if you could have only one gun

[Gary in Aus]

If I need to kill something I find it difficult to go past my Webley and Scott over and under 12 guage shotgun .

 

Whatever I shoot with that, it stays shot.

 

I prefer pellets to solids as it's hard to miss with pellets.

[RichEdwards]

[philbytx]

Glock 19. Big enough for trouble, small enough to carry, easy to strip and clean.

 

The Glock19 is bulletproof And I am not sorry about the pun !

 

Oooh! Just saw Dave's (cheat 2nd pick....the FN5.7 :thumbsup:

[ESokoloff]

 

Kids toy.

 

Here is The REAL Deal

In

.

[upflying]

I carry a Smith and Wesson model 99, .40 cal/12 round mag, one in the chamber.

Why are gun threads like oil and tire threads?

[CoarsegoldKid]

I'd sell all my firearms to buy one perfect one. That would be one that is compact and light that has a big tank can be, handles well as I can make it, impervious to environmental elements, requires fuel that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and has a muffler.

[AZKomet]

Yes.....I handgun Jav hunt and the .357 is my round of choice. Accurate.....deadly and a well placed shot drops them right there.

 

My first weapon in law enf 30 years ago was a S&W model 19. Still have it and still accurate to this day. In addition to that I have a Ruger BH 357 and a new Taurus tracker 357. That is why I have the glock in the 357 sig. It is a great round.

 

Go .357 sig and you won't be sorry!!!!!!

[AZKomet]

I routinely shoot pistols beyond 100 yards. Last years jav kill was 93 yards via range finder. This year was 77 yards. Pistols are accurate with the right loads and sights (both kills were open sights) and a steady hand.

 

 

With the semi-autos out most shooters rely on spray and pray in order to hit the target. I use revolvers for hunting as they are more accurate (for me) and I have to rely on that one shot one kill thought process b/c an animal is long gone after the first round goes off.

 

I do have a mini 14 NRA edition that is tricked out for the yotes in the AZ wilderness areas....makes a fine shooting machine that Ruger. You can have all of the AR and the like. The mini 14 works for me.....

 

[baggerchris]

One Gun.

 

If I could have Only one gun, I would choose a .357. I can shoot 38 wadcutters for the reloaded price almost as low as a 22, and go up the scale through the various 38 special loadings to a full blown 357 load. I choose a S&W bodyguard .357. The one I shoot is very accurate and with several loadings including shot, is the choice I take everywhere. I enjoy it's semi shrouded hammer so I can shoot either single action or double; it's stainless steel construction and it's overall perfection.

[Redbrick]

Do we get to have more than one round?

 

[James Clark]

[Pennys Dad]

S&W 686

[russell_bynum]

12-gauge pump. I prefer the Remington 870, but the Mossberg is good too.

 

Simple.

Reliable.

Powerful.

Versatile.

Readily available ammo

Easy to reconfigure with different barrels, sights, choke tubes, accessories, etc.

 

Effective against everything from doors to people to deer to small birds.

 

Downsides: Hard to conceal. Not good for long range.

 

 

But the real answer is that if I could only have one gun, I'd move back to America where I could have as many as I want.

[russell_bynum]

Ruger Mini-14 All-Weather Ranch Rifle.

 

 

Why? Because a pistol is worthless at more than 25 yards. The Mini-14 can take care of just about any shooting need you might encounter.

 

Well, yes, assuming that you are unable to hit anything at that range with it, that's true.

 

On the other hand, I watched a Border Patrol Pistol Team shooter (circa 1969, back when we were taught to shoot for real) put nine out of ten rounds offhand from an accurized .45ACP in one hole at 50 yards. The 10th round was out by a near-immeasurable hair, but was still in the X ring. And all of us then could make a guy keep his head down at 50 yards - 12 rounds at 50 yards was part of the qual course.

 

However, your point is well taken as a "best practices" matter. I own a Ruger Mini-14 and like it a lot.

 

As the saying goes, the only reason to shoot someone with a pistol is that you couldn't carry your cannon that day.

 

Pilgrim

 

Interestingly...I used to think the same thing. Then I started playing with my Ruger MkIII. Our range has about a 12" plate at 50 yards and it didn't take much practice before I could empty a magazine without missing the plate. I'm not as good with the bigger pistols (maybe 40% hits so far) but like you said...if it was a man out there, he'd damn sure have his head down.

 

But I had to get rid of the distraction of recoil to see what was possible.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Pistols, useless beyond 25 yards?

 

Hardly. My Dan Wesson 357 maximum could regularly shoot 2" groups at 100 meters with open sights. I could keep 8 out of 10 rounds in the goat target, standing, at 200 meters. 10 for 10 on chickens at 50 meters, ditto pigs at 100 and turkeys at 150. Granted, these were timed events with 2 minutes for each 5 rounds.

 

My Thomson Center Contender was even more accurate in 7mm International caliper (223 necked up to 7mm) and my Wichita unlimited gun in 308 was fully capable of MOA accuracy.

 

Just for fun, I took a .45 out to the range one day and was regularly able to hit the pigs out at 100 meters after making some serious elevation adjustments (whole blade of the front sight over the top of the rear). It wouldn't reliably knock them over but still made a clang.

[upflying]

12-gauge pump.

 

Downsides: Hard to conceal. Not good for long range.

 

 

The rifled slug will take care of the lack of range.

[AZKomet]

Ok, changed my mind!

 

[AZKomet]

Pistols, useless beyond 25 yards?

 

Hardly. My Dan Wesson 357 maximum could regularly shoot 2" groups at 100 meters with open sights. I could keep 8 out of 10 rounds in the goat target, standing, at 200 meters. 10 for 10 on chickens at 50 meters, ditto pigs at 100 and turkeys at 150. Granted, these were timed events with 2 minutes for each 5 rounds.

 

My Thomson Center Contender was even more accurate in 7mm International caliper (223 necked up to 7mm) and my Wichita unlimited gun in 308 was fully capable of MOA accuracy.

 

Just for fun, I took a .45 out to the range one day and was regularly able to hit the pigs out at 100 meters after making some serious elevation adjustments (whole blade of the front sight over the top of the rear). It wouldn't reliably knock them over but still made a clang.

 

 

Several years ago my friend and I entered the 100 yd steel target competition at the Ben Avery Range.

 

We came with our 357 Ruger BH's and were laughed at by others. What they soon realized that we had 170 gr. solid bullets loaded 20% over as directed by the loading manual. Not only did they down the metal targets at 100 yards, but the insulation came off the roof, the report was absolutely ANNOYING and the recoil out of this world.

 

We called them our Deer slayer round and I still shoot them from time to time to amuse my...which BTW doesn't take much!

[Knifemaker]

Still love my S/W 13-2 357 mag. DA.. 4" barrel nickel plated....Feels like a real gun....

[Redbrick]

 

Maybe a Ruger?

[Huzband]

 

Maybe a Ruger? [/quote}

 

I had a Ruger once. Carried it in the inside of my right boot when I rode. I was 21 at the time, & living in Tennessee. Then I got stopped for speeding by the THP. I was scared to death sitting in the front seat of the patrol car with a gun in my boot.

 

That was the last time I carried without a permit.

 

Love that saddle, though.

[Redbrick]

This does look like a Ruger...I had a Ruger .45 long Colt with a replica cowboy holster that I sold last year...It's made to look like a Peacemaker but was a lot heavier...Fun to shoot....

[ShovelStrokeEd]

.45 Colt is a nice cartridge. Easy enough to load to 44 mag velocities and also can be loaded way down for plinking and general paper punching. I had a Smith in that caliber back in the day, big frame and a little tiring to shoot with the hot stuff but not bad at all.

 

Wheel guns are nice in that they are not sensitive to load or bullet shape like pistols. Pretty much pull the trigger and they will go bang every time.

 

In reference to muzzle blast and general mayhem on the range, nothing would top my Witchita center grip unlimited gun in 308. The thing only had a 13" barrel and would literally scatter leaves and twigs for 10 yards in front of the gun with hot loads. Interesting in that I never changed sights for the different ranges. 135g hollow points for chickens at 50 meters, 165g boattails for the pigs and turkeys and then 180g for the rams. Recoil and grip took care of the elevation. I could move up or down 6" on the ram target (200m) just by changing how hard I gripped the gun.

 

The Dan Wesson in 357 Maximum was no slouch either. Shooting that gun from a modified Creedmore position would cut through a 1/4" thick leather shield wrapped around my leg in about 15 rounds from the side blast out the barrel gap. Barked pretty good out the front as well.