Why Choosing a Favorite Is So Difficult
Choosing a favorite gun is never just about mechanical quality. It is also about memory, usefulness, craftsmanship, rarity, condition, and how a particular firearm fits into a collector's life.
Every collector knows the answer can change. A favorite carry gun is not always the same as a favorite target gun. A sentimental gun may outrank a rarer one. A firearm that has been used for years may matter more than a pristine example that never leaves the safe.
Choice represents sacrifice. Choosing one favorite means leaving another just outside the circle.
Five Favorite Handguns
5Colt Mustang .380
The Colt Mustang .380 earns its place because it makes daily carry easy. I carried this pistol for years, and that kind of use creates attachment. It also led to a collection of holsters, extra magazines, and magazine carriers that became part of the gun's story.
4Colt Python .357
The Colt Python has the presence of a classic. This 4-inch Python is large enough that you always know it is there, yet it remains one of the great revolvers to handle, shoot, and admire. Before Colt brought the Python back, sharing an original with friends at the range felt like giving them a chance to experience something they might not encounter again.
3Smith & Wesson K-22 Masterpiece
This K-22 is more than a fine .22 revolver. It was the first production K-22 Masterpiece completed in 1946 and was used by the factory to showcase the K-22 line. Its path through the hands of Fred Miller, Gil Hebard, and Roy Jinks gives it the kind of provenance collectors love.
2Colt Cobra .38
The mid-1970s Colt Cobra remains one of my favorite revolvers and one of my all-time favorite carry revolvers. It is light, practical, and unmistakably Colt. The Cobra is a reminder that not every favorite has to be the rarest gun in the case.
#1 Favorite Handgun: 1993 Colt Presentation Gold Cup
The 1993 Colt Presentation Gold Cup MKIV Series 80 National Match .45 ACP has the mirror-bright finish, Colt-Elliason adjustable rear sight, target post front sight, jeweled spur hammer, wide target trigger, National Match barrel, lowered and flared ejection port, beveled top slide, and rosewood stocks with gold medallions. It combines target-pistol purpose with presentation-grade presence.
Five Favorite Long Guns
5Winchester Model 42
Winchester introduced the .410 bore Model 42 in 1933 along with the new 3-inch shells. It became one of the most desirable small-bore pump shotguns ever made, with postwar production years adding some of the best-known examples.
4Browning Citori Gran Lightning
The Citori changed my assumptions about Japanese-made Brownings. Manufactured by Miroku in Japan, the Citori line proved that modern production could still deliver fit, handling, engraving, wood, and long-term usefulness that collectors and shooters could respect.
3Winchester Model 94
The Winchester Model 94 is one of the most important sporting rifles in American history. The example here ties personal memory to Winchester's production milestones and the larger story of the lever-action rifle.
2Savage Model 99
The Savage Model 99 in .250-3000 is one of the great American sporting rifles. Charles Newton's cartridge design and Savage's marketing of the 3,000-feet-per-second velocity helped make the rifle famous. The hammerless lever-action design, rotary magazine, and high-grade wood give it enduring collector appeal.
#1 Favorite Long Gun: 1969 Browning FN High-Power .270 Olympian Grade
Fabrique Nationale in Liege, Belgium manufactured these rifles for Browning Arms Company from 1960 to 1974. Built on the FN commercial Mauser action, the Olympian Grade represents the kind of engraving, wood, metalwork, and old-world presentation that separates a memorable rifle from an ordinary one.
Final Thought
This list is personal, not scientific. It blends carry experience, collector value, mechanical quality, history, provenance, aesthetics, and memory. Another collector would choose a different list — and that is part of what makes the hobby worth discussing.
About Greg Cook
Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.