Best all around gun?

[bullbreaker]

Remington 870 12g shot gun. It will do everything, is cheap, never fails, and is versatile. No property should be without a shot gun.
HS

sounds like a 12g pump to me.
mossberg 500a or rem 870 etc..
soundguy

:thumbsup:

Yup ! Thats why I got 2 of-em.(870 Remmy's)
And a fancy 1100.

Boone

 

[PapaPerk]

Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle! It will "reach out" to anything you need to hit. But it ain't quiet! :laughing:

If you want a .22 the Marlin 795 is very nice... and inexpensive to boot! I much prefer it over the Ruger 10/22. If you want a classic.... Marlin 39A lever action!

 

[wdchyd]

20 or 12 guage pump shotgun if I had to only have one.....

Great for home defense, varmits, hunting, skeet clays, plinking.........light and heavy loads, buck shot and slugs.....Hard to beat the versatility, ease of use and price for ammo as well....

Glad I can have more than one though....:thumbsup:

 

[ridger]

my best gun is a 22 mag with a 4x10 scope, can drive nails at 50 yards

 

[buck12]

Another vote for a 12 ga pump. But I would also want a rifle in case the coyote is over 50 yards.

 

[RobertN]

After my initial post, and reading many that followed:

-Something that would be used for home protection

12g pump, 00 buckshot, slugs

- shooting that coyote that is about to get into your chicken coup

12g pump, 00 buckshot

- the wild rabid dog coming towards your kids

12g pump, 00 buckshot, maybe BB

- a racoon in your garage...etc.

Nothing... open the door and let it out. Makes a mess in the garage, chance of riochet and shrapnel hitting you. If needed after it gets out of the garage, then 12g pump, with anything from #4 shot to 00 buskshot.

- Needs to be durable

Parkerized 12g pump

-able to take the abuse while attached to the quad.

basic 12g pump

- Something that is simple for the wife to operate

12g pump, start with some low base skeet loads

All the others sounded that were mentioned sounded good. But, with the variety of loads available for 12g, you can do about anything with it in N America. Slugs for deer/bear/moose/pig. Birdshot for birds. Large BB to 00buck for most anything 4 legged, up to deer.

Pump gun would take a beating in the rack of a quad. It is easy to use at 3am in the morning while it is snowing.

 

[wdchyd]

Another vote for a 12 ga pump. But I would also want a rifle in case the coyote is over 50 yards.

I like buckshot if he's running like lightning..or has beagle on his menu..:licking:

 

[Pete Judd]

I keep several 22lr around the house and the shop, always loaded. A 20-12 guage can do a lot of damage if you are aiming close to the chicken house, found it to be the best way to do it. I like many on this form have many other things to use for hunting, but the old 22lr is still the favorite.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I would have to join the 12gauge camp as the most versatile firearm with the possible exception of downsizing to a 16 or even 20 gauge if your wife is a very small person and I would go for a pump model whichever caliber I chose

 

[DAY]

I stand by my original suggestion, a 20 ga. shot gun. A 12 is probably too much gun for the "little woman". A 16 is a good compromise.
By just asking the question the OP is suggesting that he- and family- are not "gun people". And all his theoretical needs for a weapon sound just that- if they had happened, he would already have acquired a gun of some sort. The question is similar to one often found here- "I want to buy my first tractor. Advice, please."