I do a lot of web surfing in the car waiting for the GF. Weather getting off work or shopping I have a lot of time on my hands. Just reading some of the many gun debates is plenty entertaining enough. As the title asks, how did you choose your guns and ammo? Here's my take on the subject. Shotgun,12 GA. My 2 are Maverick 88's. A less expensive version of the Mossberg 500. I have had a Remington 870 but prefer the ergonomic of the 88. Rifles, my bolt of choice is the Mauser 98. Back in the day they were cheap and plentiful. Butter smooth bolt and 5 rounds of 8 mm. Accurate too. It's the European equivalent to our 30/06. Picked this one because of it's battle tested reliability. Ammo is a bit hard to find and somewhat pricey. But it's hard to beat a Mauser action. Next up the red headed step child of the gun world, the dowdy SKS! Again back in the day they were cheap and plentiful. And the 7.62x39 round is cheap and plentiful. The rifle fly's under the radar and is still on the California approved roster. Guess it ain't black and scares liberals! Fixed magazine, not black,but still a very functional gun. Now for some portable fire power. Hand guns. My pic is the 1911 platform. It was what I trained with when I was serving in the Navy at the time. The 45 is just a plus. Stepping down a notch is the 9 mm. My pick is a very well made clone of the Browning Hi Power. FEG PJK 9HP is as close as I'm going to get to the real deal. After all I'm just a working stiff like anyone else. And a self admitted JMB fanboy to. Ammo is cheap and plentiful as well but not so cheap for 45. Now comes the wheel guns.Caliber wins here,357 magnum. As much as I crave a Colt or swoon for a Smith&Wesson I'm still a working guy with not much left at the end of the month. Got a Rossi snub and a Llama Comanche lll 4". Not the greatest but it keeps heads down! These are my picks. What's yours?
I like Glocks. I have a pair of G19s and a small G43, all are in 9mm. I have customized one of the 19 and it is my normal carry. I am considering switch to 10mm in the near future, at least for my everyday carry. It will also be a Glock if I do so. I sold a 887 Remington shotgun recently, mainly because I didn't like the ergonomics of the gun, not sure why I bought it. I will probably get a Kel-tec KSG to replace it after I hear a bit more about them. I have two ARs, a Colt LE6920 (5.56) and a Primary Weapons System MK116 Mod 2 which is in .223 Wylde. I am thinking about an AR-10 (.308) but we'll see... I also have Ruger.22 rifle (10/22) and pistol (SR22). I don't shoot the pistol much but , I guess, it's one of those things that everyone should have and hopefully I will purchase a suppressor for it someday as barrel is threaded.
I'd take anything I could get my hands on and that I could get ammo for. Hmmm, that might mean that I'd wind up with more than I could possible use (or carry - in a truck). Whatever
If I had any guns...: Bolt gun would be a 7mm Mag or .300 Win Mag savage Battle rifle would be an AR in 5.56 Plinker/LTL riot gun would be Ruger 10/22 Shotgun would be an 870 Wingmaster. Mavericks have a weak point in the single slide bar. Carbine would be a Sterling in 9mm Service handgun would be a Para P14-45 1911 Wheelgun would be a S&W model 10 .38 Rabbit and squirrel pistol would be a fluted barrel Ruger Mk 3 or 4
I stick with standard US military cartridges (5.56, 7.62, 12 Gauge) along with .22LR and likely 6.5x55 Swede and 6.5 CM in the future for hunting and precision work respectively. When I split Commigon for sunnier more open areas I'm plannign a 338 Lapua build using the Remage barrel system so I can do all my own gunsmithing. For pistols It's also a military cartridge, a 9mm along with 22LR. Like Quigly I'm not much of a pistolero preferring my rifle, but still effective enough.
Before the boat turned over, I had strictly military arms and calibers. (Including C&R.) Well, there's some 22 cal still around. Specifics are OPSEC.
Always a fan of wheel guns in .44 some B.P. some magnum. The 1911 is a fixed part of my life, never off my hip unless it gets subbed with a .44 of which I have a few. The 1911 is ether a double stack Caspian, or a Kimber Eclipse, both in 10 MM. Rifles depend on what day it is and what I feel like. Normally I have a FN-FAL over my shoulder and a C.A.R.16 commando sbr, suppressed. For more formal working conditions, ether a 1903 Springfield or a Tikka T-3 Super varmint, both in .30/06, and for long range, a Savage based .338 Lapua Mag. I find That each of these represents the very best performance I can have at a mostly reasonable price point. The AR also has a .22 conversion and the 1911s can all use the same .22 conversion top end!
Our House is a Practical Weapons home... Our choice of FireArms, is dictated by the Practical... The first was a 22LR Winchester 69A Rifle that I received on my 12th Birthday... This was my Training Weapon, the weapon I used in my NRA MarksmanShip Program, as well as my first Hunting weapon... When I finished College, my Partner and I fled Civilization for the Cascade Mountains... I bought a Winchester 1894 SaddleRing Carbine in 30-30 Winchester as a Pack Gun... Ammunition was readily available in every General Store, in every Village we visited, in our wonderings.. It has enough Power to down any creature resident in that area. It was the Practical Weapon of choice, and is light enough to carry easily, along with a 40# pack... When I was first married, a Good friend told me, “That a Married Man needed a Good Handgun...” and let me pick one from his ample Collection... I choose a Colt 1903 Pocket Auto in 38ACP.. It had the look of a 1911 but not the recoil... It’s only real drawback was the Ammunition was Obsolete, and I had to learn to Load my own, which started my Professional Ammunition Manufacturing Career... It became my Pack Gun as then I was traveling extensively in the ALASKAN Bush, as a Traveling Radioman... Being gone, I felt AlaskaChick, needed to be able to defend herself, so I took her to the local Gun Emporium, and let her select the Handgun that suited her Grip, and capabilities at that time... She choose a nice little LLAMA .380 SemiAuto... Just right for a beginning Self-Protection Weapon... After a few years another Good Friend saw my Colt 1903, and said that i shouldn’t be carrying a Rare Collectable like that, as a PackGun... So down to the local Gun Emporium, to select a replacement.. After a couple of hours handling each of the Semi-Autos on the shelf, None seemed right in my grip.. Then the Old Guy behind the counter says “ Son, I think I have just the FireArm you are looking for.” and he reaches in a drawer, behind the counter, and pulls out a case, opens it up, and there sits a Belgian Browning HiPower in 9mm, with two magazines... He hands it to me , and WHOA, It fits my hand, like a well worn glove... $500Us gets me the weapon and a couple of boxes of 9mm FMJ... Then I made my FIRST Mistake... I let AlaskaChick get her hands on it... BAD NEWS....It became HER Gun, whenever I wasn’t traveling, and we sold her LLAMA to my new Sister in Law, as Backup Weapon to her Duty Firearm..Soon after that we moved out of Seattle, to unincorporated Snohomish County, and got my First Class 01 FFL, along with a Class 6 FFL Ammunition Manufacturing License... I could now buy wholesale, and we went back down to the Gun Emporium and she checked out a duplicate of her Fathers Dan Wesson .357 Magnum Pistol Pac... I ordered one in Stainless, the next day, and when it arrived, I finally got my Browning Hi-Power back.. Next came the Browning/ Remington AutoV Shotgun... It was my GodFathers Duck Gun... He trained, both Me and my little Brother, to hunt and shoot, as well as drive, and most other Non-City, Farm type endeavors... He owned a Quarter Section Hobby Farm out in the Bald Hills, near Yelm, WA.. and we got to spend one weekend a month down on “The Farm”... When he sold the farm and entered the Nursing Home, he gave me, and my Brother, his Collection of FireArms and reloading Gear... All were very well used and Practical Weapons, and we cherish each and every one of them... A few have been passes down to our children, and soon to our Grandchildren... I picked up a Universal M1Carbine super cheap, and that became AlaskaChicks Critter Getter, when we moved to Alaska.. She took her 350# BlackBear with that weapon with a single shot.. He is NOW A nice Rug.. I took in a S&W Blue M29 44 Mag 8” when i sold a Fisherman the Stainless M629 version, on trade... AlaskaChick loves to blast Glass with it, when we reCycle our Bottles, off the Dock, out in the Inlet... The last acquisition was the Custom DPMS AR10 w/24” Stainless Bull Barrel... This our “Reach- Out and Touch Someone” Weapon... and later this summer We will be adding a KSG Pump Shotgun... I can purchase ANY Weapon I choose, but as you can see, only buy Quality, and Practical, for our own uses...
sticking with the basic 5 22LR, 5.56X45 7.62X51, 9MM and 12 GA. Even in uncertain times 4 of the 5 will be around as well as 40S&W. unless taking large game longer distance shots on Moose griz or elk these should perform fine. 45ACP will not be around as those that have one will not want to part with them if they recall the ammo shortage. As far as military surplus calibers like 7.62X54R or 8MM 303 and some others a hard cast bullet with gas check and some information from C. E. Harris on THE LOAD or 12 grains of red dot takes most game out to 100 + yards , there are plenty of sources for reduced loads using Unique and some other fast burning pistol / shotgun powders in a bolt action rifle with hard cast bullets. a link to a copy of C.E. Harris the load Ed Harris articles for reduced loads - The Curio and Relic Firearms Forum Here is a link to Unique powder reduced loads http://home.earthlink.net/~mhclary/Uniquepowder.pdf Reduced loads in a three part / page online Gunwriters' Handloading Subsonic Cartridges, Part 1 More reduced load data and instruction Five Ways I Make Reduced Ammunition Loads Generally speaking a hard cast bullet of a heavier nature than the original calibers jacketed design works best Before World War one most all cartridge bullets were lead and killed all the game in North America this is part of survival reloading and for those that choose not to get into it too deeply, Lee makes a Lee Loader can fit in a pocket for most Military surplus cartridges and common pistol and rifle as well. I personally would get a hand primer tool as tapping a case onto a live primer is not for the faint of heart.
Had a Browning High Power years ago. Grip fit nicely but a real meaty web between thumb and forefinger resulted in nasty hammer bite and slide cuts. After a magazine full, I was bleeding all over the back strap. Happened every time. Finally traded it off. Too bad. Otherwise I liked the pistol. The 1911s in various configurations don't have that problem for me.
I prefer a lever-gun in .45-70, though I do have a little Winchester trapper in .45LC that is mighty handy. I prefer side by side or pump shotguns, Model 12 Winchester being my favorite. There is always a .22 Colt Woodsman in my saddlebags and my little Winchester model 63 will always be a favorite. I wear a pair of .45LC single action revolvers, Evil Roy models that were slicked for mounted shooting.
Kind of fond of wood and steel, but I'll also buy polymer and alloy. The only gun I really want to get my hands on is an interarms mauser in .375 H&H with express sights. I'd probably also take a CZ550 in the same chambering.
I tried a friend's Whitworth (or was it Wentworth?) Express in .375 years ago. After two rounds I renamed it a .375 Ouch n' Ouch.
I LOVE the look of nicely blued steel and wood. It's not as functional, but so beautiful. Right now my only example is a Brownign A-Bolt in 22LR.
We just went with common, popular calibers for the most part. .22lr, .22wmr, .38/.357, 9x19, 7.62x39, .7.62x51 & x54r...and the not so common ones are still practical. Oh yeah...Brownings have some nice furniture!
So, Savage 110T 18" heavy in .308, Armalite AR-10 in .308, Colt AR-15 .223, Mosin Nagant 18" scout rifle in 7.62x54R, 10/22, Revelation Lever in .22 (first gun that Dad gave me), and Glocks in 9,45, and 380, few 1911's, and 1 99a Barrett. To this day I hate the boat sank with all of that on it.
