Outdoors With Kevin Fox: What Would Your Choices Be?
On an October drive back from a waterfowl hunt in South Dakota, riding shotgun with me was good friend and fellow church member Mark Arnold. On such trips, those riding shotgun have two purposes: first, to make sure we don’t get lost and take the wrong turn; second — and certainly more important — to keep the driver from drifting off and falling asleep at the wheel. This may sound like no big deal, but after three mornings of getting up early and then doing the same to make a nine‑hour drive home, it can turn into a long nine hours. Mark made the trip both enjoyable and thought‑provoking. Somewhere near the Minnesota border, he asked the question: “If you could only have three guns, what would they be?” Naturally, there would be categories — but basically you had to pick a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. It’s the same question that I titled my story with this week.
It brings up some interesting considerations — caliber, what you hunt most, and simple personal preference. It even prompts thoughts about whether you are satisfied with what you have in your gun safe today.
Since we were on our way back from a waterfowl hunt, I began with my choice of shotgun. I grew up in a household where a Browning A5 was highly respected. I have told you often that Dad’s A5 was made in 1939, and my brother and I each received one for Christmas during our senior year of high school. I never asked Dad what prompted his respect for Browning’s name other than knowing that he had carried a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) in World War II.
Browning quit making the A5 in 1998. Aside from the 1972 model that I own — and later the new Model A5 that was reintroduced in 2012 — I never considered another shotgun. Revamping the original A5 was not popular with everyone; it was akin to putting someone else in your mother’s kitchen. But the 2012 version got some good reviews, and I’ve been very pleased with mine. It is lighter, can shoot 3½‑inch ammo, and I’ve logged a great deal of hours with many types of shells through it. So that was my choice for a shotgun. Some might choose an over‑and‑under for simplicity and reliability — but I went with my Browning A5.
The next choice was a rifle, which turned out to be more challenging. By “rifle,” I had to decide whether the implication was a small–bore .22 or a centerfire. I joked that if it was a .22, I would pick a Browning BL‑22 — a rifle I literally wore out, and now own a second. But since Mark didn’t specify what I’d use the rifle for, I opted for a centerfire. And I’ll admit, it was tough.
If it were based strictly on accuracy and effective harvest, my hands-down favorite is the Winchester XPR in .300 Win. Mag. It may be the ugliest gun in my safe — but it’s performed extremely well. It’s been to Africa; it’s taken deer back home and even a bear in Saskatchewan. It does have recoil, but if you hold it tight, the kick tends to go away from your cheek — so much so that my daughter has even shot it, quite effectively.
I chose a large caliber for two reasons. First, I assumed initially that I might need that power in Africa. Ultimately, many hunters there use .30–06 for plains game. But back home I wanted something that would stop a deer from reaching the neighbor’s property — the neighbor being the National Wildlife Service. My only hesitation was ammo availability. I used to work at a convenience store called Wood’s Station. The “Pop” of the business was Dean Wood. Before hunting season, he would stock up on ammunition — a good supply, but it reflected what local hunters or license‑buyers most often requested. I saw .30-30, .308, .243 and .30-06 — but nothing unusual.
Years ago I hunted pronghorn antelope in Lusk, Wyoming; the local gas station carried roughly the same inventory, with the only addition being .270.
I realized then how difficult it might be to find ammo if I used something less common. When I returned to Wyoming a couple years later, I carried a .308. I have a Thompson/Center Encore in .308 — very comfortable to shoot and handy in a stand because of its size. Still, I went with the Winchester XPR for a combination of long-range accuracy and knock-down power — traits I believe could cover most every major game in North America, should the need ever arise.
So — what would your choice be?
Finally, we came to pistols. That was the toughest decision of all, for similar reasons. Am I plinking? Hunting small game? Or, God forbid, preparing for defense? I own a couple of small-frame semiautos for carry — but they’re defensive at best. They are neither particularly accurate nor intended for precise shooting. I have a .22 Colt for small game, but I’m not very accurate with a pistol. I’m left–eye dominant, meaning I probably should shoot left-handed — but decades of shooting have made me passable with a shotgun and rifle. A pistol (and a bow) are another matter entirely.
When I considered what I shoot best, my Colt New Frontier .22 became my second choice, largely because .22 ammo is (at least currently) easier to find. For my first choice, though, I selected a 1911-style pistol — a Rock Island Armory in .45 ACP. The pistol is accurate — far more accurate than I am — and it’s fun to shoot. .45 ACP ammo is also reasonably easy to acquire. I had a holster and magazine holder custom-made by a friend, so the pistol carries nicely. I’m a bit of a history buff, so packing a 1911 feels right — and the bonus is I can hit what I aim at. The pistol is also very reliable, as long as I keep the chamber throat clean where the next round enters the chamber.
By the time Mark and I rolled into Iowa, our discussion was over. It helped pass the time on a very boring trip and sparked a great deal of thoughtful conversation. Someday I may share my choices for more traditional firearms — lever actions, single-action pistols, maybe even black-powder firearms. There’s no right or wrong — only what makes you happy, or in this case, what trips your trigger.
