If You Could Only Own 3 Guns, These Should be the Ones You Pick

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We all love firearms. Shooting is a fun and fulfilling hobby, and the pursuit of building an extensive gun collection is part of the experience. However, not everybody can afford to build up a massive arsenal like the ones we see online.

So what’s the best course of action if you could only own three guns? You want to have a wide range of flexibility when it comes to the type of shooting you can do, but you don’t want to break the bank. What should you do?

Well, if you’re interested in having just three guns that can serve as self-defense, hunting, and sporting firearms, then there’s a video you have to see. It tells us the best three guns to own, and it tells you exactly why.

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Check it out below:

What do you think? Do agree with the video’s stance?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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25 COMMENTS

  1. Agreed. The only set back for me is I own a Browning A-5. I’m also a strong advocate of the 22 LR. Having both a pistol and a pump and semi-auto carbine rifles, a lot of ammo can be carried in a run scenario.

  2. 13 yr in the brooks range of ak. my go to meat getter 22lr pistol. Shot placement! #2 45 70 407 gr 2100 max reloads. It was my right of trail gun. 3 rd gun that never run out of ammo, insanely sharp k-bar, my daddies wwII steel. If things got bad I put it in my hand and thought about all his bad times. Felt kind of like a wuss then, got my sorry butt out of the snow and mushed on. Never fired that knife, but stuck in a bear once though. Kind of sorry Idid because the bear ran off with my daddies wwII steel. So any of ya good old boys run across a pile of bones with a k-bar sticking out please return it.

  3. Mossberg 500, S&W M&P R8 8-shot .357 Magnum revolver (one shot stopper and revolver reliability) and M1A .308 Winchester with 20 round mag – again, one shot stopper. Next one would be a .22lr Henry lever action (15 rounds).

  4. I would probably go with a revolver, with a rifle in the same caliber, and an AR-15 carbine. That’s actually about what I’ve done already in minimizing the number of calibers I have to buy for—but I do own a 12-gauge, but I would forgo that if I could only have 3.

  5. This idea came to me many years ago, I already had a 9 MM, then I went for the Police type riot shotgun, and finally a AR type of Rifle. Course I already had my hunting rifle, so the new one had to have more capacity, as it is for protection of my family and property. I for one would like all gun manufacturer and the responsible people to stop calling rifles that look-a-like, say the M!6 military which can be fired fully automatically, semi-automatics as they can only be fired one round at a time with you having to pull trigger every time. The only thing about my 9 MM and AR type that is automatic is that they eject the spent round and inject a new round into firing chamber, and will not fire until trigger is pulled. Course it would be nice if you bought all of your weapons in same caliber and then your ammo, a single caliber, would fit every one of them. Some of the newer units manufactured today allow you to have this advantage.

  6. I don’t care for 9mm or 5.56. I would rather have a little more knockdown power. The 12 gauge is fine but to go with it I would have a 10mm pistol which you can use for both self defense and hunting. and an AR 10 in 308.

    • Mr. Jones, you have been looking in my locker. Those are exactly my choices. 12 gauge pump, a 1911 chambered in 10mm on a Para frame with a double stack magazine(gotta have a lotta hand to wrap around, but I do) and the venerable .308. In the semi auto AR10, you can hunt, you can defend in closer if you need to, and you can snipe a good long ways if you practice a bit. Good scope helps on two of the three. Might consider a quick tip off mount for the scope if you are seriously looking at a firefight inside a hundred yards, and it does bring up the question of penetrating a bit TOO much, but then that’s why you have the other two. All three cling to the old adage “Bring enough gun.”

  7. All opinions re guns, what you need, etc. is purely subjective; stick with what you like and feel safe with!

  8. I disagree with only three. I do agree with the shotgun an AR but would add a 10/22 (which in a pinch could be used with extended mad for defense) and a high cap .45 ( ammo is plentiful plus it is a military caliber).
    I believe that any caliber used by militaries, especially ours) is very desirable).
    That’s my opinion for what it is worth.

  9. I personally Multiple AR 15’s but the Armalite M15 3 Gun is my favorite which is one of the best 15’s I have ever owned with extra Bells and Whistles Like Scope a Bipod and a few other extras. I have multiple 9mm’s I have a Sig Sauer P 2220 9mm, a Ruger SR9C 9mm For Carry. Which I love as it has a good size capacity mag and has very comfortable fit to my hand not to mention it shoots very well. I also have a few older 9mm’s a S&W and a Barretta. But prefer the Sig and the Ruger. I a few 12 Ga shotguns but the two favorite are the 870 Remington and a Mossberg 500 both have their place and are for different uses. If I had to pick 3 it would be the Armalite M15 the Ruger SR9C and my Mossberg 500. I Enjoy all of my Winchesters as well, I have a Classic 1863 44-40 my father gave me a few years ago when he retired and was getting rid of some of his guns but wanted this one to stay in the family. I also have my Winchester 30-30 my dad gave me when I was 12 my first hunting rifle. And then My wife gave me a 200th Anniversary Edition Winchester 30-30 for our anniversary a few years ago which is really sweet hanging on the wall and actually shoots very good. I also love my Big Boy Hendry 44 Magnum Lever Action which is just a well made gun and is all American made. The Wife also bought me a Big Boy Deluxe Engraved 3rd Edition 44 Mag a about 6 years ago which hangs next to my Winchester on the wall of my gun room.

  10. 1) I would choose and do have the AR-15 in different variations from .223/5.56 and .22lr. This is first choice as they can be used for
    Home defense and will also do will if you have a 1 in 7 barrel twist using 69+ Grin bullets for medium long range shots if needed out
    to 300+ yards with very good accuracy.

    2) I choose the Remington 870 Bull Pup! modification with the extended Shot Shell tube. This gets you up to 8 rounds. Ba Da Bing, Ba Da
    BOOMB !

    3) I have carried different types and caliber semi auto hand guns and have set down to a Glock Customized 26 Gen 4. The .380 is a tad to
    under powered but well suited for a small carry for a lady’s purse. It will do the job if needed. A .45 is a tad to big and the ammo is more
    expensive than the .9mm.

    Comparing the bullet weight of the .45 and the .9mm the .45 has less muzzle velocity and the .9mm has a much higher muzzle velocity.
    Therefore the energy in hitting foot pounds is almost a trade off. This is why I choose the .9mm Glock 26 Gen. 4. I added a NM SS Fire Dragon barrel,
    Glock Store Pyramid 3.5 pull Trigger, SS dual Recoil Guide Rod, a Pyramid Match 2lb Firing Pin Spring, a Extended slide release. I had the extended
    Mag Release but replaced it with the stock release. The extended would on numerous occasions release the Magazine (NOT GOOD). Oh for got to
    mention is must have a magazine 2 round extension for a better grip plus the extra 2 rounds. All the stuff to customize a Glock is to be had
    at the glockstore.com

  11. My “End-of-the-world” rifle is my Kel-Tec RFB with Trijicon military sight (requires no batteries) .308 (7.61 X 51mm) good caliber for self-defense and hunting.
    Glock 19 or possibly 17 (more capacity and longer sight radius and still conceable if slightly more difficult to do so)
    Mossberg 12 gauge pump (Already own it). (I love my Beretta A-400 semi-auto 12 gauge which I would keep if not trying to “bug out”)

    All depends on if this 3 gun scenario is because the World has turned to S**t and you are in survival mode or if it is simply some kind of weird “New World” where you can only have 3 guns for some reason. If the former, then my adult son who lives with me would be carrying an AR-15 (M4 type) with the 100 round magazine that I bought for them. 🙂 And a handgun of possibly a larger caliber (.45ACP or 10mm) I have both in Glocks. And whichever shotgun I’m not carrying! 🙂 My wife would be carrying her baby Glock and probably a light rifle Ruger 10-22.

  12. I would own a AR15 with at least 10 30rd clips & 500 rds, A single shot 22 cal air rifle with 500 pellets, you could shoot rabbits,squirrels, even a deer. A Walther PPQ 9mm with at least 4 clips & 100 rds of hollow points.
    Be proficient with all of them. Wear a military jacket with water supply, water pills. Kill every SOB that trys to mess with you or your loved ones. Also wear a Tactical Knife, have a fire starter.
    Have a small tent and sleeping bag, a rain coat, compass and one of those new 700 lumen flash lights. Some #1 snares would be nice, your medicine. Sounds like allot, but most are necessary. Good luck

  13. I carry a Beretta PX-4 storm, have a PolymAR-15SC carbine,and a Standard DP-12. I sleep with a judge. Carried a Glock 19 for a few years and found the Beretta much more user friendly having arthritic hands. The DP-12 is by far the best home defense weapon loaded with 14 12g 00 buck. I guess I have to say I’ll stay with these 4. Being an avid hunter I would hate to have to part with any of my others either.

  14. I would own a AR15 with 10 clips loaded, a Walther PPQ 9mm with 4 clips & 100rds, A single shot 22 pellet rifle to shoot rabbits, etc It’s quiet and ammo is cheep.

  15. Interesting. I have an AR-15 Sporter (bought in late 80’s), a Remington 870 short barrel and a Glock 19 (among other 9’s)

  16. Oh Boy! Only three?
    1. Ruger Mini 14 ranch rifle in .223 (close/medium range effectiveness, laser, scope and light)
    2. Sig P320 in 9mm (usually concealable, common ammo, reliable, love the trigger)
    3. Mossburg 500 in 12ga. (any close work, fright factor, food getter, laser and light)

    Since my wife and dog would be with me they would back me up with:
    4. Remington pump in 30.06 (long reach, large game, reliable, scope)
    5. Ruger Mark III in .22LR (extremely accurate, small game, plinking, last resort self defense)
    6. Ruger Alaskan revolver in .44Mag (“any” big game with two or four legs, fright factor, open carry chest rig)

    • Forgot to mention ammo, a very critical factor for sure.
      12ga (slugs, OO buckshot, bird shot)
      9mm and 44mag in Hornady FTX (personal favorite for maximum wound channel for defensive purposes)
      .22LR, .223, 30.06 (too many good ones to list)

  17. Your three are excellent choices.

    I prefer the Mossberg Maverick M-88 12 ga shotgun simply because it’s cheaper. All sorts of shot available from bird shot to slugs. Although I too like the 870, my M-88 also has a cross bolt safety. My personal fav round to keep in my shotgun for home defense is #4 Buckshot. It is a man stopper, but I don’t worry about shooting through walls with it.

    A pistol is simply what you use to fight your way to your shotgun. All calibers are fine here. I personally am a dyed-in-the wool M-1911A-1 user and always will be because I practice with it all the time. If all you can accurately handle is .22 caliber, .22LR Hollow point is deadly. Besides, who’s gonna stick their head up to see if you’re firing 22’s at them, or suppressed some-other-caliber?

    Rifles are like; do you prefer Fords or Chevy’s? I personally like the M-1917 Eddystone in 30-06 because there is less chance of a malfunction than a semi-auto rifle. Also, when I run out of ammo, I still have a very effective weapon in my hands.

    When you have your main three, then is time to consider other weapons.

    .22 LR pistol and rifle, .223 pistol and rifle, .308 rifle, .357 Magnum pistol and carbine, .44 Magnum pistol and carbine, .452 black power revolver and rifle, ad nauseum. As you can see, a pistol/rifle in the same caliber are good for carry weapons in the wild where commonality of ammo pays off quickly.

    Best advice I can give; go to a popular shooting range and shoot everything you can lay your hands on. THEN choose what YOU like best. It’s your life that depends on it, so choose wisely.

    After you’ve chosen your weapons, then get as much reloading equipment that you can afford, and store.

    Reloading doesn’t save you any money, but you shoot three times as much!

    Semper Fi!

    • Amen @M-88 call, I love my Mossy 88. Some complain about the fore end having too much slop in it, but it doesn’t bother me. The pricepoint can’t be beat, I paid a whopping $169 for mine and spent maybe another $100 putting an m4 style buttstock and railed foreend up front with a vertical grip and light. And as far as best caliber goes, my rationale is the best caliber is the one you can shoot accurately and effectively. If you can’t hit your mark, your weapon is useless.

  18. wrong ar is wrong choise {ak, as ammo is always there all over the world,action is more reliable than ar } 45 is a GOOD choice for hand gun , shotgun 18″ is always the best choice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  19. You have made good choices for a man on a limited budget buying only three weapons to cover all purposes weapons/firearms are made for. The 9mm, the .223 and 12 the 12 guage are all effective rounds with comon/military ammo. For the money, the Mossbergs have always been smooth and reliable pumps for me. A poly choke will group one of them down to 2 feet at 40 yards. I know, hard to believe, most of the pellets by far within a foot of the point of aim. I like the Model 92 similar to the one the military carries. For the rifle, if we are dreaming, I’d get the AR10. Again, common ammo and a bit more punch than a .223; similar rate of fire. In the maneuver state of a firefight, you don’t want a huge magazine to get hung up and or damaged. Twenty rounders are fine. Worked for the BAR men of olde. I’ve shot one scoped and unscoped. The scoped was 5X24. power and was a tack driver with our 165 gr spire point boat tails. The unscoped one was probably as accurate. In the army, at 300 meters, once I shot a four inch, 10 shot group with a standard issue M16 and regular old Army Issue ball ammo. I have to keep retelling of my top rifle performance of all time at the range. heh heh heh. Since we are talking economy, though, the AR 15 is kinda pricey if not worth it. I’d say a Winchester model 70 in .308 would be the rifle I’d choose. So, Bolt .308, Moosberg pump 12 with different barrels, and a Modle 92 in 9mm is what I’d grab and run with…. Being really tempted to bring #4 along; a .22 LR semi auto rifle. Model 66 being much more accurate in my experience than a 10/,22.

  20. An AR15 with 10 clips 300rd, a single shot 22 air rifle with pellets for rabbits etc even a deer, a Walther PPQ 9mm with 4 clips and 100 rds. I’d have a small tent, sleep bag,
    back pack with water bag and water pills, compass,map, tactical knife,fire starter. Small gill net, cooking kit, medication, good boots, rain poncho, small ax, 700 lumen flashlight.
    some candles. If I had a canoe I’d take a river to the wilderness.

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