The Five Guns Every Man Needs to Own in Their Lifetime

A wise man once told me, ” There are five guns you really need to own: A concealable handgun, a .22 rifle of some kind, a gun to feed your family, a good shotgun to protect your home, and finally a gun to defend your right to own the previous four.“

Guns are a key part of American culture. Our country has a unique love/hate relationship with them. “What’s better, 9mm or .45ACP?” “What’s best for home defense?” A lot of people ask, “How many guns does one actually need?” Those were all questions I heard during my time working in gun sales. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual on what firearm works best for these situations. However, there are at least five firearms every man needs to own in their lifetime.

A Concealable Handgun

Similar to one of our previous posts, a 9mm handgun is an essential gun that every man should own. 9mm is a powerful round and its relatively cheap to find. Due to its popularity, the 9mm will have a plethora of brands to choose from when shopping for ammunition.

Owning a concealable handgun has its perks as well. For one, the clue is in the name; its concealable. If you every wanted to carry the firearm, you could. It doesn’t matter which handgun you decide to purchase, as long as it feels comfortable to you as the user.

My personal daily 9mm is a Glock 43x. I prefer a 9mm because the magazine capacity can be larger than other calibers. Personally, the reason I chose the 43x is because with Shield Arms magazines, I have the option of more capacity than the standard 10 + 1 round magazines it comes with, if I want to. In a life or death situation, those extra 1-3 rounds may be what allows you to go home to your family. Larger calibers, like the .40 and the .45ACP, for smaller concealed carry pistols, generally can’t hold more than 10 rounds. With the 43x, you have access to 10 + 1 rounds of ammunition out of the factory and 15 + 1 if you choose to use the Shield Arms magazines!

There’s another thing to consider, a more compact gun is easier for most people to conceal than a full size one. With a full size, you’ll always have to worry if it is printing against your clothing or if the gun itself is visible to the naked eye. That’s why purchasing a concealable, compact or subcompact gun is the way to go.

A .22 Rifle of Some Kind

Most people learn to shoot on the .22LR model. That’s because its an easy, inexpensive way to learn how to shoot. Probably the best .22 gun on the market, is the Ruger 10/22. I go into detail a little more about the gun, here. A .22 rifle is good for small game as well. Many squirrels and rabbits have met their end to the weapon. A .22 is also a good pest deterrent. Things like snakes and rodents can be killed with .22 shot, a type of ammunition consisting of pellets inside a cartridge, similar to how shot shells operate.

Planning a little into the future, a .22 rifle could be the rifle your future children grow up on. I know my first gun I shot was!

The Ruger 10/22 is the best option for a .22 caliber rifle but there are other options to consider like the Winchester Wildcat, Henry Classic, and the Smith and Wesson M & P 15-22. These options give you either another semi-automatic version, an AR-style .22 rifle, and your classic lever action rimfire rifle. A .22 rifle is a must out of the top guns every man needs to own.

A Gun to Feed Your Family

Depending on your state’s hunting regulations, this may be either a rifle or a shotgun. For example, per Virginia law, only certain counties allow the use of hunting with a rifle. A hunting gun can come in many forms. It could be the classic bolt action or a lever action rifle. If your state allows it, an AR-15 or AR 10 can also be used to hunt game. Or, it could be a shotgun of some kind.

We are blessed to live in a country that allows its citizens to be able to regularly hunt. It is a beautiful thing to be able to feed your family from something that you went out got. There are all sorts of hunting rifles out on the market right now. Reputable brands like Remington, Ruger, Tikka, and Browning all make very good beginner rifles. Try and stick to common calibers like .30-06, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .30-30; they will take down anything in North America.

Optics.

The rule of thumb is what ever the price of the rifle was, is what you will want to spend on the optic. You don’t want to be out on your hunt and have your optic break because you decided to go with an “economically friendly” version. If you can still find them in big box stores, try Nikon scopes. They’ve since stopped making them, but at large sporting goods stores you can still find a few in the bottom of the display case. If you want American made, Leupold is a good option. Their CDS (custom dial system) is something that sets them apart from other scope manufacturers. It allows the user to range the target, turn the dial to the corresponding number, and fire dead on.

A Shotgun to Defend Your Home

Out of all the guns on this list, most of you are familiar with how a shotgun operates. Perhaps it was the gun you knew of Saturday morning cartoons or maybe you’re grandfather hunted with one. Regardless, a good shotgun is a gun that every man needs to own. Just the sound alone of chambering the weapon has been known to ward off would-be attackers.

There are several different types of shotgun actions. Pump action, semi-auto, lever action, break action, and single action. There are also double barreled shotguns either with the barrels side by side or one on top of the other. Again, user preference is key here. The two main competitors Remington and Mossberg. A Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500/590 is a valuable tool for the home. With a good shotgun, you can use buckshot, birdshot, slugs, BB shot, or bean shot rounds. It’s very versatile. 12 gauge or 20 gauge are the most common gauges. Start with one of those.

A Gun to Defend Your Right to Own the Rest

The AR-15. The AR-15 is the most popular gun in America and a bit of a hot topic right now. There are several misconceptions about the AR-15. First, it DOES NOT stand for assault rifle. That is a term coined by politicians aiming to pass a ban. AR stands for Armalite rifle. It is a tribute to its founder. Second, while I don’t believe that an AR-15 is a weapon that, on its own will be able to ward off the government, it is something that the common man alongside other like minded individuals can use together, to defend themselves against a tyrannical government. And lastly, it is the most common and customizable gun on the market. There are sooooo many aftermarket accessories and manufacturers out there. It is easy to customize to your liking. Good brands to start with when you’re either building or buying are: Smith and Wesson, Aero Precision, Palmetto State Armory, Daniel Defense, and Colt.

The AR platform is the best option for self-defense because you can customize the gun to how you would like it to look and be. The AR-15 comes standard with a 30 round magazine. The 5.56×45 NATO is a very popular rounds with many guns chambered in it. The general rule with guns chambered for 5.56, is that if it the barrel is designed for the 5.56 round; it can also fire the .223 Remington round.

If the AR-15 isn’t quite your style, then there are other guns that can suffice. The AK-47 is a viable option. Chambered in the 7.62×39 round, it packs quite a punch! It’s a very simple platform to operate. Other guns that would do are: the Steyr AUG, the Tavor, Ruger Mini 14, and the Robinson Arms XCR.

Guns are tools that can be used for self-defense and protection, recreation, and hunting. Regardless of your stance on guns, the five mentioned above are ones that we think every man should own in their lifetime.