No Real Cap
Kim du Toit
October 12, 2007
5:36 AM CDT
Okay, I’ve just about had it with those crappy articles which ask stupid questions like: “If you could own only one gun, which would it be?” or “Name the gun you’d like to shoot exclusively for the rest of your life?” and so on. (And yes, I’ve probably written more of this type of nonsense than any two gun writers combined.)
All the above involve choices which require painful reflection and soul-searching.
But what about if you had no restrictions on quantity (speaking reasonably, that is—some guy might want thirty AK-47s, but that’s just silly, unless he’s the Commandant of his local Red Dawn unit [eyecross]).
So, if we can agree that “one hundred” is a nice round number, herewith are my choices for Kim’s Top 100 Gun Choices (and if you think that a hundred is “too constricting”, you need help). For ease of reference, I’ve broken them down into sub-groups—BUT: if you think that shotguns are woefully under-represented when you draw up your own list, that’s fine. As to the composition of the list, I am of course hopelessly and unrepentantly old-fashioned, so if you are mortally offended that I didn’t put your favorite H&K Model Whatever on the list, that’s just too damn bad.
The guns are listed alphabetically, not in order of preference.
- Large-Caliber Revolvers/Single-Shot:
- Bond Arms Derringer (.45 Colt/.410ga)
- Colt Diamondback (.38 Spec)
- Colt Python (.357 Mag)
- Colt SAA (.45 Colt)
- Ruger SP101 (.357 Mag)
- Ruger Redhawk (.357 Mag)
- Ruger Super Blackhawk (.30 Carbine)
- Ruger Super Blackhawk (.44 Mag)
- Ruger Vaquero (.45 Colt)
- S&W Mod 637 (.38 Spec +P)
- S&W Mod 65 (.357 Mag)
- S&W Mod 686 (.357 Mag)
- Uberti SA 1890 Police (.45 Colt)
- Large-Caliber Semi-Auto Pistols
- Beretta Mod 70 (9mm Kurz)
- Browning High Power (9mm Para)
- Colt Gold Cup 1911 (.45 ACP)
- Mauser C96 (7.63mm Mauser—“Broomhandle")
- SIG P210 (9mm Para)
- Springfield 1911 “Loaded” (.45 ACP)
- Walther PP (9mm Kurz)
- Rimfire Handguns (all .22 LR unless otherwise)
- Beretta Mod 75 semi-auto
- Browning Buckmark Standard semi-auto
- Browning Challenger semi-auto
- Colt Diamondback DA revolver
- Colt Officers Match DA revolver
- Colt Trooper MkIII DA revolver
- High Standard Supermatic semi-auto
- NAA Mini-Revolver SA .22 LR/.22 Mag
- Ruger Single-Six SA revolver .22 LR/.22 Mag
- Ruger SP101 DA revolver
- S&W Mod 17 K-22 DA revolver ("Kit Gun")
- S&W Mod 48 DA revolver .22 Mag
- S&W Mod 617 DA 10-shot revolver
- Rimfire Rifles (all .22 LR unless otherwise)
- BSA-Martini single-shot
- CZ 453 Varmint HB bolt-action
- CZ ZKM 611A semi-auto .22 Mag
- Marlin 39 lever-action
- Marlin 982SV bolt-action .22 Mag
- Marlin 880SQ bolt-action
- Remington Speedmaster semi-auto
- Taurus Mod 62 pump (Win 62 if $$$ available)
- T/C Sporter semi-auto
- Winchester Mod 63 semi-auto
- Centerfire Bolt-Action Rifles
- Arisaka Type 99 (7.7x53mm Jap)
- CZ 550 Lux (6.5x55mm Swede)
- Lee-Enfield No.4 MkI (.303 Enfield)
- Mauser Gew 98 (8x57mm)
- Mauser K98 (8x57mm)
- Mauser M48 (.308 Win—“Israeli")
- Mauser M95 (7x57mm—“Spanish")
- Mauser M96 (6.5x55mm—“Swede")
- Mosin-Nagan Mod 91/30 (7.62x54mmR)
- Mosin-Nagant Mod 44 (7.62x54mmR)
- Remington 700 (.308 Win)
- Savage Mod 12 Varmint (.223 Rem)
- Schmidt-Rubin K11 Carbine (7.5x55mm—“Swiss)
- Schmidt-Rubin K31 (7.5x55mm—“Swiss")
- SMLE MkIII No.1 (.303 Enfield)
- Springfield ‘03-A3 (.30-06)
- Steyr M95 (8x56mmR)
- Winchester M1917 (.30-06)
- Winchester Mod 54 (.257 Roberts)
- Winchester pre ‘64 Mod 70 (.270 Win)
- Winchester Pattern 1914 (.303 Enfield)
- Centerfire Lever-Action Rifles
- Marlin 1894 (.357 Mag)
- Marlin 1895 (.45-70 Govt)
- Marlin 336 (.30-30)
- Savage 99 (.250 Savage)
- Savage 99 (.300 Savage)
- Winchester 1895 (.405 Win)
- Winchester Mod 94 (.32 Win Spec)
- Centerfire Single-Shot Rifles
- Browning 1885 High Wall (.45-70 Govt)
- CZ ZH 344 double (7x57mm)
- Dakota Arms Mod 10 (.375 H&H Mag)
- Krieghoff Drilling (16ga/7x57mm)
- T/C Encore (.223 Rem)
- Centerfire Semi-Auto Rifles
- Browning BAR (.270 Win)
- M1 Carbine (.30 Carbine)
- M1 Garand (.30-06)
- Marlin Camp 45 (.45 ACP)
- SAR-1/AK-47 (7.62x39mm)
- SAFN 49 (8x57mm)
- SAFN 49 (7x57mm—“Venezuelan")
- SKS (7.62x39mm)
- Thompson 1927-A1 (.45 ACP—“Tommy")
- Walther G43 (6x57mm)
- Aguirre y Aranzabal No.4 SxS (16ga)
- Browning A5 semi-auto (16ga—“Sweet Sixteen")
- Browning A5 semi-auto (20ga—“Light Twenty")
- Browning Gold Hunter semi-auto (20ga)
- Kassnar Windsor SxS (16ga—“Churchill")
- Mossberg 500 pump (12ga—“Mariner")
- Remington 1100 semi-auto (20ga)
- Remington 870 pump (12ga)
- Winchester 1897 pump (12ga)
- Browning Automatic Rifle (.30-06—“BAR")
- Bren LMG (.303 Enfield)
- M3 SMG (.45 ACP—“Grease Gun")
- MP40 SMG (9mm Para—“Schmeisser")
- Sten SMG (9mm Para)
You might think that it took me a long time to compile this list of favorites, but you’d be wrong. It took me less than a couple of hours.
Most of the guns will be familiar to everyone (with the possible exception of the AyA shotgun), and if not, they’re in the GGP section. There are a couple of notable omissions, which probably need a little explanation.
- All the Beretta, Remington, Winchester, Benelli and Browning “big name” O/U sporting shotguns: I prefer the side-by-side action to over/under, and none of the aforementioned make their guns in 16ga anymore;
- All the Winchester, Benelli and Browning “big name” semi-auto sporting shotguns: I’m not that big on semi-auto shotguns, with the exception of the Browning A5 line.
- Various calibers: These are pretty much my favorite chamberings—and with these, I can shoot anything in the world that I want, given the opportunity.
So there you have it:
Kim’s favorite 100 guns. Something to please, and to offend, everyone. Kinda like all my posts.