The Five Gun Selection

The question has come up from time to time while sitting over a meal or at the campfire "What five guns would you keep if that's all you could have"?  I too have thought of this as I get older and thin out the collection of firearms to my up and coming hunter sons. I think the list is different for every man based on many different conditions and locations where they live. For instance my list does not include any long range shooters as I don't really have the need for such a firearm. My choice was made based on needs rather that wants and tends to be more practical than some of the list I have seen printed before. I'll start in no particular order and try to explain why I made the choices I did.

No collection would be complete without at least one .22 rimfire. My list will include the ever popular Ruger Mark II semi-automatic pistol in stainless steel. Mine wears the 6 7/8" barrel with iron sights. I have owned mine for about 30 years and it has never failed to operate in any way. The ammunition is cheap and you can carry plenty your jacket pocket or in a small field bag. This pistol is fun to shoot and is an excellent tool to teach newcomers how to shoot and handle a firearm. It has plenty of power for small game like squirrels and rabbits. I also often take it along to take care of critters of the no neck variety.  Ammo can be purchased almost anywhere which should be considered for your limited gun selection. Who wants to own a gun which uses a cartridge of limited availability?

Next on my limited list of five is another pistol.  This second pistol is the brainchild of John Browning.  It's the 1911 style semi-automatic pistol of .45 caliber.  This power house is all the pistol you should ever need for self protection.  It has plenty of knockdown power without being a beast to handle. This is another cartridge that is easy to find for purchase and reload if you so choose.  There are so many different models to choose from in today's market and I love them all. My personnel choice is a full size model with combat style sights. It's accurate and it feeds well from the single stack magazine. You just can't go wrong with the 1911 pistol. It's been working for 100 years now and it will work for another 100 years I'm sure. Shop carefully and pick the model you are most comfortable with. You will not be disappointed.

Third on the list is a 12 ga. pump shotgun. This is the most versatile gun of  the five. It can take birds or big game for the table, clay targets for fun and be used to protect yourself if need be. My choice is the Browning BPS but there are others simialar models to choice from. I use a 28" barrel with a set of choke tubes to match the ammo and game I am persueing. I also have 19" cylinder bore barrel for mine which allow it to work double duty as a house gun. This short barrel is very easy to handle in tight quarters. Most pumps will handle  2 3/4" and 3" shells.  This makes them suitable for duck, turkey and deer hunting. For a pump shotgun I would always pick a 12 ga. over a 20ga. because the ammo selection is much greater.

A center fire rifle makes my list's number four spot. A bolt action rifle makes the most sense to me as they are so dependable and accurate. Choose a caliber that is somewhat common over one that is not as popular. You want to make sure you can always find ammo.  My first choice is the .308 Winchester. I live in the east  and there is nothing here that I would not take with the .308.  It has alway been a very accurate cartridge and it can be found loaded in many different brands and bullets types. My Ruger Model 77RS is in stainless steel and it will shoot groups less than 1" with my hadloads and with a few factory loads. My rifle wears a 4-16 power scope which works well for the deer hunting I use it for. Most of the hunting I do leaves me with shots that will range from 50 yards out to about 200 yards. At these ranges todays premium bullets should make clean  kills with one shot as long as you do your part. I'll discuss options in a later paragragh as the options and calibers are endless for a firearm in this catagory.

Last but not least on my list is another gun that is totally fun to shoot and very pratical. It's a another rimfire but this time it's a rifle. My choice is the 17HMR bolt action. Not only is it alot of fun to shoot it is accurate and when matched with one of the trajectory compensating scopes you will be surprised how far you can shoot it accuratly. This tiny .17 caliber bullet is moving so fast it makes clean kills on rabbits or squirels and has even been known to kill a deer. Fox, crow, bobcat and coyates should be no problem for the .17 at reasonable ranges. It is not legal in my state for hunting big game but I know it happens. Plenty of ammo should be purchased for this rifle as it is not sold at every county store out there.

The choices for a five gun battary are endless and I have just listed what I like for where I live. Bassically I choose a small pistol, a big pistol, a shotgun, a big rifle and a small rifle.  Action types and cartridge selections are as varied as can be and none will be wrong or right for every person. Choose what you are comfortable shooting with and is in your price range. My oldest son has started his collection and so far has gathered a 12 ga. and a 20ga. shotgun, a small rifle and a large rifle.  His two calibers of choice thus far are the .243 Winchester and the .300 Weatherby Magnum. Others are on his Christmas list for sure and pistols too when he becomes of legal age to own one. Get your first five started and practice, practice and practice a little more.  If you you have any questions on safe gun handling please visit the website of the National Shooting Sports Foundation at http://www.nssf.org/ .  Be safe my friends.