What 1 gun, long gun or handgun, have you been excited/hyped about and then bought it and found it fulfilled all your dreams?

[cowpuc]

What 1 gun, long gun or handgun, have you been excited/hyped about and then bought it and found it fulfilled all your dreams? My thread so I will go first LOL..

A Beretta 92f has been on my bucket list for years. I have owned lots of great shooting handguns, and rifles too, that I totally enjoyed shooting and hunting with thru the years. I took several deer with both my Smith 29 and my 1911 - both wonderful classics that were a joy to own. Even my life long joy of owning Rugers, including the little MK1 I bought brand new back in the mid 70's for $75, have been right up there. I have to admit though that something magic happened between me and the Beretta 92f when I lifted it off the table at a Gunshow back when it was first introduced. A "feel" like none other. A since of "this sucker comes to point of aim just like my LEO father always told me a shooter should do" came over me. That is when the Beretta 92 got on my bucket list. Life got quickly complicated after that incident though (got married, had kids) and I never did get to own one of these iconic beauties, until now. 
My brand new 92A1 arrived shortly after winning the auction on GB this past winter. A good supply of Snap Caps arrived shortly there after as did my assortment of hammer springs to begin the process of finding out how light I get Tony's (what I named my A1) trigger pull set and still maintain reliable primer hit on a vast array of ammo including steel case. I knew a healthy supply of ammo was not going to be cheap and I LOVE to shoot (both long range - 200 yards) and point and shoot at several yards which takes lots of practice beyond what snap cap dry firing can provide so I was absolutely thrilled to see Beretta offered a 22lr conversion kit that consisted of a slide/barrel combo that would allow me to use my A1's receiver and fire control group. I found out that Beretta coupons were readily available and ended up getting a brand new Conversion Kit that came with 1-15 round mag. After ordering 2 extra 15 round mags I ended up with under $275 for the whole set up - NICE! To say the least, I have been excessively pleased with Tony's functionality, reliabilty, accuracy and "point of aim". Seeing him win the "sexiest" handgun award on youtube also came as no surprise because that Tony is definitely a looker, another plus I reckon. 
I live in a very resort type of setting here near the Lake Michigan shoreline. A real nice, quiet area with tax payer owned land (State Land) where shooting is allowed located about 15 minutes away. I can legally shoot off my deck but choose not to as there are children in the area and I just dont go there so I have been really missing our home over near near Ravenna where we had over 4000 acres of that tax payer owned land right out my back door and I could target practice any time I wanted. The Pellet gun practice from my deck was just starting to get tiring when I noticed some video's of people shooting Aquila Super Colibri 22lr ammo as a cheap way of going silencer. I also noticed in a couple of those video's at an even lesser decible Colibri in the "standard" Colibri. A few days after watching that video I noticed one of our MGO club members had 3 bricks of the standard for sale over on the east side of our state, my wife and I could not get in the car fast enough to run and pick up those 3 bricks with the hopes that Tony would hand cycle the stuff.. Guess what,, HE DOES SO with pure and solid NO JAMMING!! 
In a nut shell,, Tony the Beretta 92A1 who is sitting right next to me at this time watching Bruce Willis take down the bad guys with one of Tony's older brothers is,, without question, my number 1 choice of guns that I had a life long hype about and has earned a perfect 100% in the "WOW, THIS THING IS EVERYTHING I DREAMED OF AND THEN SOME" category.. 
Now its your turn!
Puc

[OrlinEngh]

This is a easy one for me, Remington 3006 BDL I have had it for 38 years. And was a few years old when I got it at the K and L sporting good store here in Viroqua. Can still see it there with all of the other guns and it just stood out and seemed to be calling out to me. Had the owner hand it to me and I put it up to my shoulder and it was the one. It fit me like it had been made just for me, It did need just a little work on the trigger pull. After that was done I am not sure you have to pull the trigger you just think it. I have put alot of deer meat in the freezer and helped get rid of some coyotes. And it has found its next one to give some great hunting memories to my daughter Hana, And she got her best buck so far last year with it.

[luvmy40]

Marlin Model 336, 30-30.

It's not like I just decided to get one and it was everything I wanted it to be.

I literally grew into this rifle. It's the first large bore stick I ever shot. It's the first rifle I ever took a white tail with. It was my Grail from the beginning of my shooting life.

I'd give it up in an instant to get the man back who bequeathed it to me.

[Freebird]

There are several that I could choose but for a rifle, it had to be the Ruger International chambered in .308.  I've always loved the .308 caliber and absolutely loved the looks of the International.  It was also a compact gun which made it easy to handle in the East Texas brush where I usually hunted.  Went through a divorce in the early 90s and by the time I got everything ironed out and went back to get my gun collection, the ex-wife and sold them all.  I never replaced it and though no longer made, you can find them on the used market.  The fact is though, I don't deer hunter any more and have no use for it except nostalgia and will likely never buy another one.  This is the gun but not the one that I had.  I have no pictures of them from that time.  Mine had a 2 x 7 compact Leopold on it as well as a sling and for me, was the perfect all around combination.

[uncledj]

For a handgun it'd be my SIG 226.  Smooth, reliable and they just seem to go where ya want 'em to.

For a rifle, I've always thought the old Winchester '94 (30-30) was the one all-purpose  rifle I'd want to have around.

I have one of the old ones that my Dad left to me and I was thinking I'd donate it to the tiny history center (and hot dog shop) that sits right next to the hardware store where dad originally bought it in '39, when he was 17.   That old rifle's taken a lot of deer.

I have another one that I bought when I was 17, but not nearly the same value...but I still love it.   The one I bought's taken more than a few deer as well.   (Don't hunt anymore)

[Freebird]

Rifle was fairly easy for me.  Though there are a couple others that I really liked, the International stands out as may favorite.  Handguns?  That's a different story.  I have different favorites for different uses.  

I guess that may all time favorite for plinking is the Ruger Single Six with the interchangeable .22/.22 mag cylinders.  I had one years ago that met the same fate as my International.  I finally replaced it a few years ago.  My original was blued but the new one is stainless.  I love it for plinking.  Cheap, accurate and just a lot of fun.

 

[Freebird]

For handgun hunting, my favorite was the Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag.  Mine had buffalo grips and I had a holster very similar to the same one that I have for the .22.  I don't remember but I think it had the 6" barrel which was fine for my use.  No pictures of it.  Met the same fate as the International and the first Single Six.

[Freebird]

For home defense, I have a couple.  My old Stevens Model 311 Double 12 gauge suffices for a shotgun though I would like to add a nice pump.  For handgun, I have several but may favorite is the Kimber .45 with the crimson trace.

 

 

[Freebird]

For concealed carry, I don't have a picture handy but I would say it's my SIG P365.  Small, high capacity, easy to conceal.  

[Freebird]

Last but not least, the one gun I have never owned but have always wanted to.  The Colt Python.  I had a nickel Trooper MK III but have never owned the Python.  I still hope to one of these days.  Even better would be the Anaconda in .44 Mag but they are no longer made and used ones are out of my range.  The Python is being produced again though and I plan to have one at some point.  I do have a Ruger Match Grade GP100 but it doesn't do it for me nearly as much as the Python.

 

 

[uncledj]

4 minutes ago, Freebird said:

Last but not least, the one gun I have never owned but have always wanted to.  The Colt Python.  I had a nickel Trooper MK III but have never owned the Python.  I still hope to one of these days.  Even better would be the Anaconda in .44 Mag but they are no longer made and used ones are out of my range.  The Python is being produced again though and I plan to have one at some point.  I do have a Ruger Match Grade GP100 but it doesn't do it for me nearly as much as the Python.

 

 

  I always wanted a Python too....for probably 35 years now....Too pricey, and now that I don't shoot very much, I doubt I'll ever get one.

[BlueSky]

My favorite is my Remington 552 Speedmaster .22 semi-automatic.  I was 17 when I bought it in 1961 by working in a grocery store on Fridays after school for $3 and 13 hrs on Saturdays for $7.  The local hardware store let me buy it for $56 and pay $3/week on the bill until it was paid for with no interest.  It would fire shorts, longs, or long rifle cartridges as fast as I could pull the trigger never jamming.  I still have it.  When I was working in FL, I bought a Sig Sauer AR15 from the Homestead, FL Walmart.  I used a M14 and then a M16 in the Army and that M16 really impressed me.  My Sig Sauer P226 9mm is the best of the best in handguns in my opinion, single/double action with a hammer.  I just don't like the accident prone Glocks with no visible hammer that are constantly cocked.  And for a small pocket handgun, my Ruger LCP .380 is very impressive and very reliable.  And I bought a used Remington 1100 12 gauge semi-auto for home protection back about 2008.  It's time to go to the range and exercise them.  

Edited April 18, 2021 by BlueSky

[Freebird]

1 hour ago, BlueSky said:

My favorite is my Remington 552 Speedmaster .22 semi-automatic.  I was 17 when I bought it in 1961 by working in a grocery store on Fridays after school for $3 and 13 hrs on Saturdays for $7.  The local hardware store let me buy it for $56 and pay $3/week on the bill until it was paid for with no interest.  It would fire shorts, longs, or long rifle cartridges as fast as I could pull the trigger never jamming.  I still have it.  When I was working in FL, I bought a Sig Sauer AR15 from the Homestead, FL Walmart.  I used a M14 and then a M16 in the Army and that M16 really impressed me.  My Sig Sauer P226 9mm is the best of the best in handguns in my opinion, single/double action with a hammer.  I just don't like the accident prone Glocks with no visible hammer that are constantly cocked.  And for a small pocket handgun, my Ruger LCP .380 is very impressive and very reliable.  And I bought a used Remington 1100 12 gauge semi-auto for home protection back about 2008.  It's time to go to the range and exercise them.  

When I was in high school in NE Texas, I worked for a store named Gibson's Discount Center.  I worked in sporting goods and sold a lot of guns.  I think I was a junior or senior when I bought my grandfather a brand new 552 Speedmaster for his birthday.  He loved that gun.  Hoped I would get it when he passed away but have no idea what became of it.  

[RDawson]

Easy choice for me. Marlin 1894 .44mag. Dad bought one new in ‘75 or 76 to deer hunt with. We hunted deep woods where a 75 yard shot was hard to do so we didn’t need high speed guns. I took my first few deer with that gun and bought its twin right after high school. I can’t even estimate the number of deer I’ve taken with it. It’s just automatic that I reach for it the 2nd Saturday in November, I go back 35-40 years when it goes bang. There’s a safe full of different rifles and calibers but the first day of season is reserved for the 44. One of my brothers has dad’s rifle, we don’t hunt together often but it sure is fun to sit in a tree and hear that distinctive boom on a frosty morning. 

[Freebird]

I never had the .44 mag but did have a .444.  That was a heck of a brush buster. 

[Flyinfool]

I guess I also fall into the same boat as there can not be just one.

II had a colt Anaconda for a couple of years, I could never get it to shoot a decent group with either hand loads or any factory ammo, I sold it to get a Desert Eagle 50AE. I loved that lil .50 cal, It put a lot of deer in the freezer and helped me sleep at night when wilderness camping in bear and wolf country. It was also my carry gun when hiking those same wo0ds.It was also a lot of fun at bowling pin shoots.

For shotgunning both competition and hunting, it is my very modified Rem 1187.

For rifles my first was a Rem 742 in 30-06. I shortened the barrel to make it more like a carbine and calibrated the gas system so that it would cycle correctly. That gun finally wore out the bore (wore out meant group size opened to 1.5 inch) at around 5000 rounds. The guy I sold it to said it was the most accurate gun he ever had. Now my go to rifle is a Rem 700 stainless in 7mm MAG.

[Condor]

The second is a more modern desire.  Watched the pic "Quigley Down Under" I loved that rifle.  Had to have one.  On a local gun board a few years ago one came up for sale.  I ended up dickering... hey gotta dicker... and ended up paying the price but getting about $400 bucks worth of reloading equipment with it..  I was a happy camper.  The Quigley gun is supposedly a Sharps 1874, and there is a Sharps Firearms Co. that exists today, but not the same, and you need big bucks to buy one.  The Quigley was probably built by them...  Actually there were several.  One even had an aluminum bbl.  You'd know the reason if you ever tried to shot a steel 34" barreled gun weighing 14 lbs.  His was also chambered in 45-110.  Mine is the more common 45-70 government.  And mine came from Pedersoli who makes a lot of quality pistols and rifles. Also an 1874 copy.

So that's my story, and those two out of 70+ in my collection are the stand outs....