I always enjoy the nerdery of discussing our “core guns.” Yes, I have a zillion guns, but these are the guns that are my “go to” or core guns…
J-frame. I have several. But a J-frame is in my pocket pretty much any time I am wearing clothes. If you mess with me, I will probably get to blast at you with my .38. I love it because it can be dropped in a pocket and I am proficient within 25 yards for minute of pumpkin.
Benelli M4 (sbs). This with a surefire turbo and 6 shots of )00 buck, 2 more on the saddle and 2 slugs on the saddle is my general pest and burglar gun. I adore this gun as it will put 8 pellets in a fist with 15 yards and will keep it in the gut at 25. Aim for the neck at 100 and a truball slug can deal with most unarmored pests.
Beretta 92 with Surefire x400. This is my bump in the night gun. I adore the Beretta 92 and I shoot it better than any of my other guns including my 1911. Safe, accurate and reliable.
Colt 11.5 Commando with Supressor. This is my “Good Lord wtf have I gotten myself into gun?” No explanation needed.
How about you guys? I figure we can have some fun for a change.
Model 70 30-06: I can hunt pretty much anything in the world with it, and the action is perfect.
M4A1: My go to build is basically a retro GWOT at this point, but the KAC quad rail is indestructible, and with an Eotech and magnifier I can shoot comfortably out to 400 yards, and stretch it further if I have too.
Glock 19: Small enough for EDC, big enough to use on a battle belt. I don’t “love” them, but it’s so damn functional I can’t justify not carrying it.
Colt Government Model: I just like 1911s and if I could only have one a classic Series 70.
I’ve got a lot more guns, but those four are the ones I default to, and are typically the benchmarks I compare everything else too.
I have more pictures, but I think you get the idea. Multiple mags tried, multiple types of ammunition used, same results. 5-10% failure rate, to one extent or another. It’s back with Sig now, we’ll see what they do.
Oh, that’s bringing back familiar memories.
My bet is a bad extractor.
Bought a fresh off the shelf DD back in the day.
Would not zero for shit, and had that EXACT smashed-case double-feed malf like every several rounds.
Sent it back to DD - turns out I got the ONE rifle with a warped barrel and a f***ed up extractor.
They changed the barrel, sent me a new bolt, totally fine from then on.
A few years later, I took the original bolt, swapped the extractor out, put it in a new “spare parts” gun, and sure enough…totally fine from then on.
1)G19. Several combos of dot, flashlight, comp, or not. And a dedicated silencer host. Other pistols that come out of the safe often include a G23, G43/48, and G42. These are inexpensive utilitarian guns.
2)12.5” flavored M4s. One with a dot, one with a LPVO. I have others, but that’s what goes with me all the time. The others, mostly 14.5”, but with a 16” or 18” here and there, come out periodically.
3)Training analogues. 12.5” PCC, G44, and M&P15-22. These get shot a lot.
4)I do carry a J Frame fairly often.
Most of the rest of my stuff can be categorized as “collector” guns or “hunting” guns. There are a few that I’d rather not part with, but don’t qualify as “core”, shoot or carry multiple times a month sort of guns.
If I had to narrow it down to 4 or 5 I guess it would look something like this:
1.) Mid sized 9X19 pistol, G19, Shadow System MR920, HK VP9, or P30. Make sure it has real iron sights and is optic capable. Get a few good holsters. Get 5-8 magazines for it and call it a day.
2.) M4 of some description that is high quality. My favorite is a KAC SR-15 wearing an Aimpoint Comp M5. Might go back to a LPVO on that one at least the 16” upper. A bunch of other good options. Any quality M4 will do from 12.5” to 16”. Whatever. Get a bunch of mags, a light, and a good sling. This isn’t rocket surgery.
3.) Precision bolt gun. I have an Accuracy International AT-X with a Zeiss LRP S3 6-36X56 in a Spuhr mount. This one is kind of cheating because I can run multiple calibers, but it’s my party and I’ll do what I want. If needs be you can probably hunt most critters within reason with it although it is stuoid heavy. If LRI ever gets done prototyping new bolts off my original I will be able to run more than one bolt face size too.
4.) A shotgun of some description. The kind you shoot birds with.
Some of these are easy picks for me, but the AR is actually hard.
My pocket gun has switched from a J-frame to a Glock 43. I find the 43 easier to get good hits at range and the reload is faster.
My main pistol is a Glock 17. It is a utilitarian workhorse. I also like the M&P and the P320, but I already have so many holsters and mags for the 17 that Im just sticking with it.
If Im wanting to carry something nice it’s the 1911. I love the craftsmanship and history of the pistol. If I could only have 1 handgun it would probably be a 1911.
Mossberg 500/590. I had one as a kid. I had one in the Army. I have one now. It’s just a simple pump shotgun that works.
The AR is where I have a problem. I have several ARs but they are all setup for different things. 11.5 with a red dot, 16 inch with a LPVO, Colt 6920 with an ACOG, A1 style carry handle iron sights only, Army A4 rifle “clone”, SPR, 22 trainer. If I had to choose one I would probably go with a standard configuration M4 like a Colt 6920 with an ACOG. Simple, light weight, robust, and kind of a general purpose setup.
Alamo Precision Rifles 308. I love this rifle. I have an Accuracy International AT in 6.5 Creedmoor that out performs this rifle at range. But I always come back to a 308 in a stock. I love the feel and looks of a good stock.
