Instead of just buying whatever seems cool at a particular moment I decided to make a list of what type of guns I want to have, then plan my purchases around that list. Also trying to streamline what types of ammo I'm stockpiling.

 

Handguns:

Target - Browning Hi Power in 9mm (own)

CCW - USPc9 (own)

Full-frame SHTF - Sig 226 in 9mm or M&P 9 (open to suggestions)

 

Shotguns:

Trap/Skeet/Bird hunting - 12ga Sears Model 300 (own)

Deer/Bear hunting - 12ga Remington 870 w/ rifled barrel and scope (plan to own)

HD - 12ga Mossberg 500 w/ 8rd mag tube (plan to own)

 

Rifles:

Target - Marlin 795 .22lr (own)

Survival - Winchester 1906 .22 (own)

Long range - Savage Model 10 or Remington 700 in .308 (open to suggestions)

"Battle" - Piston AR in 5.56 (currently building)

The only one I will comment on is the Glock..mainly because they are not my cup of tea. If full frame is what your looking for my biased opinion would be the P226. But then again I am very biased mainly because there is nothing about Glocks I like, not that they are not great guns, I just personally do not like them.

 

I haven't shot either, and would need to prior to making a decision. The only reason I thought about the Glock was the availability of hi-cap mags if I were to move out of state, along with the ability to go long periods of time without cleaning.

A G17 probably doesn't make a great SHTF gun in NJ unless you have a place in PA or something to keep 17 round mags. I guess you can get modified magazines, but they're a pain - and 10 round mags just suck . If you want to stick with 9mm, probably better off going with a G19 or an M&P 9 (full size) since they both have 15 round magazines.

I haven't shot either, and would need to prior to making a decision. The only reason I thought about the Glock was the availability of hi-cap mags if I were to move out of state, along with the ability to go long periods of time without cleaning.

 

another vote for the 226 - or 229 - slightly shorter frame, but an extremely well balanced handgun

 

G

Thoughts on maybe merging "long range" and "battle" into one? There are a handful of semi-auto .308s that can achieve sub/one MOA, while easily touching out to 800yds with the right ammunition. Agreed that it would be a bit heavy, but DPMS .308, KAC SR-25, LMT MWS, JP LRP-07, LaRue OBR, and LWRC REPR are a few off the top of my head. Its debatable which one of those fit the bill for "battle rifle" (Shane could chime in here), versus strictly semi-precision.

Sounds good. Yanks I would love to send a few rounds through your 226 if we can get together at the range some day. I will edit the list. B)

Thoughts on maybe merging "long range" and "battle" into one? There are a handful of semi-auto .308s that can achieve sub/one MOA, while easily touching out to 800yds with the right ammunition. Agreed that it would be a bit heavy, but DPMS .308, KAC SR-25, LMT MWS, JP LRP-07, LaRue OBR, and LWRC REPR are a few off the top of my head. Its debatable which one of those fit the bill for "battle rifle" (Shane could chime in here), versus strictly semi-precision.

 

I had considered it, but I'd like my "battle rifle" to be light with a shorter barrel. I also already have a 5.56 lower, plus the cost for an ar-10 variant is pretty high. Just out of curiosity how accurate would a 16" semi-auto .308 be?

I dunno if you could get a 7+1 mossberg in 18.5".

I dunno if you could get a 7+1 mossberg in 18.5".

 

 

Yeah 20" only. You want a 20" or 18.5?

Yeah 20" only. You want a 20" or 18.5?

 

Gaining 1.5" is worth it for the extra round IMO.

I think the list is good.

 

AR choice is good. Wait for shane to chime in that you dont need piston. =)

 

I would look into a Rob Arms XCR if you want a reliable battle rifle.

+1 on a Savage .308 for a long range...

Jon,

 

For long range stuff, the question is, do you want a bolt action, or a semi auto, or does it not matter?

 

Personally, if you like the Bolt action rifles, stick with Remington 700's or the Savagage rifles. Great bang for hte buck.

 

If you want to go high end precision, then there are other options.

Jon,

 

For long range stuff, the question is, do you want a bolt action, or a semi auto, or does it not matter?

 

Personally, if you like the Bolt action rifles, stick with Remington 700's or the Savagage rifles. Great bang for hte buck.

 

If you want to go high end precision, then there are other options.

 

I'd like to stick with bolt action. Eventually I'd love to go to that sniper school out west to learn how to hit a target @ 1k yards.

Hnadguns - I have tried Sigs and find their hand grip angle almost completely wrong for me. I own a Glock 19 and it fits great. I have friends that own Sig that say exactly the same thing but opposite about the Glock. So in that case the better grip angle would really be something to test.

 

Shotgun- between the Moss and the 870, in the catagories you put them in, why get one for one cat. and the other for a separate cat? Both will fill either role quite well and I couldn't see a reason to own both.

Hnadguns - I have tried Sigs and find their hand grip angle almost completely wrong for me. I own a Glock 19 and it fits great. I have friends that own Sig that say exactly the same thing but opposite about the Glock. So in that case the better grip angle would really be something to test.

 

A very good point. I will certainly want to try several different full-sized 9mm in order to find the one that works best for me.

 

Shotgun- between the Moss and the 870, in the catagories you put them in, why get one for one cat. and the other for a separate cat? Both will fill either role quite well and I couldn't see a reason to own both.

 

Extended magazine tube on my hunting rig would look very silly. Plus I wouldn't want to have to take apart my HD gun every time I want to go deer hunting.

 

Extended magazine tube on my hunting rig would look very silly. Plus I wouldn't want to have to take apart my HD gun every time I want to go deer hunting.

 

 

What I mean is they are so similar anyway, why not stretch out a bit with something not so similar? Or, why not just two 870's or 2 Mossberg's so that you could either swap parts or just stay consistant.

 

Like another semi-auto or an Ithaca, or a double over under or something?

I would rather critique your avatar..

What I mean is they are so similar anyway, why not stretch out a bit with something not so similar? Or, why not just two 870's or 2 Mossberg's so that you could either swap parts or just stay consistant.

 

Like another semi-auto or an Ithaca, or a double over under or something?

 

Ah, ok. I see what you mean now. I would like to replace the Sears with a quality O/U somewhere down the line to take bird/trap/skeet duty.

 

As for HD vs deer/bear gun, my initial thought process was to save some cash by buying the mossberg. Re-thinking it though, makes me want to plan for two 870s. Good suggestion.

I would rather critique your avatar..

 

Extended magazine tube on my hunting rig would look very silly. Plus I wouldn't want to have to take apart my HD gun every time I want to go deer hunting.

 

the way a gun looks is about the single LEAST important variable..

I'm not super familiar with the Sig226 or M&P9, but after reading a bit I will still stick with a .45 Colt Series 70 1911 for a good SHTF handgun. When SHTF you need something that is going to work no matter what. Less moving parts is better, no firing pin safety on this model. The Colt 1911 is designed to be completely broken down with no tools at all (you can you a .45 bullet to take the recessed screws out). If you are going 9mm because of mag capacity just buy more mags and practice quick changing. Of course when it comes down to it go with whatever you are comfortable shooting with. The rest of the list looks pretty good to me.

 

P.S. I found this tip about a Sig226 while reading more about them

"One tip; if you take the follower out of a ten-round magazine and put it in a fifteen-round magazine, it increases the capacity of the magazine by one round."

source: http://www.cybershooters.org/dgca/sig-sauer_p226.htm

not that anyone here would break the law and do that

the way a gun looks is about the single LEAST important variable..

 

What?!?! If you ask any of my friends in the SF they will tell you the rules

 

Rule 1: Always look cool

 

Rule 2: Always know where you are

 

Rule 3: If you don't know where you are for the love of god look cool

 

 

I would actually argue that the way a gun looks does matter. If you are happy with the way it looks that is positive mental stimulation. While I will agree that it is most likely the least important variable, no reason not to top out all the variables involved for best results.

the way a gun looks is about the single LEAST important variable..

I don't know about that. I have seen some pretty stupid looking things on AR's and shotguns.

the way a gun looks is about the single LEAST important variable..

 

Fine, I'd rather not add the extra weight and size of an 8 round magazine tube to a gun that can't have more than 3 rounds in it. Happy?

Still patiently waiting for Shane's input...

Just curious, why a Piston AR over a sorted DI example? I went through the same dilemma a while back, was all set to get a piston gun, and ended up with DI after about a year's research. After reading an encyclopedia worth of opinions from people who use guns other than to punch holes in paper, certain things were repeated enough to make them seem like gospel. First and foremost, that the best piston guns are the ones that were originally designed to be piston guns (FAL, AK, Galil, M14, etc...). The piston is actually a retrofit for the AR system, and adds complexity to the system. It also causes a greater recoil impulse and more muzzle rise in most situations.

 

The original DI AR was designed as an IMPROVEMENT on the piston system, most people do not know that. Also, most of the reliability issues related to AR's are still ghosts from the Vietnam era when guns were issued without cleaning kits and with crappy ammo that gummed up one-too-many weapons. DI guns are now a very well understood system, and the failure points have been clearly identified as having much to do with the bolt (extractor, ejector, shearing). The traditional AR bolt was redesigned by Eugene Stoner himself in the KAC SR-15, eliminating the issues with bolt life (taking it from an average of 3,000 rounds to over 20,000 rounds). Other issues mistakenly pinned solely on DI AR's had to do with reliability in desert conditions, i.e. sand getting inside the action and freezing up the BCG. This would happen in both a piston gun and a DI gun due to the tight tolerances of the AR system. It wouldn't matter how the gun was gassed. AK's are just plain better in the sand because of the insanely loose tolerances.

 

If you're still stuck on going the piston route, I can't recommend enough getting one that was designed with a piston in mind. Retrofits tend to be haphazard and way over-gassed causing wreckless carrier velocities. LWRC makes excellent piston AR's, so does LMT. Also take a look at the FN SCAR, or even the ACR.