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How to Build Your Own Arsenal Of Democracy
It’s been interesting to see Ricochet’s firearms owners come out of the woodwork and talk about the guns they own and safely enjoy, and it’s been even more interesting to see others who are interested in owning a gun ask questions of our members about what gun might be best for them. These days, I usually recommend a compact 9mm pistol as a first gun, but then the question arises, “Ok, what do I buy after that?”
That’s a tough question to answer, because there are so many different ways to enjoy firearms. I’m partial to practical shooting myself, such as IDPA, USPSA and 3gun, and friends of mine really enjoy dressing up in their finest cowboy duds and going out to a Single Action Shooting Society match. Then there’s all the shotgun sports, like trap, skeet, and sporting clays, or maybe the precision of traditional bullseye events like High Power Rifle is your kind of thing. There’s also silhouette shooting, benchrest, quick draw, and the list goes on and on and on. Suffice to say there’s probably a sport out there for anything that has a trigger and goes “Bang!” With all of these ways to enjoy owning a gun, what are some of the guns besides a pistol that you should have in your household armory?
The Second Gun
After you buy a defensive pistol, I recommend a rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle (LR) as a second gun, usually a Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60 or a CZ 455 if you want a bolt-action gun. These rifles are inexpensive to purchase, inexpensive to shoot, and all are great to practice with. There are few things more enjoyable than spending a lazy Sunday afternoon with a .22 rifle in your hands and a bunch of tin cans down range, and .22LR ammo is finally in-stock at most gun stores after years of being in short supply. In addition, a .22 rifle is a great way to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship such as breath control, sight picture and trigger squeeze without having to worry about spending large amounts of money on ammunition.
The Third Gun
I usually recommend America’s Rifle, the AR-15, for a third gun. Why? Because you will never, ever run out of things to do with it. Designed by an aircraft engineer to be modular, the AR-15 is infinitely changeable and adaptable. However, this flexibility presents a problem for first-time AR buyers as there is a bewildering mix of calibers, barrel lengths, features, and manufacturers to choose from. In general, I recommend starting with quality manufacturer like Colt, FNH, or Stag Arms. These manufacturers have all been around for a long time and have a reputation for well-built rifles; look to purchase something in the $800 to $1000 range. Features I look for in a beginner’s AR-15 are a collapsible stock to accommodate shooters of different builds, a 16″ barrel for lightness and compactness, and a flat-top receiver to allow for future expansion. Keep in mind, though, when you buy an AR you are buying the beginning of your journey with your rifle, not the end. Practically everything about the gun you take home with you today from the store can eventually be changed, such as the trigger, barrel, optics, stock, even the caliber of the rifle itself. This flexibility makes the AR suitable for a variety of uses. They are excellent home defense rifles, they’re perfect for hunting varmints and other small game, they dominate the precision rifle matches at Camp Perry, and are a key element to 3 Gun, America’s fastest-growing shooting sport. Plus, because the .223 round they shoot is accurate and has low recoil, they’re a lot of fun to take to the range for plinking and target practice.
Fourth Gun
I’d look to getting a 12 gauge shotgun, probably a pump-action model like the venerable Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 as your fourth gun. If you purchase a model of those guns that accepts different barrels and magazine tubes, you can configure your shotgun for a wide variety of firearms-related activities. With the right combination of barrel and magazine, you’ll be able to hunt for waterfowl, participate in 3 Gun, or setup your gun for home defense. Though you can shoot trap, skeet, or sporting clays with pump-action gun, I know from experience you’ll be at a disadvantage if you do. Nevertheless, you can still have fun at a match, even if you don’t win.
Five Guns And Beyond
There are so many options to choose from beyond this. If you’re finding you’re not carrying your pistol because it’s too big, consider getting something smaller, lighter and easier to carry like a pocket .380. If the AR-15 doesn’t cut it for you because of the limited range and power of the .223 round, look at getting a rifle in a larger caliber like .308 Winchester. Eventually, once you reach eight guns, you’ll have enough to participate in any shooting sport or shooting activity out there, and you’ll have laid the foundation of a legacy of self-protection and self-reliance to pass on your children.
molon labe
That if fine. But burying your weapons defeats the purpose. A weapon is only useful if you have it close at hand. If you can use it, train with it, get ammo for it. What do you do when owning the weapon is a threat to your freedom and using it in self defense is a bigger crime than the one they will be committing against you?
FJJG, I was being facetious, mostly.
My assessment of how a gov’t gun grab would play out is a little different than yours. I don’t think they’ll go house-to-house telling people to turn in their guns. There are too many guns, guns are too popular, and LE will have both positive and negative motivations to push back and to drag their heels. I think any eventual gun grab will start with trying to turn off the spigot of guns, shutting down US-based manufacturers, severely restricting imports, and taxing the bejeesus out of those few firearms that can be purchased through tightly controlled, very expensive permits. Any gun used either in a crime or to stop a crime will be confiscated and the owner will never get it back.
As obtuse as they are, progressives will use some subtlety in limiting guns. Any other COA is tactically untenable and politically unviable.
And anyone who puts a knife to any of my kids’ throats gets two in the snot box. No questions asked.
I think it will initially go your way till they get the POTUS rulings. Then their will be a mandatory “voluntary” buy back with them eventually tracking down anybody with registered guns. The knife to your children throat part will likely be along the lines of parents losing custody of their children for safety reasons or maybe just placing offenders in jail so they will never see their family again. When it comes down to keeping your child or your gun people will keep their child. Same goes with keeping your gun or going to jail.
It sounds like this is something that should become a post to discuss. We have more than a few well studied lawyers that could shed some light on the possible ways people could legally refuse (from a state down to an individual).
I love the Mini-14. I loved it long before the A-Team used them to send copious amounts of bullets over the heads of the bad guys.
But.
It’s heavy compared to the AR. And your accessory list is MUCH shorter. And you’ll need to massage it quite a bit to match the accuracy of an AR. Yes, a bull barrel and all the gadgets on the newer models help it approach 1MOA, but an AR with a good barrel and trigger will do 0.5MOA. I like the Mini-14, but it is a niche gun these days.