# Pot meat 3 gun kit for the beginners.



## Magus

No AR/AK stuff here please, just good Ol' huntin' irons.

Three guns anyone who needs to live off the land for extended periods:
A rifle capable of taking the largest game in your area.
A 22.
A Shotgun for birds and squirrels.

Try to find a couple of Lee hand loaders for the rifle and shotgun while you're at it.:wave:

*Two kits, lived with both, ON both, never a glitch:

The Trailer park kit:
A Russian Mosian Nagant can be had for about 100$ in near mint condition, ammo is cheap as well and approximates the USGI 7.62X51 NATO in ballistics, further south an SKS is acceptable but costlier.7.62X39 approximates the American 30-30 in ballistics, good on white tail and hogs.

Marlin or Ruger?Rugers cost more but you can add all kinds of useful or useless things to them, how deep is your pocket? I'd go marlin, it has an edge in accuracy and can be had for under 200$

Single shot shotgun, if you don't intend to bird hunt or there's no ducks in your BOL, a 410 or 20 gauge is plenty.most can be had for around 100$

The upwardly mobile kit

Any nice Savage 110 in the appropriate caliber.run you around 400$

Upgrade to a Ruger, I won't mind.

Remington 870, get a tube and choke kit, go 12 gauge.*

Now for good measure get a quality air rifle that shoots both BBs and pellets.

Just to be mean, the "elite" gun snob kit. 
Savage weather warrior in 300 Winchester Magnum, slap a bi pod on it.it will take any large game in the lower 48. 800$

Remington Marine.12 Ga, matte chrome plated, dot scope and mag tube it!450$

10/22 Stainless.300$get extra mags!!

Since you're rich, get a redhawk 44 magnum and scope it.

*Now then, lets see YOUR kits!remember,I won't talk up something I've never used, but maybe you have?*


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## md1911

1. Marlin model .336 30-30 lever action. I have owned and shot this rifle for 25 years. I have hunted wild hog (must make a good kill shot). Deer and other game successfully.
2. Ruger 10/22. I haven't had it long but it seams to be a good shooter.
3. Ruger blackhawk single six in. 357. I love this revoler. Very dependable. I've had it for 17 years. I'm proficient enough with it to shoot skeet with it.
4. Remington model 120 pump 12 gauge. Nothing special just a good reliabe old shotgun.


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## Sentry18

This is my basic hunting kit:

1. Sporterized 1917 Enfield 30-06 w/ Vortex 4-12x40 Riflescope 
2. Marlin 795 .22LR w/ Optisan 1-4x24 Riflescope
3. Ruger Red Label All-Weather 12ga O/U 26" Barrel


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## mmszbi

Several kits to choose from, but here are my go to's:

Savage 110 in 30-06 with Nikon BDC Prostaff optics
JC Higgins Model 29 22lr with 4x32 optics
Remington 870 Wingmaster 12ga


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## hiwall

Magus has a pretty good list. Nothing wrong just a different opinion on a couple. A 410 shotgun is about worthless, get a 20 or a 12. If you are young and/or have good-to-excellent vision then the mosin nagant is fine. Better is an American bolt rifle in a common caliber like 30/06 or 308 with iron sights and a scope (fixed 4x is a good choice). I would never choose a silver colored gun unless you are going to paint it camo. The 22 rifle could just as well be a bolt action (rather than an auto) because you could then shoot shorts, longs, and any LR ammo.


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## jsriley5

Well for just a basic "meat gun" probably do it all with a good ole 12 ga single shot.
Get fancy and include a cheap marlin bolt action or semi or even a single shot bolt 22 and you pretty well ahve the means to take everything in north america. 
I like the 308 cartridge but in actuallity the 30-06 gets a lil edge using the heavier bullets so if you just gotta get a big rifle get an 06 probably a Savage 110 but for strictly pot meating the big rifle and even the 22 are un neccessary 

also if I"m depending on eating from what I kill the whole fair pursuit stuff goes out teh windo I"ll be saving my shells for nice easy sitting targets and especially shots that might allow some second hits to be made when I shoot my primary target. 

Wanna get fancy step that 12 ga up to a mosberg 500 get the combo that comes with a slug barrel and you really got the world by the tail then. 
While you upgrade move up to a Ruger 10/22 22 rifle andmaybe uprade your caliber on your rifle to a 300 mag of some type win, win short, etc etc. 

Hmm the ritz Well really to me we have already gotten there anything else you could get that costs more money than that is just wasted dollars. maybe upgrade your optics or to optics. for the slug barrel 22 and 300 win mag.


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## zombieresponder

Scoped handguns are special purpose tools. They're extremely bulky, heavy, and generally inconvenient for anything other than fixed position shooting. It's not something the average person is going to want to bother with carrying, much less shooting.

*Yes, I own a scoped revolver. I've carried it in the field a number of times. It would probably be the last gun on my priority list if I had to grab everything and go.


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## Magus

hiwall said:


> Magus has a pretty good list. Nothing wrong just a different opinion on a couple. A 410 shotgun is about worthless, get a 20 or a 12. If you are young and/or have good-to-excellent vision then the mosin nagant is fine. Better is an American bolt rifle in a common caliber like 30/06 or 308 with iron sights and a scope (fixed 4x is a good choice). I would never choose a silver colored gun unless you are going to paint it camo. The 22 rifle could just as well be a bolt action (rather than an auto) because you could then shoot shorts, longs, and any LR ammo.


Not about opinions, its about kits.post your three gun huntin' kit!
P.S
I've took my weight in squirrels, rabbits, dove, and more than a few snakes with a 410, ask my dinner how worthless it was! LOL

Now granted,I live in the south, muppets tend to be lighter skinned and thinner furred here.

I agree on shiny guns,I'm never without dry moly spray.wears like paint, looks like parkerization, lubes good too.

*OOPS,I feel like a goober now,I completely omitted my trusty Zebeco rod and reel!*


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## HiddenAgenda69

I'll have to go with my 870 pump in 20ga... Then my Ruger .243 with an old Weaver scope (fogs up kinda easy but the glass is great)... After that would be an old Remington 550 .22 handed down to me by my grandfather. It's heavy but accurate... With those choices I can cleanly take anything that flies, walks, or crawls in my area.

Alternates would be a Franchi semi-auto in 20ga, and I have a sweet recurve bow for when things need to be a bit more quiet.


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## webeable

I would go for a shtgun with a slug barrel, this will bring down most large game, then you would cut your stocks. But then again I would have a pistol large enough to defend self, yet kill large game also. That would be .357, 44 mag or a 45 as a min. ( mill doesn't have knockdown imo


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## Boomy

1- AR, yes I use mine for hunting, if I was farther north I'd want something bigger, but here it works for me. I like my Mosin but hate the front sight.
2- M-887 (Rem 870 incased in plastic) is my current scattergun. Super lite weight but shoots magnums painlessly. Super low maintenance.
3- Savage 64- it's a little quieter than a 10/22, but you don't have the magazine options. $50 savings.


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## hiwall

OK, Magus here is the three I picked that I have now. 
Savage 110 in .270 w/6x Burris scope
Rem 870 Special Field 20 ga ( I don't like shotguns but I do have one )
Rem model 4 22LR w/tang peep sight and fiber-optic front


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## Magus

That's a very well thought out kit.What's great about the Rem mod 4? never laid hands on one.


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## truecarnage

In my neck of the woods I can take anything I would eat, less fish, with just my .17 HMR and 12 ga. Use 12ga. For bird & deer and the .17 HMR for hog, turkey, gator, squirrel or whatever.


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## jsriley5

have you shot hogs with a 17 yet? I wouldn't think youd have a prayer on them with that akin to whacking em with a fly swatter. But then I haven't actually had an oportunity to go hog huntin yet so perhaps they are a good bit more delicate than my domestics hogs were. At any rate I"d use the 12 gauge with slugs for them too. Heard they can be plenty mean if they are riled up. I'd not want to risk it. And another disclaimer though I don't own nor have I shot a 17 hmr either so I suppose I just don't know.


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## truecarnage

Actually I have never shot one with my .17 HMR but I've seen it done several times I've only turned out the dogs and taken hog alive. You too can see it on YouTube and see what I'm talking about.


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## CrackbottomLouis

My pump winchester 20 gauge (killed my first deer with it as a kid), winchester 308 bolt action run of the mill scope or my marlin 35 lever action with scope set above the irons, and a basic bolt 22 (dont have one of these yet but will, making do with conversion bolt for ar but was asked not to mention that one . Throw in some fishin gear and set for meat huntin in the southeast.


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## musketjim

Ruger Redhawk, Stinger shotshells for small game, Mossberg 500 shotgun, Ruger M-77 in.270. My dream gun is a Henry Big Boy in .44 magnum.


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## hiwall

Magus, nothing special about the Rem #4. Its an older rifle (about 80 to 90 years old), single shot(rolling block action). Mine had a bad bore but I put a liner in it and it shoots great now. If it hasn't broke in that many years, I figure it will last a few more.


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## webeable

I must say I have 3 shotguns, 2 20's with full choke, inherited one rem semi auto ok gun have got lots of rabbits with it, other savage 20 pump 28 in barrel great for most things, mossberg 12 pump with choke tubes, and dear slugs. 270 win, several 22's best is old marlin bolt toe shooter, but would take the winchester 22 semi. Then a 45 semi for side arm. like I said if had to take only 3 would me the semi 22, 12 gauge with both barrels, and the 45. Ammo is heavy to carry so need to limit. If can would take the 50 cal muzzle loader would work as rifle or shotgun.


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## Wanderer0101

Remington bolt action .308, Remington 870 12 gauge with a Poly Choke, Ruger 10/22. Had them all for decades and they all still work just fine. I feel reasonably comfortable with everything in North America except really big bears.


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## TheAnt

Good list Magus. As everyone has stated the Ruger 10/22 is a great little gun!

I am thinking along the lines of bug-out-gunning situation:

Not that I disagree specifically with anyone but unless I was thinking I would be doing a lot of small game hunting and needed lightweight accuracy in a quiet .22 I think I might leave that at home and travel with an AR-15 instead. I would carry a .45 (maybe Glock) on the hip for close range. I would also leave the shotty at home -- it does make a great home defense weapon.

With the AR I could take down most game that I could carry out of the woods in North America and also carry plenty of rounds if I had to use it as a self-defense weapon at distance. I could have the .45 as a sidearm (even a 9mm should be plenty sufficient but I like .45 myself). Maybe I would go 2-gun instead of three and stay mobile. Leave the shotty and .22 rifle at home.

I need to build up my gun collection... lost it all in that fateful canoeing accident last summer!


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## CrackbottomLouis

I agree with the m4 assessment. You dont have to carry a seperate weapon in 22. Conversion bolt and a brick of 1000 weighs very little


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## ONEOLDCHIEF

Magus said:


> Not about opinions, its about kits.post your three gun huntin' kit!
> P.S
> I've took my weight in squirrels, rabbits, dove, and more than a few snakes with a 410, ask my dinner how worthless it was! LOL
> 
> I love the 410, shells are expensive... do you reload, only way it would be cost effective to own...
> 
> 1. Reminton 742 Woodsmaster 30-06
> 2. Winchester model 1200 (slug barrel too) 12 ga
> 3. Old Remington single shot 22, best 22 i have ever owned... W/Subsonic ammo...
> 
> ps: have to throw in compound cross bow into this mix somewhere...


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## MsSage

> a shtgun with a slug barrel


I have a question....we use mossberg 88 at work , we use slugs and buckshot. Does it have a slug barrel or does it matter if its slug or shot ? NO I dont know, so its not a trick question ...I dont know anything about shotguns other than shooting them to qual at work.


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## MSweat66

Urban:
FN Five-seveN pistol
Ruger Mini-14
Remington 870 Express Super Mag 12 Gauge

Rural:
Ruger 10/22
Smith & Wesson Model 1500 .270
(I’ve owned this gun for 30+ years, It’s my favorite.)
Remington 870 Express Super Mag 12 Gauge

And I have to add a hand gun here.
Ruger Blackhawk .357


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## OleSarge

I have a moss bet 4X4 in .338 win mag for my main hunting rifle up here. It is a silver gun due to the climate I live in. Depending on where I am hunting I deal with a lot of salt water and temp changes. I also have an 870 that I got as a Christmas present about 2 decades ago. And my third firearm is an old Daisy 22 with a 4 power scope on it. Once again because of where I live I have a 4th gun and no matter what I am hunting it goes with me. That is a tiger Blackhawk in 45 LC. That is solely for brown bears when you are hunched of a moose or caribou and it decides it wants a free meal.


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## Claymore5150

Here's mine...
East German Haenel 303 .177 break barrel Air Rifle. Shoots about 600 fps and requires maintenance about every 25 yrs or so. A dull "thunk" and it'll take small game out to 35 yards. 
(These days you'd want to go with Air Venturi Bronco which is in the $130 neighborhood)

Mossberg 702 Plinkster .22lr. Gun, scope, extra 10rd magazine, 550rds of federal bulk, ffl fee and 9.5% sales tax and out the door for less than $190 at the local wally world. 

Winchester 1300 Ranger, 12ga, 28" barrel with Full/Mod/ImpCyl chokes, 5 in the mag, one in the tube, 3" magnum capable. 
With a Remington Slugger it will drop anything on the North American continent like a bad transmission within 100yds.
Duck? Yummy! It'll drop one. Grouse? Yummy! It'll drop one. Dove? Yummy! It'll drop one. Pheasant? Yummy! It'll drop one. Deer? Yummy! It'll drop one. Turkey? Yummy! Drop dead gobbler.
Bad guy? (You better not say Yummy, you sickos!) Yeah, it'll drop him/her, too.

When I try to think of something that a 12ga Slugger round WON'T drop within 100yds....it gets really scary, really fast. 
Rhino....Slugger round might have a hard time with a Rhino. I dunno, haven't done the research. Doubt I'll have to worry about it unless there's an issue at the zoo. That's the beauty of 6 shots, though. 
Werewolf...the fact that the slug is lead and not silver has something to do with it, otherwise it's a dead lump of fur when a slugger gets done with it.

If I lived out in the plains/prairie...I'd want to exchange my .22 for a .308 Remington 700 bolt action. I only say Remington 700 because it's a platform that I'm very familiar with. I'm sure there are a multitude of capable rifles that would do the same or better job at "prairie" distances of 100m-1000m.


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## Claymore5150

MsSage said:


> I have a question....we use mossberg 88 at work , we use slugs and buckshot. Does it have a slug barrel or does it matter if its slug or shot ? NO I dont know, so its not a trick question ...I dont know anything about shotguns other than shooting them to qual at work.


Doesn't really matter.
Two tricks to checking if it's a "slug" barrel or not. 1. Is it a little bead on the end of the barrel or is it another type of sight (blade)? 2. Is the barrel smooth inside or does it have rifling twists?

A smooth shotgun will shoot a rifled slug just fine. 
A "slug" barrel will shoot shot or buckshot just fine. Takes a little extra cleaning with a bore brush when done, that's all. Slug barrel probably not great for bird hunting, but it's do-able.


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## hiwall

Claymore5150 said:


> Doesn't really matter.
> Two tricks to checking if it's a "slug" barrel or not. 1. Is it a little bead on the end of the barrel or is it another type of sight (blade)? 2. Is the barrel smooth inside or does it have rifling twists?
> 
> A smooth shotgun will shoot a rifled slug just fine.
> A "slug" barrel will shoot shot or buckshot just fine. Takes a little extra cleaning with a bore brush when done, that's all. Slug barrel probably not great for bird hunting, but it's do-able.


Well if it is a rifled slug barrel it would be almost worthless for shot or buckshot. You could shoot them in it though, if you wanted to.
To see if it is rifled just put your finger in the end of the barrel(unloaded gun!) and if barrel is smooth inside it is not rifled.
A smooth bore will shoot anything OK. Rifled is made only for slugs.


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## stanb999

Rem. 870 With reloader, buck shot and slug molds
It can take all local game and is all that is "needed".

bolt action Marlin 22 
It's cheap to fire. Good for varmints. But IMHO not a meat producer like a shot gun.

30-30 winchester lever action. Cost effective only for deer.

Have taken all game with this combo in my region.

For SHTF nothing beats...









For meat production.


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## CrazyEric

I own 3 shotguns, 3 bolt actions, a SKS, a Hi-Point carbine in 45ACP, and a Springfield XDm9. Out of what I have I would take my Remington 870 in 12 ga, my Enfield in 303 British, and my Hi-Point carbine. My ideal setup up though would be my Enfield(or other rifle that I get that I like better), a Savage Model 42 combination in 22lr and 410, and a Springfield 1911 A1. You have the 303 round for bigger game, the 22 for small game, the 410 for smaller birds/game, and the 1911 for self-defence.


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## prepare_survive_thrive

hiwall said:


> Magus has a pretty good list. Nothing wrong just a different opinion on a couple. A 410 shotgun is about worthless, get a 20 or a 12. If you are young and/or have good-to-excellent vision then the mosin nagant is fine. Better is an American bolt rifle in a common caliber like 30/06 or 308 with iron sights and a scope (fixed 4x is a good choice). I would never choose a silver colored gun unless you are going to paint it camo. The 22 rifle could just as well be a bolt action (rather than an auto) because you could then shoot shorts, longs, and any LR ammo.


Not being an ass but why do you think 410 are worthless?? And speaking of worthless why would you ever buy 22shorts?? I can think of only one reason for shorts and that's a whole different kind of hunting.


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## hiwall

prepare_survive_thrive, check out Magus's new thread on the 410. I would also not recommend shorts but it is another option if your gun will shoot them.


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## mojo4

My eatin' guns are a Ruger in 300 Win Mag. I got tired of chasing elk shot with smaller calibers, with the 300 they don't run! A henry .22 lever action for small critters and a Browning semi auto 12 gauge for flying food. Although I don't eat birds too often I am ready for golf course geese dinners!! Of course I also have a Glock 17, AR15 and an 870 12 gauge for encounters with the most dangerous critters around, the dreaded long pig!!


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## prepare_survive_thrive

hiwall said:


> prepare_survive_thrive, check out Magus's new thread on the 410. I would also not recommend shorts but it is another option if your gun will shoot them.


Where is it posted. I cant find it


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## hiwall

try here-----
http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f15/praise-useless-410-a-15679/


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## FrankW

Good Stuff as usual Magus.

Though I'd like to add my 2 cents by pointing out the russian 7.62x54 on the Moisins is more like a 30-06 than a 7.62x51NATO/308 Winch.


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## tugboats

Here are my three:

Stoeger 12g side by side with chamber adapters.
Winchester model 70 in .30-06 Scoped
Ruger Mk III pistol .22LR.

I like the Stoeger (a cheap SxS) due to the simplicity of the arm. With chamber adapters it can shoot anything from .22LR to .45 acp, .410 to 20g.

The Winchester is a proven design, works in all temperatures and ammo is very plentiful, reloadable and cheap.

I pondered the pistol over the rifle in .22LR but I usually have the MK III with me at all times, It has accounted for a bunch of game. A pistol is a weapon of opportunity. I have taken game when we were out just walking in the woods and not dedicated to hunting. I am good with it out to about 40 yards but as my eyesight deteriorates (old age sucks) I may need to go to an optical sight.


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