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If you could only have one gun, one platform and one caliber, what would you choose

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If you could have one gun, one platform, and one caliber, what would it be ?

41K views 160 replies 132 participants last post by  insman1132 
#1 ·
Mine would be a Ruger SP 101 357 MAG 4 in barrel, stainless. Went with a revolver because this would be the only gun I could have. The SP is still concealable with a five shot capacity. Double action so a speed loader or strip for quick reload is an option.
 
#102 ·
Over 30 yrs. of having a 45acp/1911 love affair has seen me looking at a more modern option. I have owned 10mm pistols in the past but I have been itching to get the highest capacity, quality10mm pistol I can afford. The energy/capacity this caliber brings to a potential conflict is winning me over as my carry/home protector.
 
#103 ·
Ruger SP101in 327 Federal Mag. Three inch barrel, You can shoot the 32 Long, 32 H&R mag or the 327 Federal mag. Small enough to conceal and large enough to shoot a deer for food if needed. One set of dies to reload all the calibers that it can shoot. If bought right around $500 you can resell it for over $800.
 
#105 ·
Gee this is a hard one.
Probably the "ideal" handgun is an AR-15 "pistol" in .300 AAC. It's only concealable in the sense it can be placed inside a backpack, but it's certainly powerful, highly accurate, and capable of accepting 100 round drums.
The AR-15 pistol in ANY caliber makes it EASY to hit targets out to 100 meters and even 200 meters and beyond. At close range, even from an 8.5" barrel, the .300 AAC delivers .44 magnum power with supersonic loads. It can also be EASILY suppressed while delivering close to 600 lb-ft of KE with the right weight bullets.

IF however we're talking "classic" handgun profiles then I'd have to consider my S&W M500 4" number one on my list. It's a ONE SHOT STOPPER for sure...it can take any large animal on earth, and it can be easily concealed.
 
#106 ·
Me? I own a lot of handguns. For the past month I've been carrying a Ruger SP-101 with a 3" barrel, exposed hammer spur, Lutz's action job, and soft black-rubber Hogue Monogrip. Know what? I like it! It conceals very well; the 357 Magnum caliber hits plenty hard; and the piece is utterly reliable. There are three things I don't like about it, though:

(1) There are only, 'twist top' speedloaders available for it; and, while I don't know about you, I find these things to be too easy to misuse and dump cartridges out all over the ground with. Consequently I carry a pair of six-shot Bianchi, 'Speed Strips' in my front strong-side pocket in order to quickly reload with.

(2) A good holster for a Ruger SP-101 is very hard to find! I finally got lucky and caught up with Jeff Hays in Colorado Springs. Now I've got a really nice, snap-on/snap-off, basketweave stamped, leather holster for my SP-101 that allows me to conceal it both easily and well.

(3) The 357 Magnum caliber is 100% adequate; but the SP-101 is still just a 5 shot revolver that I have a few personal reservations about having to face more than one opponent with.

These things said, I like the SP-101. Mine is very well-made and nice 'n tight. I've often shot it until it was, 'red hot' and too warm to hold in a bare hand. It's never missed a beat! I'm used to carrying much larger pistols; and this little Ruger feels (almost) invisible to me.

Perhaps my biggest objection to any double-action pistol is that: THEY'RE NOT FOR EVERYBODY! Most people don't shoot a double-action revolver very well; but, for those of us who do (and remain practiced), a DA revolver is a deadly combat sidearm! (Jim Cirillo always made them work!) ;)

As far as a, 'single platform' goes, there are 357 Magnum lever-action carbines that significantly extend this cartridge's usefulness. A 4" barrel is, probably, an ideal barrel length; but, the SP-101 we have gets carried a lot; my wife often uses it; and, inside 15 yards, we're both quite satisfied with its overall accuracy and performance. Besides, longer shots are what the exposed hammer spur is for!

(Happily, I've been able to turn my wife into a decent 357 Magnum/double-action pistol shooter! What's her biggest complaint about this gun? She thinks it's too heavy; but, go ahead, show me a woman who's never said that about almost any handgun! They're, ALL, too heavy until AFTER your first armed encounter.) :mrgreen:
 
#108 ·
Which and why.

Neither GA or TX guys will ever give up our 1911's. The guys to the north have already given up their 2A rights.
I have owned and shot quite a few different firearms over the years to include .22, .223, .243, .25, 30-30, .35, 30-06, .308, 7.62 - all of them, .40, .45 ACP and LC .50 and many others. My father was a gunsmith, I am not. I did learn a little from him before he passed, as well as from many others whom I respect their experience and knowledge. In my personal opinion here is what I would have if I could only have 1 today. Ruger P89.
Reasons:
Built like a tank - will handle any +P load all day long
reliable!!!
Goes boom every time with any ammo fed it. (and this is true of every one I have ever run across)
9mm is the most popular ammo on the planet.
has decent stopping power
can hit center mass at 100yds with it - 80% of the time (cheap ammo)
easy field strip and clean.
17+1 capacity (flush with grip), or 30+1 round mags, any P series mag will fit.

All that said my EDC is a Ruger SR1911 stainless. on my hip everyday

A lot of you have stated a particular firearm, but not stated why, I am interested in hearing why you would choose that particular firearm as the question asks. I ask this because I am always trying to learn more. There are people here who know a lot more about this than me, I would like to hear from you.

VintageRacer - Texas has some good laws, (lived there for 17 years) but you guys have a long way to go to get to where we are in AZ. Although I have a CCW, none is required for normal everyday carry concealed or not. It is perfectly acceptable to carry in plain view down main street Phoenix, only the snowbirds visiting from other states even give you a second look. With my CCW I can even legally walk into a bar, sit down and order a soda. (No you can't drink while carrying - duh) But this allows me to go to my favorite restaurants and have dinner without sacrificing my right to protect me and my family.

Guess I've rambled on long enough, let;s hear more about WHY you would your choice.

When seconds count the Police are sometimes days away! (no disrespect to LEOS, just a fact)
 
#113 ·
It would be hard for me to respond to your hypothetical question... I would have to know what the hypothetical world looked like before I could choose a weapon.. would I need it for protection?. would I need it to gather food? Would everyone have one gun in this world?
a choice of one gun has to be chosen based on the application of that gun to a need. I don't want to be too anal here.. sorry if it appears that way. IM a retired engineer and you know how that type is.
if everyone had a gun, I would want a big gun
if it is about conceal, I would want a little gun with a big caliber
If I needed it to hunt, I would want a long gun...
Bill aka ET
 
#114 ·
Well. I am new to handguns, but not rifles or shotguns.

I own a FNS-40 striker fire W/ night sights. It holds 14 rounds chambered in 40S&W.
And it packs a great punch. I can pop squirrels right out of the trees if you aim steady, and squeeze the trigger nice & slow. To bad that once there hit, there is not much left.

But I would say, a Savage 17HMR bolt action, bull barrel 2,550 fps and around 1 or 2 inches of bullet drop at 200 yards. You could carry 1,000 rounds in your pocket. These rifles can kill game easily at 400 yards.. If your hunting deer, you must go for the head at these distances. But that makes for easy work because it shoots very flat. In my state you can hunt deer legally with anykind of caliber that goes boom, no matter how big or small.

But, I'd say my FNS 40 is great only gun. But I would change it to the longslide 5" inch barrel for a little bit more power, and accuracy. The standard 4" is sufficient eniugh though.
 
#121 ·
Hummm
I don't have enough information to make a decision.
What scenario would that be?

A kind of gun ban, that you can have only one gun by law? Well I had even in Germany, the UK and Australia guns (plural). They have a completely and by denunciators and police including night searches in homes, enforced gun ban law. I prefer to be alive on a court of law than politically correct and lawful death in a funeral home.
“Your honor, I didn’t do anything. The robber wants to shoot me and than out of the blue just in the right moment, a Gun came and shoots the robber and than just flew out into the sky”. People don’t shoot people, guns do that – right?
I stay outside the law in this case and commit a felony. Felons go to a court of law. Political correct Marxist gun ban followers are lawful, but travel always to the funeral home in any violent scenario. If I can choose, I take my chances being alive on a court of law.

Other scenarios have to be explained.
In a scenario, like in a civilized world with some robbers and burglars and a functioning LE system I just stay outside the law if they create such a one gun law.
In a Marxist anarchistic scenario I need more than one weapon for sure.
Do I have to hunt for a living? How does the infrastructure look like? Police still in place, or law enforced by militant groups, neighborhood watches and Police controlled by UN-Military forces? UN-Military keeps zones that civilians can’t leave? Stores open, Streets open to travel, Gas Stations open, Electricity on or off…..

I can not even think of having only one weapon. Even in a hypothetical scenario I need to know a scenario to make a decision. The one fits all weapon does not exist, so I have to make an evaluation, a triage, to make a choice on one and one only gun.
A 22 is good for shooting nice little lunch meat. Shot a squirrel with a 45 or try to shoot a boar with a 22. The one fits all doesn’t exist.

The question is like if you could have only one wrench in your toolbox, which one would you keep?

A scenario please?
 
#124 ·
Of the handguns I currently own if I had to choose just one and give up the rest it would have to be my Beretta 92FS 9mm, but I would hate to see my model 1911 .45 cal ACP go.

The Beretta makes a fine home defense or truck pistol and 18-20 round Mec Gar magazines loaded with 9mm + P provide a good bit of firepower. But I live in a relatively low-crime area where I do not feel compelled to carry concealed even though I have a permit.

The Beretta is big and heavy for EDC. If my circumstances were different and I felt the need for concealed carry I would probably go with a polymer frame SFA pistol and I think my choice would be the Sig Sauer P320 but I'm not sure what caliber I would choose.
 
#125 ·
My 7-shot Taurus Tracker DA revolver, stainless steel, model 627 .357 cal. w/6.5" ported barrel... A tack-driving uber-reliable handgun that could be used for hunting and/or self defense... Not to mention plinking w/.38 spl wadcutters... All with a fantastic DA/SA trigger (now that it has been broken in)
 
#126 ·
Handgun forum........... I assume that you mean a handgun. You didn't specify and my answer would change if you were asking about a long gun choice.

My choice would be a longer barrel .22. Not necessarily a "target" gun, but something I could count on for accuracy. No, certainly not a good CC gun, and not an optimum "stopper" for self defense. Although a few well placed 22lr slugs would certainly damper an aggressors enthusiasm for their attack.

Under powered for big game hunting, it can and HAS been used for that purpose, very effectively. As far as a Make - Model choice, I'd have to give that more consideration. I like everything I own and would not have any of them if I didn't like them.
 
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