Do you subscribe to the "one gun" mentality?

A person should have as many guns they feel they need. If one wants 1 gun for personal protection that is fine.

I do often think if I had to only have one gun for some awful reason, it would be the Glock 19...

Culled the herd in the past decade. Gave a list of all guns to sons, told them to settle who got what, got a list back in a couple of weeks showing who wanted what, distributed the herd thereby.

Kept two carry guns, a revolvolator and a half ("semi") auto, an SKS for by the front door, and another full-up SKS with folding bayonet, grenade launcher, sling, oiler, firing pin gauge, everything, because I love the stupid thing all to pieces and I like the gas cutoff which allows single loading.

Full-size handguns are too heavy for me to carry around town any more.

Of the "one gun" philosophy, I kept a shotgun as being the most practical all-around utility gun on the planet. And if it comes to total confiscation, that's the one type of firearm they'll probably allow since it's still somewhat regarded as more "civilized" by the upper crust of society. Even President Biden has recommended firing one in the air to discourage thievery and violence.

Terry, 230RN

If you can’t remember your sight settings, and what loads your guns like, you got too many. I know my guns inside and out. Which springs are replaced, I even remember the serial number on most. And on several I no longer own.

I like everything in firearms. If you said you only have a matchlock musket or the most modern auto loader doesn’t matter to me. They are all fun and have their purpose.

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...

I carry a variety of weapons based on my assessment of the threat matrix and carry considerations for a given location at a given time. This may result in being armed with a .22 NAA Mini for part of a day and a .44 629 or maybe a Beretta 92C for the other part of the same day.

Only you know your situation, NOT some third-party "expert" with a blog and YouTube channel.

what is a one gun mentality? I missed this day in class.

Okay. Thanks for contributing. Stage of life thing for me. I didn't get into firearms until after I was married and my wife gave me my first: a Mossberg 500 combo that I hunted with for many years. I subsequently added a single hunting rifle and a couple of .22s. Then a carry pistol and field carry revolver. That was it for a long time. Then as resources and time permitted, I grew a modest collection, learning along the way. I have a few I rely on, a few I shoot semi-regularly, and a few I haven't shot in a long time--but they're all shooters. With retirement on the horizon, I'll be looking to cull the collection to get rid of those I never shoot. But I plan to keep a nice variety that hold my interest.

I'm still aspiring to be one of what the MSM calls a "Super Gun Owner" and since I ain't scared of data mining or the illegitimate govt I'll tell you exactly what I have.

1. Savage .22LR semi rifle

2. Marlin .22LR bolt action

3. Marlin .22WMR bolt action

4. Diamondback AR15

5. Moriarti Arms AR9

6. Savage .308 bolt action

7. Dickinson 12g pump

8. Dickinson 12g pump

9. Glock 17

10. Glock 26

11. Ruger P95

12. Zenith 1911 .45ACP

13. Ruger 1911 Target 10mm

14. Heritage Rough Rider .22 S/A revolver

15. Walther PPS M2



I hope to improve these meager numbers in the future but if I'm unable to I feel sufficient in what I have.

ClicheBro said:

Do you have a plethora of each category of gun or are you married to a single model?

Click to expand...

For the purposes of carrying, I stick to 1 main gun, which is the Sig P220 .45 The reason for this is that having owned its since the late 80s, as well as being my duty weapon for my entire LE career, I maintain a huge advantage over the general populous for the simple fact that after 35 years, and thousand, upon thousands of hours of training, I know the weapon so well I don't even have to think about it. Handling the weapon is second nature. Way back in the day our dept had schools for everything, and Auto pistol school was 2 weeks 8 hours a day of nothing but tactical shooting and memorizing every last detail about the gun. The put us in teams of two, and then blind folded us and while sittiing there they field stripped the weapons, then through all the pieces in a mud filled hole 1.5 feet deep, then through sand on top of that.

The exercise was while blind folded you had to dig up the parts that were also mixed up with your partners, then quickly flick the mud off and get it back together in 1 minute, all while still blind folded.. To this day even though retired long ago, i still strip and reassemble that pistol 2x a week, and while I skip the mud part, my record to date is 25 seconds stripped and back assembled in the blind.

My point is by sticking with that same weapon all these years, my chances of making simple yet poentially fatal mistakes are almost zero. jumping around gun to gun is asking for trouble. in my day we had to carry what they called TRUE combat weapons, and that meant a decocker was all that was allowed. Several guys have put their asses in jeapardy with the old Smith 659s becasue the decocker was also a safety, so theyd decock and forget to flip the lever back up an then in a dangerous situation, draw the weapon and pull a dead trigger, then end up getting shot themselves over a 1/10th of a second of brain fart.

The 3 golden rules tp keeping once ass out of trouble is 1. Familiarity with your weapon. you must know it in and out. 2. Repitition. by working with the same weapon for years on end, its use becomes second nature. and lasty 3. Training, Training, Training is reaponsible for the other two rules. Familiarty is a result of training, as is Repitiion, as the more you train, the more you repeat the process over and over, and as a result your handling of the weapon becomes an autonomous process requiring zero thought to keep you and your loved ones safe.

I will on rare occation though sometimes carry the gun in the photo. Mostly I'll do it for conversation, and because i've also had years of training with it, making it the safest, most innovative pistol every produced, and even though production ceased a few years back, when it was sold new it was the most expensive off the shelf profuction pistol in the world. I bought mine in 90 for $1100, while everything else was half that price. Now it has broke a new record as the most expensive used production pistol in history. Currently an unfired example with the box and paperwork is $8800, to over $10,000. Most were P7 M8s with single stack 7 round mags, in 9mm, mine was the less produced P7 M13 9mm with 13round mags. Lastly theres the ultra rare nickel .40 cal that can't be touched under $10,000 and a perfect example can run almost $14,000.

My favorite thing about this gun is that its like kryptonite to scumbags. I used to call it the Time Machine, In the event some hood dweller gets it away from you, time will stop,followed by a look of pure stupidity on their face. for someone even remotely uneducated its impossible to figure out how to shoot it, so they freeze with fuses poping in their 3rd grade minds, and simply stare at the useless hunk of metal in their hand, you are gifted with a boatload of time to either kick their knees in, or snatch it back and beat their face in with it. and then be on your merry way lol. I'm joking of course, but I used to make $100 bets and let them take the gun, then prove how i'd gut puch them before they got the empty weapon to dry fire before i took it back. I worked for a tiny 20 man dept. in my rookie years, and was totally amazed that only 4 of the 20 certified policement had no idea how it worked. Anyway should anyone get a chance to get a deal on one, its a must must must have for any avid collector.

I look at the craftsmanship put into this model, and the look at the crap they call guns today. I hate polymer guns, not so much because of the cheesy look, but because the gun companies have to paint this picture of superiorty like its some great innovation. Its not. The real truth is its cheap. Do you have any idea how cheap injection molding is?? I bet the glock for instance. If the frame of those guns costs 10cents per unit, that would be a lot. And my last similar example is the Aluminium frame Motocross bike. everyone thought wow, chromoly is heavy, aluminum is the way to go, well its not. you need 3x the material to get the strenght, and it was done becasue its was 1/4 the cost to drop all the precut aluminum pieces in a welding jig, than the time and skill chromoly took to work with. Intersting world for sure.

Ignition Override said:

ClicheBro: Sorry if I was too suspicious.

My interests gradually changed, but having never been exposed to hunting, I've never owned what is a true hunting gun. Never owned a scope.

Basically milsurp guns have been the primary interest, or those which have the same character - if they are known as high quality.

Anyway after many guns, now my only centerfire rifles are the VZ-58, a Maadi AKM and pair of PTR-91s.

The ATF knew about most of these because of the gun shops' background checks, so there is no reason to play games, and pretend that the ATF never knew about such guns.....many .people out there are so Funny sometimes.

Now have just a few handguns, two for carry and the others for econ. practice/fun: .22 LR.

Click to expand...

I have a hunting gun for every whim. Because I may hunt an area where 300 yards is easy. Then move a 1/2 mile and have 75 yards be a long shot.
For defense I have worked down to only 1 gun.
For small game I once again have a large variety of options.
I've found the less I bounce back and forth between platforms. The better I am. My overall average skill got better switching back and forth. But my specific speed and accuracy went down with all the different triggers and gun characteristics.
So I'm looking at minimizing what I actually shoot.

One gun? How about one platform.
I might carry either a Glock 22 or 34 AIWB as a primary - different calibers, same operation.
I've got a 2nd gun (Kahr PM9) in my weak hand pocket, which affords the option of putting my hand on it without revealing I'm carrying.

For HD I have a Shockwave and a AR but the gun I'm most likely going to use is the handgun that is on me (Glock 22/34)

To elaborate on the prior.
Do I think I "need" to carry two handguns? No its about options.
Do I think I "need" to carry at home? Heck no. I live in a "good area". I just do it anyway.
Do I have smaller handguns I could carry other than the Glock 22/34? Yes, like a Glock 43 or 19. But I prefer the 22 and 34.
I subscribe to the "do my best" mentality, which is do my best to always carry a handgun I'd prefer in hand to defend myself anywhere, everywhere.

ClicheBro said:

I current have a single shotgun, rifle, and pistol.

Click to expand...

First I worked hard to get an education in four different countries and then I worked hard and smart to being able to afford a few luxuries in life and with the kids out of school I just picked up another shotgun I do not really need to enjoy very much, a light Belgian FN Auto 5 in 12 gauge and another HK P7. Today I will order 9mm ammo.

DustyGmt said:

I subscribe but don't abide......

Click to expand...

That’s me as well. I’ll get there eventually. Reason: I want a simple life and not to be a slave to my possessions.

My goal is to have one of every model gun ever made. So, yeah, I have a "one gun" mentality.

I have more of a “one of everything” mentality. Why limit myself, I am pretty good at picking the right one for the job.

ClicheBro said:

I current have a single shotgun, rifle, and pistol.

Click to expand...

I started similarly. Rifle, Revolver, Shotgun. Then my accumulation progressed a bit over time.

I no longer have any shotguns, however.

JN01 said:

How many is a plethora?

Click to expand...

Ten less than a myriad.

"Gotta catch 'em all."
-With that, I'm off to the gun store... .

ClicheBro said:

That's the second P7 mentioned in this thread.

Click to expand...

It is my third HK P7 despite the fact that I am not really a big fan of H&K. I shot an HK Elite .45 ACP this morning, and while of good quality, the handling and trigger characteristics leave something to be desired for someone who is spoilt by the Swiss P210 commercial triggers.

I have owned a lot of guns and always was looking for the handgun that would give me a competitive advantage at the next match. That was always a good excuse to get another gun.

I respect those that stress one weapon you are intimately familiar with.

Case in point, I regularly hunt upland game birds in 2 states. One state doesn’t allow lead shot. Never failed I would leave 1 or 2 shells in my vest each time resulting in me violating game laws in one state by possessing lead, or shooting $2 a piece bismuth shells in the other. To remedy this, last year I set up 2 different vests and 2 different shotguns, 1 each for each state. The purpose of 2 shotguns was one state allows no plug in your gun for upland birds and a chukar rise can give you 4-6 staggered shots regularly.

The problem??? One shotgun’s safety was in front of the trigger guard, one behind. Know how many times I lost 1/2 a second not getting the safety off? Everytime I used the rear safety gun!!! The other gun has been carried 1,000s of miles and I’ve shot it 10,000s of times. This year I have 2 identical guns and that issue hasn’t presented itself.

That said, my carry weapon depends on weather and clothing. I prefer the G17. But in the summer it’s usually a .380. But the G17 is locked in the vehicle and the goal of the .380 is to get me and my family to safety, and the G17. The 9mm PCC using the same magazines as the G17 is usually in the vehicle as well. The 17 is easier to grab. But it would only be until I could the PCC in my hands.