The Perfect Three Gun Combination

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Via Says Uncle and the Firing Pin Journal we find that there's a popular debate that's been circulating throughout the gun-blogger community concerning the perfect three gun combination. Discussions such as these have been around as long as there have been choices in personal defensive weapons. Much like the 1911/Glock or AK/AR debates, there is never a clearly decisive winner. I'm sure as far back as the stone age cavemen were arguing whether flint or obsidian made better arrowheads. Of course, I'm still going to join in the fray and voice this writer's opinion.

Given that you could have only one of each, what one pistol, shotgun, and rifle would you choose? For the purposes of this exercise, we're choosing them for self defense. Naturally then, I'm inclined to choose firearms that are versatile and for which ammunition is inexpensive and widely available, and which function more or less in nearly any condition.

Glock 19 Some people maintain that the Glock 19 is too big to be a defensive handgun, but for the purposes of this exercise we're not limited to concealed carry. The Glock 19 is favored by law enforcement agencies throughout the world as a defensive weapon. Despite the fact that it is usually best worn as an open carry weapon, I feel it fits the bill nicely.

Remington 870 Express Synthetic When it comes to shotguns, the Remington 870 line is pretty much the standard by which all other pump-action shotguns are judged. Being a pump action, it will digest nearly any 12 gauge round with zero complaints. While not as fast as a semiautomatic shotgun, the increased reliability of the 870 makes it a good selection.

PTR 91 Many people would choose an AR or AK platform rifle as a primary defensive carbine. While 7.62x51 (.308 Winchester) ammunition is more expensive than either 5.56 or 7.62x39, I prefer something a bit larger and chose the PTR 91. The lack of a gas system means that it will operate in nearly any conditions and digest almost any 7.62 NATO or .308 Winchester load.

Is this the perfect combination? Honestly, I'm not convinced such a thing exists. Weapons for personal defense are, by their very nature, a personal choice. Individual ergonomics, budget, preferences and training play heavily into such choices.