Some fun: One gun to do everything!?

Agree with @DS-1 just distinguish between the 2, I’ve seen the fantasy argument. It gets pretty pricey. :laughing:

The original post was one gun. So I would go with a 12ga. shotgun w/ a rifle sighted smooth bore barrel w/I.C. chock and an extra birdshot barrel w/ chocks. Protect and hunt. Birdshot, buckshot and slugs. :+1:

7 Likes

I was wondering who the first person would be to say shotgun. A top choice, I agree.

6 Likes

My pick as well

5 Likes

Oh, well there goes my A10.

6 Likes

Ha Ha, fair enough, and your non fantasy choice?

3 Likes

Just to stir it up a little, depending on ability and comfort level, and cost for that matter, I have heard arguments for a Judge variant ( shotgun attributes and a legit defensive round, cal .45 colt ) A 10/22, or some version of a double gun, say a .243 over a 20.ga.

3 Likes

I had 2 in the past. A .22lr/20ga. and a .22mag/.410, wish I still had that one.
I have a H&R Topper Model my dad found along side the highway in 1973 with a slug in it, someone was night shooting deer and threw it out the car window. He was driving a County Dump truck and pulled over at the work site and walked around the truck to pi$$ and there was the 20ga laying with the muzzle of the barrel under the front tire, the scratch’s are still there.
I call it a “Game Gun” it will shoot birdshot. buckshot and slugs with equal accuracy and tight groups.
I have taken much game over the years and the only repair we had to make was replace the firing pin and spring, I guess we wore it out. Just picking it up the memories come back.

4 Likes

Having used them so extensively, How would you feel about one as your one and only firearm? Any advantages or disadvantages that strike you in particular in that role?

3 Likes

I always wanted the .30-30/12ga. I would feel well armed and well able to feed me and mine. I had to face a young she bear with her first cub at 12 feet, my dog was in front. I popped out the .410 birdshot and dropped in a slug, if she went for the dog I would shoot her in the head, once the cub got behind her she turned and ran. This was the 22mag/.410.
We were all relived.
I think with the right calibers and practice with the hammer and firing pin switch you would do good. :+1:

4 Likes

The only disadvantages are capacity and having to change the round in the shotgun to the changing situation.

2 Likes

Thanks,@BRUCE26 I have always wanted to hear the thoughts of someone who actually used one, especially the caliber choice you would want.

3 Likes

Probably the Glock G19x I just purchased a few weeks ago. Had it @ my brother’s this weekend; we were practicing with various firearms (PSAK47 and AR-15 for rifles; G43 and G19X for handguns). Shot groups for me are about 2" or 3" at 7 to 8 yards. I was able to reliably hit within the 9 ring at about 20 yards, and within the 7 ring at 30 yards. (And able to hit the target at 50 yards.)

Granted, that’s not what I ever plan on doing; that’s unrealistic. But the fact that I can do it at all is pretty amazing.

6 Likes

Home Defense, Carry, Hunting. Seems like realistically you only get two of the three, the third one is always a bit of a compromise.

I’d feel comfy with a 9mm handgun for HD/Carry, but hunting? not so much.

What is the largest game you could reasonably take with a 9mm?

4 Likes

That one is a lot more difficult. There’s no firearm that’s perfect for every situation. It gets back to the concealability vs power vs weight, or precision vs accuracy discussions we have all the time. If I could only pick one, I’d probably take my 5.56 carbine. Small & light, but can still plink cans off the fence at a reasonable distance. And then I’d probably be proven wrong the first week.

4 Likes

M5E1 without hesitation. 16" barrel. Retractable stock.

3 Likes

@Harvey My ex-bro inlaw many years ago shot a fork horn whitetail with a 9mm at 30ft, it pi$$ed him off and he had to shoot it 3 more times after it charged him, he hid behind a tree.
A MI. State Trooper in Da U.P. was putting an injured deer down on the highway he shot it twice with a Beretta 9mm, the deer got up and kicked the snot out of him. :rofl: We never missed a chance to raz him.
So use heavier hollow points and make sure you have a tree to hide behind. :+1:
Sorry, meant to say both of them were using FMJs. :roll_eyes:

4 Likes

Sorry I have to stay old school, my S&W mod 58, 4" bbl in 41 mag. Load it hot or mild. Accurate to as far as one can shoot. Now a “one handgun do it all” is tough, especially if you throw in ccw. But to cover a-z it wont be perfect accross the board you will need to sacrifice somewhere

A S&W/Ruger in 44mag would work; I like the 41 loaded down for rapid fire self defense shooting better. Now I’m partial to my 1911 in 45acp but throw in some 4 legged critters with big teeth may fall a little short. My Glock 20 in 10mm is a close runner up. Im just a sucker for big revolvers especially in the field. Trust me a good revolver in a big caliber can hold its own on the target range as well!

5 Likes

@Kung Many fond and not so fond memories of Fort Leonard Wood 1983-84 8 weeks Basic and 5 weeks AIT
OSUT. B-12 Combat Engineer. :+1: Thanks for the memory, still remember that Missouri mud. :+1:

5 Likes

Let’s make it a little interesting and lets say you have zero guns right now. You need to go out and get one that you can afford that can do HD and CC.

Keep in mind many places not only is ammo out but the guns themselves are scarce.

That is what happened with me. Got my first firearm over the summer mainly for HD. I wanted something my entire family could use if needed without breaking the bank. I also wanted it to be a handgun as it is muxh easier to keep out of sight at home. That quickly morphed into me applying for my CCL. Just waiting for that to come in. I can legally carry in my truck in SC so one goes with me all the time. I also typically carry concealed in my house.

I wound up with a Stoeger STR9. Based on availabilty and pricing it was going to be that or a Beretta APX. I did a ton of research on both. When I got to the store the only thing left was the Stoeger.

I have not put as much ammo through it as I would like. I have between 300 and 400 rounds through it so really just getting it broke in.

I liked it so much, I just bought another one. I was able to grab it for just over 250 (normally 299) at Cabela’s on Veteran’s day. They were giving 5% off for Veteran’s and they gave an additional discount if you applied for one of their credit cards. I was also able to score ammo at Cabela’s since I was purchasing a firearm.

I now have two 9mm with 4 mags between them. I have a mix of FMJ & HP for defensive rounds. While I don’t have tons of ammo, I can reload all of the mags multiple times.

4 Likes