What would be your picks of only 3 rifles to own for everything, hunting and self defense?

Beside my shotgun quip, I think at least here in the east I could do everything with a nice 300 BO carbine. Deer and home defense with 110gr TAC-TX. Varmints with some good Maker REX 220gr bullets and small game with cheap coated or plated lead subsonic ammo.
 
mcb said:
Beside my shotgun quip, I think at least here in the east I could do everything with a nice 300 BO carbine. Deer and home defense with 110gr TAC-TX. Varmints with some good Maker REX 220gr bullets and small game with cheap coated or plated lead subsonic ammo.
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Ha, yeah, OP should have said: "which two rifles and a shotgun". !!!! For sure, a shotgun can fill a rifle role with slugs or ball, hence I included my musket. The smooth bore just has that added talent of throwing a nice pattern of shot.
 
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So my list would be;

1. CZ 457 ProVarmint 22lr with my SilencerCo Sparrow suppressor. Stupid quiet with 60gr Aguila and Federal 45gr Suppressor ammo. CCI Quiet 22 is literally silent, as in the firing pin falling and the bullet smacking the target is the only thing you hear.

2. Mossberg Patriot Predator in 6.5 PRC for hunting or long range shooting. I have a bunch of Lapua brass and H1000 for it.

3. My Springfield M1 Garand for whatever is close enough to not need a long range rifle for. So hunting and self defense. Dumping 8 rounds of 30-06 makes a heck of a statement.
 
270OKIE said:
My Springfield M1 Garand for whatever is close enough to not need a long range rifle for. So hunting and self defense. Dumping 8 rounds of 30-06 makes a heck of a statement.
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For sure, "The M1 does my talking!" And at the end of the statement is an exclamation point...the PING! However, I would consider the M1 a long range rifle. ?? But I guess that depends on what the definition of "is" is. :) To my mind, it has further/longer range than what my eyes have to positively identify the target.
 
I'm old and tend to take an extreme / realist approach to guns now. What I can reliable run, carry and use when stressed. The real reason my fancy nonsense stuff went away years ago.
Pistol / Handgun: Dan Wesson 38 Special. (CQB to Hunting to recreational) 50 yards and "In".
Defense: AR15 build 6.5 Grendel and my handloads. (Dual use defense and hunting out to 3-400 yards)
Hunting: Single shot 45-70. I can tailor the ammo to fit the need: easily! 25yards to you're being ridiculous again.
I'll put up a fight. But truthfully, a young highly mobile force is going to win eventually.
 
I’ve been gaming this particular system for the last several years. I have twice in my life found myself with far too many more guns in my safes than I really wanted, and certainly more than I could make use, and I really didn’t like the idea of not having any particular rifle which I considered “my rifle,” meaning I had hunted in over half of the states in the Union and multiple foreign countries, but I had doneso with several different rifles, and wasn’t really building memories onto any particular, single rifles. So as I seem to do every 5-8yrs or so, I liquidated a bunch of underutilized inventory, and instead of building back the same underutilized inventory, I built a couple of rifles for myself and my wife which would be more versatile and more adaptable. I built two AR lowers, one meant to be left as a rifle, the other an SBR, and a bolt action rifle, and another in kind for my wife, all with multiple uppers/barrels to adapt between multiple applications. I’ve since picked up another rifle which also uses controlled headspace and interchangeable bolt heads, so I can order drop-in barrels online and swap between a 20lb PRS competition configuration in 6mm creed to a lightweight hunting configuration in 6.5 PRC - starting over, I’d probably build this on an Impact action rather than buying a Seekins rifle, but it works as it is. I’d also buy Impact 787R’s instead of Rugers for my long action magnum bolt guns.

So today, if I started over, I would build:

AR-15 with uppers:
• 10.5” 300blk
• 16” 22LR
• 20” 5.56/223
• 26” 6mm ARC

Impact 737R short action bolt gun with barrels:
• 20” 6mm Dasher carbon fiber
• 26” 6mm Creedmoor
• 26” 6.5 PRC carbon fiber

Impact 787R Long Action bolt gun with barrels:
• 26” 300 PRC
• 21” 416 Ruger*

*Might be tempted by a 458 wm or Lott in a 21” instead of the 416 Ruger.

And I’d throw an obligatory 22LR in there, using a RimX action, allowing all of 22LR, 17HM2, 17HMR, 22Mag, and 17WSM barrels to be used.

Not so dissimilar to current kit, but tweaked with a “money is no object” vibe, and the blessing of “if I were starting over and took a more direct path to the end point.”
 
Ugly Sauce said:
For sure, "The M1 does my talking!" And at the end of the statement is an exclamation point...the PING! However, I would consider the M1 a long range rifle. ?? But I guess that depends on what the definition of "is" is. :) To my mind, it has further/longer range than what my eyes have to positively identify the target.
Click to expand...
I do agree that 30-06 as a caliber can easily be used long range but I see an M1 as a short to modest range weapon due to lack of a scope for positive target identification purposes. If only I had an M1D... Otherwise, your statement is 100 percent correct. :):thumbup:
E.g. is that person shaped object in the distance an injured person coming towards us in search of medical attention or is it a bad guy looking to loot us? That type of thing is what I'm talking about.
 
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Henry 22 for plinking, and small game, pistol caliber lever gun, (I have a 38/357 mag) but any 38/357,41 mag, 44 mag, 45 colt, would do, 45 70 for large game, and both the pistol caliber and 45 70 could be used for self defense. Any of the 300 savage, 308 winchester, 30 06 class could do either bolt, lever, or semi auto, am not an AR FAN, but could do in a pinch, especially those in .308 class, used to have 2 Ruger Mini 14s, and while they were fun as all get out, could not hit the broad side of a barn with either one of them either off hand or from a bench. But they were both built in the 1970s and 1980s.
 
Ar 15 with a few uppers 11.5 " 5.56, .22 lr 16", 9 mm 8", .300 BO 10" , .,.458 Socom 12" lightweight 6.8 SPC II 16".
Ar 10 with a couple uppers: 6.5creedmore 22" heavy barrel and an 18 " .308 lightweight
An Accuracy International Artic Warfare .338 Lapua
 
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If I had to "do it all" with just three rifles...

my Sig Cross, with multiple barrels. A 6cm, 308win and 45 Raptor barrel should cover me.

AR lower with a couple uppers, a 16" 5.56, plus a 18-22" 6ARC/6.5G and 16" 350L upper to go with

A Ruger 10/22 TD with a couple extra front ends. A standard profile barrel, a heavy barrel and a integrally suppressed barrel.
 
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