What three?.. and AR thoughts

That's a hard question but I'm going to have to agree with what you said. Mine would be a Marlin 39 .22lr, Remington 870 12 gauge, and some sort of bolt action 308 or 30-06.

As far as the AR caliber goes, it all depends on what it will be used for. .223/5.56 is cheap for target shooting, and its a good varmint round. 308 is a good big game cartridge but its going to be more expensive. Then theres the 450 Bushmaster and 50 Beowulf if you like big bore stopping power. 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC are good all around cartridges. Of course you could buy an AR in .223/5.56 for cheap shooting and varmints then get a 6.5, 6.8, 450 or 50 upper for big game. A 308 upper needs a different lower receiver due to the cartridge length.

WD, I have a Browning (semi)auto 22 that I really enjoy shooting. I appreciate the AR thoughts.

Ruger 10/22.Benelli tactical supernova,RRA lar 8
As far as your Ar i suggest the 223/5.56.This is gonna bring you the most enjoyment at the cheapest cost for ammo.You could always add a different upper later or buy a 308.My lar8 is my deer gun.The cost of the 6.8 isnt really practical for plinking and that cartridge didnt really boom like they thought it would.My 02. buy the 223/5.56.

ruger 10-22, mossburge 500 12ga., and Ar15 chambered in 5.56. nothing you could not due with that comb of guns.

Barrett 50.cal, AA12 full auto 12ga & an A2 Abram
cause if I can only have three the stuff is hitting the fan

seriously though I am thinking along the lines of survival so most likely be large capacity, capable of rapid fire & still be able to hunt with so out of the guns I already own my top 3 would be
Ruger 10/22
one of my semi auto shotguns 12Ga
& of course the Mini 30

my choices would be a Ruger M77 UltraLight .30-06 because it covers a wide range for hunting needs.
The Remington 870 Express Mag. .12 Ga. covers for turkey/water foul/and home defense
Lasty I would hold onto my Yugo SkS 7.62x39 this ar will allow for good practice shooting, also good for small to med game animals.

My advice for an AR would be to consider the price, might be worth looking into a cheap surplus rifle to start with compared to a high end AR that you may not be happy with after purchasing.

I might be cheating a bit, but here goes. The three long guns I'd keep if suddenly restricted to only three would be: 1.) a Valmet 412S, which has two barrel sets, 12/12 & 12/.308. The double 12ga set is a standard O/U type and the 12ga over .308 set has a scope plus good irons for close-up hog work. 2.) a T/C Encore carbine which also has two barrels, one in 25/06 and the other in .35 Whelen. This gives me antelope to moose from the same rifle. 3.) My BLR in .450 Marlin which I couldn't bear to part with and can take anything N.A. has to offer out to 150 yds+.

There you go, three guns that cover everything from small game to birds, any practical ranges for deer, elk, moose, etc and also a big stopper for hairy stuff that can bite back such as bears, big ornery hogs and even bigger bears...:w00t: And yes, I'm fine without a rimfire rifle. :wink:

Remington 870 ,3 1/2 " 12 gauge----Ruger 77 , 30-06 or300 win mag ------I love my Ruger 77 bolt action ,but just ordered my 12 year old son a Smith and Wesson AR 15 in 22lr ,25 round.

I firmly believe the 22cal lr or mag would be a first choise weapon when putting a 3 gun collection together. I didn't say what type platform it would be, except in a semi auto. Next would be the 12ga pump 3" with shorten barrel, last would be a carbine style game rifle in any one of the top calibers with good glass on top.

22 lr bolt action, pumpshot gun, and mini 14. all are reliable and need little maint. As far as the AR I'm looking at a .25wssm, a little unusual but has the most bang in the standard Ar platform.