So I got a question, based on my YouTube videos on my favourite guns, as to what I would pick if I could only have 1 each of long-gun, handgun and bladed weapon.
The bladed one is easiest. It would be a one piece metal knife with paracord for the handle. And razor sharp. Yes there are much fancier knives but this would be the working tool, and the most useful knives, when hunting, working or, in extreme cases even self defence are not huge affairs.
The long-arms we really need to divide into shotguns and rifles at the very least, but if allowed only one it would be .300 WM rifle with sum MOA barrel. If I could add to that a shotgun, for practical purposes it would likely be a pump action, probably the 8 shot Winchester. If using it for home defence was not a consideration though, aesthetically I like over and under shotguns of a certain quality.
The handgun would be the hardest to reduce to a single one, but I suppose a 6” barrel Ruger GP100 in .357 magnum would be it.
What are your choices?
Long gun: AK-47
Sidearm: Beretta 92
Knife: K-bar
A classicist and medium range enthusiast I see. Not bad choices at all.
Shotgun: Saiga 12GA
Rifle: Mini-14, SOCOM M1A, PSL54, or a CETME style rifle. All with scope.
Pistol: PPK/S
Knife: A 10 inch War Knife. Has a window smasher on it. Plus a nice saw near the hilt.
On the shotgun I don’t want a pump action. You have to manually load each shell. With a magazine fed shotgun the magazine can be loaded and kept next to the shotgun. It’s quicker to chamber shells this way when the action does down, or, at least that’s what my friend told me.
Semi auto shotguns jam. At some point they do. On the knife, I sometimes also think about my Gerber Mark II original, it deadlier for a bunch of things but still not as versatile as a one-piece metal job.
Mini14 is light and accurate but again a mid-range weapon. Not wrong, just different choices.
I would only state that the ‘bladed weapon’ be closer to machete length. For me it’s because that’s the primary weapon in my martial art and the question states ‘bladed weapon’ as opposed to ‘bladed all-around tool.’
A long-barrelled hunting-capable weapon-capable, reliable revolver in .357 is a great choice. Probably wiser than any kind of 9mm automatic although 9mm automatic is better for scavenging ammunition. There exist kit-guns out there that allow you to easily swap out barrels and chambers to shoot a wide variety of ammunition but those are always gimmicky.
My eyesight is bad enough that I’ll never really be able to take advantage of a really long-shooting rifle. For ease of ammo finding and simplicity I would do something that reliably shoots either .223/5.56 or .308/7.62×51. The .308 would have all the hunting/fighting power I am capable of using at the ranges I am capable of using it at.
Sensible choices. For me the rifle would be primary hunting/raider prevention weapon. The revolver more for 2 legged critters that get too close in urban environments. Agree on the machete too, but only IF the smallish knife is considered a random tool then. If I only have a knife or machete option, then the knife wins out.
As for eyesight… not sure what your issue is but contact lenses / glasses and sometimes the scope alone can correct for your sight impairment. You may be more able than you think.