Gotta be a way to sneak a 30-06 on there, we have Elk and Bear, if I ever get lucky and get a permit again (it's a freaking lottery system)
I'm deer hunting with a 243 now or will be if I get in the mood to go out this year and if I'm not using a muzzle loader (which is more fun). AR would get the job done easy enough though and more and more people are hunting with them all the time.
Kids gotta have a 22 and they are a good cheap to feed prepper rilfe. (poachers always used them back in the day.) I had a Nylon 66 growing up, it's still around here someplace. I remember riding my bike to the corner store to buy ammo for it too. Got my 12 gauge when I was twelve, still got it too.
AR's are catching on around here, still most REAL men, have at least one hunting rifle that's at least one caliber bigger than they will ever use. LOL
Oh and we have way more men and women carrying pistols now that Michigan made it easy to get a permit to carry concealed. Chalk one up for the Republicans.
Any of those big game Big Boy rifles are effective! I can only imagine how many Win 94's, Rem 700's, Win.70's are out there waiting for opening day! 30-30, 30-06, 308, 270 -- all popular and effective. OTOH, I'd prefer my AR to any of them in a crowded situation.
These are all good gun choices. I hesitate to buy an AR-15 today because I will be on a list that the government has access to. They even keep track of ammo purchases in California. I've always thought the best gun for home defense (especially if you are old and damn near blind like me without my glasses) would be a sawed off 12 gauge shotgun using double ought buckshot. (See "The Getaway" starring Steve McQueen.) You don't have to be accurate and it blows a hole the size of a melon in the intruder, or anything else in the room. The noise alone will terrify the villain.
Of course, these guns are illegal, but they are out there. (I don't own one.)
I have a lot of fun with my pistol pellet gun. The bluejays are terrified of me and no longer come around.
Pellet pistols are all kinds of fun. I've got a beeman P17 with a red dot scope on it that I've put a few thousand pellets through. I go outside to smoke and plink away at targets I've got set up around the yard and it keeps the pests out of the garden. Cheap and crazy accurate, it's got a great trigger on it.
And yeah, pretty much everyone around here has a shotgun for home defense, although the only guy I know who's shot an intruder did it with a hunting rifle, hit him in the shoulder and the guy lived. Some nut from downstate how made his way up here while he was off his meds.
Most of the time shotguns get used around here to scare people away, that happens a lot more than it ever gets reported.
Brad, Putting a red dot scope on a pellet gun isn't very sporting. LOL! When I was a teenager (12 or 13), all of boys in Lincoln, Nebraska had .22 rifles. We'd go down to Gooch's Mill by the railroad tracks and shoot rats. There was spilled grain everywhere. We all became pretty good shots. And yeah, the ammo was cheap. I liked the .22 long ammo as it was more effective on the rats. It was fun to see their heads explode into a red mist. Ahhh, memories...
I was going to amplify Brian’s recommendation in a similar vein as you. You can get a 12 ga shotgun with interchangeable barrels, the shortest allowed by law in your state (for home defense) and a long barrel you can swap for more outdoor activity. Buck shot and bird shot ammo for various targets.
I’m a huge fan of the SigSauer P320 9mm handgun which can be customized in various configurations. Range ammunition for practicing and hollow point for defense. Make sure to grab some extra magazines.
The AR-15 is extremely popular and can be highly modified with accessories. Good for hunting varmints and self defense. Extra magazines here, too. I think this gun eliminates the need for the .22 caliber long gun.
Get some general firearms training and consider a concealed carry certificate.
Finally, learn how to strip down and clean your weapons.
I considered saying the AR could replace the 22 and then add a bigger caliber hunting rifle, but honestly around here the AR is going to be good enough for most of the hunting, although we do get to hunt Elk and Bear, even though the permits are few and far between lately.
The 22 is cheap to shoot, so that's a big plus and it's stealthier too, poachers weapons of choice back in the day. It does seem like more young people are shooting the AR's now rather than starting out on a 22, but are they shooting as much?
It's hard to think of a better list than Brian came up with, with only four you have to make some trade offs. LOL
If I had to narrow it to three, it would be shotgun, AR and 9mm If I could pick five I'd go with 12 gauge shotgun, AR, 9mm, 30/06 and 22.
Frank, Good advice. It is impossible to get a concealed carry license in Sonoma County. The Sheriff is on the record saying that he wouldn't give a CC to George Washington.
Same situation working in NYC. Carried anyhow. "Judged by 12 vs Carried by 6" etc. Most street cops in NYC, Baltimore, Atlanta had no issues. OTOH, being a "celebrity" helped. But Story #47 in my "50 Stories' 50 Years in Radio" is the all-time topper!
Hard list to beat.
Gotta be a way to sneak a 30-06 on there, we have Elk and Bear, if I ever get lucky and get a permit again (it's a freaking lottery system)
I'm deer hunting with a 243 now or will be if I get in the mood to go out this year and if I'm not using a muzzle loader (which is more fun). AR would get the job done easy enough though and more and more people are hunting with them all the time.
Kids gotta have a 22 and they are a good cheap to feed prepper rilfe. (poachers always used them back in the day.) I had a Nylon 66 growing up, it's still around here someplace. I remember riding my bike to the corner store to buy ammo for it too. Got my 12 gauge when I was twelve, still got it too.
AR's are catching on around here, still most REAL men, have at least one hunting rifle that's at least one caliber bigger than they will ever use. LOL
Oh and we have way more men and women carrying pistols now that Michigan made it easy to get a permit to carry concealed. Chalk one up for the Republicans.
Any of those big game Big Boy rifles are effective! I can only imagine how many Win 94's, Rem 700's, Win.70's are out there waiting for opening day! 30-30, 30-06, 308, 270 -- all popular and effective. OTOH, I'd prefer my AR to any of them in a crowded situation.
Oh, I forgot to say, all my weapons and ammo fell off a boat into a lake tomorrow…
A lotta that goin' around...Happened to me. Twice.
<insert laugh emoji here>
These are all good gun choices. I hesitate to buy an AR-15 today because I will be on a list that the government has access to. They even keep track of ammo purchases in California. I've always thought the best gun for home defense (especially if you are old and damn near blind like me without my glasses) would be a sawed off 12 gauge shotgun using double ought buckshot. (See "The Getaway" starring Steve McQueen.) You don't have to be accurate and it blows a hole the size of a melon in the intruder, or anything else in the room. The noise alone will terrify the villain.
Of course, these guns are illegal, but they are out there. (I don't own one.)
I have a lot of fun with my pistol pellet gun. The bluejays are terrified of me and no longer come around.
Re short barrel shotguns: This is parked next to the bed. I'm told it's CA legal....
https://stoegerindustries.com/shotguns/double-defense-series
Glendale friend is building his. Apparently a CA loop-hole...
Pellet pistols are all kinds of fun. I've got a beeman P17 with a red dot scope on it that I've put a few thousand pellets through. I go outside to smoke and plink away at targets I've got set up around the yard and it keeps the pests out of the garden. Cheap and crazy accurate, it's got a great trigger on it.
And yeah, pretty much everyone around here has a shotgun for home defense, although the only guy I know who's shot an intruder did it with a hunting rifle, hit him in the shoulder and the guy lived. Some nut from downstate how made his way up here while he was off his meds.
Most of the time shotguns get used around here to scare people away, that happens a lot more than it ever gets reported.
Recommended: https://byrna.com/collections/byrna-non-lethal-guns
Brad, I've used a shotgun to scare away a bum at our house window years ago. He took off right quick.
Brad, Putting a red dot scope on a pellet gun isn't very sporting. LOL! When I was a teenager (12 or 13), all of boys in Lincoln, Nebraska had .22 rifles. We'd go down to Gooch's Mill by the railroad tracks and shoot rats. There was spilled grain everywhere. We all became pretty good shots. And yeah, the ammo was cheap. I liked the .22 long ammo as it was more effective on the rats. It was fun to see their heads explode into a red mist. Ahhh, memories...
I was going to amplify Brian’s recommendation in a similar vein as you. You can get a 12 ga shotgun with interchangeable barrels, the shortest allowed by law in your state (for home defense) and a long barrel you can swap for more outdoor activity. Buck shot and bird shot ammo for various targets.
I’m a huge fan of the SigSauer P320 9mm handgun which can be customized in various configurations. Range ammunition for practicing and hollow point for defense. Make sure to grab some extra magazines.
The AR-15 is extremely popular and can be highly modified with accessories. Good for hunting varmints and self defense. Extra magazines here, too. I think this gun eliminates the need for the .22 caliber long gun.
Get some general firearms training and consider a concealed carry certificate.
Finally, learn how to strip down and clean your weapons.
And PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Also a big Sig fan. the P320 Carry is my regular accessory
Re short barrel shotguns: This is parked next to the bed
https://stoegerindustries.com/shotguns/double-defense-series
This is parked nearby
https://www.benelliusa.com/family-series/m2-series
I considered saying the AR could replace the 22 and then add a bigger caliber hunting rifle, but honestly around here the AR is going to be good enough for most of the hunting, although we do get to hunt Elk and Bear, even though the permits are few and far between lately.
The 22 is cheap to shoot, so that's a big plus and it's stealthier too, poachers weapons of choice back in the day. It does seem like more young people are shooting the AR's now rather than starting out on a 22, but are they shooting as much?
It's hard to think of a better list than Brian came up with, with only four you have to make some trade offs. LOL
If I had to narrow it to three, it would be shotgun, AR and 9mm If I could pick five I'd go with 12 gauge shotgun, AR, 9mm, 30/06 and 22.
Frank, Good advice. It is impossible to get a concealed carry license in Sonoma County. The Sheriff is on the record saying that he wouldn't give a CC to George Washington.
Same situation working in NYC. Carried anyhow. "Judged by 12 vs Carried by 6" etc. Most street cops in NYC, Baltimore, Atlanta had no issues. OTOH, being a "celebrity" helped. But Story #47 in my "50 Stories' 50 Years in Radio" is the all-time topper!
Brian, I tried to find your book online with no success. Do you have a link you could post?
https://www.amazon.com/50-Stories-Years-Radio/dp/1724111175
For in-depth Fun & Games: https://www.youtube.com/@50stories50yearsinradio
Brian, Thanks for the links. I ordered your book. Look forward to reading it.