Wish List

Ahhh, just about every gun type that enjoys the shooting/hunting/collecting hobby has a Wish List. Gunnies are human. They covet. They want new toys. They want to possess yet another piece of history, perhaps. They drool at the display cases at military or law-enforcement or armory museums. Very few have all the guns they’d ever want or need, and even if they do they are often interested in new one to at least look at or inspect or fire a few rounds through. For instance, I may want to shoot a single round of .50 BMG out of one of them new fangled sniper rifles just to see how it feels, but if someone GAVE me the rifle and a lifetime supply of ammo as a gift I wouldn’t keep it. It’s a cool gun, but not for me. But think of what I could buy with the proceeds of a resale. Same thing with an AK-47 clone. Firing a clip and seeing what’s so special and reliable about the mechanism by inspecting the guts really interests me. But I don’t want or need one. If YOU want or need one, that’s fine. It’s a neat gun. I can see why you like it, need it, and desire to possess your own. I hope you find a nice one at a decent price. It’s just not for me. Same with AR-15 clones, to tell you the truth. I'd like to fire an automatic weapon once or twice in my life at a gun range. A BAR or a Thompson sub-machine gun. But even if I had the money and the license to own a fully automatic machine gun I wouldn't want to own it. Not much use for it, and all that ammo is expensive.

So what DO I want, need, or covet? Well sit back and let me expound…

I have what I want right now. A good rifle, a good shot gun, a good handgun. All fulfill their niche quite well enough. I can stand pat a long time on these, learning their ins and outs, and that is probably what will happen. But time will come to make the trip to the gun store.

The Garand is great. But what are its limitations? The Enbloc clip that you feed from above, rather than a magazine from below is the closest thing to a weakness. The clip only holds 8 rounds, too. I can’t fault the rest of the weapon. I love walnut stocks too. So I have an M1A on my list, near the top. I wavered for a while over that and a spare Garand (for parts, in an emergency) before settling on the Springfield M1A. The M1A is a single-shot M-14, essentially. .308, like my Garand. I’d prefer walnut stocks, as I live in Maryland and black guns make the local hoplophobic people illucid when they see a black stock, but then again… This latest permutations of the M-14/M1A is also interesting: See THIS example, or this, and check out the extended rail on this one

And these are being used in combat by people that find the M-16 and offshoots to be not enough gun.

I really like that full rail carbine version and it’s perfect for a Zombie Outbreak if you have enough magazines.

I’ve mentioned before my desire for a non-collectible bolt-action rifle (unlike my current ’03, where I am reluctant to make major modifications). My requirements are very picky and particular, it may be a while before I find one that speaks to me and tell me to take it home. Especially since I tend to cruise the used-gun market. Though there are few I’d buy new, like a lefty Ruger Mk77 II Interntional, or Frontier which Ruger doesn’t yet make as a lefty. Maybe a left version of the Remington 700 or a used Winchester 70 if I can find one. And the Steyr Mannlicher Scout may eventually break down and make a lefty. My requirements are: Left handed bolt. Sling points for a Ching Sling. A place to mount a scope rail (I haven’t decided on Scout style 2.5x or a conventional style 10x.). Iron sights, and peek-thru scope rings so I can use them if the scope is knocked out of whack. Chambered in .308 or .30-06 (notice I am simplifying my ammo inventory this way). Light weight -- as close to 7 pounds full loaded as possible. The Mannlicher Scout:

Next on the wish list is a major caliber pistol. A .45 ACP semi-auto. The round is proven stopper and the 1911 style design is well proven. If Maryland ever gets sane concealed carry legislation I’d love to have a Colt Commander or the S&W clone. A Glock 21 even. I like the trigger safety on the Glock, it’s a lighter weapon than the 1911s and has no grip safety, methinks, that I find annoying. A disadvantage of the glock is the left-right alternation of the cartridges in the magazine, which make the grip thick and can have failure to feed issues. (this failure to feed is less of a problem in the Glock, apparently, than in other models) The 1911’s advantage is their hundred years of proven performance. This is the Smith and Wesson version:

But if I can’t carry something that heavy because of circumstances...

A nice little pistol I first learned about from Denise on the Ten Ring Blog is the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Pistol. There is even one for sale at my local gunstore in the .380 caliber I’d prefer. She gives it a great review of it here. And that review alone has sold me. Denise and I share the same fondness for prewar engineering, gun blueing, and wood stocks that tend not to scare the straights as much as modern black rifles. [One other thing that I will elaborate on in another post perhaps, Ten Ring, along with Armed Canadian and Alphecca are why I went ahead and joined the NRA. That and Ted Nugent sorta ordered me to. And I don’t want to tick off Ted Nugent and get HIM mad at me….]

Everyone needs a snub nose too, so add a snub nose to that list of handguns, bringing us up to 3 total handguns on the wish list. Probably a .38 special, 5 shot. I have to check closer as I know a lot of snubbys are double action, which I don’t like. And the cartridge size is too light, but having a weak double action snubby in a gunfight is much better than nothing. (Jeff Cooper says: The first rule about a gunfight is – Bring a gun.) Can’t beat the portability of a snub nosed revolver. If I just get a snub nose, and not the Colt 1903, the ammo inventory is still simplified. Without the Colt 1903 it’s .45, .357/.38PS, .308, 12 g with all the go-to guns. This is the S&W Model 60:

What else? Well a double barrel shotgun is cheap and you can hang it over your door for quick deployment. I’d have to weigh that convenience with the safety of a loaded gun out in the open. A longer barrel might prove a better hunter than my Remington Model .

Everyone needs a .22 LR rifle, and Ruger makes the 10/22. You can buy .22 rounds for cheap and plink all day. Good for varmints, cheap practice, and the ammo practically comes in 5 gallon buckets. A must-buy according to survivalists for rabbits and such. Rabbits make good eatin’!

And while we are there, the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rife is also on the list. I don’t normally lean toward .223 cartridges. Too small for my taste for general purpose, but the ammo is plentiful and while you can use it to defend against Zombies and some unmotivated human bad guys, it is also a good survivalist hunting round. And Rugers are a good value for the money. By the way, the Mini-30 is very similar to the M1A .308, for about half the price, but I’ll get the M1A.

That’s 5 long guns, and now I can’t store any ammo in my gun cabinet. Maybe after all there I’ll get a BIG heavy 10 gun Safe and make the cabinet the ammo storage.