Your Ideal Battery?

[clovisc]

Ayoob Massab's got a great article about building a "battery" -- a collection of 4 guns that will cover all your bases. (Someone more ambitious than I might find and link to it... who knows... :D )

Anyway, considering where I live, how into subsistence/survival I am, and that I'm just now "getting into guns" (hoping that it won't be a super-pricey hobby... hopefully I'll get what I "need" and leave it at that...), completing such a battery seems like a worthy endeavor.

Essentially, I want to be able to hunt the full range of animals here on my island, and be prepared for emergency self-defense, at home or on the trail. I've easily paid for my fishing gear in prima salmon... I expect firearms would similarly be cost-savers in the long run.

Thus far, I've got:
Ruger 10/22 LR (stainless)
Savage 116 in 7mm Rem Mag (stainless)

I'm thinking I need to round it out with:
12 Gauge Shotgun (maybe a Remington 870 Marine Magnum?)
and maybe
high-powered handgun for hiking (Ruger Blackhawk?) -- must be dependable enough for emergency self defense against black bear, after avoidance tactics and bear spray fail (no grizzlies here, though)

I'm curious about your ideas!

[NoFair]

Handgun, any good semi-auto or revolver that fits your hand
Shotgun: any good one you like
.22LR: Mostly for plinking and birds.
Semi-auto rifle(5.56 or 7.62): M4, Sig, H&K (my preference) loads of options.
Bolt action longer range very accurate rifle: .300 Win Mag, .338 Lapua, .308Win and loads of other options.

These should cover most shooting needs for hunting, entertainment and SD.

I've got all my bases covered except the shottie at the moment... :D

Would love to swap out one or two, but laws and funds aren't cooperating fully :o

Sverre

[O,just,O]

This could cost you a lot of money yet, just wait till you get into reloading. OH! & yes you will find that you need about 16-17 more so as to be covered from lice to blue whale's, & don't worry she will understand :D
O.

[vampyrewolf]

.22LR for small game and entertainment
12gauge with either 00 buck or slugs
.303, .308, or .30-06 for long range accuracy (I'd prefer my .308)
and a bow... be it recurve or compound... because if you're careful a couple dozen shafts and a dozen heads will last a LONG time.

[MacTech]

My current battery;
Ruger 10/22 .22LR for varminting and practice (honorable mention to my NEF single-shot .22 that can handle everything from BB caps to full-power hyper-velocity .22LR)
Mossberg 500 pump for birding/practice/general use/home defense
Kimber Custom II .45 ACP for general use/home defense/backup when hunting (Honorable mention to my CZ-75B 9mm)
Mosin-Nagant M-44 7.62x54R for hunting larger game (and long-distance Zombie headshots )

The Mosin is less than ideal right now as the ammo is getting more expensive and harder to find locally, money is tight right now, but once my finances improve, it will be replaced by a more modern .30 caliber bolt or lever action rifle with a scope

I have an old recurve bow, maybe I should pick up some arrows as well

more importantly, I have a decent amount of water stored, canned goods set aside, and most importantly, a rather successful small indoor garden running, a few dirt pots in the sunroom, as well as a few dirt rigs and hydroponic rigs under flourescent grow lighting, fresh veggies available (so far) year round

I can simply walk over to my indoor garden rack and have my pick of vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, fresh lettuce (romaine and looseleaf), and fresh culinary herbs (dill, basil, thyme, oregano, mint, garlic chives), and there are radishes, carrots, strawberries, bush cucumbers banana and bell peppers growing, but not ready just yet

once the gardens have reached full production, I will have essentially a small produce stand of fruits and veggies available all year, and that's not even taking into account the raised-bed gardens and "Three Sisters" gardens I plan to plant this spring....

in the event of a major catastrophe, TSHTF situation, or the inevitable Zombie uprising, I'm pretty well set....

[JBE]

I think you have the rifle bases pretty well covered between the .22 LR and the 7mm.

You definitely can't go wrong with the Remington 870 pump in 12 gauge. It's been the numero uno choice of duck hunters down here for years. Plus you can't beat a shotgun for personal defense.

As far as handguns, go with reliability and versatility. Get yourself a .357 Magnum revolver. You'll get the dependability of the revolver (no jams) and you can shoot either .38 Special or .357 Magnum rounds through it.

[WhiteWillie]

My ideal (?) battery is comprised of a Mossberg 500 with 20 inch barell, a mini-14, a 10/22, and a small collection of pistols. Not much wildlife where I live, but home invasions, car jackings and random violence are on the upswing.

[Brad S.]

Ive never thought of it this way, but I get what you mean.

My current goal...

Pistol: My current Kimber Ultra Carry II

Rifle: AR-15. with a possible .22lr conversion for when I want to shoot smaller game

Shotgun: a Shorter barrel tactical shootgun... Mossberg 500 would be great

Pistol: Backup... Currently a Springfield 1911 Mil-spec that I done a ton of work to. I would love to get something with a little higher Cap

[clovisc]

hmm... i'm thinking the 12 gauge is a definite "must have." seems extremely versatile, and it probably wouldn't be too hard to take a good stainless one along hiking.

[Dr. Snubnose]

12 is a must have...You can't go wrong with a Remington Marine Model...I have one and it's the greatest shotgun I own...Using a pistol grip I can keep all slugs on a 12" paper plates out to 100 yards..just using the bead sight...(of course I hold it up to use the sights, but caution you against that with a pistol grip shotgun unless you have tremendous upper body strength)...Doc :D

[duff72]

12 gauge-my choice benelli m3 super 90 (converts from pump to auto with the turn of a dial. accurate and lightning fast - pistol glock 20 in 10 mm this cartridge gets overlooked a lot due to ammo cost, but 357 mag ballistics 15+1 capacity good for hunting (I've never done it but plenty of guys hunt deer and wild boar with it) and tremendous stopping power. not good for small hands though. ar 15 for the assault category and 308 or 30-06 for big game and long range needs just my.02

[jb2009]

I dont know if you have browns on your island, But the bare minimum rifle that i would recomend for any North American dangerous game would be the 338 win mag, It would be fine for deer, blacks and grizzlies, maybe a little light for charging browns or polar. Reloading offers a lot of versatility with lighter bullets up to heavier ones for the larger game. As far as a pistol, I would carry my 475 linebaugh, But a good Colt 45 in a heavy frame revolver like a Ruger would be a fine choice. You can buy 45 cartridges from light plinking loads up to hot higher pressure loads, that will deal witha lot of game. But whatever pistol you choose you have to feel really comfortable shooting it, and practice practice practice.....my 2sense.......John

[clovisc]

I dont know if you have browns on your island, But the bare minimum rifle that i would recomend for any North American dangerous game would be the 338 win mag, It would be fine for deer, blacks and grizzlies, maybe a little light for charging browns or polar. Reloading offers a lot of versatility with lighter bullets up to heavier ones for the larger game. As far as a pistol, I would carry my 475 linebaugh, But a good Colt 45 in a heavy frame revolver like a Ruger would be a fine choice. You can buy 45 cartridges from light plinking loads up to hot higher pressure loads, that will deal witha lot of game. But whatever pistol you choose you have to feel really comfortable shooting it, and practice practice practice.....my 2sense.......John

no browns or grizzlies here -- only blacks. a ruger colt 45 sounds up my alley... your advice seems pretty similar to lots of the locals' suggestions here... :D

[Diamondback]

Ayoob Massab's got a great article about building a "battery" -- a collection of 4 guns that will cover all your bases. (Someone more ambitious than I might find and link to it... who knows... )

Anyway, considering where I live, how into subsistence/survival I am, and that I'm just now "getting into guns" (hoping that it won't be a super-pricey hobby... hopefully I'll get what I "need" and leave it at that...), completing such a battery seems like a worthy endeavor............

1) .22 Rimfire rifle and pistol/revolver for taking small game for the pot and inexpensive paper punching.

2) .380 or larger handgun for concealed carry.

3) 12 or 20 guage for "the quick and dirty". Also, loaded with slugs will take most North American big game.

4) Centerfire rifle....pick what you shoot best in a caliber with flat trajectory out to at least 200 yards. A scope is a good thing.

......put in a stock of ammo for each; look into reloading.......and practice, practice, practice. :)

My 2 cents.

- regards

[bigkahunasix]

My "go to" survival guns haven't changed much in over 25 years:

Marlin 39A- .22 lever action rifle, dependable, accurate- small game

Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun w/ both 22in. rifle sighted barrel and 26in. remchoke barrel. small game,personal defense,medium/large game at close ranges. 3 round magazine extension for obvious reasons.

Slightly customized Remington 788 in .308- short bolt throw,fast action cycle, magazine fed, 3lb. trigger. Handles bullets from 110gr. to 220gr. 4x14 Leupold scope.

Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44mag.- barrel cut back to 5.5in., Bowen rear sight and XS tritium dot front sight. Shoots anything from plinker loads to 330gr. Garrett sledgehammer loads. Good for defense or hunting in close quarters.

Definitely get yourself a 12ga. next, it is potent bear medicine when loaded with slugs.

[hickster]

I think four is selling it short. Five is what it takes. But if limited, in order:
#1- 12 gauge pump shotgun (for overall versatility)- My choice-Mossberg M590-A1
#2- Semi auto battle rifle (for when things go bad)- My choice-Colt AR-15
#3- High powered, scoped, bolt action rifle (long range and big game)- My choice-Winchester Model 70 .300 Win Mag
#4- High powered handgun (up close and discreet carry)- My choice- S&W 629 .44 mag w/3" bbl
#5- Pellet gun (low noise, ammo availability, small game)- My choice-Benjamin .22 caliber

And a bunch of sharp knives in different blade configurations by a certain manufacturerer
hickster

[Netsquash]

I think in a survival situation the Spyderco Hossom Forrester is a must. I hope to get mine sometime in the near future.

[clovisc]

I think in a survival situation the Spyderco Hossom Forrester is a must. I hope to get mine sometime in the near future.

as far as a SHTF style survival knife goes, its pretty hard to beat the rock salt. H1 field-sharpens easily, and i don't have to waste my emergency survival toothpaste cleaning off rust.

still, don't think its going to bag me grouse, stop a charging bear, or bring down a deer across the muskeg...

[Jimd]

The Ruger 10/22 is a great rifle - cheap to shoot, effective at gathering small game, very fun, and can serve for defense in a pinch.

Your rifle is good to go; it's a powerful enough caliber to take down anything that you'd need to.

As far as the rifle/shotgun thing, I look at it this way: I can do anything with a rifle that I can do with a shotgun, only better. Better accuracy, longer range, lots of power going for the rifle.

Pistols: I have a Springfield Armory XDm that I recently got. This weekend, I fired the first rounds through it at a shooting school. Put 800 rounds through it over the weekend, and only lubed it at the start of the school. No problems at all, not one hiccup. Accurate, too.

[brandonreed2008]

Everyone is talking about 12 gauge. I happen to love my 20 gauge more than any other I have shot.

.357 Snubnose
Mauser (with tracers and armor piercing, of course )
Mossberg 20 Gauge (forgot model)
.22 survival rifle (you take it apart and everything fits into the stock)

My Favorite:
S&W .44 mag :)
M1A National Match :) :)