How Many Guns Is Too Many?
Aug 16th, 2010 | By Mike | Category: Guns & Ammo, Self Defense | Print This Article
When preparing for a life off the grid, we tend to think in terms of the basic needs that will allow for a life of self-sufficiency without sacrificing quality. Within that mindset, a discussion often emerges that pits one person’s idea of sufficiency versus another’s notion of life in abundance, which is usually settled by a “to each, his own” accord. When the discussion turns to armaments and the question of how many guns are too many, the lines get drawn and the opinions become strong.
Setting aside gun-hating liberals for the moment, the question of “how many is too many” is not a settled debate, even amongst gun owners. Gun enthusiasts are adamant that there is no “right” number and, in fact, many reside in the “more-is-better” camp. They scoff at those who try to tell them that there can be any excess in the number of guns they own and use the logic that a woman with a huge shoe collection needs no justification, even though she only wears one pair at a time.
They would point you to the police officer who, caught in a gun fire with no back up, would never question how many is too many guns. They would also point out that, if any of us were in a similar situation, with a family to protect, the question would never enter our minds. In fact, in this respect, the question might become, “how many guns are too few?”
Conversely, the pragmatic gun owner recognizes the value of embracing “no more than you can handle”. They believe that, for practical purposes, the number of guns you own should reflect your lifestyle needs, your storage capacity, your ability to stock ammo, and how many you can carry when you might need to suddenly bug out.
The pragmatic gun owner insists that a well-stocked gun safe consists of a handgun, a 22 rifle, a shotgun and a backup for each. For rural dwellers, a long-range rifle might be a part of that collection. To them, this provides the essential level of protection needed and nothing will get left behind when it’s time to bug out. Of course, if you’ve got a family of six or eight, that number could rise substantially, with a gun or two (or three) per person easily justified.
The zealous gun collector would argue that, for the same reason you shouldn’t be telling them how many kids they should have or how many acres of land is too much for their survival retreat, you ought not to be trying to tell them how many guns they should own. The pragmatist would then counter that you shouldn’t have any more kids than you can take care of, implying that if you can’t provide for all of your guns (safe storage, appropriate ammo, etc.) you should plan accordingly.
So, how many guns are too many? To the consternation of the hard-liners on both sides of the issue, the answer probably really is “to each, his own”. In the realm of guns, as in most things in life, one man’s sufficiency is another man’s abundance.
Other articles in this issue:
- Packing for a Disaster – Pack Like You’re Leaving Today
- Thinking About Reliance
- 10 Steps to Off Grid Living…Today
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I often think I must know what it feels like to be a crack addict. I just keep telling my wife “one more gun, I promise this will be the last one!”.
Heh. I feel the same way about having kids!
The advantage of having as many guns in as many chamberings as possible is that one may maximize the probability of being able to use SOMEthing if ammo runs out. When 7.62×39 is unavailable, or 5.56 NATO or 7.62 NATO is unavailable, the ability to switch to other ammo will enable you to use a gun for hunting, defense or any other purpose for which you might have one. Having a 10mm or 30-30 or .22 Hornet weapon might increase your chances of scounging and using ammo that someone else may have laying around, when other, possibly more desirable ammo may be in short supply…
I think you should save the ammo for defencive perpouses/ war fighting. Hunting should be done with a bow or crossbow ( arrows are reuseable), or you could trap. As a colector I have close to 200 guns, but as a perper I know I will only use less than 6 or 7 to fight/ defiend with. So I stock ammo for those, and have smaller amounts of ammo for the others. These are just my thoughts but “to each his own”
Add a “3″ to that “.22″ rifle and you just might have something! Unless you are hunting squirrels and rabbits what is the point of a .22? You may just be better off with your run of the mill BB gun.
Nice thing about a .22 LR is range over a bb gun and, if you have to shoot for small game, you still have something left to cook
I met a mercenary who fought in Angola in the 70′s, he carried a good 22 rifle and a 45 in a 1911 format, he was very proficient with both, he used the 22 to shoot game and people at long distances and the 45 for close in work, a lot of people think the 22 is a pipsqueak weapon, but read the box it can kill out to a mile or more, so should work well at a hundred yards, as with any weapon shot placement is everything, the best weapons and ammo are no good in the hands of someone who can’t hit the broad side of a barn
I think it is an excellent idea to have a .22 rifle, It is an excellent gun for small game, ammo is plentiful and cheap and I can’t even imagine the number of youngsters whose earliest gun experience and training was with a .22. The guns are light and easily concealed and carried which is great for a bug out situation. Any serious gun owner knows that any firearm, even a .22, is potentially a deadly weapon. Of course they’re not going to stop a charging grizzly but I know I sure as heck would think twice about causing mayhem while looking down the barrel of one.
Perhaps the most overlooked reason for a .22LR is low re-sound… when you don’t wish to announce your presence. All are very good reasons to own a .22LR.
2 shotguns, 3 handguns, 1 22, 1 ar15, 1 50 beuwolf. 30,000 rounds. bring it on
Strategically, it is not the best idea to 1) consider the use of a firearm to be primarily hunting and 2) to think of hunting as a primary means of producing food. Survivalists have found in many cases that foraging and trapping produce more food, ten to one, than hunting. Surely, if hunting were the only reason for having a firearm then the venerable .22 LR is the most useful tool. But as a survival tool the most important work for a firearm is personal protection–and the protection of any food produced. If one is to limit the number of firearms he’s to collect then this should be the minimal task for which the firearm should be chosen. There are several alternatives that will allow one to broaden the application of any firearm chosen for this purpose: there are, of course, conversion kits for AR-15s already chambered for a 22 caliber projectile (the brand name Ceiner comes to mind) and there is the alternative of ‘loading your own’ (reloading) what are called ‘reduced loads’ for what ever caliber you own. I have a .308, for example, and have several recipes for what I call ‘poppers,’ reduced loads that give the .308 the ballistic equivalency of the .22. It will take down elk and bear if needed with standard velocity loads. If you get a firearm that is at least capable of self defense then you have the bases covered. If you relegate yourself to one capable only of hunting, it may or may not help in self defense matters.
Excellent point, despite the rhetoric of such stalwart and honest defenders of the the 2nd amendment, like Bill Clinton, it is not about hunting, it is about forming a militia to throw off a repressive government, but fortunately that will never happen…. er, uhhh,…. wait a second…. maybe it will….. it appears it is happening. Hmmm………
The Col
I have four. A .22LR, a shotgun, handgun and an AR. I am well stocked with ammo for myself and my wife. Why would I keep spending on guns when I could use that for food or other items? We are more concerned with keeping ourselves protected and being able to get to our retreat that is shared with another couple. Honestly? How many guns does a couple need? It is an expensive proposition to keep “loading up” on weapons. What about other gear? Or food? As it stands now, I have enough spare parts, cleaning equipment, etc. for those 4 weapons. Why would I need anymore?
For instance, I am interested in puchasing a second handgun, a 9mm subcompact from Springfiled. The cheapest USED one around town is close to $450.00 dollars. Do you know how much food I can buy with that money? Could I buy a cheaper handgun? Sure, but I want reliability. Even the cheapest handguns are over $250.00 bucks around here. Even at gun shows.
I find it interesting to me to see how much money people will spend on weapons and not prepare with other gear or food. Besides, what good are all those guns when you can only carry 2 at the most? Like a handgun and a shotgun or a handgun and a rifle. In a grid down situation, what do people think they are going to do with these weapons?
Also, has this site ever discussed archery? I find a compound bow or a crossbow are very useful tools. I intend to put my bow to use when needed. Archery is a very cheap tool to add to your arsenal. And is more stealthy!
Of course, with all of these items discussed. Practice makes perfect!
There are several reasons for many extra guns, one is parts or replacement guns, most of the modern non-military weapons are not designed to shoot more than a few boxes of shells a year, I am talking about the normal weapons that many of us own, especially those purchased at the cheaper outlet places such as Wal-Mart, I buy several military surplus weapons, they were designed for major abuse, no plastic parts, and can fire under harsh conditions, ammo is plentiful and the price many times is around a $100, another reason is barter, if something should happen and even if nothing happens guns are always worth money, I like 22s for the plentiful ammo and the low weight factor, this is something to take into consideration, carrying a shotgun and a few hundred rounds is a lot more weight than say a 223 or 7.62x54r and a few hundred rounds, I would buy ammo that can be reloaded if possible, the time will come when you run low or run out, one should learn to reload and how to pour lead bullets, this can be easily learned and with a few hand tools can be completely portable, the cowboys used to pour and reload in the field, if you decide to reload, pick common cartridges, to reload for, 38/357 9mm, 30-30, 223, and any other cartridges you can easily buy anywhere and stockpile, it will not be worthwhile to stock pile a few months food if the first person that comes along can take it away from you, contrary to the poll, I believe there will be a lot of unprepared people with guns that will try to take whatever they need and people need to be prepared.
I agree with some of those above. I have a Ruger 10/22 .22 rifle, Ruger Mark III .22 pistol, Remington 870 or 1187 12 gauge shotgun, and Glock or Sig 9mm handgun for each of my two sons and myself. In addition, I have one Stag Arms AR-15, and an SKS. Given time, I’ll buy or trade for an AR for each of us as well.
By standardizing on these solid manufacturers, very common firearm models, and comon calibers, I believe that I the best chance of maintaining these weapons long term, being able to find parts, and being able to find sufficient ammunication.
I have a pretty good stock of .22, 9mm, 12Gauge, and .223 ammo, but will be investing in a Dillon reloader before long with dies for 9mm and .223 at least. Seems that I keep shooting up my stock. Ha!. Based on my research and from talking to friends, reloading saves half the cost of even bulk ammo.
By the way, I also have a couple of decent Gammo pellet rifles and a few thousand round of pellets. I would certainly recommend getting rifles that pump instead of use gas canisters. This is an even cheaper option than .22LR and (I think) a good backup for foraging for small animals and birds. But, not much good for defense.
In my opinion, these choices cover the bases — we are covered for both hunting and defense, they are reliable, common enough so that replacement parts and aftermarket parts are easy to come by, and use the least expensive and easiest to acquire calibers of ammunition.
The .22 rifles and pistols are primarily for hunting and foraging (and practice). The shotguns and rifles serve double duty for hunting and defense. And, the 9mm pistols are primarily defensive.
By the way, when looking for inexpensive handguns, keep your eyes open for local gun shops that do a lot of business with law enforcement or make friends with a sheriff. I purchased a very nice Sig Pro 9mm with minimal wear for $200 when the sheriff’s department replaced their service sidearms.
Well-written article, and well-said everyone.
My two-cents worth:
Most articles I’ve read over the last 35 years agree that the basic “battery” (sounds less threatening than “arsenal”) should have a .22 rimfire rifle for small game, a 20 or 12 ga. shotgun for fowl (and defence), a “high-powered” rifle for large(er) game (and defence) and a reliable handgun. (I totally agree with “commonsenseguy” about the bow. Add to his reasons that the “ammo” is often retrieveable.)
I’m considering adding black powder firearms to the home “battery”. I have a copy of the Foxfire series that has the “recipe” for home made black powder.
Many of those articles suggested that said basic battery be considered the minimum for every “responsible” adult in the family/group.
Other considerations include:
How much ammunition? (There’s NO such thing as too much, and what can’t be used becomes worth it’s weight in gold for barter.) It might be wise to learn reloading AND stock up on the requisite materials before the next “shortage”.
One of the “blessings” of living in the 21st Century is that there are “upper assemblies” for at least five different calibers that fit the same AR-15 lower reciever. Further, it’s legal (at the moment) have said uppers shipped directly to the home.
Modern air (& CO-2) rifles, (starting in the mid-$200 range), have the power to take even medium-sized game. (And are legal to have “silencers” at this point in time.)
If one does one’s “homework”, these can be acquired without battering one’s wallet too badly.
Peace.
Correct, the GAMO series of rifles are impressive, very powerful. Quick clean kills on rabbits squirrels etc up to a deer.
I am older so prefer revolvers, and like a good 357/38, I can shoot heavy 357 loads for game including deer, and can make shot shells to shoot small game and birds at close ranges, these weapons can be bought at good prices, everyone wants a 500 shot 9mm or 40 pistol, they are easy to reload for in a plethora of bullets and loads, I also have a Thompson Center Contender pistol, this is a very versatile weapon it can be had in 40 different calibers in pistol barrels, and several rifle calibers and shotgun configurations by changing the barrel and grips to a stock, it is a single shot, but is a very good weapon for hunting, it breaks down to small components for back packing, it is easy to change calibers, and is very dependable and well built, ,it can shoot .22 through .45-70 rounds check it out
Great info in the posts…thank you. A recommendation if I may. Mel Tappan has a chapter on survival weapons in the book “Tappan on Survival” (Found on Amazon for $15). It is an incredibly informative chapter even though it is a composite of articles written in the 1970′s. Many of the previous posts reflect similar ideas and mentalities, but Tappan went as far as to torture test all of the weapons he recommends. A breakdown of his essential battery included two handguns (one revolver and one semi-auto) a .22 rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun (with a short barrel and a longer bird barrel), a bolt-action hunting rifle and a .30 caliber semi-auto battle rifle (he loved the HK 91 and Springfield M1A). Every recommendation he makes is based on reliability, reliability, reliability.
I have a weird question. My husband and I plan on hunkering down in our home in a small town on the outskirts of a mid-size city. How do you handle trying to cook food discretely? When people are hungry, they can smell your BBQ a mile away and will be drawn to it. How do you cook without having some kind of incident where you have a lot of unexpected and unwanted people showing up? Even cooking inside, if they are close enough, will smell your food cooking. We live on a major highway. Even now we have quite a bit of people traveling past the house including many walkers and bikers. Leaving is not an option. Any suggestions?
Post a sign that says “Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again!” Another suggestion is to get a big, ugly, mean dog and tie him by the front door while you cook.
Good article – I have just begun to ‘prep’. Being a retired LEO, I had a .40 cal Glock subcompact, which was my back up. It matched my duty weapon, and I could use the same magazines (not a ‘clip’) if I got into a firefight. I have added a .270, shotgun and now a .22LR rifle to round out my ‘collection’. My missus is a Canuck and did not even want to be in the same room as my Glock…..after a few years she finally asked to shoot it! The .40 is too much for her, but I will look at getting a .22LR pistol for her. Low recoil and the ammo matched the rifle I got…..makes sense to keep some continuity in the ammo selection. Another thing – make sure you have plenty of’ ‘charged’ magazines on hand – if you’re in need to defend yourself, you don’t want to have to waste time reloading – drop, pop and POP! We have a shooting range set up in the front yard to practice. Plenty of game in the area.
We just moved to 240 acres in rural ND, and I mean RURAL – 10 miles to the closest town of 120 people. Coming from urban CA, it is somewhat of a culture shock. however, I grew up camping and backpacking, so I am not adverse to ‘roughing’ it. I am learning more and more and honing my skills. At this point we are not supplied for long-term survival, however I am working on it. The neighbors are great and all raise cattle and are farmers. Learning from them as much as I can. There is a ready supply of food if we band together – our garden is doing well, and we are swapping items w/ our neighbors who have a large garden.
We are on a well/septic system and I have a BU generator and several 250 gal storage tanks. The well is in the basement, so we don;t have to worry about freezing and it is defendable. If need be we can use a bucket/rope to get water. Looking into a solar powered backup pump system.Researching solar/wind generation – biggest obstacle is $$. We have plenty of wind out here in the upper prairies.
Just watched ‘The Book of Eli’ — WOW! Very powerful. At one point I was thinking it was anti-religion, however the final message was anything but – IMHO – also, showing how ill-prepared people are, and unwilling to take charge of their own destiny, very disturbing because it is reality.
Just my humble $.02 worth- May God bless
WOW – moving from urban CA to rural ND is a huge life-changing event. I’m not trying to pry but what made you want to make such a huge change in your life. I’m was wondering because what you’re doing (moving to a remote location, acquiring acreage and becoming self-sufficient) is being tried by more than just a few people and it’s very possible that GOD is leading and preparing His remnant (of people) for the beginning of End Times. I know it sounds crazy but we’re living in crazy times.
[“He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” Daniel 7:25]
God Bless you and your family.
dubidee; please do not sell your wife short. My wife carries a full sized 1911 45 ACP identical to mine. When I was trying to find the best handgun for her, she fired several in lighter calibers and finally fired my 1911. I had to get her one to get mine back. Problem is that she is at least as accurate with it as I am and I’m a retired Marine. Might be worthwhile to let her work her way up to what you carry so you can standardize weapons and calibers. Maybe start her out with a Ruger Mark 2 (.22 caliber), reliable, not expensive, and accurate. Let her get comfortable with that before putting a .40 in her hand. Don’t mean to tell you how to conduct your business, just my .02.
Protecting your home
I think that a .22 is a must. Ammunition is extremely cheap, small and light. A .22 will definitely kill someone if they are hit in the right place, so those who equate it with a BB gun have no idea of what they are talking about. The most powerful BB guns barely shoot 650 feet per second. A common 22 caliber has a larger lead slug traveling 1,200 to 1500 feet per second. It might not drop an attacker like a .45 will, but if the attacker isn’t down immediately, it would really make them think about a finding a doctor really fast depending on where they are spurting blood. A 22 is also great for small game.
A 45, 40, 9mm, 38 special, .380 are all deadly and have the record to prove it. It is more important to get the right type of bullet vs. the caliber so much. A hollow point bullet will transfer the shock-energy to the attacker and will not over-penetrate (hitting someone innocent standing behind the attacker or across the street).
Handguns are excellent weapons for protecting the home. The larger caliber 40 and 45 transfer the most shock to the body, but the recoil is harsh and pulls you off the target every time you fire. Definitely not something for a smaller person to try to wield.
A shotgun is another good weapon for someone that wants to protect the home. It is however not as easy to maneuver and get the draw on an intruder. Short barrels are outlawed and would make this a superior weapon, but we must abide by the laws if they still exist. It is a good weapon for someone with bad eyesight. It is also a close-up weapon and would be useless against someone taking pot shots at you farther away in the woods or across the street.
I would get a rifle instead, I have a .223 caliber Remington. It is a European rifle and will shoot the NATO 5.56 round as well. Not all .223 rifles can handle the military .223, check with the manufacturer. The .223 is common and very affordable. Small and light to carry. It is the primary round used by our military.
It is extremely powerful and deadly and can be used on larger game also.
The .308 caliber is also the same as the 7.62 military round and much more common. Ammunition for the .308 is cheap and plentiful. This would also be a good choice of rifle. The ammunition is heavier and not as many rounds will fit into a pocket.
God forbid we ever have to use them other than hunting for food. I don’t like to even think of shooting someone even in self defense, it is terrible to even ponder. We do live in a fallen world and crime might be rampant during difficult times. If that happens, we will have even bigger problems to worry about.
Your last paragraph says a lot.
If you aren’t sure you can pull the trigger on a “human” if the time comes, you would be better off sticking with pepper gas. At least when someone takes that away from you, sticks it where the sun doesn’t shine and pulls the trigger it will be survivable!
i belive a .22 is a great all around gun to have . i have a s&w mp-15-22 it is well built ,easy to keep clean and carries 25 rds per clip. the right ammo is as important as anything . check the offerings from aquila especially the sniper sub-sonic it has a 60 gr bullet and will penetrate ballastic gel 2 ft at @ 220 meters they also have a quit round not very powerful but could be usefull in the right situtation
this is a topic my youngest brother matt and i have constenty…in a survial situation i want to concentrate on only a couple of guns…mainly to keep the spare parts and ammo stores to a min. amount . you dont want to have to worry about having ammo stores for 10 differnt caliber of weapons…or the spare parts to fix alter trick out 10 different weapons…
now if we need to bug out, which is our plan in a worse case senario, then just what do we bring. well you got to remember that we may have to walk out and ammo is heavy…but in a worst case stituation, having a large numer of firearms allows you more flexabitly for scavaging ammo and parts. so check your plans, we live in central florida, so buggin out is pretty much a given, besides we own land elsewhere.
in general, i suggest a good pair of pdw’s per person. rifle or shotgun and a side arm. now for pdw if you carry a shotgun remember they are a bitch to reload in a firefight so one or two high cap semi auto pistols would be a good idea. a designated sniper / huniting rifle also a good idea however if it is a bolt gun the same rule applies for handgun backup as the shotgun. (who wants to carry a bolt gun in a machine gun war) we also have a couple .22 conversion kits for our m4′s. these are great for training and for small game without wasting the more expensive 5.56 mm ammo.
now a good 12 gauge is great for duel purpose, hunting and pdw. so for a normal family one or two fothem are always good to have. in my opinion the mossberg 500 3 in 1 combo (throw away the pistol grip) is a great deal for real short money…it gives you two barrels and 18 for pdw and a 28 in for hunting all for around $300. not to bad at all!! as for rifles and pistols well that is up to the individual, what you know and what you are comfortable with. jsut know the limitations of each particular weapon.
hope that helps.
Smelling the cooking..isn’t that why we have guns? If you see a family with backpacks, it will different then seeing a gang that appear hostile. Just my thought.
Food for thought,
Lets face it. In a doomsday scenario and we all need to bug out. There are only a few calibers that will make sense. I for one prefer a 40S&W. Ammo will be scarce and the only abundance of ammo will be what the military’s use.
Even the Police do not keep stockpiles of ammo. Many departments at times barely keep enough to cover there mandatory re-qualification requirements each year. This leaves the 40S&W as a questionable choice.
Bugging out will require bare bones needs. Carrying 500 rds or more may be a bit challenging. Especially if you are taking more than one per person. This really narrows the ammo choices as far as long turn quantity availability that you may be able to obtain over long periods of time.
As far as ammo that you may find in a shed etc. somewhere. .22LR
USA (9mm) ( .45acp ?) ( .223- 5.56) (.308WIN)
Other ( 7.62.39)
I think that there is no such thing as “too many guns”. The more, the merrier! They’re just too darn fun to shoot. As a reality check, though, I think a quality handgun (Kimber .45, Ruger Blackhawk .357/.38), shotgun (Rem 870 12 gauge), & rifle (my latest-Marlin 336 in 30-30) are all that anyone needs. I also enjoy my Marlin 39M in .22LR.
My next order of business is a semi-auto .308. Thinking of an FAL or an M1A. Any suggestions?
Feel pretty good out here in the Colo. Rockies. Go to town about 2-3 month. We’ve got 800 gals of fuel, 400# of LP gas, food storage of about 12-18 months, and we are able to tap deer off of the back porch. Well/leach field, chainsaw, wood splitter, an old aircooled VW (no electronics), BU gen. (10kw), welder, air comp.(gas & elect.).
Most importantly, though, we have good neighbors & have made friends w/the local Sheriffs Dept. I must say, I’ve thouroughly enjoyed reading everyones comments (especially since I was SUPPOSED to be cutting/splitting wood). This is a pretty cool website, I think I will be coming back often. It’s very refreshing to know that there are other like-minded people out there. Keep your powder dry & the sun to your back.
Mel Tappan also wrote an entire book about guns, called “Survival Guns”. He went over pretty much everything available, and broke them down into :working guns” and “defensive guns”. He pointed out, for instance, that a bolt action scoped rifle – Model 70 Classic in .308, perhaps – is not a great choice for a defensive arm because after only a few shots it will heat up and markedly change its point of aim. An AR 10 … or 15 … or M1 will not do so, being designed for continuous fire. DoubleD – the first gun of any kind my wife fired was my Colt Model 70 .45. She was – and is 125 lb – and stood there putting them all in the black. It’s heavy to carry & hold, but that weight also makes it more controllable.
i picked up a pair of remington742s in 308 one is mine the other is my wifes gun she can shoot and hit a target at 100 yards with it with out a problem we are both hunters she hasent tryed to shoot over 100 yards but is comfortable at that distance we each have a 22lr in both rifle and pistols that are semi autos i use a 12ga shotgun but for her she says the recoil is to much and dosent like it but she does shoot my old boltaction 16ga and likes it but for my hunting i have been useing a bolt action 30-06 and a new 7mm rem mag but sence getting the 308sive come to like shooting it much more its a lot less recoil and for us we reload our own ammo and are buying a few boxes of ammo when ever we go to walmart its just a way for us to have extra ammo and more brass to reload we also have a pair of 50 cal muzzle loaders they are inlines and use the 209 primers so we have a few bricks of the primers put up just for them she did get a bit up set when she found out about how many of the 209s ive got cause every time she went to town a while back i said i was running low on them and it turned out she found my stash of them with 12 bricks but i told her that they are also for the shotguns and she knows we use a bunch of them