What Guns Should I have
This is another one of those questions that will get you different answers from each person you ask. I’ll give you my thoughts… it doesn’t make them right, they are just my opinion.
The first question I asked myself is: what is the best gun I can have if my wife doesn’t let me get another one! Okay, the real question is, which will feed my family and protect my home at the same time. My answer – a shotgun. There are different sizes of ammo for various purposes. Some for birds, squirrels, and rabbits… others for deer and other bigger game animals. At the same time, it is a very good home defense weapon. It doesn’t help if you are walking down the street, but it is good for food and home defense.
My next choice – a good handgun. In my case, that was a Smith and Wesson 357 magnum. Why? As I mentioned in another post, we take our dogs out into the woods where there are Black Bears, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, and more. With the right sized round, a 357 will take down a bear. If it will take down a bear, it will take down all of the other animals – four legged or two.
Next on the list: a couple of 22-rifles and a couple of 22-pistols. One pistol is a revolver and the other a semi-automatic. Why did I choose these… they are fun! Oh, and they are also good for small game hunting and limited self defense. I figure, if a needle from a shot doesn’t feel good, a 22 bullet won’t feel all that good either.
Beyond those, you are getting into a little more specialized weapons. For instance, a 30-06 or 308 is a great deer rifle. But the truth is, you probably won’t go rabbit hunting with one (unless you are desperate). As for defense; they can reach out and touch someone but they aren’t that great up close and personal.
The next thing to consider is cost of the guns themselves and the ammo. They are not cheap! Shotgun shells aren’t all that expensive. You can at least afford to get enough to stock pile some and have some to practice with. 22-ammo is not all that expensive and allows you to have fun while practicing staying steady and aiming. 9mm ammo isn’t to bad as far as cost and again, allows you to practice being steady and actually hitting your target… uh, where you planned on hitting it. 357’s… okay, they are a little more expensive but worth having.
Since I mentioned the ammo, I should also mention that you should have quite a few (a lot) rounds stored up. You don’t know when you will need them or how much you will need. One of my 357’s has an 8″ barrel and could be used to deer hunt should the need arise. The longer barrel increases the velocity and allows a more effective hit.
What about the cost of the guns? Well, a Maverick 88 shotgun is the same (basically) as a Mossburg 500. It is a very good shotgun and cost about $260 in Oregon as of February 2023. 9mm pistols will run around $500 for a Smith and Wesson. The 357 revolver I have was about $875. The longer barreled on (Dan Wesson) is considerably more. My favorite 22-pistol was only $165… a Keltec… and I love it. My point is, you can find guns in every price category.
The next point I would like to make: if you can, get everyone in your family involved in shooting. Start by teaching them safety first. Shooting will grow on them and they will become highly effective with a firearm.
Story: the first time my wife went shooting with me, she had never shot before and hated guns. A friend came along and between the two of us, we had a variety of guns. I suggested a 22 pistol to start. She shot it and said, “boring.” Okay, I gave her an SKS rifle… her response… eh! Fine, my friend had two 44-magnum pistols… you know, Dirty Harry guns. Her response… Oh, now these are fun.
The next time we went shooting, it was just her and I (in Tennessee). A couple of “good ol’ boys” were shooting black powder when my wife stepped up with our 357, aiming at very small targets. I was standing back and heard one say to the other, “look at that girl with that big ol’ gun.” She started shooting and blowing the centers out of the targets. Me being who I am couldn’t resist… I said, “yea, but I wouldn’t mess with her!!! Hmmm… they packed up and left.
My point: get your family involved. Shooting is fun and yet can save your lives through food or defense.
