Ok, here’s the deal. I want to consolidate my firearms down to a select few types. I have way too many different types of firearms, most of them I don’t shoot. Some I have never shot. This is sort of a “which SHTF/if only one gun/best overall” kind of thread. But it’s not quite that. I’ll tell you what my goals are:
* Simplified maintenance; If I only have two or three different kinds of firearms I can learn them inside and out. Stock up on spare parts.
* Consolidated ammunition stores.
* Consolidated reloading equipment.
Now I’ll tell you my basic criteria:
* My goal will be to have a well rounded selection. Though any one type of firearm may excel at any one thing, they will be “good enough” for almost any general job required of said type.
* Not so exotic they cost an arm and a leg, and/or I cannot find parts for them.
* Robust, rugged, reliable.
* Kitchen table repairable (at least for most general stuff), easy to maintain.
* Accuracy to be specified by weapon type. (see below)
* I believe there will be some sort of major societal upheaval that will require the use of force perhaps both defensive and offensive. It goes without saying I consider the RKBA very important, and do believe I can carry whatever the crap I feel like. However I also do not intend to ever go looking for a fight, so wish to keep my all my firearms from being “scary”. I know it’s silly, but bleating sheep are also easy to fool. Anyway, I am after function not form. Besides I have come to like the smooth curves and clean lines of a good streamlined rifle, for instance.
Personally I just use guns for plinking and target shooting, and a little minor hunting from time to time. So to me they are primarily “toys”, with secondary use for hunting, self-defense, and tertiary use is perhaps zombie/chinese horde/JBT repression (though I don’t really take that stuff too seriously).
Now I’ll explain the basic categories I intend to fill:
Shotgun:
Model: Mossberg 835
Barrel Length: Varies
Overall Length: 32”+
Caliber: 12ga 2.75, 3, 3.5” shells
Approx Weight: 7.5lb
Round Capacity: 4-8 rounds
Notes: Large caliber, poor-fair penetration, low capacity. Short range weapon. General hunting or urban self defense/offense against soft targets. I chose the 835 because of ambi-safety, interchangeable barrels, pump = always go bang.
Handgun, slide-action:
Model:
Barrel Length: Undecided
Overall Length:
Caliber: .45ACP
Approx Weight:
Round Capacity: 7+
Min. Accuracy: 4” @ 25 yards, entire magazine
Notes: Compact, easily concealed, convenient, low-med capacity, short range, anemic, self defense weapon. Additional to this I will thread all barrels, for the ability to add suppressors if I so desire. The chosen platform must also have a .22 kit available for it, it will also contain a threaded barrel. This is why I am leaning very heavily toward sticking with the Springfield 1911’s in single stack.
Handgun, revolver:
Model:
Barrel Length: 1.75-3”
Overall Length:
Caliber: .38/.357 Magnum
Approx Weight:
Round Capacity: 5-6
Min. Accuracy: 2” @ 25 yards, entire cylinder
Notes: Everything that a slide action is and answers some of the shortcomings of a bottom-feeder; always goes bang, if it fails to go bang you just pull the trigger again. Sometimes handier, sometimes easier to conceal. For me a little quicker on the draw.
Rifle, short-medium range:
Model:
Action: Semi, Lever...undecided
Barrel Length: 16”
Overall Length: less than 32”
Caliber: Undecided
Approx Weight: 8lb or less
Round Capacity: 20-30 ideal.
Min. Accuracy: 2” @ 100 yards, 8” @ 350 yards,
Notes: Fairly compact, lightweight, handy, accurate for 0-350 yard range. Med-high capacity. Intermediate cartridge. Able to hit COM on a blue man at max range specified. The whole point of such a weapon is one that will do most short range work well, easy to bring into action, fast to empty a magazine, fast to reload, fairly light recoil for quick follow up shots.
Rifle, short-long range:
Model:
Action: Likely bolt
Barrel Length: Caliber dependent
Overall Length: Undecided
Caliber: Undecided
Approx Weight: 12lb or less
Round Capacity: 5-10 ideal, likely box fed, ability to use less (for hunting)
Min. Accuracy: 1” @ 200 yards, 2.5” @ 400 yards, 12” @ 1200 yards,
Notes: Rate of fire doesn’t have to be great. Also capacity doesn’t have to be great. Even 3 rounds it adequate. I’ve become accustomed to being able to shoot a 3” group at 600 yards. So really I want this gun to be a tack driver. This is why it’s likely a bolt action. Must be able to take all game in NA, plus be able to drop most other animals on the African continent, obviously with proper shot placement. I’m considering calibers like 6.5 Grendel, .338 Win Mag or RUM or Lapua
I want something that can do accurate fire out to 1200-1500 yards. Can penetrate anything I point it at, and at pretty distant ranges too. Something also able to pierce standard soft body armor, ceramic plates aside. The LA bank robbery was enough to make me leery of riots and armed mobs in the future. I have friends in Kenya. They just sent in 100 police officers with G3’s to ambush two heavily armed highwaymen. I want something that will drop what ever it is I’m shooting at with one bullet. So this is sort of a Elk-Deer-Bear hunting / rural SHTF rifle. I live in the big plains, so shots over 400 yards wouldn't be uncommon.
As for both rifles I also want the ability to to allow for mounting optics via picatinny rails. Including LER scout type rails.
Right now I want to focus on the rifle side of the equation. This is where I am torn. I've already found the perfect shotgun. And as far as handguns go it's pretty hard to beat the 1911/Ruger SP-101 combination.(But I'm still open to suggestions.
What troubles me so much is that the M1A sort of does the job of both types of rifles specified above, but doesn't do either job well. Perhaps if in a different caliber. Or if it was modular like the Stoner design? Either way I can't seem to get around picking two types of rifles. Unless other people have ideas? That's why I'm here.
* Simplified maintenance; If I only have two or three different kinds of firearms I can learn them inside and out. Stock up on spare parts.
* Consolidated ammunition stores.
* Consolidated reloading equipment.
Now I’ll tell you my basic criteria:
* My goal will be to have a well rounded selection. Though any one type of firearm may excel at any one thing, they will be “good enough” for almost any general job required of said type.
* Not so exotic they cost an arm and a leg, and/or I cannot find parts for them.
* Robust, rugged, reliable.
* Kitchen table repairable (at least for most general stuff), easy to maintain.
* Accuracy to be specified by weapon type. (see below)
* I believe there will be some sort of major societal upheaval that will require the use of force perhaps both defensive and offensive. It goes without saying I consider the RKBA very important, and do believe I can carry whatever the crap I feel like. However I also do not intend to ever go looking for a fight, so wish to keep my all my firearms from being “scary”. I know it’s silly, but bleating sheep are also easy to fool. Anyway, I am after function not form. Besides I have come to like the smooth curves and clean lines of a good streamlined rifle, for instance.
Personally I just use guns for plinking and target shooting, and a little minor hunting from time to time. So to me they are primarily “toys”, with secondary use for hunting, self-defense, and tertiary use is perhaps zombie/chinese horde/JBT repression (though I don’t really take that stuff too seriously).
Now I’ll explain the basic categories I intend to fill:
Shotgun:
Model: Mossberg 835
Barrel Length: Varies
Overall Length: 32”+
Caliber: 12ga 2.75, 3, 3.5” shells
Approx Weight: 7.5lb
Round Capacity: 4-8 rounds
Notes: Large caliber, poor-fair penetration, low capacity. Short range weapon. General hunting or urban self defense/offense against soft targets. I chose the 835 because of ambi-safety, interchangeable barrels, pump = always go bang.
Handgun, slide-action:
Model:
Barrel Length: Undecided
Overall Length:
Caliber: .45ACP
Approx Weight:
Round Capacity: 7+
Min. Accuracy: 4” @ 25 yards, entire magazine
Notes: Compact, easily concealed, convenient, low-med capacity, short range, anemic, self defense weapon. Additional to this I will thread all barrels, for the ability to add suppressors if I so desire. The chosen platform must also have a .22 kit available for it, it will also contain a threaded barrel. This is why I am leaning very heavily toward sticking with the Springfield 1911’s in single stack.
Handgun, revolver:
Model:
Barrel Length: 1.75-3”
Overall Length:
Caliber: .38/.357 Magnum
Approx Weight:
Round Capacity: 5-6
Min. Accuracy: 2” @ 25 yards, entire cylinder
Notes: Everything that a slide action is and answers some of the shortcomings of a bottom-feeder; always goes bang, if it fails to go bang you just pull the trigger again. Sometimes handier, sometimes easier to conceal. For me a little quicker on the draw.
Rifle, short-medium range:
Model:
Action: Semi, Lever...undecided
Barrel Length: 16”
Overall Length: less than 32”
Caliber: Undecided
Approx Weight: 8lb or less
Round Capacity: 20-30 ideal.
Min. Accuracy: 2” @ 100 yards, 8” @ 350 yards,
Notes: Fairly compact, lightweight, handy, accurate for 0-350 yard range. Med-high capacity. Intermediate cartridge. Able to hit COM on a blue man at max range specified. The whole point of such a weapon is one that will do most short range work well, easy to bring into action, fast to empty a magazine, fast to reload, fairly light recoil for quick follow up shots.
Rifle, short-long range:
Model:
Action: Likely bolt
Barrel Length: Caliber dependent
Overall Length: Undecided
Caliber: Undecided
Approx Weight: 12lb or less
Round Capacity: 5-10 ideal, likely box fed, ability to use less (for hunting)
Min. Accuracy: 1” @ 200 yards, 2.5” @ 400 yards, 12” @ 1200 yards,
Notes: Rate of fire doesn’t have to be great. Also capacity doesn’t have to be great. Even 3 rounds it adequate. I’ve become accustomed to being able to shoot a 3” group at 600 yards. So really I want this gun to be a tack driver. This is why it’s likely a bolt action. Must be able to take all game in NA, plus be able to drop most other animals on the African continent, obviously with proper shot placement. I’m considering calibers like 6.5 Grendel, .338 Win Mag or RUM or Lapua
I want something that can do accurate fire out to 1200-1500 yards. Can penetrate anything I point it at, and at pretty distant ranges too. Something also able to pierce standard soft body armor, ceramic plates aside. The LA bank robbery was enough to make me leery of riots and armed mobs in the future. I have friends in Kenya. They just sent in 100 police officers with G3’s to ambush two heavily armed highwaymen. I want something that will drop what ever it is I’m shooting at with one bullet. So this is sort of a Elk-Deer-Bear hunting / rural SHTF rifle. I live in the big plains, so shots over 400 yards wouldn't be uncommon.
As for both rifles I also want the ability to to allow for mounting optics via picatinny rails. Including LER scout type rails.
Right now I want to focus on the rifle side of the equation. This is where I am torn. I've already found the perfect shotgun. And as far as handguns go it's pretty hard to beat the 1911/Ruger SP-101 combination.(But I'm still open to suggestions.
What troubles me so much is that the M1A sort of does the job of both types of rifles specified above, but doesn't do either job well. Perhaps if in a different caliber. Or if it was modular like the Stoner design? Either way I can't seem to get around picking two types of rifles. Unless other people have ideas? That's why I'm here.
