remington 1100 with new 26” and 30” barrels with remchoke.  My dad is also going to pass on to me a 30+ year old 22 revolver and 22 rifle in the short term.  Assume these are lower quality.  Feel free to recommend replacements for any of these if you think appropriate, or just ignore if you think it makes a better question for the show.

My objectives, in descending order of importance, are

  • 1) deer / hog hunting
  • 2) side arm for protection from hogs/coyotes while working on my ranch
  • 3) home protection / defense, including potentially concealed carry.  Note, I have large hands so I would prefer a larger carry weapon for shooting comfort
  • 4) teaching my young kids to shoot when they get old enough
  • 5) skeet shooting, for me and my wife (should i get a 20 ga?)
  • 6) large game (elk / bear) hunting on occasional hunting trips
  • 7) upland game / waterfowl hunting
  • 8) pest elimination (grackles, rabbits, etc)
  • 9) zombie apocalypse

 

As I’ve thought about what to buy, a few questions I’ve considered are:

  • 1) 9mm, 40, or 45 for handgun?
  • 2) should I get something like a 270 for deer and a 300 win mag for larger game, or a 30-06 for everything?
  • 3) does a pistol caliber carbine make sense for me?

 

Thank you Jack for all that you do.  I’m really looking forward to your response.

Regards,

James

Do you see the issue?  The guy is actually on point with the basics but then expands to “all over the map”.  Don’t feel bad James, I do this same shit too, every guy ever that decided to get a “new gun” or “new guns” does the same shit.  Something like this as our friend stands at a counter waiting to talk to someone….

“The 6.5 Grendel is the most accurate round, I should get one, but what if I want to hunt elk, is that enough gun.  I better ask on SomethingSomething Forum.  No, I already know they will tell me I am stupid for that, I should get a 7MM Mag, but all I really hunt is deer for now and I have a deer gun. You now the 6.5 can be in an AR platform, that would be good but I can’t hunt with that in some states.  H’mm I do like lever guns, they come in 45-70, that would knock down anything but what if I have a long shot.”

Finally the clerk saunters over and says, is there something I could show you and our friend says something like…

That Ruger revolver there in 357, do you have something similar to it in a 44 magnum?

Friends our grandfathers had is down, we will attempt to build a base for James on their wisdom and from the provide guidance into additional decisions.  But let’s face it in the end asking a man to pick a single gun quickly for any need or want is like asking a kid in a penny candy store to pick a single piece of candy.  He won’t be able to make a decision and he is gonna come with a hundred excuses as to why he needs another one.

Join Me Today to Discuss….

  • The Wisdom of Our Grandfathers – “Beware of the man that carries only one gun“.
  • Expanding it to one gun per specific thing, out grand parents had
    • A 22 rifle
    • A “hunting rifle”
    • A shot gun
  • Most of them had only that, a few also had
    • A hand gun
    • A specialty shot gun (turkey, goose,etc., quail)
    • A 22 hand gun
    • A 22 center fire or some other “small bore” rifle
  • With this we will build our six piece modern core gun battery
    • The 22 rifle
    • The 22 hand gun
    • The self defense hand gun
    • The shot gun
    • The “hunting rifle”
    • The small bore rifle
    • 1-2 Specialized guns
  • Don’t over think this, go one at a time and have fun with it

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

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Comments

Episode-2454- Choosing the 6 Basic Guns that Cover 99% of What Anyone Needs — 12 Comments

  2. 7.62×39 is the modern .30-30.

    Bersa 22s and the old Beretta 22s are the best semi-auto rimfires available.

    There’s zero reason for .308 or .30-06 in Texas.  Too much gun for game here.  .270 is too much too for everything but elk.

    Shotguns are only needed for birds aflight.  Far from ideal for every other use.

    PCCs are great training tools and a better option in most scenarios than shotguns, with sole exception of previously mentioned birds aflight.

    .243 win is a great rifle and ideal for all game in Texas, but 6.5 creedmoor performs nearly identically to heavy .243 loads and gives longer barrel life. Past 300 yards, 6.5 creedmoor is ballistically superior (including energy) to .308 Win too.

    • Six points, impressive as I find them all absolutely wrong except for the final one. Getting 5 of 6 that wrong is impressive.

  3. The Heritage Rough Rider is a great little gun.  No recoil, come in 4” and 6”. Barrels plus you can get .22 magnum cylinder so you can shoot both .22LR and .22 Magnum.

    The M&P .22 handgun is actually built by Walther just FYI it feels the same when shooting but the internals are pretty much the same as the Walther.

  4. With this being the 75th anniversary of D Day, 21 C-47s and DC-3s converged on England and then made the trip across the channel, even dropping paratroopers:

    https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/june/06/reflections-from-normandy?utm_source=epilot&utm_medium=email

     

    Also, here’s a podcast with one of the original C-47 pilots from that day:

     

    http://aopahangartalk.libsyn.com/episode-71-wwii-d-day-pilot-dave-hamilton

    Also, anyone close enough to Reading PA can check out MAAM’s WW2 Weekend Airshow this weekend. You can even catch a ride in a C-47.

  6. Good episode & advise. If you can get six at a time that pretty much covers the majority of needs.

    When someone asks me about buying firearms I tell them to approach it the same general way you tell people to approach prepping.

    Start with what are you most likely to need it for. Might be self-defense, might be deer hunting, might be getting rid of wild hogs.  Do you have something for that already? If not, what can you get that will do the job (can you afford it, feed it, legally use it)?

    Move on to your next most likely use.

    If someone truly has no idea what to get, and no one to shoot with, here’s what I tell them:

    Get a Ruger 10/22 with a second magazine & sling. Get a brick of decent quality ammo. Then attend an Appleseed event. They’ll get quality instruction on basic marksmanship in a low stress environment, as well as some interesting American History to boot.

  7. Great episode Jack.  I can definitely see some of your tendencies/preferences (and I agree with most!).  I can boil this down to and even simpler equation:

    #1 Everyone needs the handgun of your choice.  Get a Glock, Springfield XD, or S&W M&P in the caliber of your choice – 9, 40, or 45.  Or a 4″ .357 by Taurus or Smith (depending on budget). You are now all set for – Home defense, hunting sidearm, conceal carry, bug out or whatever.  Don’t even worry about the grip.  Just go PRACTICE with it.  When you are ready for IDPA we’ll worry about the point-feel.  when you are ready for conceal carry, they all have compact and sub compact versions.

    #2 Get a Mossberg 500 or a Remington 870.  Get a field/security combo with an 18″ HD barrel and a 26″ field barrel (with the chokes!).   You are now good to go for home defense, hunting small game, medium game, deer (with rifled slugs) or anything on the wing.  Bonus – trap and skeet.  When you are ready to become a serious skeet.  Go cheap and get a Maverick 88.  I suggest a Mossberg 535 with Turkey barrel, field barrel and the four chokes that comes with (ready for Turkey or HD at 22″ on the short barrel.)

    Before anyone gets ANY other gun – how about we get those two down.  Then IF they actually go hunt, get their CC, or see a coyote we’ll see what happens.

    #3 Rifle – ok…not problem: Are you primarily interested in hunting or the zombie apocalypse?  Do you live in most of America or Rockies/Montana/ Alaska etc?

    Hunting / Most of America – go get a Savage Axis, or Ruger America already-scoped combo in 308/30-06.

    Hunting / Big Sky Wilderness – go get a Savage Axis, or Ruger America already-scoped combo in 308/30-06.

    Zombies / Most of America – go get an AR or an AK, whatever you like stylistically

    Zombies / Big Sky Wilderness  –  go get an AR or an AK, whatever you like stylistically

    AFTER you have actually gone hunting for a deer or two with the rifle, or a hog or coyote with your AR/AK, then let’s talk about your next gun.

    #4. Then go get a .22.  Get a rifle if you shoot a lot of rifle or a pistol if you do a lot of that.  Ruger 10/22 in Rifle, or Ruger MKwhatever if pistol.

    Now we have 4 guns, can go do anything we want to do.  All set for the apocalypse or a casual day at the range, or in the woods.  People make this way too hard, when they don’t even have a gun.  Go get it and go shoot and hunt whatever.  I see musicians do this crap all the time.  They are outfitting themselves for a major world tour, and can’t play Smoke on the Water.  Caller has an 1100 that can kill anything he’ll be hunting at any range that matters!!!! Hasn’t said he’s ever been hunting or seen a coyote etc!!!! How about we get started with 3 of those 4 before we move on to even 5 or 6!!!!

  8. What’s your opinion on the mossberg maverick 88 12 guage pump? It seems to be a budget version of the mossberg 500.  You can get the field and security combo at academy for $219. Comes with 18.5 and 28 inch barrels.  95% of the reviews I’ve read said it works flawlessly, but wondered what your opinion is.

  9. My only criticism is why it even exists as a model number. The 88 is really just a plane Jane Mossberg 500, you can swap almost every part back and forth (except the trigger group). So the Mossberg 500 is a tried and true pump gun. I find the Remington 870 a nicer gun in the field for hunting but for home defense they are about equivalent in my view.

  10. CZ’s are one of the most under rated rimfires (and centerifres) out there!  I owned a few and still have a couple in the collection.  One always makes out on range trips.  The 452 models seem to be cheap on the secondary market because the 455 (switch barrel) guns are the newest and greatest.  All of the ones I’ve had shoot very well even with bulk junk, and astoundingly with match grade fodder.  They also have some of the best wood I’ve seen on factory guns.

    I would buy a CZ over Savage and Ruger any day when looking at bolt action rimfires

  11. Great list and episode. FYI to the OP – it is a federal crime to capture, injure, or kill grackles.

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