The One Gun Man

[Steve in Merritt Island]

Do you truley know of someone that is a serious gunner that only owns one firearm? I don't. I am sure they are out there...I just haven't met 'em yet. I was a cop for 28 years and not too surprisingly the worst shots invariably were those that only owned one gun (or worse yet, owned none and just used the city-issue piece their whole career).

 

[David E]

Yeah, pretty much.

I know one guy who's a great hunter that has a fairly modest assortment of arms. Somewhere around 6, maybe 8.

He always has his lever action 30-30 in the truck and I do mean always.

I sure wouldn't want him shooting at me under any circumstances whatsoever.

 

[thunder173]

My Dad owned a few long guns, ...but only owned one handgun,...and he had it all his adult life. It was a Colt SAA in .45LC....and he was VERY very good with it. Open or concealed,...didn't matter. You blink,..when you opened your eyes,..it was in his hand. AND he could hit what he shot at with it as well. Saw him make a lot of wth shots with that old Colt. Oldest sister still has it.

 

[X-Rap]

I think in the old days that saw might have been true, my dad the other day when we were looking through some of the 10/22's we own together commented on what Pa could have done if he had one of these. They had a few guns but not even close to the amount of ammo we do today. My dad is in his 70's and grew up poor in Northern Minnesota and they did real sustenance hunting. I think ammo was probably the rarest thing for a shooter back then.

Today it is nothing to go out and shoot 500 rds on a prarie dog town or 100's in a match or class.
Today we are probably better shots just due to the amount of practice, if all that ammo were focused on say one handgun, one rifle, and one shotgun most of us would be very good with that one gun indeed.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I never bought into the "beware the man with one gun" idea. It is more likely all he can afford. There are probably hundreds of thousands of people who have one gun, leave it in a dresser drawer or something and never shoot it.

 

[Army of Don]

There probably is no causal relationship between how many guns you own and how accurate you are. There probably is a causal relationship between how often you practice and how accurate you are. One gun or a hundred, if you shoot a lot, you're probably going to be more accurate than those that don't.

 

[joed]

I spent most of my adult life owning 1 shotgun, 1 revolver and 1 .22rf rifle. When you own only one you get better shooting it in my opinion. I went 25 years without shooting the shotgun or the .22rf, never saw a need for them as the rifle and pistol did it all for me.

I have many now and don't spend much time with any of them.

 

[SPW1]

It used to be common back in the pre-WWII days when everyone had less "spare" money. Hunting was usually more about meat than it was about sport. In that place and time guns were often considered just one of the tools needed to survive. After WWII America as a whole became more prosperous and those who still used and liked guns enough to be good with them tended more and more towards having many guns instead of just one or perhaps two. The money in pocket factor is what changed. A lot of gun nuts could now afford guns they wouldn't have been able to afford before without feeling like they were taking food out of their families mouths. As Americans today we have it good. If an American these days has only one gun the chances are very good that it means he either isn't very interested in shooting or is a brand new shooter. That wasn't always so...

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I train with and carry a Kahr PM9. Prior to moving from Seattle to Florida I trained with and carried a Glock 19. I chose the PM9 when I arrived in FL because it has the same exact manual of arms as the G19. I don't really shoot any other handguns anywhere near as much as I shoot the PM9. The rest are all, more or less, safe queens.

My hunting rifle is an old carry handle AR15A2 I converted to fire 6.8x43mm. My other rifles are all M4 carbines.

I have a Remington 870 I keep for static home defense. It's fitted with a pistol grip full stock so I can use many of the same techniques I use for the AR/M4s and handguns.

I very much believe in the man with one gun concept. He intuitively knows what he can do and can't do with it, without mental effort. It's conditioned reflex developed by extensive experience with one gun.

Cheers!

 

[buck460XVR]

I work with a guy that is an avid deer hunter. He loves to deer hunt and is fairly successful. This year he shot two deer with a bow and three with his 30-30. It is the only gun he owns. I cannot vouch for his accuracy, but assume, because he is successful every year, he must be able to hit where he aims. He won a 10/22 on a raffle once and sold it a year later without ever shooting it.....said he had no desire or interest. I 'spose that makes him a serious gunner....not.

 

[ccsniper]

My Grandpa was one. He only used one gun, a 12 gauge shotgun made in 1903. But he is gone now.

 

[DWFan]

I know one. His weapon of choice is a .41 Magnum Redhawk.

 

[rha600]

isn't that kind of like "military intelligence"?

I mean if you're a serious gunner thenby definition you'd have several guns and if you only have one gun then how can you be classified asa serious gunner?

 

[DWFan]

By the same definition that a person who owns only one motorcycle can be a serious rider. It isn't how many you have that makes you serious, but what you do with what you have. I would imagine there are firearms collectors out there that fire less than 100 rounds per year total while owning dozens of weapons.

 

[huntsman]

I mean if you're a serious gunner thenby definition you'd have several guns and if you only have one gun then how can you be classified asa serious gunner?

Who’s doing the classifying? A man with one gun may be a marksman and expert for that gun and not care about another platform or caliber.

but only owned one handgun,...and he had it all his adult life. It was a Colt SAA in .45LC....and he was VERY very good with it.

hard to beat a quality gun in a good caliber.

Bottom line you can't make generalizations about a one gun owner any more than you could assume a guy with a safe full is really somebody who knows how to use a gun.

But I do think you can tell how serious someone is about his guns by the quality of the gun and the cost, especially for SD.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

I only own one pistol if that counts

 

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

My dad is a great shot and he only owns one hunting rifle at a time.

 

[C-grunt]

My dad only owns one gun now. Growing up we had a few .22s nd he bought me my first shotgun. Now he only has a Kimber Gold Match. He shoots it fairly often. Id say about once a month as finances are tough right now as he sells furniture. He's a serious gun owner.

He doesnt own any long guns because he cant really shoot them. He is left handed and blind in his left eye. Has tried to shoot right handed, but he had the tips of three of his fingers cut off years ago. They sewed them back on but he has a hard time manipulating a long gun with that hand. He also broke that hand pretty bad about 15 years ago and has a plate in it.

So he shoots his 1911. He likes the gun and he is decent with it. I can out shoot him but then again I dont have the medical problems he has. Ive been trying to talk him into either a .22 conversion or another gun.

 

[LeontheProfessional]

I have a cousin that is a great shot. It seems he can hit anything with any gun. I own a Glock 22 that he can hit an 8" gong at 60yds 9 or 10 times out of 15. The only gun he owns is a single shot 308.

 

[Mike J]

My Grandfather only had one in since I was born. He is long dead now but it was an old J C Higgins bolt action 12 gauge. My Father told me he once saw the old man strike a match with a .22 he had not shot before on a 5 dollar bet. Granddad grew up in the depression. Shooting to him was the difference between meat in the pot & doing without.

 

[Pyzon]

To expand the OP's message, I would also include those having obtained a license to carry concealed, bought a handgun and ammo and started packing without ever having read the manual, shot the gun, or practice, frequently, if ever.

I'll bet it is a staggering number.

 

[MattTheHat]

I find guns are very much like potato chips. Well, you don't eat them, but it's hard to have just one.


-Matt

 

[Gouranga]

To expand the OP's message, I would also include those having obtained a license to carry concealed, bought a handgun and ammo and started packing without ever having read the manual, shot the gun, or practice, frequently, if ever.

I'll bet it is a staggering number.

Well at least with the CCW classes around here (maybe everywhere but I can only speak to here), you are required to do some shooting to pass. It is pretty much you need to be able to hit the broadside of a barn type test but at least you get a few round through it first.

That being said, I own a mess of long guns but only own a single handgun. It is the one I use for home and self defense and any and all range time I have on handguns is with it. My goal was to be come an expert with it completely before I thought of getting another. That and with 4 kids to feed and take care of, and a serious fishing addiction, time, and money are limited.

 

[CJ]

The people I know who own only one I wouldn't consider 'serious gunners'. I think the most common 'one-gun-man' (or woman) is the type who purchases a pistol for 'protection', possibly never shoots it, and stores it in a shoebox in the closet.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

and I know a guy who snatches up every gun he thinks "rocks"; he also calls his mosin a mauser.