Tuesday, March 9, 2010

And The Number of the Counting Shall Be Three...

Since all the cool kids seem to be playing Jay's game, I figured I'd give it a shot as well (and, hence, making it uncool...). Over at the Firing Pin Journal, Jay asks:
One Handgun, One Rifle, One Shotgun. You are able to choose just one of each for self defense with NO modifications.
Now, I'm going to make a couple of assumptions here, the first being that the "with NO modifications" means that you can't say you'd take a custom 1911 with every upgrade known to man or a top-of-the-line AR-15 clone with everything including a chainsaw attached to it. I'm also assuming that this is a "forever" type question, as in there's been a law passed that we are only able to own one of the three types for defense (and a corollary, that .22LR plinking arms are out, too, else the Ruger 10/22 would be the rifle...) With that in mind, here's my list:

Handgun: Glock G30. I can and have carried the G30 on a daily basis for extended periods of time. It's compact, resists fouling (from being carried), and is very reliable. With G21 magazines you have up to 15 rounds of .45 ACP goodness at hand, and with aftermarket magazine covers it can be turned into a passable full-sized pistol if needed. I'd want a third generation model with accessory rail to serve as a house gun if needed, but other than that it'd be pretty much what I already have.

Rifle: Bushmaster AR-15. For a personal defense rifle, I'd opt for the 16" carbine, as I'm comfortable with it out to 100 yards, and I can't imagine any scenario where I'd need to take a shot further out than that. It's a reliable platform with pretty much every accessory under the sun available to it; infinitely customizable; with common ammunition and plentiful magazines. About the only thing it can't do is take down large game, but that's outside the parameters of this exercise anyways.

Shotgun: Saiga-12. For personal defense, the ability to reload quickly is a factor in this choice, as is the robust nature of the AK-47 action upon which this shotgun is based. 8, 10, and 12 round magazines are available for the Saiga-12, meaning that it's got as high or higher capacity than any tubular magazine-fed shotgun on the market. With the elusive 20 round drum, OTOH, you've got firepower unsurpassed by any other conventional shotgun. The 12 gauge chambering means there's a whole wide world of defensive ammo out there, from 1 ounce slugs to 0, 00 and 000 buckshot.


So there are my three choices. I own something close to each of them, and will readily admit to having a less-than-complete picture of what might be available for handguns based on what's available in MA. I know that the XD line of polymer-framed guns comes highly recommended; CZ-USA has a number of fine handguns available as well. I'd keep a personal defense hangun limited to either 9mm or .45 ACP; the rifle to .223 Rem/5.56X45mm; and the shotgun to 12 gauge.


What's on your three-gun list?


That is all.

11 comments:

ZerCool said...

I beat your post by a couple hours ... thereby doubly assuring that this meme is well and truly deceased. Pining for the fjords. An ex-meme.

Adam Hart said...

Handgun - Kimber .45, single stack. Easy to find magazines and it just finds the target for you.

Rifle - Remington R-25, 20" match barrel, .308 and scary accurate.

Shotgun - Mossberg 590A1. Police model, from the factory, with steel everything, 18.5" barrel, and extended magazine.

AngryPatriot said...

Handgun - Springfield Armory XD in 9mm. If I could own just one handgun, this would be the one. Nice looking, reliable, and to steal a line from My Cousin Vinnie..."Dead on balls accurate"...

Shotgun - The venerable Remington model 870 pump...nothing says "Take one more step and you're toast" like the sound of that baby racking a shell.

Rifle - Marlin 30-30 lever action. Again, we're talking home defense and the lever action Marlin 30-30 is short enough to maneuver around corners in a house, and its distinctive sound when you rack the first cartridge would make even a zombie think twice...

Patriot

Robert McDonald said...

Well, since everyone is doing this I guess I'll give it a shot.

Arthur said...

Handgun - Sig P220ST. Only 8 rounds, but I can actually hit what I aim at with that gun.

Rifle - AK-47. Mine has a milled receiver and wasn't bashed out of old angle iron in a cave so it's plenty accurate while still being robust.

Shotgun - 870. Extended mag and sidesaddle.

weaponoffishdestruction@gmail.com said...

My Personal carry, Ruger P91 in .40 cal with Hogues and 10rd ss mags

My H&R Riot gun 18.5" (holds 5 shells) with 5 rounds in the butt sock and nice sling w/ little fluorescent sight thingy on the end.

My STOCK Remington Lever-Action Model 94 chambered in .44 mag

That is all I need. Although, given enough time and intel, I would find a way to sneak my Ruger SR22 in somehow.

BUFF_dragon said...

you weirdo's that say 'nothin says (fill in the blank) like rackin the slide" crack me up..... if you're waiting till they can hear you rack a slide, you're doing something wrong..... just like in the movies when you see them pull back the hammer of a 1911, that is simply STUPID carry one in the chamber with the hammer back and safety on... thats the way it was designed!!!!

anyway, my list....
taken from my current stock of weaponry
Handgun: Para 16-40 (have it, love it, mags aren't easy to find, but ammo aint bad and its accurate as hell)
Rifle: Saiga 223 (working on setting it up to run AR mags as well as AK mags without cutting on the gun)
Shotgun: Saiga 12 (Jay hit most of the good points, but I have a stash of mags for it, so I'm good....)

also, I go AK because they were designed so that idiots could work on them, they'll shoot in damn near any condition of filth, they're pretty freakin accurate (for as far as I'll need to shoot in any forseeable situations)..... I like AK's

Timmeehh said...

S&W PC-13 Much less likely to break at a bad time than a self shucker and not picky about ammo, .357, .38spl or .38s&w.

Mossberg 930 12 ga. Rugged, reliable, versatile and the ammo is easy to find.

SKS see Mossberg. Just put some Tech sights on it. This is not a mod, it is an accessory, since I can install them myself with just a screwdriver.

Black Ice said...

Dragon, although I live in a free state, where I can defend life and property with deadly force as necessary, I still keep my Mossberg's chamber empty.

If someone breaks into my house, they're at a disadvantage. I know the layout, the location of furniture and piles-o-stuff--they don't. They're in the dark and in unfamiliar territory. Believe me, when that slide racks, I've already got the drop on them.

That distinctive sound is their one last chance to grow a brain. Hopefully, they'll freeze or flee. I don't really want to kill someone unless it's absolutely necessary.

Besides, it's a bitch to get blood out of the carpets and I want my deposit back.

Weer'd Beard said...

http://weerdbeard.livejournal.com/657855.html

I'm a cool kid too!

Starik Igolkin said...

Started to write a comment, got carried away a little, and made it into a post instead