Minimalist collection

[OHW]

What is the minimal types of guns you could have to cover all uses or musts haves in a collection?
Some would say three gun. Rifle pistol and shotgun. I feel that that leaves out a .22 or large game rifle in the least? What pistol calibers would make that short list 9mm , .45 , .357 or 44 revolver? Same goes for rifle 223, 308 , 30-06 or even the took every type of game 30-30 lever? For shotty the 12g must be the one and only or is it?
And can anyone not have a 10/22 to round out all bases without overlapping uses?

Very interested in hearing what you could make do with.

What make up your ideal small collection?

[CHS]

I'd say 80-90.

But that's just me.

I'm not there yet

[CHS]

What the hell is a shotty?

[pacifico23]

Ide say I have a minimialist collection.

AR-15
Springfield XD .45
Mossberg 500
Ruger 10/22
HOWA 1500 .30-06

Not much else I need. But ALOT more I want

[glockman19]

A Revolver in .357 or .44 mag, 4"-5" Ruger or S&W
A semi auto pistol in 9mm or .45ACP, 4"-5" Glock in 9mm or 1911 in .45
A Bolt Action rifle in .223 or .308 or .30-06, Remington, Savage
A Semi-Auto rifle in .223 or .308, AR variant or SA M1A
A lever Action Rifle in .357/.44mag or .30-30, Marlin or Henry
a 12 gage Shotgun, Mossberg or Remington
Maybe a .38 in a S&W j-frame for CCW
Maybe a .22LR Ruger 10/22 or MkIII Hunter

[BayAreaShooter]

I would have to go with:

A revolver in .357 or .44mag
A 30-30 lever action
A pump shotgun 12ga
A .22 rifle bolt or semi

That would have to be bare minimum

[g2jap]

I would go with:

Ar15 with ACOG/.22 conversion
Glock G17 or G21 depending on situation with 22 conversion
Mossberg 590 20" (holds more shells)

[Lone_Gunman]

Absolute minimum for me would be

9mm Glock
.22 semi auto rifle
12 gauge shotgun
.308 or .30-06 semi auto rifle


Additional guns that would be nice
.223/5.56 semi auto rifle
.45 auto pistol
.308/.30-06 bolt action rifle

[jaustin612]

Shotgun rifle pistol.

Shotgun- Either a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500
Rifle-Basic AR-15 or AK-47 nothing special
Pistol- Glock 19.

[cindynles]

1 Pistol for each family member - preferably Semi Auto chambered in 9mm (military round = ammo availability)

1 long gun - preferably semi auto chambered in 5.56 Nato (again military round = ammo availability)

1 shotgun with a long and short barrel in 12ga (long barrel for hunting, short for HD)

1 rifle in 22LR

1 handgun in 22LR

[IllTemperedCur]

Kim Du Toit had the same question come up a long time back & if I remember correctly his MINIMUM list for a properly armed household was as follows:

1 defensive handgun per adult
1 defensive rifle per adult
1 shotgun per household
1 full-power 30 cal class rifle per household
1 .22 rifle per household

This is a minimum, mind you.

I still need a shotgun myself.....

[odysseus]

One important thing about a truly "minimalist" collection is to have very few to maybe 3 types of ammo to stock, for obvious reasons. Preferably this ammunition is common and accessible to get and move.

[23 Blast]

I heard this old saw and kind of like it:

"A pistol for the bedroom,
a shotgun for the door.
A 30-06 for reaching out, you don't need any more."

once upon a time, It was my intention to pare down my collection to just two guns: and both in the same caliber. To that end, I chose a Smith M66 and a Puma 92, both in .357/.38. I figured that those two in my battery would pretty much satisfy 95% of the tasks I'd realistically ask of any gun, and with reloading, I could do it economically and cheaper than even a 9mm pistol/carbine combo.

[rojocorsa]

All I can afford so far are milsurps, and I've fallen in love with them. But that being said,

If I were going to have two things, it would be a quality AR or AK (leaning towards an AR these days), and a GLOCK 17/19. While I like shotguns, I've changed my opinion that they have to be part of one's "defensive battery." Certainly, they're a devastating weapon, but it seems that most people could actually cover their HD needs with either a pistol and/or a carbine. At least this is my opinion I've gathered given my observations. One may not actually really need a shotgun all that much. Also, then there's the wall penetration issue revisited in 00bk compared to .223.

HOWEVER

A shotgun may be actually pretty useful, because shotguns are not usually "politically" targeted the way handguns or carbines are. A shotgun may be that low key gun, given their nature and relationship with hunting and shooting sports. I mean, a Rem 870P with wooden furniture and a simple bead looks pretty innocuous to your average jury, right? (Compared to an "assault weapon" or such).

The other beauty of shotguns is their relative low cost overall. How much does your typical carbine cost compared to your typical pump action? Cost might be something that someone really needs to watch out for.

Finally, in similar vein, I believe a lever action rifle can also be placed in the same "discreet" category as the shotgun. No one ever goes after lever guns with wood stocks either, and I believe those can be pretty handy if the user really knows how to run them. Not to mention many can really pack a punch. Get one in .357 or .44 or even .45-70, and you're good to go.


But me, I'm interested in at least a pistol and a carbine. I already have a bolt action .22 so I'm good to go there. I also have a 28" Win 1300 12ga, but that's only ever used for trap. I am sure that I'll probably end up with a defensive style shotgun sooner or later, just because I like all kinds of guns. I'm not interested in "running" a 1911 either, but I know I still want one because it's a significant gun. Ditto for US Rifle, Cal .30, M-1.

[PsychGuy274]

Minimalist equals being able to carry weapons, ammo, food, etc. on your person.

One pistol/revolver and one semi-auto rifle. Shotgun is unnecessary.