I had a buddy that had the .30/30 20Ga combo with a Weaver Qwik Point on it. It definitely worked as I ate some of the deer it killed.
If I can have only one rifle, which should it be?
- Thread starter BabaBlueJay
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I had a buddy that had the .30/30 20Ga combo with a Weaver Qwik Point on it. It definitely worked as I ate some of the deer it killed.
Your options lack much utility; however, of your choices I’d go with the Henry.
I voted but your choices didn't leave much - I'd have happily chosen "none" and picked a totally different rifle or two or three. None of those appeal to me all that much.
Great! Good for both of you. But...the ones that I mentioned were the very common .22 over 410 gauge that I saw many of back in the 50s. Not sure what the obviously later 30/30 20 ga combo has to do with those.
I took a look at the ads pictured and noticed they were from the Chicopee falls plant that burned down in 1960. So that puts the .22 over 410 ga in proper perspective.
Let me figure this out...
On your list for me it's between the SKS and the 1903. I don't hunt. I just shoot for fun. I don't shoot over 100 yards, mostly much shorter. I don't like AKs, the ergonomics stink. I LOVE Carbines. So from the list it would be the SKS.
However, out of the rifles that I have, though I didn't intend for it to be this way, the AR has come out on top.
Again, I'm a carbine nut, so I figure that a PCC isn't EXACTLY a rifle so I reserve the right to keep my Ruger 9mm PCC.
On your list for me it's between the SKS and the 1903. I don't hunt. I just shoot for fun. I don't shoot over 100 yards, mostly much shorter. I don't like AKs, the ergonomics stink. I LOVE Carbines. So from the list it would be the SKS.
However, out of the rifles that I have, though I didn't intend for it to be this way, the AR has come out on top.
Again, I'm a carbine nut, so I figure that a PCC isn't EXACTLY a rifle so I reserve the right to keep my Ruger 9mm PCC.
OP
Maybe someday, personally I prefer the AR-10, that is why the best move right now is none at all.
I am going to wait for the girls to get older and slowly de-program my wife's Communist upbringing in China to get her to come shoot and see how fun it is. Then maybe I can make a better list with AR-10, etc... I know a guy at my Club who makes cool custom AR-10s that are pricey, but well built.
I would really like a Ruger GSR...but without that hideous box magazine....it would be much more desirable with a peep sight mounted stripper clip guide...with an internal magazine.......
The bare minimum that covers all the basic needs and what I believe one should have before getting more
A good bolt action 22 lr
A decent 12 gauge pump shotgun
A bolt action rifle in a caliber like 308, 30-06
A 4" revolver in 357
With those I can hunt anything and defend myself well. Everything else is filling a nitch or focusing on something
So says the guy with way more guns than he "needs"
A good bolt action 22 lr
A decent 12 gauge pump shotgun
A bolt action rifle in a caliber like 308, 30-06
A 4" revolver in 357
With those I can hunt anything and defend myself well. Everything else is filling a nitch or focusing on something
So says the guy with way more guns than he "needs"
OP
I agree with that minimalist list, SteelSlaver. Thankfully I am off to a great start with the two I already have, which match two of those almost exactly.
Mossberg 500 all purpose field in 12 gauge
Smith & Wesson 686 4" 357 magnum for my EDC (Yes it is heavy, but I trust it and can conceal it)
I am open to bolt action 22, because bolt actions are cool and 22 would be best to teach my girls
A bolt action in 30-06 would be a Springfield M1903 which is my favorite historic gun.
Mossberg 500 all purpose field in 12 gauge
Smith & Wesson 686 4" 357 magnum for my EDC (Yes it is heavy, but I trust it and can conceal it)
I am open to bolt action 22, because bolt actions are cool and 22 would be best to teach my girls
A bolt action in 30-06 would be a Springfield M1903 which is my favorite historic gun.
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savage 24
I own 3 24s, 2 22 over 20 gauge (one for each granchild) and a 357/20 gauge. 2 of those could satisfy a lot of your list.
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I own 3 24s, 2 22 over 20 gauge (one for each granchild) and a 357/20 gauge. 2 of those could satisfy a lot of your list.
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LittleCooner
Member
Well put for the beginner. This list really is all anyone needs in life. but the accumulation of all the other stuff around me over the past 61 years has been fun.
Being from the west with wide open spaces, a Savage model 24 with any shotgun barrel never seemed practical. I thought that a similar model with 22 magnum over a 308 Win. would be a great aircraft survival rifle in the remote north. A simple folding double leafed aperture sight, one for each barrel would allow a man to walk the woods for months and eat well.
Charlie Foxtrott
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SGT ROCK 11B
Member
+++++UPDATE: After hearing you all out, I discovered once again that I was being too narrow minded. I will get a 22 because training my girls is the top priority. I will eventually convince my wife of the need for a rifle for me to reach lucky number 4.+++++
If you made it through this dissertation of a post, I thank you for your time and input
.22 rifle is the best for girls and the wife. The wife loves the AK and the 7.62x39 and she hits an 8 inch plate at 100 yards consistently so it builds confidence. My two oldest children both earned Expert Badges in the Navy after learning basic skills and safety with .22 rifles.
Being a duck hunter I love my shotguns. But the wife and children all hate shotguns.
SGT ROCK 11B
Member
The 7.62x39mm is comparable to the .30/30 for deer hunting.
The .30/06 is a good choice if you plan on hunting elk.
The .30/06 is a good choice if you plan on hunting elk.
Some folks don't like the idea of a semi auto rifle for training youngsters. Something people may not know about the SKS is that being a piston operated gas port rifle is that the operating rod is easily removed. The SKS is easily field stripped and removing the operating rod converts it to a straight pull bolt action rifle. Handloaders might like this feature also.
These if you could only get one gun questions on this forum crack me up.
Might as well ask a bunch of drinks what they would have if they could only get one drink
Might as well ask a bunch of drinks what they would have if they could only get one drink
Ranger514
Member
Tough choice, but if only one rifle, I'd go with my Win. 1873 in .357, simply because it has game taking and defensive power, as well as an interchangable caliber to match my revolvers. Having said that, I personally think a pump shotgun with shot and slug firing capability is probably the most versatile firearm one can own.
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