A twist on the old 1 gun for every thing question.

[CCCLVII]

Lets say instead of only having access to a limited number of guns, lets say you have access to any real gun(s) you want but there is 1 rule... all the guns must use the same round.

This means the same round for Plinking, CCW, Home Defense, Hunting, Self Defense, Survive... every thing.

If that was the case (I know its never going to be but this is for fun) what rounds/guns would you pick? Ill post my choices in a while.

[collector rob]

.357 Mag, Marlin lever rifle and a S&W 686.

[mellow_c]

.357 would be a great choice. But I might go for a 9mm instead.


For plinking, carry, and home defense, 9mm is ideal.

For hunting, (I'm not sure about legality) I bet there are some really hot 9mm loads, utilizing good bullets, that would be capable of taking down a good percentage of North American game animals out to 100 yards, if you absolutely had to that is. And in a "survival" situation, you could probably kill just about anything with a 9mm, as long as you had a hot load, long enough barrel to reach max velocity, good shot placement, and possibly the option to take repeated shots, if the game hadn't gotten away from you by then... or you hadn't already been trampled/gored/mauled/attacked.

One of the most important reasons I would choose 9mm aside from it being "generally & adequately" effective, affordable and easily available, is that there are so many firearms chambered in 9mm...
I could collect a seemingly endless number of handguns. Revolvers, 1911s, polymer guns, aluminum guns, steel guns, small guns, big guns, double action, single action... on and on and on. Also, these days there are a large variety of rifles chambered in 9mm even in bolt action rifles if I recall correctly? So I feel like I could enjoy many different types of firearms even while being limited to just one caliber. There are probably a lot less options for rifles (and even handguns) chambered in .357, or other less popular auto cartridges like 40 s&w or 45 acp... and then as soon as you start talking rifle or shotgun cartridges, your handgun options are reduced dramatically.

When it comes down to the number and different types of available firearms, cartridge effectiveness & capability, affordability, availability, capacity, shootability, reliability, and general enjoyment, If i had to choose one cartridge to do it all, 9mm would get my vote!

Although it does have its limitations. So I'm curious what other might say.

P.S. Now I need to go and check... Is there a 9mm bolt action rifle? How about a lever action?

Edit: Did a bit of searching and there are indeed bolt action 9mm rifles. I couldn't find a lever gun though. But there are obviously lots of semi autos... All the different types of sub guns as well as modern commercial rifles, and even ARs and AKs chambered in 9mm!

[kozak6]

I don't think that's a useful question as phrased. .30-06 is awful for waterfowl hunting. 10 gauge is ...not good for carry. .380 is suboptimal for elk hunting. What you are really asking for is the single most important task one uses a firearm for.

I don't hunt and I'm terrible at shotgun sports. I'm most interested in plinking, carry, and close range self defense. That pretty much means a pistol caliber. I am also interested in semiautomatics, so that basically means 9mm. Dang.

Edit: Did a bit of searching and there are indeed bolt action 9mm rifles.

9mm bolt actions? I wish. There's some converted Destroyer carbines and converted .22 TCM's, but that's it.

[mellow_c]

9mm bolt actions? I wish. There's some converted Destroyer carbines and converted .22 TCM's, but that's it.

Yup, you are correct. I don't see anything other than those two, and that's not the same as a production rifle... But maybe I could still include them for the sake of this "game" we are playing.

[fourbore]

I would choose 44mag. That works in a rifle for hunting from rabbits to black bear. I have to make an assumption I can either purchase 44 special ammo or load my own as needed. I could carry a 44 special loaded revolver or again load the ammo accordingly. I did carry a charter arms bulldog on occasion some years back. That is a lot better than a lifetime hunting with a 9mm.

Speaking of lifetime - in my lifetime, I have never had to draw a gun in anger. Never! But, I have expended untold 1000's of rounds hunting and target shooting. I have to make a choice that favors the shooting I actually do and still works for the other.

I forgot to choose a few guns. I assume keeping guns I already have: Marlin 44mag. Ruger blackhawk & super redhawk and charter arms bulldog.

For new purchases: I would try and figure out how to get a Ruger 77/44 to shoot with some degree of accuracy. Maybe look at some single shot rifles. And shop around for other CCW options in 44 revolvers.

[Obambulate]

I'll go with .22lr. It is excellent for target shooting, plinking, small game, and survival. Not as good for carry or home defense but ammo capacity is good for the size and weight. You can get an 8-shot J-frame that weighs 11-oz and carries easily. A 10-shot S&W 617 or a Ruger Mark series pistol would work for home defense. Or get an AR-style .22 with a 25-round mag. In a survival setting you could hunt larger game with a good rifle and proper shot placement. A large variety of ammo choices extends the versatility even more.

[cslinger]

.357 Mag.

Such wide variety of guns and ammo. Opens up .38 as well.

[rickyrick]

Don’t they have some pistol calibers loaded with shot?
Thought I had seen some somewhere.
44 mag Might work for small game like rats and squirrels if loaded with shot.

[Deja vu]

357 magnum

CCW- S&W J-Frame
Plinking -Coonan Classic
Home defense- Marlin lever action
Self defense 686
Hunting- Ruger 77/357 (with suppressor) and low power scope
Playing cowboy- 1873 revolver and rifle (Uberti)
Open carry- S&W 8 shot revolver
Backup CCW- derringer
Showing off- gold Desert Eagle

I would also include a mares leg in there some where

My next option would be 10mm

[Lohman446]

10MM

Glock 29 for carry
Custom built lever action for hunting
One of the 10MM MP-5 converted to semi for home defense

[Kvon2]

I think I'd have to go with a .22lr.

[CCCLVII]

I'd go 12ga. For birds it's awesome! For home defence it's awesome! With slugs it can work on large game. For ccw I think id go with an NFA 7 inch barrel sbs.

[tlm225]

I will also go with the .357. In a rifle, light SWC lead loads will take small game while a fast moving JHP or JSP will cleanly take game up to deer. A K frame S&W will handle defensive and target duties as well as some hunting using the same loads as the rifle.

[Oliver Sudden]

I've never owned a 44 mag or wanted one but for this exercise it would do the most. Loaded with a round ball and a light charge would serve for plinking or small game. Plenty of loads for every need from there up. And shot shells aren't hard to make up. Pistols of all sizes are to be had along with rifles of various kinds. A clever fellow could even ream a carbine barrel for shotgun use.
12 gauge would be a good choice as well if a small enough gun was made up and very light loads would be used for carry.

[Don Fischer]

Rule's out about all the rifle caliber's in favor of handgun cartridge's. So I'm kinda on a fence here, what to choose? How about my 22 mag. The only thing stopping that is if I couldn't get it in a DA handgun.

[peterg7]

.45C if I add a long gun, .45acp if we’re just using handguns


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[Rachen]

I kind of abide by that already.

.45LC smokeless and black powder handloads with 200-250 grain lead flatpoints. Velocities in the 800-1100 fps range. I currently use a cartridge converted Pietta 1858 Remington as well as a converted Uberti 1866 Revolving Rifle as main guns for general defense, hunting, and for the vehicle. The '66 has proven to be excellent for use against coyotes and hogs and the '58 sits in a holster when CC'ing or sits in my desk drawer.

In addition to the .45 cartridges, both guns switch back to their original cap and ball modes in about 2-3 seconds and will reliably sling .454 roundballs or Buffalo conicals with authority with 30-35 grains of FFFG or Pyrodex. So in the versatility department, I am pretty much covered. I have always loved the simplicity and effectiveness of the old .45 straight walled, low pressure cartridge and being able to use it in both a handgun and rifle of time-proven design makes me a happy camper. Not to mention being able to load the cartridges with black or modern powders and get the same results.

So the verdict? I will go with the .45LC hands down. And if I hadn't made a choice yet, I would go with .357 or .44 Mag for the same reasons stated above: Easy to reload, compatible with both black powder or smokeless (as long as you are not using a semi-auto) and they could be loaded with so much power preferences for a wide variety of use, from pipsqueak loads for paper punching to bone-crushing cannon rounds for hunting big game.

[ThomasT]

.357 Mag, Marlin lever rifle and a S&W 686.

That would be answer too. Its just hard to beat that combo. Plus I would need my reloading set it and bullet molds and other components.

Add a shotgun and I would be set for the game I hunt and SD uses.