Firearms everyone should own:

An AK -- they never jam, and are a reliable rifle in every continent of the world.

And if you can happen to be hiking anywhere in Ukraine, you can usually find ammo for it by digging in a field. Mosins. too. [laugh]

No mention of an H&K on anyone's list.

That makes me sad. [crying]

I like H&K. My first "real" rifle 20 years or so ago.



My list is short, though: ONE OF EVERYTHING.


If I were magically limited to a couple of rifles and a couple of pistols:

.22 rifle - 10/22
.308 rifle - HK-91, or maybe M1 Garand
.45 1911
.32 or 9mm "pocket" gun

And of course 1,000,000 rounds for each.
 
Ok, interesting lists...... but what would be your essentials lists on a budget of $2000? A couple of your "essentials" lists have $2000 in 2 guns!! Unless you can convince my wife and twin boys that I "must" have a S&W 500 and an AR.....

Ok, for $2k you can get a lot actually.

1. 10/22 or old bolt action .22 -$200
2. Ruger Mini-14 (excellent 5.56 entry level gun, very customizable) used $550-$600
3. Used 1911 $550-600 (you may have to shop a bit but you can find one at this price)
4. Either a Ruger Security Six or S&W 626 The Ruger is around $350-400 the 686 more like $550

That gives you a plinker rifle, decent varmint/zombie or even deer gun (yes people DO take deer with .223) a 1911, which IMO everyone should have and a very good wheel gun.

I'm not a particular fan of hi-cap pistols just for the sake of hi-cap. Buy a gun because you love the way it shoots. I love my Beretta 92 FS and I lust after a Browning Hi-Power, the hi-cap has nothing to do with either. They're just excellent, fun to shoot pistols.
 
I'm not a particular fan of hi-cap pistols just for the sake of hi-cap. Buy a gun because you love the way it shoots. I love my Beretta 92 FS and I lust after a Browning Hi-Power, the hi-cap has nothing to do with either. They're just excellent, fun to shoot pistols.

Excellent point Bill. +1
 
Ok, for $2k you can get a lot actually.

1. 10/22 or old bolt action .22 -$200
2. Ruger Mini-14 (excellent 5.56 entry level gun, very customizable) used $550-$600
3. Used 1911 $550-600 (you may have to shop a bit but you can find one at this price)
4. Either a Ruger Security Six or S&W 626 The Ruger is around $350-400 the 686 more like $550

That gives you a plinker rifle, decent varmint/zombie or even deer gun (yes people DO take deer with .223) a 1911, which IMO everyone should have and a very good wheel gun.

I'm not a particular fan of hi-cap pistols just for the sake of hi-cap. Buy a gun because you love the way it shoots. I love my Beretta 92 FS and I lust after a Browning Hi-Power, the hi-cap has nothing to do with either. They're just excellent, fun to shoot pistols.

My working list is similar I guess
M&P 9mm or SR9
Used Ruger GP100 .357
A decent autoloading 12 ga ( $500-$600 ) for shooting clays ( any recommendations in that price range?? )
I would LOVE the MINI-14 but depending on how much of the budget has been blown above the Mini could turn into a SKS
10/22 after reading this thread and looking up the price of ammo a .22 is now on the list instead of the .17 ( thanks )

I didnt care for the 1911 models when I shot them ( Im a novice I know it was me and not the gun... ) I have and still am considering the Ruger P345. The cost of ammo would have me shooting ALOT less so I think its 9mm for me
 
My list:

I'll try not to just list all the H&K stuff! [smile]


Revolver: S&W 686 7-shot .357 magnum/.38spl
Reason: Very accurate, uber-dependable, reasonably priced, excellent customer service, good resale value, ammo flexibility.

Compact auto-loader: Glock 26
Reason: Absolute reliability, decent capacity for a small gun, fairly accurate for a sub-compact, great customer service, wide parts/accessories availability

Full-size autoloader: H&K P7M13
Reason: Lowest bore axis of almost any pistol, compact enough to carry, high capacity (ish) 13+1, dead-nuts accurate, fast follow-on shot(s), extremely high resale value.

SHTF rifle: H&K 91 .308
Reason: Wide range of ammo choices, excellent accuracy, flexible configuration, plentiful hi-cap mags.

I'll add more later... [grin]
 
Just a list of solid, smart, useful firearms a newbie might aspire to own.
An excellent idea.
for someone in MA who can't get their hands on a CZ or a browning i think the beretta is an excellent choice.
I won't argue that at all - my point was that it was the CATEGORY of firearm that was important, not the particular arm. Having a C&R would help with finding, say, a Browning that you could get here in the PRM, though. A high-cap 9 is a good thing - less expensive to feed than a .45, so you can practice more with it, got a lot of capacity in case there are a LOT of zombies, etc.

Things I think you missed:
Everyone should own AT LEAST one AK - I used to quote price with this statement but those days are gone.
Why? Just another caliber to buy, for me. I have a main battle rifle already - an M1 Garand, and I'll stack it up against any AK for reliability and it'll beat them for accuracy, range and power. Just because YOU like them doesn't mean that everyone needs one. Modify that statement to a "main battle rifle or carbine" and I'll agree with you.

A bolt or lever gun - even if just a Mosin or Enfield or other old workhorse, automatics aren't infallible and it's good to have a back up if/when the poop hits the pin wheel.
Can't disagree with the sentiment there. The Mosin is cheaper, as is the ammo, but I like the Enfield better just because. But a bolt action MBR is a good thing, if not a complete necessity.

A decent shotty - Think Mossy 500 or Rem 870
Again, no argument here. If you're older, smaller, or just plain don't like recoil, going with a 20 gauge or a Knoxx compensating stock of some flavor is a good way to have your shotgun and enjoy shooting it, too.

Lastly every shooter with most of the basics covered should make it their mission to acquire the ultimate evil black killing machine, the Saiga 12 gauge Kalashnikov. No collection is complete without one, by far the most fun for you $ in firearms right now. But hey YMMV
Again, why? We covered shotguns already. The Saiga is a specialty arm. I'm sure it's fun to own, but hardly necessary. I've never found it necessary to take out an entire flock of geese at one time.

I always have and still do maintain that every newbies first purchase should be a Ruger 10/22.
Maybe not first, but certainly one of the first. A .22 rifle IS a necessity, and the 10/22 is a damn fine arm with about a metric ton of accessories available for it to equip it any way you want it. Why do you think that Project Appleseed uses it as the base for the Liberty Training Rifle? [smile]

No mention of an H&K on anyone's list.
We're leaving the exotic shit for you, Fooped. Most of us don't need one or care to buy a gun from a company that hates it's civilian customers. The OP was talking categories of firearm, not really specific arms (well, with a few exceptions - he's prejudiced in favor of Ruger rimfires, and I can understand and agree with him on those, actually). The H&Ks are darned expensive and really, I can't think of any reason that anything that HK makes is NECESSARY. Fun, maybe, but necessary?

Is a Lotus or a Lamborghini a necessity? Nope. Fun? Sure! But not a necessity.
 
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We're leaving the exotic shit for you, Fooped. Most of us don't need one or care to buy a gun from a company that hates it's civilian customers. The OP was talking categories of firearm, not really specific arms (well, with a few exceptions - he's prejudiced in favor of Ruger rimfires, and I can understand and agree with him on those, actually). The H&Ks are darned expensive and really, I can't think of any reason that anything that HK makes is NECESSARY. Fun, maybe, but necessary?

Is a Lotus or a Lamborghini a necessity? Nope. Fun? Sure! But not a necessity.

I can tell you this for free:

H&K doesn't hate me, that I know. They've been quite helpful for the very small amount of calls I've needed to make to them.

And if you don't want to patronize places that "hate" their client base, you're going to have a fairly small list of places to shop.

BTW Ross, I threw out the "No H&Ks on the list(s)" as a joke. No need to get all bent out of shape.
 
I can tell you this for free:

H&K doesn't hate me, that I know. They've been quite helpful for the very small amount of calls I've needed to make to them.

And if you don't want to patronize places that "hate" their client base, you're going to have a fairly small list of places to shop.

BTW Ross, I threw out the "No H&Ks on the list(s)" as a joke. No need to get all bent out of shape.
Of course they don't hate you! You're their only customer in MA. [wink] OK, maybe I'm just reading too many people bemoaning their lack of customer support. (and you'll notice that I haven't mentioned any Para stuff, either - while a P14 is nice, I don't think it's a "necessity"... and I'm reading too many horror stories lately about THEIR lack of support, too. [rolleyes])

Seriously, HK does make some nice stuff. The P7 (The one with the cocking grip thingy?) was once on my serious lust list, but I've got too many other things I want more. The OP was looking for "Firearms everyone should own" - and try as I might, I just can't put any specific arm by HK into that category.

Hey, I love my little Beretta 21A mousegun, but a necessity? Nope, just a toy. A fun toy, but just a toy. Now, a .357 revolver with a 4" barrel? Necessity. Definitely. Brand? Well... I like S&W, but others like Dan Wesson, Colt or Taurus. Whichever one works, I don't care. But the 4" .357 is so darned versatile that I think it's a necessity.

(Oh, and I wasn't bent out of shape. I was more kidding about leaving them all for you - after all, I know how much you love that exotic stuff! Guess I should have thrown a smiley or three in there. [wink])
 
Originally Posted by Ripach
Things I think you missed:
Everyone should own AT LEAST one AK - I used to quote price with this statement but those days are gone.
Why? Just another caliber to buy, for me. I have a main battle rifle already - an M1 Garand, and I'll stack it up against any AK for reliability and it'll beat them for accuracy, range and power. Just because YOU like them doesn't mean that everyone needs one. Modify that statement to a "main battle rifle or carbine" and I'll agree with you.
30 rounds+ instead of 8. No further debate needed. But I'll go on, Of the accepted "Modern"[wink] main battle rifles it is accurate enough (Minute of socialist to 300 yards), extremely reliable, and simple enough for a 12 year old to maintain with little or no training. IMNSHO the finest SHTF rifle on the market today.[smile]
Originally Posted by Ripach
Lastly every shooter with most of the basics covered should make it their mission to acquire the ultimate evil black killing machine, the Saiga 12 gauge Kalashnikov. No collection is complete without one, by far the most fun for you $ in firearms right now. But hey YMMV

Again, why? We covered shotguns already. The Saiga is a specialty arm. I'm sure it's fun to own, but hardly necessary. I've never found it necessary to take out an entire flock of geese at one time.

If you have to ask why, you don't get it, and most likely wont. The Saiga 12 is IMNSHO one of the ultimate FU guns to wave in the face of the anti-gun establishment (It's big, loud, ugly, black, and a liberal pees themselves every time one is shot). It's placement on my list has nothing to do with it's practical necessity, but it's political statement.[smile] Note I also added that it was for those who had most of the basics already covered. And again, like in my original endorsement of it, I will disclaimer with YMMV.
 
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