The Last Gun

Apparently, these posts are going to become a lot more erratic than I had originally thought. I seem to have lost the steam I had in the beginning when I was posting at least one article per week. I will try to do better.

I was having one of those odd thoughts running through my head the other day and started wondering... If I could only own one gun, what would it be? To me, this is a VERY difficult question because I have worked my whole adult life to build my collection so the thought of it being reduced back down to one gun is unthinkable. However, you never know when financial or political forces could give you no choice. Hopefully, the day will never come that this is anything more than a fun hypothetical discussion, but it is a good way to prioritize what is important in a gun choice.

To do this right, I had to set some ground rules.

1. One firearm, period. Not one pistol and one revolver and one rifle and one shotgun. Just ONE firearm.

2. So that it is realistic, I set a price limit. For a rifle, the max would be $2,000. If I chose anything else, it would be $1,000.

So, I had to figure out what things I use a firearms for and then prioritize them into what is the most important for me. Here is my list in order of what I feel is the most important...

• Concealed Carry/Self Defense
  
• Home Defense
• IDPA
• Teaching new shooters about firearms
  
• Recreational Target Shooting
• Wilderness Survival Tool
• Hunting

I chose concealed carry as my top priority because it is the one thing I do with a firearm EVERY day. That greatly narrows down the list of possible choices. It completely eliminates rifles and shotguns from consideration. The whole reason for concealed carry is for self defense, so it would have to be in a caliber that is adequate for self defense. That means 9mm or bigger in my book (I do carry a .380 occasionally, but only as a backup or when I can't conceal anything else). Since it needs to be concealable, that means no BIG guns so scratch off N-frame revolvers and particularly large pistols like the HK Mark 23 or Desert Eagle. For home defense, pretty much anything that is good enough for self defense while carrying concealed can do the job at home too, so that's not a problem.

Since I really enjoy IDPA and would want something I could be somewhat competitive with, I can't go too small on the gun size or too big on the caliber size. That means probably sticking to a compact or full sized pistol or a medium framed revolver and limiting my calibers to 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP or .357Magnum. Since single column .45's have too low of a capacity as compared to other similar pistols and double stack .45's are too big for smaller hands, I eliminated it from the list. If I went with a pistol, I'd rather go with 9mm than .40S&W just because ammo will be easier to find and less expensive, but with the hotter defensive loads, it will still do the job.

Now, I needed decide between a pistol and a revolver. My first instict was to go with a revolver. They are durable, simple and (in my opinion) beautiful. However, as I looked at the next two items on the list (teaching and plinking) I realized that both of these are best done with a .22LR. Since I can't get a second gun in .22 in this scenario, I need to limit my choices to guns I can buy a .22 conversion kit for. So... scratch off revolvers.

The last two items are a problem. If I'm going with a pistol in 9mm it isn't going to be great for outdoor use or hunting, but there is a reason they were at the bottom of my priority list. Besides, in a pinch, you could use a 9mm pistol for hunting smaller game (I'd say anything smaller than a boar) and while not ideal, it will fend off smaller 4-legged predators in a wilderness situation. It wouldn't be too great against bears, but choosing one gun means making compromises.

Now, I need to find a 9mm pistol that is reliable, durable, decently accurate, is small enough to conceal but big enough to compete with in IDPA and you can buy a .22 conversion kit for it. There are probably others, but the only one I know that fits all those criteria is a Glock 19. I guess that would be my choice. Hopefully, it is a choice I'd never have to make.

A few other reasons for this choice would be that Glocks very rarely break. If they do break, they are very easy to work on and the factory parts are available from plenty of retailers. In fact, you can put together a fairly complete spare parts kit and all the tools you need (one punch) for less than $75. Plus, you are getting a very handy sized gun that is not overly heavy that has a great capacity and there are tons of aftermarket accessories to make it fit your needs.

If there was any way I was able to keep a second gun, I have no questions about what my second gun would be. I'd take an M4-style AR-15 for my other gun without a second thought.

As an interesting side note, I posed this question on one of my favorite gun forums. I was surprised at the variety of answers I got. Some people went as large as a FAL or M1A and some went as small as I did with a Glock 19. The point is that there is no one answer. Everyone has different things they do with guns. That is the beauty of our hobby is that it is so diverse.

Stay safe out there... and watch your six.