Totally hypothetical question...

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effengee

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Let's see what your priorities really are...

I was watching a movie with my wife and the following was a question posed in the movie:
"If your house was on fire and you could only save one thing, what would you take with you.?"

Obviously, my priority is to my family. It got me to wondering though, let's just say they weren't home, so we know they're all safe, and what if I didn't own a fireproof safe and could only grab a handfull of guns and run out of the house before it went up, what would I grab?

I'd have to grab my wife's guns first, a Marlin 60 that was her grandfather's and a S&W that was given to her by her dad. If I made it out without these two, she'd probably kill me. I'd grab my Colt .45 ACP and my AK-47, and the Ranger .22 me and the kids worked on. These are all extremely valuable to me, if only in sentimental worth, and if I had to sacrifice all the others to save these few, I'd be OK, well, not really OK, but at least not totally upset.

You got one chance to grab any five guns or less from your collection and run, what are they?
 
In order of priority:
1)Winchester 1300:
First gun bought with my own money; countless memories and rounds from high school to current day.
2)Remington model 4(?) rolling block .22:
First "real" gun I ever shot, passed from my great grandmother to my great uncle to my Dad to my brother to me. Neat little gun. Pretty well worn out, but lots of family history.
3)Ruger 10/22:
Basic 19",birch stock, tapered barrel 10/22. BUT, it has tech sights and a sling, and earned me a Rifleman patch, so it is pretty special to me.
4)Springfield M1 Garand:
Not a particularly special M1, but special to me as I made the pilgrimage to the CMP store and spent hours searching for the one I would bring home.
5)Saiga 12:
I have spent countless hours shaping, sanding, finishing the custom made walnut furniture on this gun, polishing the bolt, and other little touches to make it mine. It's nowhere near totally done, but it is definitely MINE.

All the rest of my guns are more or less replaceable. Almost all are customized to one degree or another, but I wouldn't feel too bad about losing them.

Of course, if there was really a fire, I wouldn't likely have time to dig through the safe to complete my list. In reality, the AR (bedside gun) and whatever is in the front of the safe would come. Right now that's the 1300, although the Saiga and the M1 are not buried too deep. The Ruger 22/45 is out in the front too. Sadly, the little Rolling Block is almost always in the very back.
 
My family is the only irreplaceable item. The only thing I would grab is my glasses and boots - they slip on. I have BOBs where we can grab them on the way out. If not, no big deal, I have good insurance, AND a firearms rider.
 
I'm going with the old and discontinued stuff -- it's hardest to replace.

In no particular order:

Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless (1919)
BSA Martini Model 12 (1913)
Finn Mosin M39 (1943 Sako)
Winchester 9422 (1975)
Sako Finnfire Hunter

Everything else is pretty easily replaceable.
 
Bobson - a "rider" is something you add to an insurance policy, usually a homeowners policy, to provide additional coverage for specific items above the regular policies pay-outs. Most policies limit the overall coverage on certain items (jewelry & furs; firearms; electronics [HDTV/computers/ipod/e-reader/stereo]; etc.) and this is a way to add extra coverage albeit for an additional fee.
 
The few guns I have are pretty much all replaceable items. It is not like I have some expensive gun or guns that I would feel like saving.

I suppose a gun that was handed down to me by my father would be the first gun to come to mind. If my house was that engulfed in flames, I would be so devastated that it wouldn't really matter one way or the other what I save.

My two cats and my wife are the most important things in my life right now.
 
Having actually bailed out of a burning house, I can tell you that armored man and Friendly have it right. Eyeglasses, shoes, and a flashlight were all that I took with me, tastefully clad in my blue check pajamas. The guns and other material possessions never crossed my mind, I was taking care of No 1, there being no dependents to worry about.
 
Again, we all realize that in a situation like this in real life, we wouldn't be concerned about material items making sure that one's self, family, pets, etc are taken care of first.

I think the OP was just trying to ask what are your favorite guns in your collection by adding a "real world" situation to it for entertainment, stop being so literal/tough guy/badass everyone and have some fun.

Now, on the way out of my burning house I would grab my Colt Anaconda and my STI Rangemaster. If I had a split second more I'd grab my Remington 700P.

-Robb
 
The pets (they would probably be out before I was). My wife's computer with her PhD work and our financial records. Perhaps photo albums.
 
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we all realize that in a situation like this in real life, we wouldn't be concerned about material items
Click to expand...

No, people do all sorts of obviously suicidal things in hysteria of fires thinking that they can save material items before their luck runs out. These people end up in burn wards and morgues far too often.

A buddy of mine who is normally a level headed pragmatic individual ended up in Erlanger for 3 weeks and then recover for a couple of months because he stupidly went back into the house when the house caught fire. His wife was away at the time and he knew it, so what was he going back for? You guessed it, crap that he thought she'd want saved. He nearly died of smoke inhalation and ended up with one hand badly enough burned there was no assurance that he'd get the use of it back.
 
If there's a fire, I ain't going to worry about guns....they've made thousands of berettas....family photos, personal papers are first. Besides, who wants to go near the ammo cans?
 
Grab the cat if I can find it, close the hall door on my way out to hopefully partition the house and slow the spread. I had a coworker try to drag me into a burning building when I was a teenager and the lesson was learned well. She got severe smoke inhalation trying to save her wallet and drivers license, checkbook, and $42 in cash.
 
If the wife is already out, I'm worrying about the dogs.
My CCW pistol is already on my hip (or if I'm asleep it's on the nightstand; I'll grab that).

Everything else is in the safe...and insured, as well. If the garage door opener is still working, I'll try to get the bike out...but it's insured, too.
 
Run to the safe room, open it, throw important document box out window,start grabbing every gun I could and throw them out the window.
But only one? My Savage Mk II. 22 (First gun)
 
Well the thing is to get out safely period. If on the way I find a firearm, my glasses, my cat etc I will grab it and get out. You can buy more stuff (firearms) and such ---- people, pets, and papers would be a priority in that order IF there is time. If you have others living/staying there you should have a plan AND meeting area that would be away from the fire location that you all know. I have a .22 mag revolver/ammo in the fireproof paper safe and its key on my keyring. Plan safe--stay safe.:D
 
AJUmbo, I have multiple firea extinguishers, too, but my Fire Academy training on Treasure Island in 1988 taught me I have NO desire to be inside another building that is actually engulfed. If I can reach an extinguisher in time to battle a very small fire, i.e., grease fire, etc., I will try that, but if I wake up with the smoke detectors screaming and flames licking the wals, it's hail mary, run for the door with the wife, grab the kid on the way, thhrow open the doors for the pets to escape - car is safe already, unless it was deliberately set. Then it may be afire too. If I have 2 seconds I can grab both BOBs on the way.
I might get the Phantom on the way if I think about it, but chances are it will be a melted puddle that I will present to the insurance company.
The rider costs me a whopping $45 or so a year, BTW. :)
 
Long time ago I worked with a guy who died trying to get a portable safe out of a burning house. His wife said the safe was literally less than 10 steps from the front door, and according to where they found the body he didn't make even half of that distance, let alone coming back. NOTHING not alive is worth dying for.
 
all my stuff is locked up in the safe but if i could just get one out and save it, it would prob be my gpas win hiwall 32-40, actually purchased by his dad my great gpa, whom i never knew.everything else is replaceable but not that.ive actually thought about keeping a 40 ft 1/2 chain coiled neatly hidden near my safe.in case of fire, wrap chain around safe, throw out window,hook chain to whatever heavey equipment or 4 whl drive i got handy and just yank it out thru the wall at high speed.does that sound like a plan?
 
Beretta Cx4, seeing as its my only one.

Assuming that the 5 things rule can be expanded to cover other stuff, here's what I'd save: All 3 cats and my computer.
 
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