Out of all my rifles and pistols I would have to choose my 450 Bushmaster(AR platform). Has the stopping power for HD and hunting deer, elk, and black bear.
Just throwing the round at an intruder would give them a concussion.
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Only if it makes me invisible, too.
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That’s why I went .357 mag. I will be leaving my house this Friday morning, with my 6 inch wheel gun concealed, on my way to go hunt. It is more than capable of ethically taking Illinois white tails at 75-80 yards. The other 358 days of the year, it is loaded with 125 grain defense rounds. Because my wife can handle it, and shoot it very well. So, it really does fit all three scenarios.
As far as what could you kill with a 9, at closer range, a 9 could stop small bears, cougars, and small deer, realistically.
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I’d have to say, a shotgun…and i hate shotguns lol. They’re versatile, can be loaded with bird salt to slugs and they’re perfect for several types of hunting scenarios. AND as an added bonus, they have a distinctive sound which even me, someone who hates shotguns, loves racking the slide as it feeds some primal instinct.
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It’s very easy to envision a scenario where you had many guns… went boating one day… the boat capsized and all of your guns fell to the bottom of a deep lake… and the only firearm you were able to save was the one you were carrying at the time 
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Weeeellllll, IF I could only have ONE gun and be COMPLIANT with the proposed gun regulations I’m going to have to go with my LAR Grizzly in 45 Win Mag. I could carry it (assuming they don’t ban chiropractors) and hunt with it as a 230 gr JHP leaves the barrel at north of 1600 FPS and blow holes in bricks with the 260gr FMJ’s . It’s a bit big, throws a fireball 3’ long doesn’t kick too bad until you get to the heavies. The down side is there are NO spare magazines to be had ($300 + ea if you can find them) and you need to reload (got that part) BUT you MIGHT find ammo on the shelf since nobody needs it. I just scored 40 rounds in an off the beaten track gun shop last week but of course it was stupid expensive BEFORE COVID and the stickers on it were not new but it was still $1.00 / round.
Cheers,
Craig6
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I actually liked the 460 S@W Magnum, shooting it was much more comfortable than I thought, and they make a sling for it rather than a holster, but it would be a bit big for the defense of self and home. it will fire the 460, 454, and the 45 colt, but it’s a big chunk of iron, to be sure.
There are a few options I would feel were adequate If I couldn’t have my first choice.
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@Enzo_T that gun has been on my list of most escaped since about 1988 when I first saw one. It was a MKI with the extended muzzle w/ compensator in the box. The man wanted $200 more than I had or could come up with ($800) for the next 30 years I always found one right after I had made another frivolous purchase to and including my wife’s engagement ring. When I finally found this one it was in the hands of a friend who would not come off it. Some 5 years later I had given him an optic to use and he fell in love with it and 5 years later I needed to clean up my books and after a week of hitting multiple UNOBTANIUMS I called him up. The next day it was mine, my books were clean and I hit a major check on my bucket list. I’m still looking for a local leather smith to make me a drop leg rig for it. I figure I waited 30+ years to score that piece I can look around enough to get the right holster. The fun with reloading that beast cannot be overstated 185gr JHP going stoopid fast don’t even make the muzzle twitch but powder selection is “interesting”.
Cheers,
Craig6
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I’m a big fan of the .40 . That would be and is my choice .
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A big part of someone’s choice is going to have to do with what “everything” means to them. Some will never hunt, or shoot at any great range for that matter. Change the environment a little, and my choice of the .357 would loose out to the 10.mm , change it the other direction and I’d pick the .357 carbine instead.
When I was posting this I was thinking. " You only get one gun, and you have no way of knowing what your needs will be, what do you pick if you have no idea what you will face? If I recall correctly, settlers chose either a Winchester rifle, or a shotgun if they could afford only one. But CC was not really an issue the way it is now.
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Me thinks that blaster that Han Solo carried…
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So no rabbits or squirrels for you then.
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I think I mentioned this before, but, the right 22 LR could be pressed into service as a single gun to cover all the bases for somebody. One huge advantage is the sheer amount of ammunition you can have to feed it with. It’s much more than a cost or numbers issue. With a 22 LR, you can buy, keep, and transport, enough ammunition to keep the gun in service for a very long time, almost indefinitely. With good shooting, and an understanding of how to use it, a 22 is capable of doing everything from self defense to putting food on the table, even larger game if you know what your doing. I definitely have it on my list of guns to consider if I were ever in the situation I could only have one.
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