I have contemplated the firearms I want to replace the stolen remnants of my once extensive gun collection, and have decided a grand total of about ten would suffice for all my realistic needs and wants for the rest of my life. I have had all the “toy guns”, “fun guns”, “collector guns”, “novelty guns”, and “miscellaneous guns” I’ve had in my thirty nine years of shooting, and the remaining firearms will actually be used for varminting, small game hunting, big game hunting, home defense, personal defense, and Militia use, and nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.
I have had two AK’s, the first a Maadi from Egypt, the second a Chinese Type 56 commercial rifle for the American Market, two SKS carbines, a very old (1895) Mosin Nagant with hexagonal receiver, arshin sights, and a very long barrel, that I in fact never shot. It was in my collection from 1985 till I pawned and lost in about 2001. I had two 98 K Mauser’s in 8x57mm Mauser, a Model 94 Mauser Carbine in 6.5x55, a Model 96 Long rifle in 6.5x55 mm, a Model 93 Mauser in 7x57mm Mauser, a H&K USP Compact pistol in .45 ACP that sat in it’s case for four years, and was never shot and it too was lost in a Pawn Shop in the vain expectation money would be forthcoming to retrieve it. Two Browning Hi-Power pistols, a Mk III, a Silver Chrome with adjustable sights, two BDM 9x19 mm pistols one of which I had for four years and never shot till it too was lost in a pawn shop. A Sporterized Schmidt-Rubin in 7.5x55 Swiss that some ‘Bubba” butchered in his attempt to make a cheap sporting rifle, two Arisaka’s, one a long rifle with intact Chrysanthemum on the receiver crest, in caliber 6.5x58 mm Jap, the other a Type 99 rifle from WW II in 7.7x58 mm Jap, a Winchester M-1 Garand that was a National Match rifle in .30-06 Springfield, a 1903-A3 Springfield bolt action which was my first bolt action hi powered rifle in September 1976, stolen in 1988, a Remington 870 Shotgun in 12 gauge, a inch pattern FN-FAL/L1A1 British rifle in 7.62x51 mm NATO, (another rifle I wish I still had and lost in a pawn shop) my AR-15 Sporter that was converted to a selective fire Title II rifle in 1986 before it couldn’t be done legally anymore, then picked up in December 1988 and shot not nearly enough till it was stolen in the first burglary from my storage unit in April 2011, two Smith & Wesson Model 29’s, the first a full under lug 8 3/8” barrel, the second a 8 3/8 “ tapered under lug barrel, a Smith and Wesson Model 59 in Nickel finish, a Smith and Wesson Model 586 4” blued revolver that caused me trouble twice in the late 1980’s, and was the only firearm I ever owned that could have actually killed someone, a 7 ½ “ Ruger Redhawk blued revolver, a Dan Wesson 15 2-VH “Pistol-Pac” revolver with four different length barrels in a very nice velvet lined aluminum case, a Colt Mk IV-Series 70 .45 ACP pistol from the late 1970’s, a very old Springfield “Trapdoor” Army rifle from 1887 in .45-70 Gov’t, a 1861 Springfield rifle-musket reproduction, a .45 flintlock long rifle, a Pietta .44 percussion revolver that also was stolen, an old Iver Johnson “American” model revolver in .32 S&W caliber, mom’s S7W Model 10 .38 Special revolver that disappeared when she died, and Dad’s Remington Model 721 in .270 WCF, Mom’s Winchester Model 94 in .30 WCF, their Remington 550-1 .22 semiautomatic rifle, all three of which were stolen on Christmas Day 2012, and I think that’s it, unless I remember another firearm to list amongst the one’s I’ve had since 1975.
The only firearms I have left are my Sig-Sauer 556 Classic semiautomatic rifle in 5.56x45 mm NATO, and my relatively new Broomhandle Mauser pistol with a very long 12 inch barrel, a Federal Ordnance pistol with a 1902 made barrel and receiver, 1930’s era guts, and a newly manufactured ~ 1990 lower receiver, and that’s it. No hunting rifles for any size of game, no shotgun(s) for any waterfowl, upland game, small game or any kind of hunting whatsoever, and no .22 of any kind.
Obviously I will need to replace these many guns that are now gone with a few new ones that can fulfill the many roles these many rifles pistols revolvers and shotgun filled from 1975 till now. The Smith 7 Wesson M&P .45 is merely the first of what will replace the many guns I’ve had with a few that will meet my needs for hunting, target shooting, self defense, fun-gun(s) and Militia use for the rest of my life. Suggestions on a good deer-elk-antelope-coyote hunting rifle, shotgun, rimfire rifle and pistol/revolver, and maybe really big game rifle are welcomed.