Recommended Firearms

Granted, I live in Indiana, and we have a law saying that hunting rifles must use handgun caliber rounds. This is supposed to allow for the fact that there isnt anything between your house and the neighbor but a few hundred yards of cornfields. So, my list is somewhat biased for my area, I'll be the first to admit. But Im looking at power, reliability, versatility, and resupply-ability.

Lets look at handguns first: I like the .357 family. Several different firearms fall under an umbrella that allows you to set up the whole family with just a few guns.

Personally, having carried many semi-autos in the military, I dont care for them. I hear all the hype and brand love from the suckers convinced their chosen favorite is "perfect". But semi-autos jam, and usually at the worst possible time. It doesnt matter how well you clean it, how much you baby it, or the ridiculous a\mounts of money you spend pampering it, Murphy's Law runs free, and the more moving parts it has, the more likely it will screw up. And when those parts screw up, it usually takes a skilled professional to fix it. And the fact that the word "Glock" is printed on it doesnt change reality.

Revolvers dont have that problem. Like a computer mouse, just point and click. If it doesnt go "bang", point and click again. The gun-bunnies whine about a lack of ammo. I say learn to shoot correctly. Outside of their wet-dreams of zombies invading, you're not going to face more than 6 targets, especially after you put a round through the head or heart of the first one. Shoot. shoot alot. Be able to shoot all six rounds into a 2inch circle at 50 yards. (its entirely possible. Ive done it for many years at Army pistol quals) That way, when your life depends on it, you only need the one shot.

So, for the missus, who likely isnt as beefy and muscular, I recommend the .38; your choice out of the many different variations. Its over a century old, was used by the military and police for decades, and gives her a choice of aiming to injure or to kill, depending on threat level. The gun is very accurate, low recoil, cheap and easy to find, and easily customizable. The ammo is cheap and plentiful, plus its easy to reload if you feel the urge to pack your own ammo. Its the preferred back-up gun of most police even today because of these reasons.

Get yourself a .357. While her gun can knock down baddies, your gun can punch through the car he's hiding behind and STILL drop the bad guy. Plus it will eat that .38 ammo when you go to the firing range for plinking cans. As a marriage should be, her tools can get the job done, and yours are there for the really hard or big work.

Now, Henry Rifle company makes the sweetest .357 "Big Boy" lever action rifle you could ever ask for. And it will drop a 300lb deer at 150 yards, as long as you know how to shoot. (Heart and lungs) You can pretty it up or strip it as plain as you like; me personally, I use it purely stock, out-of-the-box.

So, you now have protection for your family and yourself, and your hunting rifle, and only two calibers, which actually use the same die if you're reloading. Of course you need a 12 gauge shotgun for hunting as well; the brand is up to you. I find that discussing Shotgun brands is like debating what car company is best: everyone has their own opinion, and ultimately, it really is only opinion.

Next, your going to need a long distance gun. I recommend the Mosin Nagant. The expensive ones are still under $100, and the range is limited only by field of view; shots of a mile or more with the right scope are considered normal. I recommend spending the extra cash on US brass ammo, so you can reload it; there may be (literally) tons of 7.62x54 just sitting around right now, but every year, that amount gets smaller as ammo gets shot or destabilizes.

Next is your Varmint gun, unless you happen to like making red mist out of squirrels and raccoons with that .357 or 7.62 ammo. But if you actually want birds and small critters for food (and other general household uses) you'll need a good "critter gun". This goes one of two ways, and it really is preference. If you dont already have an AR, arent already trained on an AR, and dont fantasize about being Rambo or Red Dawn or any of that moronic bull, then the Ruger 10/22 really is the best, most popular, all purpose .22 you can get, and will meet all your needs. I only recommend the AR if
1) Like me, you already have one. Then there's no sense in buying a second gun that does all the same work.
2) Like me, you're already trained on the AR platform (cops, military, and so on, who spend their entire careers with it)
3) You're an idiot with more money that sense who loves having a bajillion guns for no reason and is delusional enough to believe that zombies are real, North Korea could actually attack us, and thinks Rambo was a liberal wuss.

The last toy in the cabinet isnt a firearm. I recommend the Lee Anniversary kit and the shotgun reloader kit. Now that you have only four types of ammo to worry about (three if your using .22, since you cant reload that) it doesnt hurt to be prepared and have the ability to repack your empties. Depending on how you want to look at it, you can claim you're recycling, saving money, or both. Hey, either's a good excuse, right?