Aha, a new list!
Seriously, though, IMHO, a
minimum battery should look like this:
One "serious" self-defence handgun in an appropriate caliber (.38 Special or 9mm. Parabellum minimum);
One rifle, for dual use as hunting and self-defence instrument (in a caliber appropriate to the game you'll hunt, and an action suitable for defence - I usually suggest .30-30 or .308);
One shotgun, ditto (perhaps with two barrels, one short for HD, one longer with screw-in chokes for hunting - or two shotguns);
One rimfire handgun, for training, plinking, target practice, small game hunting, and backup use for defence;
One rimfire rifle, for the same uses.
That makes five guns, with two barrels for the shotgun if possible. As resources become available, I'd double up on the above battery
before branching out into other weapons. The reason for doubling up is simple - if one weapon goes down for maintenance, or you use one in self-defence and the police confiscate it for testing/evidence, you've got something else to use!
Considerations for choosing the firearms would be:
- Reliability (essential);
- Fits all members of the family who might have to shoot it (it's no good your having a Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum if your petite wife can't get her hands round the grip!
);
- Availability of ammo and spare parts in your area;
- Availability of spare feeding devices (speedloaders or magazines) - a gun with one or two is not well equipped, and you should have half-a-dozen spares per handgun and two to three per long gun.
As for ammunition, I recommend keeping a six months' to one years' supply of what you'll need. For the handgun, rifle and shotgun, this can be 100-200 rounds: for the .22's (given that they'll be used for a lot of practice) I'd suggest 5,000 rounds.