Top 4 firearms you should own

[Brians356]

Just wondering how people find threads that are almost 11 years old?

You haven't tried then. Suppose you searched for, say, "Marlin 39".
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[Col Mustard]

haha, some questions are never answered. Or they need to be answered repeatedly
and for all those who've come of age in the last 11 years.

Also, some questions have answers that change over time.
Some of us are new to the forum, and didn't read something here 11 years ago.
I'm new to this forum and have very little faith in hot new wildcat cartridges.
I also have no faith in foreign made weapons. I might have respect, but no faith.
I read history.

So my answers to this perennial question are these: The four cartridges everyone needs to
be able to fire are: .22LR, 5.56x45 mm, 7.62x51mm and 12 gauge. To do this I recommend:

•Ruger 1022 (modded for dependability, not extreme marksmanship or "tactical" use)
•Ruger Mini 14 (I don't own one anymore, but I was very fond of my old one, and could hit
the target with it) I recently bought a Ruger American Ranch rifle bolt action .5.56mm, and
am happy with that. I can hit the target with this rifle very well.
•Something that shoots .308... I prefer a bolt action, but there are many weapons made in
this caliber. I'm still fond of my Remington 600. Pick one still made in USA. Almost any rifle
you care to name is made in .308.
•Remington 870 shotgun, with a bird barrel (with variable choke) plus a smoothbore "deer"
barrel with rifle sights and a rifled "deer" barrel, also with rifle sights. I loved my old Rem 870
but sold it in 2019 for medical reasons not my own. One gun with the capability of shooting
bird shot, buck shot and rifled slugs is a must. The Remington 870 is dependable, rugged
and there are lots of them out there for sale.

What about pistol rounds, you say? IMHO the most important ones are 9mm, 357 Mag, .45 ACP
and .22LR. This is old wisdom, but still true. I own one .357 Magnum handgun because I shoot
this round very well and can hit the target. I reluctantly parted with my beautifully modded .45 ACP
auto pistol when I sold my other weapons. I also shot this round very well. My old .45 was made
by Remington Rand, a typewriter company. So it was WWll vintage. I had it ported, and the feed ramp
polished, and an excellent trigger installed, and I paid Williams' gunsmiths to install usable and
adjustable sights, and I replaced the plastic G.I. grips with well checkered walnut. That pistol was
a dream to shoot, and I could hit the target really well.

Dependability is the key. I don't care for 9mm handguns in general, although every one else does.
Are there any that are made in USA? I dunno, and might not believe some company's claims.
So I have a spare cylinder for my .357 Ruger new model Blackhawk, just to be able to shoot this
round. There is so much 9mm ammo around, a guy needs to be able to shoot it. You might put down
a bad guy who had a hundred rounds of it on him. Or more, which is why he moved so slow. *shrugs
>I'd rather shoot 9mm from a rifle. I've considered buying a single shot rifle that came with barrels
in various calibers. THAT would be quite useful IMHO. Give me barrels that shoot .45 ACP, 9mm,
30-30 and 7x51mm.

But this is more than four weapons, eh?

 

[Brians356]

But this is more than four weapons, eh?

Sure, but, hey, posting is free. Why the reticence? Expound to your heart's desire.
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[Dimner]

I just watched a video on youtube about the basic firearms everyone should own and it got me to thinking about what my choices would be. I approached this with the mind set that if I had to choose just only 4 firearms for the rest of my life and these firearms were needed to preform any and every task one would and might encounter thru their lifetime....here they are and here's why...whats your pick

1. Rem. 870 wingmaster 12ga. shotgun. A shotgun is probably one of the most versatile firearms out there. Many things can be hunted with it and the rem. 870 is a proven platform with many,many aftermarket and factory parts available. Could be used for home defense and hunting.

2. Rem 700BDL 30-06. This rifle can pretty much cover everything from varmints to elephants...A huge selection of ammo and again many, many aftermarket and factory parts available. In an all out war situation though it wouldn't fill every niche it would be an awesome all around rifle for hunting and protection.

3. Springfield Armory 1911-A1 in .45cal. what else can i say about the .45...if I had to pick only one pistol this would be it...as far as brand that is up for grabs..personally i have owned several Springfields and have been very pleased with them though there are many, many other companies that make similar quality and even better...If it was only one pistol the .45cal would be it. And you can't even begin to catalog the millions of parts available for the 1911-A1.

4. Marlin Model 39A In my opinion everyone should own a really good 22lr. I personally love the 39A. Shoots shorts,longs,longrifles. So easy to find .22lr ammo and these guns are tack drivers even with just plain ole open sights...Thousands and thousands of game have fallen to the 22lr.

My list of the top 4 are:

1) a firearm that you will shoot frequently, every week

2) a firearm you will shoot just as frequently

3) a rimfire you will shoot very often

4) a lever action rifle that you will shoot as much as you can


One probably can see the theme of my list? It's more important to own firearms you will shoot than own firearms that are going to just sit around. I have plenty of experience in the latter.

 

[Dimner]

Sadly, I can't recommend the Model 39A anymore. The old ones were good, but recent production quality has slipped. The sliding bolt is secured on only one side. As a result, mine (which has made three trips back to Marlin without a proper fix), is VERY finicky about ammo, and when she jams, it locks up tight. You'll find other similar sad reports on the net. See: http://reviews.basspro.com/2010/10217876/marlin-39a-22lr-rifle-reviews/reviews.htm


In the cowboy action game, which has .22LR side matches, you'll find way more Winchesters and Henrys. I love the look and feel of the 39A, and it makes my thin-barreled Winchester feel like a toy. But my Winchester 9422 Legacy feeds everything, never jams, and it's just as accurate as my Marlin 39A. Oh and the lever on the 9422 is much smoother and easy to work fast. The bolt is fully enclosed by the receiver housing so it is supported on both sides. If you want to buy a current production lever gun, the Winchester is the one to get, IMHO. I've owned them both, and the 39A has been a problem child, though it is accurate with the right ammo.

Winchester model 9422 Legacy

I second this. We have a squirrel camp every fall where we all small game hunt. Two of the fellas stopped brining the 39a, just won't feed in the field. At the bench, everthing level, it does better. But when I hunt with someone using a 39a, all i hear is POP...... then cussing

 

[SKWERLZ]

I own a few of the classics that I think every shooter should at least consider.
A 22LR pistol or rifle.
12 gauge, classic 870 is nice.
AR15.
Center fire bolt action rifle.

 

[TrapperBR549]

The idea that someone should only own 4 guns is as dumb now as it was over a decade ago.

 

[joshb]

The idea that someone should only own 4 guns is as dumb now as it was over a decade ago.

Yup! It feels like a New Biden Proposal in the future. Makes my skin crawl!

 

[hpshooter]

Based on the premise of the OP:
- a 22LR bolt action sporter
- a 12 gauge Benelli M2
- a 1911 45 ACP
- a 308 W bolt action sporter

I figure that a good rifleman with a bolt gun can get a 223 AR when you really need one.......

Or a for real M-4 or M-16.

 

[Abolt2]

My 4 would be:
1. 12 gauge pump: the sound of the action alone is enough of a deterrent
2. 22lr in a Ruger 10/22
3. Bolt Action in REM 700
4. Pistol in 9mm for every day carry
5. AR in 223 Wylde would be #5

 

[Old Navy]

Sure, but, hey, posting is free. Why the reticence? Expound to your heart's desire.
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"reticence" I had to look that one up.

 

[quest450]

A picture is worth a thousand words

 

[Snozzberries]

I think of firearms like shoes. It tends to make more sense to people that aren't gun people. Try to find anybody that only owns one pair of shoes. "You only need one gun, you can't shoot more than one at a time!" Well you only need one pair of shoes then.

Start making a list of all the shoes you have:
every day shoes
trail running shoes
pavement running shoes
hiking shoes
big boots
small boots
flip flops
sandles
water shoes
lawn mowing shoes
it just goes on and on

I'm of the opinion you need at least one firearm in every category. Which is going to require a hell of a lot more than just 4. But if you only get 4....

Pistol
Shotgun
Rifle
Extra

Pistol - Has to be a 1911. Anybody that wants a glock is wrong
Shotgun - Has to be 12 gauge. There are so many. I bought a semi-auto, but whatever you want is fine with me
Rifle - This is where it gets hard. Do you want a 22lr, an AR15, or a proper centerfire bolt gun? What's your objective? My vote is for a 22lr. Just so much fun to shoot. Guns are for shooting, not for storing. 22lr is the best caliber for shooting.
Extra - It's going to be that 2nd rifle. Buy a proper centerfire bolt gun that can shoot long range, and take down animals.

That means....you don't get an AR15. Waaahhhhh

 

[Trashy]

1911 in 9mm
1911 in 45
High end .22 pistol (model 41 or volquartsen)
High end .22 rifle.

That's my ride or die selection.

 

[bpd459]

Where is this going? Real world type events?
Glock 17/19
AR-15 .223 of some guise
Rem 870 12ga
Ruger 10/22
John

 

[SixFive]

1. Shotgun 12g
2. Bolt Gun 30-06
3. .22 Rimfire Rifle
4. FNFAL .308

I really do not need a pistol in a survival situation (Thou I have many 1911s).

 

[Tesoro]

Depends where you live. So there is no universal 'top 4'.

 

[joshb]

Snozzberries: I used to think like you about the 1911s until I bought a Glock 41. It eats everything I feed it, it’s very accurate in my hands and it holds 13 rounds in the magazine. That’s almost twice the capacity of the Colt before I need to reload. I highly suggest you try one. I love my Colts for target shooting but if I was facing “trouble”, I’d grab the Glock.

 

[FNSafari]

I own a couple of Remington shotguns, good guns and sure hope the aftermarket can produce repair parts for a long time! Thank you, you corporate raiding scumbag entities, for ruining a good company.

I carried a Glock 23 for years as a dep sheriff. When carried it always was in a snatch resistant holster. The low borerline is conducive to shooting well, but the lack of a manual safety limits to holster carry imo. Stuff it in your pants appendix style if you must but imo you shouldn't, that 5 lb trigger even with the so called safety lever is just too potentially problematic. Now if you have the NY 10 lb trigger, maybe but I still don't cotton to no manual safety. Also, having to pull the trigger to disassemble has caused too many accidents over time. Compared to current polymer frame striker fired pistols it is old tech. I still have it but don't carry it anymore as I don't have many excursions where holster carry is do-able. It will go down the road one of these days.

Buy a Glock and 10 years later try and sell if for what you paid. Buy a Gold Cup and 10 years later.....