Can someone explain the difference in between the various "role" guns?

[Jim243]

I think a help group should be organised!

And here I thought THIS was the help group (LOLOLOL)

Not sure how much help we are getting tho (LOL).

As to shower guns, I never had one, don't take showers, baths. And I had a lot of those when I was a kid, they all used H2O (water pistols.)

I did scuba dive when I was younger and had a spear gun for that, does that count??

Now I know where my problem stems from (LOL.)

Jim

[raimius]

Yes and no.

A lot of people have multiple guns because they feel certain types are better for certain purposes. A Ruger LC9 makes a fine pistol to carry, but probably won't be great for hunting or shooting IPSC competitions. Equally, a STI race gun isn't something to conceal carry every day.

Do a lot of people have extreme niche "uses" in order to buy new guns? Probably.
If it serves a purpose, and doesn't detract from higher priorities, meh, go for it!

[Bezoar]

So are you saying that Skeeter Skelton was wrong when he settled down upon the 357 as his all purpose cartridge? Or that Elmer Keith was wrong when he eventually settled down upon his 41 magnum as his go to caliber?

[jimbob86]

you going to drive with a putter?

No. Never happen.

putt with a 7 iron?

Nope.

If I really need to hit a golf ball, it'll be with a bullet of some sort.

[Tactical Jackalope]

My main gun plays all riles. CCW. Work. Night Stand.

[Scorch]

It goes like this:
Truck gun- cheap, don't care if it gets all scratched and rusted up, but you still want it to be super reliable. A good candidate is a S&W Model 10.
Nightstand gun- something handy enough to grab and operate easily if you get woken up in the middle of the night. Think S&W Model 10.
Carry gun- something handy, natural feeling, that gets into action quickly and has enough stopping power to end a "serious social situation" quickly and decisively. Kind of like a S&W Model 10.
Shower gun- better see your shrink about this. If you feel the need to go armed to take a shower, consider a S&W Model 66 (Hah! Thought I was going to say Model 10, didn't you?).
As far as a motel gun, I don't know. I am married.

[petepeterson]

I'll admit to having 4:

1. A P3AT for light clothing and running
2. A .38 snub for "around the house" pocket duty
3. A compact 9mm for "standard" carry
4. A stainless .357 for hiking and canoeing and the like

All others are for collecting or sentimental reasons.

Would the .380 do everything I need? Statistically, yes. Would the .380 do everything as well as the others if needed? No.

[Vermonter]

As far as I am concerned I own firearms for one of three reasons. A gun is either for Hunting, Self Defense, or training. Some can cross boundaries but those are the reasons I will own a gun.

For example I own a Mossberg 500. I train with it, Hunt with it, and it is our main home defense firearm.

I own enough pistols of various sizes that I can literally be armed 99.9% of the time. That is all about personal defense. None of my pistols are safe queens or anything more than tools. I don't collect guns in the sense of buying them as prized possessions. All of my guns have been shot and many have been shot an awful lot.

I do however own a woods gun: Glock 29 4th gen with a ss guide rod and heavy spring for the hottest 10mm loads I can muster. That is all about being able to put down an attack from 4 or two legged critters in the woods. I bought it specifically because none of my other pistols fit that bill and this one did.

I own pocket guns although my G42 may just replace the other two combined. That is specifically targeted at being able to carry a gun when your wardrobe wouldn't accommodate it otherwise.

I own and EDC with is a G26 Gen 4.

I own a winter EDC which is a 19 gen 4 simply because I shoot it a hair better and in the winter I can get away with a bit more gun.

My Fiance owns two pistols a 26 gen 4 and the Charter undercover .38 that she started on those are her EDC and backup EDC.

I own a rifle that is my hunting rifle

I own an AR because I wanted the best in personal protection and defense should we ever need it.

I own 22s in both pistol and rifle because we wanted to shoot cheaper and because the 22 rifle is a good small game gun.

The list could go on but the overriding point there is that every single gun purchase I made was for a justifiable reason.

[44 AMP]

As far as I'm concerned, I own firearms for one reason. I want to.

I enjoy them. And that's what matters most.

Some guns I own for no "better" reason than I was curious about them. Some I own because they are my favorite, or best for a particular use.

And while I consider them prized possessions, I don't have safe queens, although some I don't shoot very much, or very regularly. A couple of mine are over the century mark, and so don't get frequent use. Some of them are multigenerational family heirlooms.

A few are even guns still in current production!
Rifles from .22LR to .458 Win Mag, handguns from .22LR to .45 Win Mag, and 12ga & .410 shotguns. And while I don't have one for some of the very specialized applications, I have something for a pretty wide variety of uses. And "practical" uses are what my opinion says they are, for me.

[Dwight55]

For every gun in my gun safe, I have an excuse, . . . a reason, . . . or a purpose.

I bought em, . . . I paid for em, . . . I like em, . . . I have fun with em, . . . so what is the problem?

My Beretta Stampede .45LC is probably the prettiest, . . . but I don't take it along with me when I go to the city, . . . my ugly old beat up .45 commander does that job.

If I just feel like popping caps, . . . I've got a couple Beretta .22 auto loaders and a .22 Ruger revolver with a 1/4 pound trigger.

The role each plays is in MY life, . . . and when I'm sod temperature, . . . they will do the same for someone else.

May God bless,
Dwight

[Bezoar]

you know, changing the ammunition can change a role very easily provided you bought an adequate cartridge base to start with.

[uradaisyifudo]

I once burnt the heck out of myself trying to shower with my barbecue gun, my wife once found my hotel gun and it was time to drag out my couch gun...others have hit the nail on the head, different guns have different applications and fill different roles.

[Skans]

Women have a pair of shoes for every occasion. Men have guns for every occasion. It's just the way of the world.


80% of the guns I purchase have no specific purpose - I don't carry them, I don't stick them next to my bed; I don't even use them for range guns. But, with each of them, there was something unique, interesting, attractive or collectible about it that lead me to purchase it. With some, I do enjoy taking them apart and examining the way they were made, the parts, the fit and finish.

Two people spend $8,000 on a fine Swiss watch. One bought his watch because he admires the precision and uniqueness of a particular watch; the other bought his watch because he thinks it telegraphs to others his success. Do you think you could, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, tell which is which?

[44flattop]

You couldn't be further from the truth, and what a ridiculous generalization‎.

I agree, a very ridiculous generalization. To imply that owning more than a few guns is simply conspicuous consumption is not only wrong but it's insulting.

Or that Elmer Keith was wrong when he eventually settled down upon his 41 magnum as his go to caliber?

When exactly did this happen???

I do believe that Skeeter was also a huge fan of the .44Spl.

[Justice06RR]

Its definitely an excuse to own more guns, and a good excuse at that .


Just like having different pairs of shoes for different uses, or different tools for different jobs.

You wouldn't wear dress shoes to play sports would you? Or use a flat-head screw driver when you need a phillips head, or use a knife when you need an axe?

[Micahweeks]

Some guns are suited for certain roles better than others, though I think this is more observable in rifles than handguns. In handguns, it's pretty obvious from the get go if a gun is a hunting gun or self defense gun. I mean, a single shot .223 gun with a 10" barrel? Who is honestly going to CC that? It's a compact varmint/deer gun. A Glock 19? Obviously, that's a defense gun.

Caliber, utility, weight, and other factors go into determining role. For instance, a "trail" gun is thought to be small enough to fit in a backpack but still large enough to be chambered in substantial hunting round and have enough barrel length to take advantage of the cartridge. In handguns, this would be something like the 4.2 inch SP101. It's a 5 shot .357 that is relatively light and compact framed but with enough barrel to take advantage of the .357 cartridge. It's a backpacking gun. Could you carry a 6 inch .500 mag in your backpack? Sure. Would it be overkill for the wildlife where you live? Probably. Would it contribute significantly more to your overall backpack weight? You bet. Would it leave less room for the rest of your equipment? Yup. Does that make the 4.2 SP101 better in the "role" of "backpack gun"? Objectively, probably a yes.

In rifles, this is much more obvious than in handguns. A lever action .357, for example, is completely different in design and purpose from a bolt action .338. I mean, they aren't even in the same ballpark. An AR-15, no matter how you slice it, is just not going to fill the same role as a break action .22. It's not. No way. No how. For one, you're going to take into account laws. Does a gun designed to operate with a 30 round clip or magazine seem like a hunting gun if your state limits hunting guns to 5 rounds? What about a gun designed to carry 5 rounds? Obviously, we have some roles in mind here.

Me? I've got several guns with different roles, and I use them in those roles. I've got my deer/hog guns, my GP100 and lever gun in .357. I've got my .308 big(ger) game rifle, a 700. I've got my old duty guns, a USP9, G35, G22, and a 1911. I've my hiking/camping gun, the 4.2 inch SP101. I've got my bird/squirrel shotguns. I've got my garden varmint .22 rifle. Then, I have a few guns I've experimented with over the years and kept because I liked them like the FNX9 and a few others.

All of that said... sometimes we do just want another gun. I'm not above that whatsoever. I have my "fun" guns, too. But, there is still a logic to firearm designs, and they do often fit a role.

[kilimanjaro]

I carried a stainless Model 60 snubbie in my work vest for 20 years. In wet Washington, that may qualify as a shower gun.

Still looks and functions as new.

[Quentin2]

Just call them all safe queen guns and you can have dozens! And each needs a backup gun. Then like a toolbox full of tools when you pull out a specific one for a specific job, well then you can use an appropriate name.

[Viper225]

First off where the heck is the Like Button on this Forum????

Practice Small Light Weight Concealed Carry Revolver: LCR-22

Small Light Weight Carry Revolver, for when you need to go small: 442 Pro

Carry Rotation so you do not put too much wear on any single revolver: 315 Night Guard, SP101 2 Inch, SP101 3 Inch, M10 2 Inch, M15 2 Inch, M66 3 Inch.

Cooler Weather UpSize Rotation. 310 Night Guard 10mm, 3 Inch GP100, Willy Clapp 3 Inch GP100.

Woods Carry / 4 Wheeler Carry / UTV Carry: M64 4 Inch, Ruger MK III, 617 OR whatever I was carrying before I went into Woods Carry Mode.

Practice Competition Revolver: 617 4 Inch

IDPA SSR/ICORE Classic Revolver: 686-5 Power Custom Combat, Back up M64

IDPA ESR/ICORE Limited Revolver: 610 and 625 Power Custom Combats.

Club SNUB Division: SP101

Hunting Revolver: 480 Super RedHawk

Barbecue Gun: As New S&W Model 15 Combat Masterpiece Snub. No one else I know owns one, so it is good for Show & Tell for adults.
Colt 1911 XSE Custom, to show the guys I do own something besides revolvers. Also Good for IDPA CDP Division just to have an excuse to clean it.

Truck Gun: Normally 4 Inch Barrel Revolver in warm weather probably has 2 shotshells up front for shooting CopperHeads on gravel roads. Semi Wadcutters for Armodillows, etc.

House Gun Mine: What ever I am carrying that happens to be on the dresser.

House Gun Hers: 686-1 4 Inch Power Custom Combat with Clark Moon Clip Conversion. BUT she has an Eye on my 3 Inch SP101.

Grail Gun: 686-4 with 3 Inch Barrel, with 6 shot cylinder
Alternate Grail Gun: 646 with SS Cylinder

Missing Gun that has not been Replaced YET: Nice Colt Style Single Action, for when I Dutch Oven Cook around Cowboys. Caliber: 38 Special, 44 Special, 45 Colt. Kinda like having a Tie to go with a Suit.

Bob

[shep854]

A nice, invigorating thead!
I'm firmly in the 'want' camp. I have several, want more, enjoy them all (How's that for a role? )
Aside from the fun of shooting them, I have only one real 'role' and that's personal defense. My S&W 49 fits that role nicely, though I'm not above grabbing something else if appropriate.
Mileage varies; be safe, comfortable and have fun with your choices!!

[Spats McGee]

Originally Posted by Pond, James Pond

Are the specific needs of these environments so different that they warrant a different gun? And how is one going to become proficient with all these different pistols, if one might rely on them in an emergency?

In some cases, the environments are very different. In others, I don't see enough of a difference to warrant a separate gun. Generally, I'll use one gun to fill different roles. For example, I would use my carry gun as my truck gun. Both need to be simple, dead-nuts reliable, and ugly enough that a scuff or two won't break my heart.

Originally Posted by Pond, James Pond

. . . .is it just a self-deceiving ploy to legitimise the purchase of another gun, or it there actually a logic behind each of these and others that I might have overlooked.

Some of each, I suspect.

[shep854]

So which comes first; the role or the gun??

[stephen426]

I would have to agree with your assessment that most of the time, different roles are just more excuses to buy more guns. That said, I think I have about 20 firearms. Most people could probably cover all their bases with a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle.

Pistol: A good all around pistol that is small enough to carry but large enough to get a decent grip on would be a Glock 19 in my opinion. It is highly resistant to the elements, has good capacity, and is highly reliable. If your typical dress prohibits something that large, then you may need a smaller gun that can be carried in the pocket like a Ruger LCP.

Shotgun: A pump action 12 gauge can be used for hunting as well as home defense. You might get fancy and get a semi-auto shotgun or a specialized slug gun, but a regular pump action 12 gauge (Remington 870) will get the job done for most people.

Rifle: A great all around caliber is .308, which can easily take most game in North America. Hunting rifles make horrible home defense guns due to muzzle blast and over-penetration so its hard to argue for another "need".

With that said, there are guns to fit all different kinds of uses, but it really is hard to call them true "needs".

[shep854]

It's really easy to see many of us, frozen in front of our open safes, trying to decide which gun to grab...