If you had to choose just one, what would it be?

[goju]

If you had to choose just one gun for all purposes, what would it be? No Contenders, or otherwise interchangeable barrels. Im talking if you absolutely had to choose one gun/configuration, what is it?

[ewagner]

1. Single shot, shotgun

Relatively safe to handle and useful for self-protection without endangering the whole 'fricken neighborhood.

[displacedtexan]

2. The Micro UZI

[Hog lover]

3. Most powerful pistol available

Easy to handle, portable, concealable (ok, I know you need a permit to conceal)

[BigDaddyCaine]

4. its hard to shoot dinner with a pistol

I voted shotgun but i was really tossing between that and a .22 rifle.

[goju]

6. Not at all

Big gamers are using pistols more often these days. Challenging yes, but still, a 44 would be effective out to 60 yards easily. Put a scope on your out to 100+ yards.

22 isnt a bad choice either, but if I were going with a rifle, Id go bigger.

[BigDaddyCaine]

12. a 44 would destroy small game

as for the rifle i wouldnt go much bigger unless i lived in bear country.

[goju]

13. Bird shot

;) Effective at close range, depending on what you mean by small game.

22 is not a bad choice. Im sticking with a pistol for carry-ability.

[BigDaddyCaine]

14. ive never seen birdshot for anything but a .22

Do they make .44 mag birdshot? Post me a link if you find one, i wanna check it out.

[goju]

15. Its handy

I take my pistol with me when I go deer hunting. Nice backup if you see a grouse, and no deer ;)

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0003708210838a&navCount=0&cmCat=srchdx&cm_ven=srchdx&cm_ite=srchdx

[BigDaddyCaine]

16. thats cool

Im gonna buy a box of that 9mm so i look cool when i go out shooting with the guys and can hit a pop can in the air. :-)

[goju]

18. Hehehe

Bet them a few bucks you can do it. Just dont let em see your clip ;)

[alwynsw]

21. CCI makes it. (.44 shot shells)

You can get it at any gun shop for around $7 for 10 rounds. Or you can usually get it at most Wal Marts for a little less.

[goju]

5. I went with

a pistol.

Particularly, a 357 mag, or maybe a 41 mag. Bird shot for my 357 does very well on doves and grouse, and would probably be a good defense load if need be. The 41, or 357 even, would take a deer or elk, assuming I would be able to get in range (big if ;)). Self defense wouldnt be a problem either way, aside from punching through walls.

Much lighter than a shotgun, more versatile than a rifle, and can do the work of either. Shotguns not a bad choice though.

[slackmaster]

7. Shotgun is an analog of old smooth-bore muskets

The flintlock muskets of American colonial times served many functions. They could be loaded with ball ammunition for large game or self-defense, small shot for small game, or buckshot for larger game. A modern shotgun can use a wide variety of loads, plus it has much higher working pressure, uses smokeless powder, and many have repeating capability.

[goju]

10. Maneuverability?

If you had to carry something around, assuming a SHTF situation, shotgun loses some appeal.

Pistol, can also be loaded with shot for birds and smaller game, and can take larger game assuming the power is there.

[MatrixEscape]

8. Phaser ...

Why no Phaser? That's my choice!

It has that handy stun setting. It is small and light ... and it's great for opening cans, soldering, and incinerating trash.

[iverglas]

9. well now I just can't vote at all

Option # <whatever the last option was> was plainly meant for me, and two sombody elses have already gone and used it, so it's no good at all now.

[goju]

11. Sure you can

Blather, if you must.

[enfield collector]

17. shotgun all the way.

#4 for defense, #8 for small game and slugs for big game. it's the only way to be sure.

[slackmaster]

20. Gonna Get Me a Shotgun

Gonna Get Me a Shotgun

Performed by Garrett Morris on 24 Jan 1976 on Saturday Night Live with Peter Cook and the late Dudley Moore

I'm gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see,
I'm gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see.
When I kill all the whities I see, then whitey he won't bother me,
I'm gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I see.

Then I'll get a white woman who's wearing a navy blue sweater.

[mosin]

19. I voted pistol...

assuming that I'm still me, living in an urban area, where my primary need is for a practical concealed handgun.

If I were living in a rural area, depending on a single firearm for survival, it would certainly be a shotgun. Good for defense and hunting varmints, game birds, and mid-size game.

[alwynsw]

22. I wanted to vote for pig shit - period.

Since that wasn't an option, I voted shotgun(s).

[skippythwndrdog]

23. I picked

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

24. I chose a pistol

Glock 20, 10mm. Good capacity, compact (relatively speaking), good self defence load and can be used on deer sized game at reasonable ranges out to possibly 100 yards.

[mosin]

27. GLOCK 20

Good choice. The G20 is a very versatile handgun. Probably the most versatile semi-auto handgun on the market.

[Columbia]

25. Shotgun, of course...

But what about the age-old question?

Semi-auto or pump?

[goju]

26. Pump

If i were to go that way, Id want reliability and ease of maintenance.

[mosin]

28. Definitely a pump

For easy of use and reliability, I'd take a pump 12 gauge, if it were to be my only firearm.

[DonP]

29. Pump, of course

Shotguns were the real guns that won the west, with all due apologies to Oliver Winchester. The old 10 or 12 Ga. SxS.

They put food on the table, kept the coyotes and other varmints at bay, including the two legged variety.

I'd have to go with my Browning BPS 12 guage. I shoot lefty and that bottom ejection is a nice feature. From #9 birdshot to 00 for HD, shotguns would be my "one gun" choice for flexibility.

[BigDaddyCaine]

30. i go double barrel

If we are gonna get technical on the actions.