Ideal Minimum Collection for New Gun Owner

[Jason_W]

Depends on where you live to an extent. Shotguns are fairly useless out west. But essential in the mid-west and south. A 30.06 is too much gun for anything in the South but highly useful in the west.

I don't know, the west is a very big region. On the plains a shotgun slug might not be great, but I've already encountered some brushy areas in Sierra Nevada foothills that are at least as thick as northern New England cedar swamp, only with rattle snakes

A shotgun stoked with slugs would be great in some of those patches.

 

[Willie Sutton]

^^

We duck hunt on the western edge of Edwards AFB where there's a water impoundment, right in the Mojave Desert, so... <shrugs>... Blinds and Decoys in the Desert. And shotguns.


Willie

.

 

[rskent]

BigBL87 said:

meant to say you can't hunt deer with a rifle,*

I guess your friend is gonna need a good slug gun.

 

[Snejdarek]

Czech perspective

That is actually what I am deciding right now. I have a relatively small flat and our safe storage requirements are stricter for more than 10 and 20 guns, so I will fit only a safe for 10 and less [the cops have no right to come and inspect it like in Germany and some other European states, but I want to stay within the law nevertheless]. I live in a city and have no interest in hunting. So for me, the list will be something like that:
1) compact 9mm semi-auto pistol (bought in January) - CCW/home defense
2) sub-compact .380 revolver (will buy till year-end) - GF's CCW or mine in the summer
3) full size steel frame 9mm (2015) - range fun/home defense
4) semi-auto shotgun (2015)
5) semi-auto rifle - probably VZ58 - either basic exmilitary in 2015 or tuned up version later when I save money for it
6) .45 ACP pistol - not sure if 1911 or CZ 97 or else
7) rifle - either VZ 24, mosin or something like that
8-10) old pistols - some rare pieces.

By the time I get to 10 I will be hopefully in a larger place with a spot for heavier safe. The only problem I have right now is that I had the new CZ Scorpion EVO 3 in my hands in a shop and it is just marvelous, however I can't justify its price to myself over either VZ 58 or a pistol with PDW conversion.

 

[Dr.Zubrato]

LOL
someone is considering buying their first firearm, and you're listing a collection of guns for them to purchase?

why dont they buy ONE firearm they find most useful, and train with it until they learn basic fundamentals.
WHAT you own isn't as important as HOW you use it...

a collection of guns should represent the evolving needs of a gun owner.
and if it's just a fun range toy, then that's also his call on what he buys.


ask him what hes gonna use it for, get a popular platform with aftermarket support, in a popular caliber that's cheap to train with. train until proficient.
the last part can last a lifetime, depending on your definition of proficiency.

 

[Onmilo]

Ideal for Illinois minimalist
20 guage semi auto 26 or 28" choke tubed barrel with additional rifled slug barrel for deer.
It will handle all your upland game, predator/vermin control, & 20 guage buckshot loads are lethal for close range defense if needed.
Make it a 12 guage if you plan on hunting ducks or geese.

.50 or.54 inline muzzle loader for deer in addition to shotgun.
Also fun to target range shoot with and substitute black powder, bullets and primers/caps readily available.

Glock 26 or Spring Inc XD compact 9mm.
Get your carry permit.

AR15 because you can. Lots of 30 round mags too, because you can.

Marlin 60 .22 rifle, under $200 everywhere and ammo shows up pretty regular now though the choices are very limited when it does.

Ruger 22/45 pistol, under $400 and a .22 handgun is nice to have on hand.

This is all one really needs in the GREAT state of ILL-inois.

 

[Snejdarek]

@Dr.Zubrato: That would be an excellent advise to someone who comes to conclusion he needs a gun for a selected purpose and will have one or two to serve that purpose. If someone is new to guns and don't really have a given purpose for them (doesn't hunt, lives in basically crime-free area and doesn't plan to be a serious sport shooter in a near future) and has a limited number of slots for the guns, then he should plan ahead.

Its like buying a car. If you want one to do whatever you need it to do, then your purchasing options are very different than if you have 4 parking spots and want to maximize the enjoyment, while being able to use each of the 4 cars for different purpose (whereas a single car would have to be able to do all to some degree).

 

[Willie Sutton]

The intent of the OP has been segued into other areas due to the use of the word "collection" rather than "battery" as the thread title.

1: A "collection" indicates interest in the arms in excess of their intrinsic use as a tool.

2: A "battery" is a better term to describne a selection of tools from which the "tool of the day" can be drawn.


The minimum battery that could be issued in an aluminum box able to be air dropped on a worldwide basis to every man, woman, and child who needs a firearm, without knowing in advance what the intended use would be, would nearly iniversally consist of the following:

Rimfire Rifle

Centerfire Rifle

Shotgun

Centerfire Handgun


The "Farmers Trio" plus a handgun pretty much fits the bill. Thinking back on the Farmers Trio, I think that Pop had a SAA stuck away in his drawer too. Hmm.... maybe it should the "Farmers Quartet". Yup... that's what it is.


Or you could just buy a nice 16 guage over centerfire rifle drilling (two shotgun barrels over one rifle barrel) and stick a .22 conversion tube in one of the shotgun barrels... "three in one" plus a pistol...


Willie

.

 

[Elkins45]

My farmers quartet just became a quintet upon reflection, assuming you wish to break with legal definitions and count a muzzleloading rifle as a "firearm". To truly be prepared for all hunting opportunities in most states you would need a front loader of some sort. In most states an inline would be OK but I think there are a few states that require flintlock or percussion cap ignition. PA still mandates round balls I think, which makes fast twist modern guns impractical.

 

[rszwieg]

Jeff Cooper opined that all one really needed was a 22 of some sort, a 30-06/308, and a 12 gauge. A 1911 was optional.

Ken Warner wrote that at one time most homes had a 22 rifle, a 30-30 or a bolt action 30-06, and a 12 ga shotgun. Handguns were 22 and if they weren't they were 38 Special.

That's what I saw hunters owned in my youth though I didn't see many handguns. But how much fun would that be eh?

 

[bangswitch]

I got into a discussion with a friend the other day who is considering getting into gun ownership.....He asked me what he should buy first, and what I thought a minimum collection should include if he could only buy 3, 4, 5, etc.:

1. Shotgun - First because of its versatility, low cost, and near constant availability of ammo. Also, here in Illinois if you eventually want to hunt deer, this or a muzzleloader are your only options as far as firearms go. I got a combo with an 18.5" barrel and a 28" adjustable choke barrel so it can pull double duty.

2. 22 rifle/pistol - I went with a rifle myself because I prefer long guns but either way this is for cheap practice and cheap fun. Even with high prices on 22 right now, it's still less than half the price of 9mm to shoot.

3. Centerfire handgun - Revolver or semi, it's personal preference. Arguably the best for home defense in some ways, but that's debatable. If you want to concealed carry, this is also pretty much your only option for that.

4 Centerfire rifle - I went with an AR15, mainly because you can't deer hunt (with a rifle) in Illinois so I didn't see the use in a larger caliber for me. I'd like to add a bolt action .308 if money were no object, but alas I am not made out of money and it would just be for fun shooting.

What would your guys' list be? .

I think you hit pretty close to the mark. What to put in a ":collection" depends on intended use. Practicality, collector value, utility, variety, etc.

If I were to put together 5 firearms to have specifically as a basic weapons system, I'd go with:

1- pump shotgun, mid-length barrel with imp. cyl choke. To expand it a little, get two barrels, one a short slug barrel, the other something around 26-28 " with replaceable choke tubes.

2-.22 bolt-action rifle, or to expand a little, a .22 semi-auto

3- .22 semiauto pistol, such as a Ruger MkIII.

4- Medium frame revolver in .357 Magnum, so you can shoot .38Spl also. To expand, or as an alternative, a medium frame semiauto pistol in 9mm or .40S&W. Barrel length around 4 inches.

5- bolt-action rifle with iron sights, in .30 caliber, .308 would be my first choice. To expand, mount a good 6x scope. An AR-type rifle could be an alternative, but I'd prefer something larger than .22 caliber for a centerfire, only-one-I-have rifle. An AR-10 would be the alternative, but I'm considering more basic, less expensive options here, and you can get a good quality, accurate, bolt action rifle with a scope in the $600-$700 range, even less, maybe.

 

[denton]

GREAT state of ILL-inois

I thought it was ILL-ANNOY.

 

[BigBL87]

LOL
someone is considering buying their first firearm, and you're listing a collection of guns for them to purchase?

why dont they buy ONE firearm they find most useful, and train with it until they learn basic fundamentals.
WHAT you own isn't as important as HOW you use it...

a collection of guns should represent the evolving needs of a gun owner.
and if it's just a fun range toy, then that's also his call on what he buys.


ask him what hes gonna use it for, get a popular platform with aftermarket support, in a popular caliber that's cheap to train with. train until proficient.
the last part can last a lifetime, depending on your definition of proficiency.

That is essentially what I told him, and why I recommended a shotgun as #1 due to flexibility.

 

[sikiguya]

Another vote for a shotgun 1st since it is Illinois. It is just more versatile and you can learn good firearm operations, cleaning, and maintenence. I should know. I grew up in Central Il. Hard to find places to shoot past 100 yards in IL.

 

[Onmilo]

denton
ILL-ANNOY
Indeed

 

[ScrapMetalSlug]

I would get a shotgun first, you can hunt anything you want with one even good for home defense, just change ammo types.

Next would be center fire rifle in a caliber that is useful in your area. No need for a 300 win mag if you only hunt in a shotgun only state. 223 for Yotes etc., or 308/30-06/30-30/ 54r if useful where you live for big game.

Next, a center fire pistol for concealed carry 9mm/38/40/45

Last would be .22 marlin60/ 10-22, and unless ammo becomes obtainable at reasonable prices I would skip a .22 for now. There is no reason to pay center fire prices for rim fire ammo.

That is the minimum I'd go with. I like the minimalist idea even though I am far past that, I just don't see anything in my safe id like to part with. that minimum listed though, I could do anything I could possibly want with it and not be limited.

 

[mdauben]

If i still lived in IL and was just starting out, I'd probably go for a battery much like the OP suggested. As far as *my* specific choices:

1) Mossberg 500
2) Glock 19
3) Ruger Mk.III or 10/22

With this you have target practice, plinking, pest control, hunting, home defence, concealed carry and recreational shooting all covered. For the next step:

4) S&W M&P Sport AR.

This deepens your coverage for target practice, home defence, recreational shooting and perhaps hunting (not sure about predator/varmint hunting regs in IL).

Finally, for number five:

5) Axis II Xp in .308

I know you can't hunt with it in IL but it gives you options for hunting in other states, a longer range target rifle and a potential counter sniper rifle.

I'm not saying these are the only, or even the best choices in each category. They are, however, all *good* as well as reasonably priced choices. If we were talking about living somewhere else, like the mountain west or in the far north I might chose differently. Likewise, if money were no object I'd probably make some different choices.

 

[Manny]

LOL
someone is considering buying their first firearm, and you're listing a collection of guns for them to purchase?

why dont they buy ONE firearm they find most useful, and train with it until they learn basic fundamentals.
WHAT you own isn't as important as HOW you use it...

a collection of guns should represent the evolving needs of a gun owner.
and if it's just a fun range toy, then that's also his call on what he buys.


ask him what hes gonna use it for, get a popular platform with aftermarket support, in a popular caliber that's cheap to train with. train until proficient.
the last part can last a lifetime, depending on your definition of proficiency.

Excellent advice, very well stated.

 

[ljnowell]

I got into a discussion with a friend the other day who is considering getting into gun ownership (which here in Illinois is no small task). He asked me what he should buy first, and what I thought a minimum collection should include if he could only buy 3, 4, 5, etc.. After my spiel about use determining what to buy, here's what I came up with in order (not surprisingly it mirrors my small collection, although I bought the 22 and centerfire handgun in opposite order) :



1. Shotgun - First because of its versatility, low cost, and near constant availability of ammo. Also, here in Illinois if you eventually want to hunt deer, this or a muzzleloader are your only options as far as firearms go. I got a combo with an 18.5" barrel and a 28" adjustable choke barrel so it can pull double duty.



2. 22 rifle/pistol - I went with a rifle myself because I prefer long guns but either way this is for cheap practice and cheap fun. Even with high prices on 22 right now, it's still less than half the price of 9mm to shoot.



3. Centerfire handgun - Revolver or semi, it's personal preference. Arguably the best for home defense in some ways, but that's debatable. If you want to concealed carry, this is also pretty much your only option for that.



4 Centerfire rifle - I went with an AR15, mainly because you can't deer hunt (with a rifle) in Illinois so I didn't see the use in a larger caliber for me. I'd like to add a bolt action .308 if money were no object, but alas I am not made out of money and it would just be for fun shooting.



What would your guys' list be? I felt like my list covered most of the bases, particularly with the hunting restrictions in Illinois.

You forgot to mention that you can use a pistol for deer during gun season.

Owning a gun in Illinois isn't difficult, you apply for a FOID that's good for ten years and them buy like you would anywhere else.

 

[evan price]

First, acquire stuff, get trigger time, find out what YOU like and don't like, then focus on that.
I started on revolvers, got into long guns, started on shotguns, then transitioned to high capacity semi-autos, then I realized I liked shotguns and revolvers. Now I focus on them. I had the whole "Only buy guns that fit a specific need in my arsenal" thing going once years back but now I buy what I want and enjoy collecting.

Rifles are nice, but how many different ways are there of poking a small hole in a target far away? If I'm not going to shoot thousand yards or some kind of match it's a moot point if the hole is 30 caliber or 25 caliber or 22 caliber at 200 yards.

 

[Onmilo]

People outside of Illinois have a lot of misconceptions about hunting here in Illinois.
With the exception of public hunting land and deer, you CAN hunt most game animals with a centerfire rifle of any caliber and any capacity on PRIVATE land with landowner permission.
Varmint caliber centerfire rifles are commonly used to take coyote and fox here.
You can shoot a rabbit or squirrel, skunk or raccoon with a .375 Magnum if you really wanted to if the landowner allows it and you follow the rule of know your backstop.

You CAN carry a concealed handgun while hunting on Private land with a concealed carry permit and you CAN hunt most game animals with an openly carried handgun of any caliber and any capacity on Private land with landowner permission.
Handguns are generally NOT allowed on State/public lands and some are State/Federal park lands which can get you into trouble if you are packing a CCW, even with a permit.

You CANNOT carry a handgun while trapping for the purpose of humane harvesting/removing fur bearing animals, a rifle must be used but I do believe the law has now been updated to allow carrying a CCW handgun while trapping on private land, again, with landowner permissions.
Years ago I packed an H&R 929 revolver while trapping because I didn't know better. Never got caught but being stupid or uninformed can get you into loads of trouble here.

These same laws are applicable to blackpowder loaded firearms as well and B.P. handguns are NOT exempt contrary to what many people think..

Deer are the only game animals on which smokeless powder rifles are not allowed to be used.
The is a special centerfire handgun permit available in limited numbers. I was lucky enough to receive one a few years back.
The laws pertaining to it are quite involved but basically limit you to a single shot, revolver, or lever action, (i.e. The Mares Leg) and caliber selection is quite broad basically allowing anything from .357 Magnum to .45/70 and blackpowder single shots may also be used from .40 to .80 caliber

Blackpowder rifles are same .40-.80 caliber, round ball, conical bullet or sabot bullets may be used.
Blackpowder or any substitute black powder with the exception of smokeless powder loaded muzzle loaders may be used.
The predominant calibers are .50 & .54 using conicals and sabot bullet loads.

With a few exceptions such as dove and waterfowl, shotguns of .410 bore (Except for deer, this also applies to 28 guage guns), to 10 guage with a chamber of no more than 3 1/2" may be used to take any game or furbearing animals on all land private and public.
Steel shot law is enforced for waterfowl and most dove flyways and some public lands now require steel shot for upland game as well.
Lead shot may be used on public and private lands where there are no restrictions applied.
There are some shot size restrictions, i.e. no T size steel on waterfowl, #6 steel maximum on public dove flyways, etc.
Buckshot may be used to take fur bearing animals but God help you if you are caught with the stuff during the deer seasons.

Believe it or not, hunting gun laws are actually pretty liberal in this state outside of the major metropolitan areas.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Depends on use and interest.

For me it'd be a .357 revolver, a .45 acp semiauto. I could get by with just those two.

But life is short..........

 

[medic15al]

For me I would choose the following:

Mossberg 930 with 26in and 18 in barrels 12Ga
A high quality Bolt action .308 or 7mm-08 rifle
Ruger 10/22
Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in .44 Magnum
H&K VP9 9mm
Ruger .22 auto with 5.5in Bbl.

 

[HammsBeer]

Collections imply guns that are not necessary for a particular purpose, but simply to have for enjoyment. I collect at least one gun for each catagory of gun "collecting".

Catagories could be:

.22's
Self defense handguns
Modern sporting rifles
Milsurps
Clay shooting
Upland bird hunting
Waterfowl hunting
Big game hunting
Varmit hunting
Westerns
Long range target shooting
Unique guns that dont fit any purpose.

 

[toivo]

I say you need five: rifle and handgun in both rimfire and centerfire, and a shotgun. If you want it more basic than that, drop the rimfire handgun.

If you could have only two, my vote would be the rimfire rifle and the shotgun. Only one? The shotgun.