The Essentials

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John Joseph

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I've been mulling this over with my com-padres,
What are the two or three most useful, basic, firearms that first and foremost want to be in a shooter's safe/gun rack?
Not specific, per se, as a deer hunter would obviously want a deer rifle as a trap shooter would obviously want a trap gun, but rather more general firearms which one may be expected to have available? And more to the point, how has this changed in recent years?

I've always held that one would be well served with having a .22 rifle and a good .22 target pistol since the .22lr is an excellent tool for learning the basics of rifle-ry and pistol shooting, Also the .22 can handle small game and pests if called upon.
BUT with lead now verboten in CA for hunting, should the .22 still be considered an essential?
In my state, anyway? Maybe a b-b gun is more practical now?

A good 12 gauge pump may also be considered an essential. With the options of screw in chokes and barrel lengths, the optimal uses to which a shotgun can be employed is certainly mind boggling and yet more and more of my com-padres swear that the AR is far and away more of neccesity.

What do you think?
 
For me the "essentials" would be:

1) Colt Government .45 with a .22 conversion unit.
2) Colt AR15 with a .22 conversion unit.
3) Maverick 88 12 gauge shotgun with extra barrels.

Like to think I have most of my bases nicely covered with these three guns.
 
i am more or less of similar thought to bannockburn,

1) 1911, with a 22lr conversion, normal 45 acp and a 460 rowland conversion. mine is a Kimber Custom II

2) some type of small lightweight semi auto, ar15 is not a bad choice, would have a 22lr conversion, my 6.8 spc and one of the wssm conversions. mine is a Ruger SR556

3) 12 gauge shotgun with various chokes/barrels love my semi autos but this would be a pump. mine is a Mossberg 835 (would probably go with a higher end option if i only could have the one)

these were not my first purchases but they would be the last 3 I would get rid of.
 
One could have a 12 gage, .22 over and under and the same type of gun in 30 06 and .22.
Then something in 9 or 45. About as basic as it gets.
 
Around here, for essentials for most people I'd expect a lot of deer rifles in 30-06 and 30-30, some cheap 12 pumps, and various 22s.

For me essential is both self defense and hunting. So, a 9mm for carry, AR for general purposes. A 22, a 12 gauge and a 30-06 for hunting.

If I had to choose two, I'd pick the 9mm and 22 rifle.

If I had to choose one - the bare essential - it'd be the 9mm.
 
When I was a kid the old man had a Colt .22 pistol, Winchester .22 rifle and a 12gauge.

In today's gun world I would start with a CC handgun or better yet two, plastic .

While my gun accumulation is a mix of the guns of my youth and what suits my current needs I pretty much can cover the basics with a few fun guns thrown in for good measure.
 
A 22LR rifle. Gotta plink.
A 12 gauge Mossberg 500, or Remington 870, potatoes, po-tah-tos.
Either a .357 mag or .44 mag, which you can load with ratshot, for snakes.

Everything else can come later.
 
Yes, a gun for every occasion; 12 gauge Rem 870, an M-39 Finn Mosin, a Ruger 10/22 and a Ruger MkII .22 for odd dispatches and finishing shots.
The last 5 years its been Bow, arrows,Lance, traps, and the last couple its been Black Powder, each a .50 can Carbine and Long Rifle and a nice 12 gauge side by side.
 
I won’t be as specific
But agree that an AR, a pistol in 9mm or 45 and a 12 ga shotgun are the three core guns that cover most basis.

Some could argue an AK could replace the AR. Likewise for a mini 14. And I wouldn’t argue.

In other words a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun cover most bases if you’re limited to three.
 
I like hunting deer with my dad, and the top list for that purpose I thinh would be Beanfield Sniper Remington Sendero SF II, which I currently use.

It has a pretty heavy barrel, but it's really its only drawback, as it has great velocity as possible and very accurate shots. I haven't much experience with guns, in fact my first one was H&R Handi and then this one, but so far I feel like it's ideal for me. The rigid stock and the weight helps with accuracy very much.
 
Interesting replies thus far.

Mine would be:

357 magnum with a 4-5 inch barrel (mild to wild, CCW to hunting squirrel up to deer to just plinking)
A bolt action rifle in 308 or 30-06. If one reloads you can load gallery loads and it expands your hunting capability up to elk/moose in size.
a pump shotgun with different barrels and chokes for birds, deer or self defense from large bears
 
Hmmmm....
From a collectors standpoint. Every self respecting collector should have at least one:
US WW2 milsurp (Garand, Springfield, Carbine)
Old lever action (1894 Winchester, 99 Savage)
Pre-lock Smith and Wesson (any caliber)

From a survivalist standpoint:
An AR (in the US, AK anywhere else)
9mm handgun
.22 pistol (suppressed if possible)

For hunters:
Scoped high power rifle (any)
12ga pump or semi
4-6" .357 or .44

For casual shooters/ccw/home defense:
A .22 rifle
A compact auto or snubbie revolver
Short 12ga (optional, substitute a mid to full size nightstand handgun)

So, I guess essential really depends on who you are. :)
 
es·sen·tial
əˈsen(t)SHəl/
adjective
adjective: essential
  1. 1.
    absolutely necessary; extremely important.
    "it is essential to keep up-to-date records"
    synonyms: crucial, necessary, key, vital, indispensable, important, all-important, of the essence, critical, imperative, mandatory, compulsory, obligatory; More
    urgent, pressing, paramount, preeminent, high-priority, nonnegotiable;
    informalmust-have
    "it is essential to remove the paint"
    antonyms: unimportant, optional
    • fundamental or central to the nature of something or someone.
      "the essential weakness of the plaintiff's case"
      synonyms: basic, inherent, fundamental, quintessential, intrinsic, underlying, characteristic, innate, primary, elementary, elemental; More
      central, pivotal, vital
      "the essential simplicity of his style"
      antonyms: secondary
    • Biochemistry
      (of an amino acid or fatty acid) required for normal growth but not synthesized in the body and therefore necessary in the diet.
  2. 2.
    Medicine
    (of a disease) with no known external stimulus or cause; idiopathic.
    "essential hypertension"
noun
noun: essential; plural noun: essentials
  1. 1.
    a thing that is absolutely necessary.
    "we had only the bare essentials in the way of gear"
    synonyms: necessity, prerequisite, requisite, requirement, need; More
    condition, precondition, stipulation;
    sine qua non;
    informalmust, must-have
    "an essential for broadcasters"
    • the fundamental elements or characteristics of something.
      "he was quick to grasp the essentials of an opponent's argument"
      synonyms: fundamentals, basics, rudiments, first principles, foundations, bedrock; More
      essence, basis, core, kernel, crux, sine qua non;
      informalnitty-gritty, brass tacks, nuts and bolts, meat and potatoes
      "the essentials of the job"

Collections are not essentials. For myself essential means working guns first. Main working gun is your EDC. A home defense gun is next so either a shotgun or AR depending on your preference and probably a larger pistol. A farmer may use a .22 regularly to eliminate varmints and pests. Someone in Alaska may well need a .44. So it will be different depending.
 
Looking at NIGHTLORD40K's typology, I'm a hunter. Here's my list:
  1. 12 gauge pump action with multiple barrels. Mine is a Mossberg 500 with a 26-inch vent rib barrel with removable chokes, a 24-inch rifled slug barrel with cantilever scope mount sporting a Leupold M8 4X, and an 18.5-inch cylinder barrel with rifle sights. Best all-purpose hunting/sporting/defense gun there is, IMHO.
  2. Bolt action rifle in an intermediate cartridge--anything built on the .308 case (.308, 7mm-08, .260, .243). My go-to hunting rifle for many years has been a Remington Model 7 in .308 with a Leupold Vari-X II 2-7X compact mounted in the conventional position. If I were starting over, I might opt for a .260 Rem instead of the .308, but I'm not parting with the .308 any time soon.
  3. 4-inch .357 magnum revolver ... or possibly .44 magnum if one reloads. Mine is a stainless Ruger GP100. With reloads across the full spectrum from mouse fart plinkers to full-house hunting loads, the .357 (or .44) is a great all-purpose handgun.
I could be content having to "do it all" with three guns, but would rather add a few more, including a .22 rifle and a .22 handgun. But I'd give up the .22s before giving up one of my "big three."
 
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A do all rifle, shotgun, and handgun. For a rifle a lever action 30-30 or an AR would be ideal. Depending on whether or not you are a hunter or want to focus more on self/home defense. A do all shotgun 12ga Maverick, Mossberg, or Remington depending on budget and preference. Do all handgun would be likely something in 9mm like a Glock 19 or something in similar size from any preferred maker.
 
I would only really have two "essentials":

1) Full size double stack 9mm plastic fantastic of your choice
2) Milspec AR; Colt 6920 or similar.

I can do 99% of everything I do or might want to do with a gun with one of those, so my third slot would be open... I'd probably go either smaller carry gun or accuracy oriented .308 of some kind.
 
The rack of rifles and shotguns along with a drawer of pistols tells me I'm not very good at sticking to the essentials.
However:
From my youth until my early twenties I had just a .22 and a shotgun.

Outside of CCW, I think a .22 and a shotgun still covers the "essentials". Small game, pests and paper punching with the .22 (or high quality air gun if you're in Ca. where they've banned lead) and small game, birds and rabbits as well as HD with the shotgun. Then load it with slugs for big game. If you're the CCW type like me, add a handgun you'll actually carry.
 
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