What any gun collection should have?

any gun collection should have ...1 shotgun, 1 centrefire rifle, 1 rimfire rifle, 1 CCW handgun.

rifles I bought after reading here that I recommend..CZ452 .22LR, remington 700 in .308
 
I agree with some of the earlier posters. My definition would be:
* 22 rifle - auto or bolt doesn't matter. I'm a fan of the 10/22, Marlin 60, or CZ 452
* 22 pistol - Ruger MK series or Buckmark, but anything accurate will do
* Mid-power, mid-caliber rifle with irons - 30-30 levergun, SKS, etc.
* Full-power scoped rifle - .308, .30-06, 7.62x54r, 8mm Mauser, 270Win, etc.
* Shotgun, 20-12 gauge, break action or pump.
* Full-sized self-defense pistol in 9mm, .40, or .45. Acceptable as long as it's reliable and the owner can shoot it well.

Bonus Points for:
* Pistol-caliber carbine like the SUB2000 or CX4 Storm
* Hunting revolver in 357, 44mag, 45LC
* Levergun that eats the same ammo as above
* Concealed carry pistol in 32acp or larger
* Varmint rifle with scope - AR-15, Mini-14, any bolt in a .22 caliber.
* Any type of accurate muzzleloader

FWIW, I have:
22 rifle - Marlin 60 (scoped) and CZ 452 Lux (Irons)
22 pistol - Ruger Mk 2.5 Hunter (stainless, fluted barrel, irons)
Mid-power, mid-caliber - SKS (recrowned, refinished stock, irons)
Full-power scoped - Nothing. I have full-power milsurp bolt-guns, but I don't want to scope them. I'll fill this eventually.
Shotgun - Nothing. If my wife decides she wants to learn to shoot, she'll want to do skeet, and we'll get a SxS 20 gauge, which I think is about the perfect shotgun
Full-sized Pistol - CZ-75B in 9mm (stainless)

Pistol carbine - Nothing. Would love to have one, it's on the list of things to buy next.
Hunting Revolver - Nothing. Not even sure what caliber I would pick, but probably 357.
Matching Levergun - Nothing. Probably would be a Marlin 357mag in stainless, and be left unscoped.
Concealed carry pistol - Sig P238 HD in 380acp (stainless) and H&K P2000 in 9mm
Varmint rifle with scope - Vector Arms version of HK93 with quick-detach scope and integral bipod.
Muzzleloader - old .45cal Tennessee rifle I got from my wife's grandfather. Bore is in mediocre shape and I only have round lead balls for it. Very amusing to shoot.
 
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the rest of the world recognizes 1 rifle to be uniquely American. The lever action rifle. For those of us here in the states, a bolt acton rifle chanbered in 30-'06, what model depends on the decade you were born in, is THE American rifle.
 
If you are looking for a "collection" then go for some classic rifles in their category. These are still shooters, but I take care of them too. For instance,

AR... SP1 "Slab Side" (free of that silly forward-assist)
Lever... Winchester 1894 AE in 30-30, pre-1964 (pre-safety vintage and able to mount a scope with the "Angle Eject" design)
Lever... Marlin 1894 in .44 mag (big-bore thumper and still a pistol-caliber plinker)
Bolt... Remington 700 (I have a 700P in .223 which is a hoot at 700 yards)
Falling-block... Ruger #1 in 7x57 (flat-shooting, low-recoiling, 6 lbs. sportster
.22... Marlin 39A Mountie (an absolute joy in a take-down levergun)

Each of these is a specific rifle made at a specific time with certain performance features that make them desireable. You pay premium prices for the guns with the features you want. But if you want quality and want to hand down that quality and connoisseurship to your offspring, then build a collection with some meaning.
 
If memory serves me correct:

- something old (pre '64 Winchester - pick your favorite type)
- something new (I'd look for a new CZ - alternatively, a new Remington 1911)
- something borrowed (a rifle from CMP)
- something blue....... (anything that's been blued --- you pick!)
 
Plinker:
Ruger 10/22, king of affordable .22s (Marlin 60 is a couple notches below it)

Hunter:
Bolt action scoped hunter - .308. .30-06 or 8mm Mauser

Fighter:
Battle rifle - .308, 7.62x39 or 5.56

Home Defense:
Mossberg 500 or Remington 870

Carry:
CZ P01 or Glock style polymer/striker

Anything beyond these necessities is a luxury. I think it's important to have a core arsenal consisting of guns with calibers that are readily available and relatively cheap IN BULK (especially military surplus, you could go broke trying to stock up on fancy pants 20 round boxes @$30 each). Because you never know when supplies may dry up or be restricted or heavily taxed by a rogue government.
 
If I had to pick one firearm that is currently in production I would have to say the Springfield M1A and after that you would have to pick the flavor you prefer ;)

The Guns and Gear Store has free shipping on all long guns and has a large selection of M1As in Stock...

http://www.thegunsandgearstore.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=springfield+m1a&x=0&y=0

I know one gun cannot make a collection and I think we would all agree that everyone would need atleast 20ish firearms to meet 'What is Needed' :)
 
I would say, for a collection, you need historic guns:

1863 Springfield rifle
1898 Krag Jorgensen rifle
1884 Springfield Trapdoor rifle
1903 Springfield rifle
M1 Garand rifle

Something like a 10/22 you don't collect. You drive down to Wally World and just buy it. No fun there in locating a nice specimen.
 
one rifle

Hey, the OP said ONE rifle.

Gotta be a .22, pick your make/action type. Anybody tells me he's a rifleman, and doesn't own a .22 rifle, ...........I start to wonder.
 
I am going to stick to the OP question of what ONE gun needs to be in every rifle collection:

AR15.

Others have suggested many worthy candidates, including my favorite the M1 Garand. I could also have gone with Remington 700 .30-06 or Ruger M77 .270. Or a Kimber in .308! Or the legendary Marlin 336 .30-30. Or the sweet little M1 Carbine. And the Ruger 10/22 is surely a "must have at least one" type of rifle.

But the AR15 (any of several forms A1, A2, A4, M4, SBR, etc) is the rifle that millions of US troops have used for 35 years. Longer than any other centerfire service rifle. Even if you are not particularly drawn to the AR15 I think it important that every rifleman understand the arm our boys are using to fight for their lives and our country.

Plus it is an excellent target rifle, wonderful for introducing young shooters to the rifle, built to last a very long time and easy to repair, and cheap to shoot. It can be used for targets, plinking, and varmints up to hog size. And it is recognized as one the best long arms for self defense being versatile and lower wall penetrating than even handgun calibers, yet still with plenty of terminal performance with the right ammo. You can shoot it competitively in three gun matches, CMP matches, and many more combat or precision matches.

And now they are very competitively priced. You can even now get a good AR15 for the same or less than a nice Rem 700.

Every red-blooded American ought to have at least one AR15 rifle.

Then quickly add a Garand, .30-30, Kimber, and a 10/22!!!!
 
okay okay --- one and only one -----

Springfield 1903 (or 1903A3).

Sporterized if you like/must (they're cheaper!)

Why?
- it's historic (several wars)
- it uses a cartridge that's still in production (.30-06)
- it's powerful. (.30-06)
- it's bolt action - so not hard to clean or maintain

The 1903 is comfortable being used for hunting or defense.
 
A Model 94 Winchester, a Model 39 Marlin, a Model 99 Savage and a Model 70 Winchester come to mind when considering "classic" rifles no serious collector or rifle "loony" should be without.
 
I'd have to agree with those that chose the lever action. I'd do it a bit differently and pick either a Winchester 1892 in 44-40 or a Winchester 1886 in .33WCF depending on what I came across first. Of course this would be if money was no object for me.

Stu
 
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