# The Three Gun Battery



## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

I believe that every home should possess a three gun battery - a centerfire rifle, a handgun and a .22 rifle.

Here's your challenge: Create an extremely affordable, but very useful, 3-gun battery for the average homesteader who preps. Also consider you want the weapons to be useable by as many members of the family as possible (typical 4 person family, two kids...one child is 12, the other is 15).

What three guns do you pick?


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## Pops2 (Jan 27, 2003)

Pump or lever action rifle in 357/38
357 revolver
10/22
20 ga pump


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## lonelytree (Feb 28, 2008)

3 Won't do.

Ruger 10/22 Takedown.
.44 629 S&W
12 GA Pump Mossburg
30-06 Tikka T3

Wish list. 
SKS or AK47
AR platform.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

I had a handgun once. But everytime I felt like there might be a intruder around, I would always grab the shotgun and a handfull of buckshots. But as for the other two, I always have them around for my hunting needs and protection.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

assuming all new guns on the market today 

THE 4 GUN 
Savage mark II bolt 22
Remington 870 youth 20 ga
Savage axis 243
Ruger SR9C


OR THE 3 GUN 
savage mark II bolt 22
Remington 870 youth 20 ga 
Ruger SR9c 

first why did my 3 gun not include a center fire rifle , the majority of all hunting and shooting takes place at less than 100 yards and a shotgun can take most any game at less than 100 yards with reasonably priced slugs 

the savage Mark II 22 bolt - solid gun accurate out of the box comes with iron sights easily takes a scope if you decide you want one , easy to use , and leaves options open for CBee rounds , and Quite rounds bolts are far less picky about what brand of ammo they feed. the same ammo that turned my auto into a jam-o -matic fed fine for the rest of the brick in the bolt 

Remingtion 870 youth - as a 6'2" man i can fire almost any sized gun , i can shoulder the 870 youth fine sure it is a little short but it comes with a 21 inch barrel , and will fit the kids the wife ,a and if i am headed out to try my hand at the pheasant i keep kicking up walking thru the field and i want to lengthen the stock a bit a simple slip on recoil pad will do it in a matter of a few minutes 
Generally size to your smallest person it is easier to use a gun that's a little small for you than to use one much to large the 870 will fire slugs that will take most any game around out to 100 yards just fine (slugs travel further , and are deadly powerful beyond 100 yards but from rifled slugs from a smooth bore barrel the velocity drops below the point where the slug is stable and accuracy fades )

Ruger SR9C Why the SR9c because if your only going to have one hand gun it is going to do double duty , commonly the recommendation is a 38 or 357 revolver but your on a budget revolvers in 357 of good manufacture are a hundred more than an auto of good manufacture and I believe that it is possible for a 12yo,15yo, small to medium frame woman or man to fire an auto with a little practice 
double duty , a handgun is primarily a self defense gun the SR9c is the compact version of the SR9 duty sized pistol , what is the difference they shorten the barrel some , and they shorten the grip, why is this good , because when your trying to conceal a gun the grip is the hardest part to hide shorter is easier to hide, but doesn't that make it harder to shoot , yes it does till you insert the full lenght magazine then you have the full service lenght grip and 17 rounds of ammo
other reasons for the SR9c all the controls are ambidextrous , striker fired same trigger pull every time and a short clean one at that. with the compact magazine the gun holds 12+1

Savage Axis in 243 , solid gun accurate out of the box , good controls , 243 is a capable round yet lighter recoil , if your thinking center fire rifle your thinking distance or precision and distance a savage from the bench should with good ammo be capable of 1or 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards and 3-4 at 200 that makes it very capable for shooting wood chuck , prairie dogs , coyote, and deer 

other considerations , you may want a scope on the 22 , don't buy the tiny tube 22 scopes , a number of companies make good scopes that will work well on 22's but use standard 1 inch weaver rings and give you better eye relief and clarity.
for the shotgun there are sights that mount to the vent rib to give you rifle sights on your smoth bore shotgun they work well mount the front sight as far forward as you can and the read as far back as you can then if you decide to take them off for a little bird hunting putting them back on is simple fire a few sighting rounds to make sure your still on before opening day of deer season but then your ready to hunt.

chokes use Improved cylinder for slugs , otherwise modified is most commonly used but pattern your gun so you know where it shoots 

these are all guns that can serve dual purposes making them very versatile, some one may say 12 ga 28 inch barrel is the only way to hunt ducks , while it is a good way if your asking this question your probably not already a serious duck hunter . your a person look to cover their firearms bases for a home stead in the majority of the lower 48


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## bluetogreens (May 31, 2010)

affordable in a regular market-
ak-47 or 74 take your pick-SKS-D or standard if necessary under law 
handgun is all preference, BUT 45 acp capable of +P ammunition or higher
ruger 10/22 remington 597 (i have both and for shooting prefer the 597 but for a "toy" the ruger is more fun)
To be honest though for "prepping" I would skip the handgun altogether and suggest a 12 or 20gauge shotgun- lots more versatility, lots more power. 
People say tought o walk around with a rifle/shotgun etc.- once you learn to use a sling and proper carry procedures its second nature. 

The home invasion in atlanta yesterday- Woman shot an intruder 5 out of 6 times from a 38 revolver at close range hitting in the face and neck- I repeat FACE AND NECK- and he still made it to his car and drove a few feet before parking in a neighbors driveway to call 911.


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## bluetogreens (May 31, 2010)

MID to high range in normal market
AR-15 or ar-10 or FS2000/scar 16/17
12/20 gauge shotgun
ruger 10/22 or remington 597 or even marlin 60.

lever action 357 magnum/357 mag pistol
Ruger Mini-14/30
savage singleshot 22/410 or 22/12 gauge.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Mosin- Fires a large round pretty straight, reaches out farther than I can see, is cheap and reliable.

Mossburg Defender 500- Is battle tested, reliable, not too spendy. ( I added this because I think a shotgun should be in every arsenal too)

Savage 64f- Cheap and shoots straight right out of the box.

Highpoint .40- Shoots straight enough, cheap, lifetime warranty.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

If I could only have three, my first would be a good .22 rim fire rifle, followed by a good sturdy 12ga. I top it all off with quality bolt action center fire rifle. I'd prefer 30 06 but would lean towards 7.62 if I was worried about future ammo.


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

Ruger 10/22
Mossberg 590
1911
Any of my Mausers or Moisins..


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## gotlabs (Dec 16, 2012)

870 12g, 28" barrel along with smoothbore slug barrel
Ruger blackhawk 4 5/8" barrelled 357 convertible with 9mm cylinder 
Ruger M77 in 7mm rem mag. Scoped


My next choice would be an AR instead of the 7mm. 

Yes, my 14 yo daughter could handle all of the above. Recoil is a mind game.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

My three:

Bushmaster AR-15
Remington LTR .308
Winchester 20 Gauge Shotgun.

I don't include my pistol because its part of my body.


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

We did this at work before the Y2k non event in case of zombies and three just never made it on anyone's list. 

The list I reached for myself and my then wife as I already had a few were a 30-06 lever action Winchester with scope for possible long range, a pair of marlin model 60s for shorter range pin down fire with a reload man. matched 9 mm semi automatic pistols and extra magazines for close range , .38 snub revolver for me as close range back up and a 12 gauge double barrel for me and a 20 gauge double barrel for her with shell bandolier belts with #8 bird shot for potential closer range.

Of the eight weapons I only had to buy her .22 rifle and 9mm and a few spare magazines. which she kept when we divorced as they were bought for her. 

She tried to sneak my 20 gauge with 20 inch barrel out too but when I caught her I reminded her I had had that since I was 16 and took all my firearms except my carry 9mm to my parents for safekeeping along with most all of my ammunition I had .


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I could never pick just three...... :shrug:


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

at y2k time we were limited to 10 round removable magazines on new purchases his was the time from 1994 to 2004

the marlin model 60s brother is the 795 it is the same gun with a removable 10 round magazine , it is a good gun at a good price and a favorite for building LTR Liberty Training Rifles it solves the model 60's primary draw back , slow to reload .
the 795 also has the benefit of last round bolt hold open , somthing the 10/22 does not have 

what it doesn't have is the availability of 25 round magazines that the 10/22 has 

while this suppressive fire may be desirable for zombies , a bolt that feeds very reliably , and offers other options is a good choice for homestead work

I have found CBlongs very use full around the homestead , they can be fired in a building without making your ears ring , in my testing do not penetrate a 2x4, and they do a good job on pests that might get into chickens and such at close range 10 yards or so , also good for putting down pests in live traps , a friend of mine shot a **** in his corn crib with a 30-30 , he is fixing his corn crib now , and his ears were painfully ringing at the time but all the other guns were put away at the time. his shot did far more damage than the **** was doing.
I think a hammer pounding in a nail makes more noise than a CBee fired from a bolt gun


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Just three hey? Can't do it sorry. Not even hypothetically can I go there...


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I would prefer a shotgun over a handgun any day.
And it its going to be 4 guns instead of three I would still replace the Hand Gun with a Rifle.

Now is this a 3 gun Battery for each able Individual in the home? 
A gun can only have one user at a time.
And if that user is over run and weapon lost well, think you can see the problem there.
So I would Say best coarse of action is same model for everyone each round.
Shot guns first, and then so on.


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

Hi Guys,
I concur a shotgun is a very versitle tool ammo a bit expensive these days. for the average folks. I would stick with the 870 or 500 as a base. but if you can afford it used and it works!
A very accurate 22 is also extremly useful tool. I dont find any of the semi auto's able to keep up with any even the cheapest bolt action. So they have never been of any interest to me. I might be vagely interested in a take down 10/22 but I think I would do better with a 22 revolver than most of the semi auto rifles/carbines. Smaller package, less temptation to spray and pray.
A long range centerfire I'll stick with my 1917 enfields in 30-06 a basic leeloader and a small box of powder and componants I'm way ahead. I have to admit the same package in 308 might be better these days.
Again for average folk starting from scatch I'd go with a mossberg 500 in 12 or 20 gauge, a Savage bolt action in 308 or 243, or even 30-06 if your out west, and whatever 22 bolt action that Walmart sells. then 5,000 rds of 22lr 500 rds of 12 or 20 gage, and 500 rds of centerfire rifle. and or 100 rounds of loaded ammo and componants for a thousand reloads and powder.
not long ago That wouldn't break a grand all told these days however!
Dutch


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

Handgun verse shotgun if theres a noise around the house late at night I pick up the 12ga pistol grip mos. 500 and I am a very experianced handgunner who caries one every day.
The wracking noise of a pump 12 ga has been a very usefull tool over the last 40 years. For seperating the loud idiots from the miscreants!
Dutch


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## longshot38 (Dec 19, 2006)

im in Canada so hand guns are "problematic" so for me it's .30 cal rifle, .22 and shot gun.

the choices for these are .303 enfield, 30.30 winchester 94, mossber 802, savage 64g, mavrick 88, stevens side by side, winchester cooey with 36 inch barrell and winchester cooey in .410.

that's my list.
dean


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

longshot38 said:


> *im in Canada so hand guns are "problematic" *
> dean


That is hilarious how you put that! Such a kind and considerate way of saying, "I wish". lol


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## longshot38 (Dec 19, 2006)

farmerDale said:


> That is hilarious how you put that! Such a kind and considerate way of saying, "I wish". lol


We're working on it, we got rid of the long gun registry didn't we?

dean


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## coolrunnin (Aug 28, 2010)

Shotgun and .22 are a must have, but I'm with the others 3 ain't enough!


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