Of the following, which three would you pick...

[huntershaven]

For a thinking exercise, there are the following firearms to choose from in your gun safe and only these guns.

You can take three with you to a temporary living location due to a short term job assignment to last between a year and two years about four hours away from your homestead.

Between you and your homestead will be the Kansas City metro area. Where you will be is approximately half an hour from Topeka and approximately one hour from Kansas City. To reach your homestead once you pass the KC metro area it is still approximately 2.5 hours to your home in the Lake of the Ozarks region of Missouri. The rest will remain secure at your homestead.

You may select from the list of arms below, a list created from a few different vendors' table selections I have seen at gun shows recently. Please post your choices and why your chose them.

1) 1893 Spanish Mauser rifle in 7x57mm Mauser – 29 inch barrel

2) 1916 Spanish Mauser carbine in 7x57mm Mauser – 21 inch barrel

3) No. 1 Mk. III SMLEs in .303 British

4) No. 4 Mk. I SMLEs in .303 British

5) A Ishapore 2A1 SMLE in 7.62x51mm NATO

6) Magnum Research single shot handgun in 7mm-08 Remington

7) 1903 Springfield with bayonet

8 ) 1917 Enfield

9) M-1 Garand in issue configuration with adjustable gas nut to allow it to use most commercially loaded .30-06 Springfield ammunition, with bayonet

10 ) Norinco SKS in 7.62x39mm, with issued folding bayonet

11) Norinco MAK-90 in 7.62x39mm

12) Norinco NMH-91 in 7.62x39mm

13) IMBEL receivered STG-58 in 7.62x51mm NATO

14) Savage Arms Model 110 bolt action in .270 Winchester, another in .22-250 Remington, both with heavy duty, precision shooting grade scope base and rings with extra 20 moa elevation built into the scope base with 3x9x40mm scope

15) Universal Manufacturing brand M-1 Carbine in .30 Carbine

16) Marlin Model 60 rifle in .22 long rifle rimfire

17) Ruger Model 10/22 carbine upgraded with match-grade heavy barrel and titanium precision internals in .22 long rifle rimfire

18 ) a .22 long rifle rimfire revolver styled after the Colt Single Action Army revolver

19) Colt Commander Model 1911 pistol in .45 ACP

20) Mossberg 835 12 gauge with shot barrel with full set of chokes and fully rifled slug barrel with rifle sights and a receiver mounted scope base with a 3-9x40mm scope and a Knoxx brand Spec-Ops recoil reduction, adjustable length of pull buttstock with pistol grip

21) Montgomery Wards variant of a Mossberg 500 in 20 gauge with 18.5 inch riot barrel, 24 inch hunting shot barrel with chokes, and a fully rifled slug barrel with cantilever scope mount and 3-9x40mm scope

I look forward to seeing how this turns out.

[Tuckahoe]

13, 17, 19

[MinotBob]

9, 17, 19

[kawalekm]

I'd carry 13, 18, 19. I own several of your listed guns myself, but I chose what I would CARRY, not necessarily own. You might expect to drive to your retreat, carrying whatever you want with you, but there is the possibility that you will be forced to abandon your car and get there on foot. I would carry only one long gun because it would be too difficult to sling more than one over my shoulder. I chose the FAL because it is a high powered semiauto capable of killing a deer. It's also looks bad enough that troublemakers will give you a wide berth. I chose the 22 handgun because that's what I'd expect to use to fill the pot on the way to the retreat. Lastly, I selected the 1911 in case things got up close and personal. I chose all American calibers because if I got short on ammo, I wouldn't expect to trade 7X57 or .303 on the road.

[Bwana]

16,19,21

[Tuckahoe]

Great choices so far.
For traveling I like the idea of a compact high cap weapon that can be fired and reloaded with one hand should the need arise.

[Rick]

I'd pick the Garand for a MBR, the 1911 for packing and number 21, (20 ga. Mossy - because of the shorter barrel) for home defense and bird hunting. If plinking was more anticipated than bird hunting, I'd go with one of the .22 LR's (probably the SAA pistole).

[ArmySGT.]

5, 19, 20
The Ishapore 2A because it will shoot just fine .308 Win or 7.62x51 without modification. Can be reloaded with stripper clips and holds 12.

Only two handgun choices a .22 revolver or M1911A1 Commander model. I don't think hunting ( survival) with a .22 revolver is serious proposition. .45 ACP is a proven manstopper. So for protection and home defense that is the one I choose.

Mossberg 12 guage would be my all around game getter. This is the gun that would put most of the meat in the pot. Paired with the 2A if a longer shot is needed. Though in the tree cover of MO not as likely.

[RangerRick]

9, 19 and 21.

The Garand is a proven combat arm dependable in every situation, the 1911 in .45 ACP is the best choice in a concealable handgun ever made and and will drop any man from even a flesh wound and while the Mosberg isn't an 870 it is the second best close quarter street sweeper available to the common patriot.

Rick

[huntershaven]

I would pick #13 (FN-FAL) for a self-defense biased rifle OR #14 (Savage Arms Model 110) in .270 Winchester for a hunting/precision shooting biased rifle.

It would depend on if I planned to be deer hunting in Kansas while away with the work assignment or if I would take personal time/weekends to hunt on my homestead in Missouri. If I hunted in Missouri I could view a rifle I take to Kansas as being mostly self-defense oriented.

AND

#19 Colt Commander - To have an effective handgun and for close range defense work.

AND

#20 Mossberg 835 12 gauge - The shotgun has a recoil reducing stock with a pistol grip that would allow me to have better control of the long gun while making it a little more compact for in-home and in-vehicle use. More variety of loads to choose from too.



Why did I select these over what others have? I view my goal to be to get out of a bad location (large number of people in multiple population centers that need intact infrastructure to be livable and functional) to where the population density is less and the area a bit easier to survive in given the natural resource attributes of the Lake of the Ozarks region of Missouri.

I would make sure to have snares and traps if I had to capture small game and only use firearms if there were no other viable choice of action. If I must use firearms, I want to use effective ones that meet the need for effective fire, be it rapid with large capacity, precision shooting, brutal force to stop multiple attackers rapidly or to punch holes in an attacker to stop a threat up close.

Granted, this is all hypothetical in this situation. If one were to prep for living in the thick timber of the Lake of the Ozarks region, a less long-range potent rifle that works in the dirt and grime of the hills would seem to make a SKS or AK pattern arm a good choice.

Another thing to consider is that a 7.62x39mm cartridge can have the bullet pulled and loaded into a .303 British one. They use virtually the same diameter bullets, though the .303 can use much heavier ones. That is a scavenging tip.

[hunter63]

14, 19, 20
Should be able to stop anything in the hemisphere.

[panzer426]

I also vote 14, 19 and 20 IF I can substitute a 11F or 111F for the Model 110 in #14, and an unrifled barrel in #20.

[remington]

The area you are describing is Lawrence, Kansas. Hotbed of liberalism. Don't know what I'd pick though out of those.

[Backwoods_Bob]

10, the SKS, 18 the .22 six-gun, and 19, the .45 automatic.

I like the SKS, and I shoot mine quite a bit. I hunt with it, and took it to an Appleseed shoot last month.
I don't reckon you'll be needing a long arm, but if you do, the SKS will fit the bill.
A 200 round bandolier is easy to carry and will not take up much room in your gear.

I see your selection is rifle heavy and a little pistol-deficent! You need to work on that son. *;)
The .45 auto would stay with me always.

The .22 six-gun is for plinking and small game should you get the chance, and it's just a good idea to have a second sidearm handy.

The pistols are a no brainer. They are the easiest to pack with you when traveling, and the easiest to conceal.
*

[Farmer]

I, too, picked 14, 19 and 20. I was surprised to see others who think like me. Actually, I'm scared that others think like me.

14 to hunt. You can bring down everything from a medium-sized dog to a prize Hereford. Also deer.

19 for the obvious reasons. I'd also add a .22 conversion slide. This gun would be used to get you to where you could pick up #20.

[Spikejerk]

9, 19, 20

.45 pistol for ccw and travel. A .22 conversion would be a big plus for small game if available. Otherwise snake shot could be used in a pinch.

12 ga Mossberg due to the variety of chokes and slug barrel lets you put a variety food on the table and is a good travel gun option. Also makes a good short range home defense option and travel gun if needed.

M-1 Garand will last forever and is very accurate for a stock military rifle. .30-06 is still widely available and has the power to engage targets at your homestead at greater ranges than many of the other military rifle options like the SKS or AK. Some don't like the 8 rd en bloc clips, but I feel the power of the .30-06 cartridge offsets the drawbacks of the design when compared to the other options on the list. I also feel that the look of the Garand is less "military" than some of the others and would be less likely to draw unwanted attention.

[longshot]

4 because i know exactly what it can and cannot do

19 a little compact stopping power is always good

20 two guns in one, if things are that close the scatter shot would be handy and pump slugs have a lot of kick.

ls

[ol_hoot]

14, 16 & 19

The .45 for close up defense.
The .270 for far off defense and hunting large game
The .22 for anything else (.22's kill birds real good if you let them light first)

[flatwater]

17 , 19 , 20
flatwater

[Stinger]

17. Inside 120 yards that 22 will do anything I might need it for. (And unlike all of the centerfire long arms I can use it to, quietly, take game.)

19. A 1911 is easy to carry and conceal.

20. A shotgun is a universal firearm necessity!

[Sebastian_Haff]

number 2 baby

[Shortstack]

From the list,
9,17 and 21.

[GUNSLINGER]

11) Norinco MAK-90 in 7.62x39mm

17) Ruger Model 10/22 carbine upgraded with match-grade heavy barrel and titanium precision internals in .22 long rifle rimfire

19) Colt Commander Model 1911 pistol in .45 ACP

Any AK is a caveman proof high power, high capacity fighting rifle. Great reliability, decent accuracy, common cheap ammo. Good for fights out to 200 yards. If you are in a fight with someone over 200 yds away you need to be moving out of that area with all speed. Plus any rifle you can throw in a mud puddle, pick it up and pee on it to clean it off, and then fire 500 rounds trough it without a stoppage is ok by me.

The 10-22 again pretty caveman proof. Great for small game. 22's can be made very quiet with a few common plumbing parts and a couple of pieces of pipe in a SHTF type situation for silent hunting. Accurate, and cheapest ammo you can find, and can find it everywhere. Aftermarket parts are easy to find.

1911. I really dont have to go on. One shot stops. Common ammo. Reliable. Etc etc. Its the Big Pappa of handguns.

[AARTY]

5,19,20

[Kyhome]

9,19 and 20 Should cover most situations with assortment of ammo

[jjspirko]

I would take the following


Colt Commander Model 1911 pistol in .45 ACP - a man can never have to many 1911s

Universal Manufacturing brand M-1 Carbine in .30 Carbine - always wanted one and never put down the money to make it happen.

Magnum Research single shot handgun in 7mm-08 Remington - Just seems really cool and fun gun to shoot and hunt with.

My choice is mostly based on what I don't own. Of the rest I own mausers of quite a few makes, a 1903 and a 1917. If I did not have those I would have taken at least the 17 and 03 they are amazing guns and a huge piece of history.

[CSA_Again]

9 17 19

[macgeoghagen]

7, for long range and large game. 19, for anti-zombie patrol. 20 multi purpose.