Multiple purpose guns

JTHunter said:

Nice pair of ducks Armored Farmer. Are they both mallards or is the one in back a teal? I'm over in the SW corner.

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Nope.
Mr and Mrs Mallard.
#1 son got into duck hunting this year. I'm having a ball, tagging along once in a while.
We limited out at Little Grassy (near you?)earlier this season.

Then went to Reelfoot, for 4 ducks.

Then in our back yard for a few mallards:

...and finished the season with some Honkers on nearby Newton Lake:

Labguy47 said:

Not arguing which is a better application of purpose, simply do you gravitate more to one platform.

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That would be a yes for me. I enjoy rifle and while I have no shortage of handguns in just about all flavors what I really enjoy is rifle and reaching out at targets on a spring or summer day. Likely whay about now, just like every year, cabin fever is getting to me. Keeping in mind I shoot for the pure enjoyment it gives me.

Ron

Labguy47 said:

Not arguing which is a better application of purpose, simply do you gravitate more to one platform.

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Sorry, misunderstood your question. While I think my Mossberg 500 is the most versatile firearm I own, I don't gravitate to "do everything" firearms at this point. I lean toward specific arms for specific purposes, and also some "just for fun."

IMO, the Mossberg 500 that comes with both the 28" and 18" barrel is a great deal.
Easily lends itself to multiple usage.

I have three hunting rifles and one will do anything I need for big-game hunting in Idaho; a Ruger M77 All-Weather-Rifle in .30-06 with a 3x9 Vortex scope. My brother has a dozen or more in various calibers and boutique magnums.

For handguns, if I had to just have one for self-defense, woods defense, range use, and even limited hunting, it would be my Glock G29 10mm.

I can do anything with it...

jmorris said:

Savage 24. If I don’t know what I am going to do, it’s the ones to have.

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I recently picked up a pristine 22mag/20ga Savage 24. For general purpose "we'll see what the woods have to offer" type days.

What combination do you use?

gotboostvr said:

I recently picked up a pristine 22mag/20ga Savage 24. For general purpose "we'll see what the woods have to offer" type days.

What combination do you use?

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I have the .22/410.
Definitely one of my favorites!

Four rounds of 3" #6, five rounds of 2.5" #4s, 10 .22 shorts, 10 .22 lr on speed strips tucked in the elastic ammo cuff.

I’m not sure one gun can do it all, but a 12ga and a .357 revolver would come pretty close to the most versatile combo.

And that’s coming from a washed in the blood AR/Glock true believer.

If I was just starting out or single I might be a one gun multiple purpose guy. Why if I was single? Because I would live on 40 acres instead of a smaller property in a good school district, and I would feel a lot more comfortable with a lever action, shotgun, or AR carrying around the property and keeping nearby in the home, whilst doing everyday tasks. As it is with a family around I don’t have that comfort level nor do I need it. When I say I would feel comfortable, I mean from the perspective of safety with kids running around, not from the perspective of “i’d be uncomfortable in my backyard without a gun”.

As it is, because I can’t have that close a relationship with one long gun throughout my waking hours:

What I do is EDC, whenever my pants are on (whether relaxing at home, shopping, etc) a G19. It’s in my bedside safe at night as well.

12 gauge and 20 gauge are for hunting. Deer in front of dogs, small game, doves. Clay shooting.

The AR has finally had a RDS added and a rail mount flashlight will be delivered by the brown truck tomorrow and it will be (as it is now) in the safe with full mag and 3 loaded mags for HD purposes or if a coyote comes by the chicken coop.

Muzzleloader obviously has a specific deer season purpose and as I live in a ML only area, it stays loaded no primer all fall long for backyard deer opportunities (got one from my bedroom window this Thanksgiving).

Tikka T3 7mm-08 is my medium game hunting rifle when I am not with someone running dogs (my hunt club and public land is where I tree stand hunt).

22 Model 60 is for training, Appleseed style, with aperture sights at 25M in the backyard.

22 Marlin 25 w/ Nikon 4x is a dedicated
Coon rifle.

M1 Garand is a range toy.

So I would say none of my firearms are really multipurpose. Sometimes I fantasize about if I did have “one gun to do it all”, a lever 30-30 or AR in 6.8 variety maybe that was next to me whether I was in bed or riding the truck to the hunt club. As it is, not gonna happen.

gotboostvr said:

I recently picked up a pristine 22mag/20ga Savage 24. For general purpose "we'll see what the woods have to offer" type days.

What combination do you use?

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My favorite is .22/20ga, so much that I picked up an extra, then made an insert for the bottom so I could run 357 too.

Labguy47 said:

Do you often find that, even though most of us have spent a small fortune on multiple platforms, you gravitate to one particular gun or even two? Or do you pick according to activity?

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I'd say I tend to pick by activity.

My EDC even varies by location - at home I carry a S&W M&P 40 full size, on the ranch its a S&W 686P 6".

As another stick to beat the horse, a 12ga is probably the most versatile jack of all trades firearm there is. I sold mine awhile back but kept all the shells I had for it, because I will have one again eventually.

All of my guns have more than one use, and I’ve deliberately selected them that way. All of my pistols are possible HD or carry items. The shotgun is my go to hunter but I wouldn’t count it out as a defender of some sort. Centerfire rifles are defenders too but I take them out for coyote this time of year.

Honestly the only one my collection is missing is the .357.

On the subject of multiple uses and versatility a G22 would be pretty high up there for me if it had 9mm and .357sig conversion barrels. Three calibers in one gun gives you a lot of choices.

herrwalther said:

As another stick to beat the horse, a 12ga is probably the most versatile jack of all trades firearm there is. I sold mine awhile back but kept all the shells I had for it, because I will have one again eventually.

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My grandpa grew up trapping in Wisconsin in the 30's, then moved to Idaho in the 40's and did all manner of big-game hunting, waterfowl hunting, and varmint shooting.

When he died, he only owned three guns. I have two of them and my dad still has the rifle.

All three were Remingtons. A semi-auto .30-06, a semi-auto 12ga Browning clone, and a .22 semi-auto Rangemaster. My dad and I both own dozens of guns. I guess we didn't learn from grandpa's example, lol.

Armored farmer said:

Nope.
Mr and Mrs Mallard.
#1 son got into duck hunting this year. I'm having a ball, tagging along once in a while.
We limited out at Little Grassy (near you?)earlier this season.
View attachment 824352
Then went to Reelfoot, for 4 ducks.
View attachment 824353
Then in our back yard for a few mallards:
View attachment 824354
...and finished the season with some Honkers on nearby Newton Lake:
View attachment 824355

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Nice pictures.
Little Grassy? Now your down in my old "stompin' grounds" ! I grew up in West Frankfort until the mid-60s, then spent my last 3 years of college at C'dale. Hopped on my motorcycle whenever possible and rambled all over "Little Egypt". Pounds Hollow, Devil's Kitchen (until they banned swimming), Garden of the Gods, Ferne Clyffe, Giant City, etc. Lots of good memories.

JTHunter said:

Nice pictures.
Little Grassy? Now your down in my old "stompin' grounds" ! I grew up in West Frankfort until the mid-60s, then spent my last 3 years of college at C'dale. Hopped on my motorcycle whenever possible and rambled all over "Little Egypt". Pounds Hollow, Devil's Kitchen (until they banned swimming), Garden of the Gods, Ferne Clyffe, Giant City, etc. Lots of good memories.

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...and I have been to most of those places on my horse. We camped at High Knob in the 70s and early 80s.

Labguy47 said:

But my real question is what is the platform you reach for the most? I agree shotguns are great cross purpose platforms for multiple uses. But is it what you reach for without thought?

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The platform you reach for the most doesn't always make it the most versatile. A 12ga pump is my opinion of most useful. But good luck trying to conceal carry it. I reach for a carry gun every single day when I put my jeans on. And the long guns sit in the safe unless I am working on them or taking them out to shoot.

I only have 2 main weapons for carry. A single stack 9 and double stack 40. Depending on what I will be doing that day determines which one I reach for. I do not prefer to carry one over the other as they both have their strengths.

chicharrones said:

My most versatile multipurpose gun might be my 9mm pistol caliber carbine.

Plinker.
Fun.
Home Defense.
Acceptable at most indoor ranges.

From a suburban point of view.

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Agree with that....I like that you can buy 50 rounds of target ammo for less than 20 rounds of rifle ammo. Then load up with some +P 9mm for home defense and have capable small weapon. versatile ..indeed

IF I were forced to choose, I could pick one rifle and one pistol to handle everything. My DPMS LR-308 can do anything I require of a rifle. My Glock 19 can do anything required of a pistol.

But otherwise, no, I don't gravitate towards one gun...it's too much fun to enjoy the variety. On any given day, I might like to take one of my M1 Garands to the range, or a Springfield .45-70, or a Mauser, or my Swiss K-31, and so it is for pistols...Sig-Sauer .45? Or Ruger Single Six? Colt 1911 in .38 Super? S&W stainless automatic?

If I could afford 30 cars, I would enjoy driving every one of them (they would not be in my collection if I didn't enjoy driving them).

But while I can't afford 30 cars, I can afford to have that many guns and enjoy taking each and every one out to shoot.

During the trap and skeet season, I normally have an 1100 in a hard case in my car, along with several barrels( I have five or six barrels). I loan it to those who have a breakdown, shoot it myself when my arthritis is bad, and can put on a 30" full or 30" mod for trap, either for doubles, the 26" skeet for that or the 28" I.c. for sporting. I also have an ugly polychoke barrel with added rifle sights that shoots Federal Truballs great. Our hunting guest got a button buck with that one last season.

I choose my guns based on activity mostly but I primarily shoot handguns. I have a few that could double as a hunting gun and a defensive guns, and one that I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot elk size game with.

I’ve got a few rifles too. I realized long ago handguns are my thing and that was what I’d be spending my money on. Besides bird hunting there’s nothing I really need or care to do right now that I couldn’t do with one of my handguns.

I do really like my pistol caliber carbine and will probably pick up another, because why not.

Labguy47 said:

Ok I’m just going to throw this out there as I really appreciate all of the answers thus far. I have been tooling around with the idea of getting an EBR. I really don’t need one. I have lots of bolt action rifles that I generally gravitate towards for just about anything. I use a 20g for clays and birds. And I usually have a S&W on my hip. My problem lies with the fact that I keep waffling between a 9mm and 5.56 . I know every one is probably gonna say buy one of each. But which do you think would be more practical?

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Depends on the range you intend to shoot it, among other things.

Mostly 50 yards or less, with some shooting out to 100 yards? Not worried about tight internet worthy groups? The 9mm ought to do fine.

25 yards out to 400 yards plus? Prefer the possibility of shooting groups like a rifle should? 5.56 would be my choice.