I've been seeing a question going around forums and social media for the last week or two. The gist of it is, "What would you suggest as a solid basic armory for a serious new gun owner?" The context usually a friend or young man coming of age into the world of firearms ownership and training. I've found the answers to be both entertaining and enlightening. You see the obvious bias of the authors and their personal preferences for using firearms. Some people veer towards the outdoors and suggest hunting rifles and big bore revolvers for backwoods protection. Others went right towards the tactical realm.
So today is my personal answer to this question, and I'm couching it in terms of the Martial Marksman and Scenario-X. I'm not leaning purely on the tactical, though. Rather, my preferences for someone starting out is thinking in terms of versatility and reliability. Too many marksmen, including me at times, go needlessly deep into "optimization." By that, I mean we think of a possible situation and then work backwards to build a rifle or collection tailored to that situation.
But, as the Martial Marksman principles dictate, there is no such thing as optimum. We are, in fact, better served with a tool that does many things pretty well rather than a tool that does one thing exceptionally well at the expense of usefulness elsewhere. Sure, there's a time and a place for specialist tools once you've established your foundations- but this post is about actually building the foundation.
So let's dig in.
Amory Prioritization Tiers
Much like the "gearamid," I'm break my starter arsenal down into a series of levels. The most important and highest priority items being at the bottom, and the least important specialist items being at the top. This isn't to say there isn't a reason you might skip a level, but you should do so understanding that you're probably neglecting something important in the process.
Tier 1: The Martial Marksman
As far as I'm concerned, this is the starting point. If you're at all serious about defense of self, home, and community- then this is the core of it. A beginner's top priority falls along two things: a common and reliable semi-automatic pistol, and a common reliable semi-automatic rifle in an intermediate cartridge.
I have some important additions and caveats to go along with this, as well.
The Starter Pistol
I said that a beginner Martial Marksman should have a common and reliable semi-automatic pistol. That's not terribly specific. I know a lot of readers and listeners want something more specific and concrete. The thing is, I've found that handguns are a personal preference. Once you find one that you like, or even a particular family of them, it ends to become your default suggestion going forward. You can tell when other writers go down this path by only suggesting something like a Glock 19 or 17.
I think that's a mistake, though.
So here are guidelines for a Martial Marksman's first handgun:
* Proven track record of reliability
* Compact sized (i.e. about a 15 round capacity of 9mm)
* Currently for formerly issued to police departments, government agencies, or military units
* Comfortable to hold and shoot in your hands
Reliability is #1, here. This isn't your weekend match gun that only costs you the win if it goes down. You may very well stake your life or your family's life on this gun going bang every time you pull the trigger. Don't skip this point.
