As many guns as you want to do it all!!!

[denton]

I used to want a lot of different calibers, but I've gotten past that. The useful applications of most calibers overlap a lot.

Here's what I've ended up with, and I'm happy with the collection:

handguns--

.41 Mag Ruger Redhawk for lots of fun target shooting, and for hunting if I decide to use it that way. Plenty of power if needed, but very pleasant to shoot with target loads.

9x18 Makarov for plinking and occasional concealed carry. Cheap, well made, same muzzle energy as a .38 Spl.

.22 Ruger Single Six for tin cans and for teaching the grandkids how to shoot.

rifles--

.22/20ga Rossi convertible break action, strictly for teaching the grandkids. The .22 works great. The 20 ga has really nasty recoil, and is effectively useless for the grandkids. The break action keeps the ones that just shovel ammo through the gun to a reasonable rate of use of ammo.

.223 Browning Stainless Stalker for varmints up to coyote size, and for really excellent target shooting. You can go through 100 rounds, and wonder why you didn't bring more.

.243 Howa 1500. I like this better than the 22-250, because its likely to give me longer barrel life. Good varminter, and with Partitions, a good basic deer rifle for the grandkids. This is one gun in the collection that isn't really ideal for anything.

6.5x55 Pac-Nor barrel on an FN action. In a modern action, it does about anything a 25-06 or 6.5-06 will do. Plenty of reach for those distant coyotes, and no questions about its capability on deer. In my case, I went for a heavier barrel, so this one isn't fun to carry over the mountains. Hence, we had to have...

7x57 Zastava, my new main hunting rifle. Lightweight barrel makes it pleasant to carry. With the right bullet, ample medicine for elk, and anything smaller. Mild recoil in spite of the light weight. Seems to be a very "happy combination."

30-06, Remington barrel on a Turkish Mauser action. An outstanding rifle, good for about anything I want to do.

8x57 Yugo. My loaner rifle. It's there in case someone wants to go hunting with me, and doesn't have a suitable rifle. 2.5" five-shot groups at 100, potent enough for elk.

Assorted: Finnish M39, Swedish Milsurp 6.5x55, just because they're classics. Browning 30-06 A Bolt with BOSS, because I was dumb and had no idea what real muzzle blast was like. SKS because everybody needs at least one bullet hose POS for those afternoons at the range where you just want to tear up tin cans.

shotgun--

Rem 870. About the most fun gun I own. Hard to beat an afternoon with my sons/sons-in-law with a couple of gallon jars of shells and three boxes of clays.

[Baylian]

Dom,

Editorial in the Sunday paper this morning by a couple who lost a son to a nut with a pistol. His girlfriend's stalker killed him and the girl. They're belief was he would be alive if we had gun control. The stalker was a grad student from Germany. They conjectored if he had stayed in Germany he couldn't have got the pistol to commit the crime. So, how do you have all these guns in Germany?

Waidmannsheil, TJ

[Dom]

Yes, TJ, there are good points and bad points from all angles on gun ownership. There's always incidents like you read that make it hard on all gun owners. Too bad the responsible gun owners are put in the same barrel when you mention the word weapons after a crazy shooting incident. And how many criminals are going to register? So you make it hard and a hassle for the law abiding citizen. Without getting too long winded, I think most in the states wouldn't mind registration if they were guaranteed there wouldn't be some law down the road that all of a sudden the rifle they owned for 50 years was now outlawed -- and they knew exactly where to go get it, if it were registered. Plus, I'm a firm believer that in the states they aren't going to stop with registration, they want them all destroyed, no exceptions. They are at step 1, but that is not the intent of Feinstein, Kennedy, etc al, to stop there. My NRA Life Membership helps keep the liberals in line, it's the least I can do to preserve responsible gun ownership for hunters and sport shooters. Whether you agree or not with everything the NRA is doing, does not mean that you shouldn't support them. I think w/o the NRA the states would have lost a lot of rights years ago.

Anyway, to own weapons in Germany you need a reason, i.e., hunter or sport shooter, and you are responsible for the control of them, i.e., under lock & key in a weapons safe when not in use. Is it good? I haven't had any problems, and I can hunt and shoot 365 days a year. Also, not all my weapons are here, I have many in the states, but also in a weapons safe under lock.

I don't want to hi-jack this thread, and it's only my opinion, so I hope I don't set a fire off on this subject, I know it's touchy and means a lot to many Americans -- I'm on your side, Waidmannsheil Dom.