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If you could only have five guns

8K views 58 replies 49 participants last post by  Doghandler 
#1 ·
Okay, this is a bit of a fun/frivolous exercise! If you're just gonna be a sourpuss then move along!:wink: Obviously it would suck to only have five guns but it's a classic campfire topic, plus I enjoy Mr.Guns'n'gear's channel. IMO he picks some really strange ones but hey, that's the point- it comes down to your personal thoughts. Here's the video, and afterward I will add mine.






I'm not sure if my only-five gun list includes guns I actually have. If I could only have five and never change them I would probably buy the "bucket list" guns now since I couldn't get any later. I thought at first to limit things to just guns I currently own but if I can't get any more I'll let it all hang out.

First off, my rationale. If I made this list 10 years ago it would certainly have a .22 LR on it. Now though .22 has been so scarce and expensive for so long that I no longer consider it useful. True, I have thousands of rounds but I can't replace them at reasonable cost, and if I'm gonna pay a dime per round it's more fun to shoot 9mm IMO. Second, with just five guns there are some niches that simply won't be served, sadly. So I will have to stick to thing I know I want to do at the expense of things I might want to do down the road.

Here we go! In no particular order, here's my five:


1) AR-15. This is kind of a tough one. In a perfect world it would probably be better to have a Bren 805, FN SCAR, etc. But I don't have enough direct experience with the newer platforms to make an informed decision so I will default to the AR. I feel it's a superb fighting gun but also a great plinker and a borderline hunting gun. I suppose that if we remove any legal restrictions and just assume you will have the stamps you need, etc I would probably make it an SBR. The 5.56 round is not perfect but if I could only have one fighting carbine I would opt for that caliber due to its ubiquity and low cost. My personal rifle is a CORE15 set up with an Aimpoint PRO, an Inforce WML and Bravo furniture but if I could never have another one I would get a BCM with the KMR rail or an HK MR556. Runner up: Bren 805.

2) HK P2000. This is a tough one! To be honest the P2000 isn't in my top 3 favorite HK sidearms, but if limited to five guns it would be on my list. It doesn't do everything perfectly but it does almost everything pretty darned well. It's about 90% as capable as my P30 while being almost as easy to conceal as my Beretta Nano. Since CCW is my single biggest priority the P2000 makes the cut. In a pinch I wouldn't feel undergunned if that was the only gun on the nighstand, either.

3) HK USPf9 Tactical, Jet Funnel kit. The USPf9 is, to me, one of the finest sidearms ever made. With the Match Trigger option it's very easy to shoot very well. Reliability is total and it can digest the hottest 9mm ammo around all day long. IMO it's as capable a sidearm as there is, and for times that I can easily carry a bigger gun (eg camping) then the USP if an awesome firearm. It's not as ergonomic as the P30/P30L/VP9 but it will do everything I need a sidearm to do.

4) Browning Stalker. Right now I don't really hunt or do much long range shooting. But if I could never buy anything but these five, I would need to add the capability now. To be honest there are some great bolt guns out there and lots of others would do the job (eg Howa, Tikka, etc). But I really like the Browning A- and X-bolt guns. I would opt for the 6.5 Creedmoor, with my second choice being the 6.5 Grendel (although I'd have to get a Howa in that caliber). To me a 6.5 is about perfect. Lower recoil and flatter trajectory than the (excellent) .308/7.62 NATO while still packing enough punch for deer sized game.

5) CZ Scorpion Carbine. This is maybe the strangest one on my list! If money wasn't a concern an MP5 would nicer, or maybe an MPX. But the Scorpion is a terrific gun. In some ways I like my Beretta CX4 Storm a bit better- it's shorter and much more maneuverable in tight spaces, by a wide margin. And Beretta 92 mags are cheap, plentiful and reliable. But if I had to live with it forever the Storm has a few things I hate; the crossbolt safety sucks, the trigger is beyond horrible and I'm not crazy about the mag release. If I could add $1000 of Sierra Papa parts and also assuming I couldn't SBR it, the Storm would win. But if I'm alllowed to trick it out however I want I would SBR the Scorpion. I'll readily admit that most would find a shotgun for more useful and I also went that route instead of going with a PCC. But ultimately when ever I have bought a shottie it never "sticks". I don't bird hunt and I'm not into clays, and for HD I would rather have a military-style carbine. For me the PCC fills the plinking and small game roles the the .22 rifle used to fill and overlaps the defensive roles as well.

There you go! Not five perfect guns but five firearms that would cover all the bases for me personally. Hopefully it will never come to just having five!:danceban:
 
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#5 ·
Wait... do *I* get five and my wife gets five as well? WOOT!
 
#11 ·
If you're going to only let me have five guns Phaedrus, then I am going to be pooch-mouthed!


If "push came to shove" it's not a hard exercise for they live here already and I've been using them all a long time. In the face of any firearms' company current catalog offerings, vintage arms would be selected for regular use for the remainder of my shooting career.

Winchester Model 70 .30-06


M1 Carbine .30 Carbine


Winchester Model 12 12 gauge 2 3/4-inch


Springfield Model 1922(A11) .22 Long Rifle


Smith & Wesson Model 10 Heavy Barrel .38 Special



You made me leave out the Smith & Wesson Model 17 K-22, the M1, the Colt Model 1911, the Ruger M77V .220 Swift, and the .32-20 combo, being the Winchester Model 1892 coupled with the Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector. Oh, and the Colt Woodsman and Winchester Model 1890 in .22 Long Rifle.

You're mean, Phaedrus!
 
#15 ·
When thinking about guns I can't part with, my list is just about 5. That beats the "if you could only have one gun" threads by a mile....or 4.

I can't shoot long guns, so my choices are all handguns because that is what I can actually use.

S&W 686 stainless snubbie
S&W Model 10-5 4" pencil barrel
G42
G17
And a coin toss between G34 and that cheap, shabby-made Bersa BPcc that accurately shoots anything I feed her every single time. Her name is Bertha and she is a very good carry size for me in rotation with Minnie, the G42.

I have two G42's but actually think I would keep Bertha before I'd keep both Minnie's. I know I'm daft.

Before someone jumps down my throat -- "my" G19 now belongs to Gramps because with my arthritis I can't shoot her anymore. And my G26 was sold to a very nice fellow in our club.
 
#16 ·
1. Model 10
2. Sig legion
3. HK33 or maybe m16
4. Vepr 12
5. some form of large bore
 
#17 ·
I would pick from 5 classes:
1. Short rifle stock 12GA - 18-20" Mossberg pump
2. 308 Bolt Action - Savage is my choice here
3. AR-15 (really any modern free-floated AR with modular rail is good here)
4. Do-it-all pistol -> Compact double stack such as P320 compact or Glock 19
5. 22 rifle -> I like my M&P 15-22 here given it's multiporpose

If I had a 6th option, I'd have 2 pistols -> a full-size and a subcompact.
 
#18 ·
1. 357 Magnum revolver - 7 or 8 shot - 4-6 inch barrel (S&W)

2. AR-15 (Colt)

3. Semi-auto .22LR rifle (Ruger)

4. Pump action shotgun (Remington)

5. Hi cap 9mm (Something hi cap + concealable - G19?)


I could get by with these, but I sure wouldn't be happy about it...hell I've got more than 5 .357's haha
 
#19 ·
I'm a revolver and lever action person, so my choice would be:

1. S&W M49 snub in 38 special (main CCW gun).
2. S&W M63 22 lr (need at least one 22)
3. S&W M60 3" in 357 Magnum (alternative CCW, back packer gun).
4. S&W M625JM 4" in 45 ACP (full sized big bore revolver)
5. Marlin 1894 Stainless Steel 44 Magnum (could hunt with it).
 
#21 ·
Good lord, some of the guns you guys list make me jealous. Going by preference alone, here's mine:

1. G19

2. Ruger Alaskan .454

3. M1A

4. Benelli M4

5. Ruger 10/22

I figure that covers a good portion of anything you're going to run into, minus the zombie apocolypse.
 
#23 ·
I'll pick (trimming back) from what I've already got:
* Remington 870 Social Shotgun
* GLOCK 19
* Browning FN Highpower
* S&W 662
* Vorquartsen Superlite

But DANG, can't I just bury the rest and claim they got sunk in a...boating accident? :blink:
 
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#24 ·
1. Ruger SR40c. As much as I enjoy my Shield, the SR40c would be far more practical for me as I can have compact mags and full-size mags. I'm not fond of how Glocks hold in my hand and I'm not particularly interested in adapting to them. Perhaps this choice (carry/HD auto pistol) may change the more I branch out, experience wise.

2. Security-Six, 4" SS. This particular firearm is in my possession and will never leave. A smooth six shooter will accompany me on my woods intrusions, as I am finicky when it comes to autos in the woods.

3. AR in 5.56, most likely a Ruger AR-556. I don't own an AR but I have been around a few as most of the gun friends I have are only interested in auto pistols and rifles. I see the practicality in owning an AR, but if I can have more than five guns I don't feel the NEED to own one (yet?).

4. Mossberg 500. Already own one, but I'd be buying an 18" barrel for it to double up as home defense. As much as I love the 835 and its ability to chamber 3.5" loads, I can manage to harvest turkeys with 3".

5. M77 Mark I, 7mm-08. Most of what I hunt can be taken with a 7mm-08. Not as huge a fan as you might think (my username is an online name that I created when I was young and it just stuck) but I intend on reloading it soon so I might as well have a bolt chambered in it. Should I travel far for big or dangerous game that the 7mm-08 can't handle, I'll borrow from someone who put a .338 or .375 on their list.

This was a really brief list I came up with in between classes at school, so I didn't put THAT much thought into it. It truly makes me appreciate already owning more than five firearms and the fact that I can keep growing the collection to fill needs and desires.

Edit: Just actually watched the video and noticed "of the guns you already own".
1. Shield .40
2. Security-Six, 4" SS
3. Henry Big Boy Steel, .44 Mag
4. Mossberg 500, 12g
5. Savage 99 in .300 Savage (I'd sooner sell my kidney than that rifle)
 
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