My Current Go-To Firearms

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Cosmoline

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I've been trimming and honing my go-to arsenal this summer. This is what I've ended up with:

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Beretta 21A .22LR as BUG

Ruger SP-101 with new trigger spring set, trijicon front sight, hogue grips and target grey coating ("Firefly")

Tikka Mosin-Nagant 91/30 with Blackhawk cheek piece and match-grade trigger. It gets MOA groups with the right ammo. I'm waiting on new Darrel's mount for my scout scope. ("Aquilonia")

Mossberg 500 project shotgun with Coppstock folding stock, ATI forend grip and slug barrel ("Magnus")

Nothing too pretty, fancy or expensive, but based on my experience all are reliable, rugged shooters. The Mossberg, Mosin and Ruger in particular are nearly impossible to hurt and have all passed the Alaska field tests in the past. The Beretta isn't quite as tough but it's very accurate for such a little thing and makes a great small game plinker or backup gun.
 

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I've already got some paperweights around here :D

I was actually thinking about getting a Glock 20, but I'm not too keen on the design. It's certainly tough enough and simple, but that trigger makes me nervous. 10mm is the only Glock caliber of any utility for me.

The AR's don't have the required toughness and are far too expensive. But I do have a long-term project to build my own AK. That's for next year though.

One thing all of these firearms have in common is they can go extended periods with no maintenance and no cleaning. I didn't clean my old Mossberg until the end of the fishing season last year, and the receiver had about a cup of sand and grit in it. No AR could cope with that. The Mosin's receiver has already survived two world wars and the Finns put the finishing touches on it. It can go for 500 rounds or more without a cleaning before it starts to slow down. Even then it's still functional--just gritty. The Ruger is equally tough.
 
what about the knife?

what kind of ammo are you using?

i would think it better to have your rig than one $400 Glock.
 
Horsesense said:
what about the knife?

what kind of ammo are you using?

i would think it better to have your rig than one $400 Glock.
Click to expand...

The knife is a Roselli ultra-high carbon puukko hunter. I keep in on the off side of my shoulder rig with the Ruger.

As far as ammo, the shotgun is geared for slugs. I don't seem to have much use for buckshot or birdshot with it, though it can fire either. I have a mix of cheap slugs and the 3" brenneke magnums for bear.

I've got a ton of 7.62x54R stowed up from the Albanian ball to a mix of modern Russian and Czech production. I also handload using Norma and Lapua brass from Midway. For urban home defense I load the 91/30 with 123 grain SP AK bullets at about 2,850 fps.

I've got a ton of .357 and .38 Special ammo as well, from RN 158 grain standard special to the 200 grain hardcast magnums. Mostly I keep the SP loaded with mid-weight .357 Gold Dots or Hornady custom loads.

The Beretta likes the hottest .22 LR it can get. Otherwise it doesn't always cycle all the way.
 
Devil's Advocate: shooting slugs from what appears to be a CQB type shotty? I can see the Rifle for long range, the slugs for closer in, and the Ruger for up close and personal, but if I was making choices, I'd run buckshot through the shotty and hope the 91/30 keeps em far enough away to not have to use it;)


re: Glocks: dont be afraid, they are perfect defense pistols (IMHO), high capacity, lightweight, combat accurate, and combat tough, and would definitely meet your criteria running when dirty; anyone who is safe with other firearms will be safe with a glock, but they'll be able to deploy it quicker than other autos with a safety
 
Well I've gone back and forth about buckshot over the years. But in practical testing on spruce trees, I've found them no easier to hit with than slugs. I would also be concerned about pellets bouncing around and going off lord knows where. The slugs are certainly better against bruins. Buckshot is not advised as medicine against brown bears, but a 12 ga. hardcast slug at 3,000 ft. lbs. will do the job. I could load with buckshot for HD, but the barrel is geared for slugs and I've practiced with slugs. So I figure I'll stick with what I know. In town I'm loading the Mossberg with these Brenneke "tactical" low-velocity slugs which are supposed to be designed for urban, defensive use. They're a notch less powerful than the massive 3" magnums and have about a third of the recoil

The shotgun's main role, however, is as a bear gun while fishing. I still need to rig up a calvary style swivel sling on it that won't interfere with the folding stock, but otherwise it's balanced just right and has the two pistol grips to keep ahold of it safely while juggling nets, poles, fish and falling in the mud.
 
ah ok, knowing that you've thought it through, I concur with your choices (like that matters;) )


but buckshot and bears, haven't you seen "The Great Outdoors"? :p
 
Just for further information, here's the rough cost breakdown:

Beretta: $175
Ruger: $350+$150 in custom additions
Tikka: $200
Mossberg: $50 for beater 500, ultimately about $350 for the custom version

I could have spent less on the Mossberg if I'd known exactly what to get right off the bat, but it's still a good price for all the features. The SP-101 is the only one I bought nearly new and was the most expensive, but it was worth it. I had wanted a Speed Six, but they were too hard to find locally and I wanted a hand inspection before buying. The SP has the advantage of using M-36 speedloaders which are very easy to find, and having much easier to find add-ons like the springs and trijicon sights. I also got laser grips for the Ruger but ended up returning them due to defects.
 
Do you carry all of this at once, or do you pick a longgun depending on the reason you are "going to" your guns?

just curious

they look like great choices (I don't know much about the specific guns, but it seems hard to go really wrong with a revolver, bolt action, and pump if you are trying to go long periods through muck without cleaning)
 
In a pinch I can carry them all at once, and I can snag them all in the event of an earthquake, fire, zombie attack or whatnot. Other than that my SP is the everyday carry piece with the rest serving as truck guns.
 
Cosmoline,

How do you like the Knox Copstock? I've thought about getting one of those in the past. Do they work as advertised?

Paul
 
That's pretty good, but you really need another long arm. When the Chinese invade, they'll be coming across the Bering Strait into Alaska, so you'll need plenty of firepower. If you can't get hold of a Garand or M1A, at least pick up an SKS. :p
 
PaulTX said:
Cosmoline,

How do you like the Knox Copstock? I've thought about getting one of those in the past. Do they work as advertised?

Paul
Click to expand...

They're surprisingly good. Mine takes up ther recoil even of 3" magnums. The only drawback is for slugs, if you set your cheek on the side of the wire frame, it can be painful. I've put electricians tape there to ease it a bit, but it's clear the stock was made for shooting shotshells not aiming the shotgun like a rifle.
 
Cool. I will admit that you are far ahead of where I am. After looking at some of the disasters that are going on all over the place now, I have decided that I really need to reshape my collection into something like what you have.
Not necessarily your individual choices, but the guns that would work for me and fulfil the same function.
Glad you got things ironed out on your end.
 
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