[TheMixedGamebag Man]

I figure this should be one of the most posted to areas! I like my bolt action, but the one I hunt the most with and carry on "walkabouts" is my trusty Winchester 30/30. It shoots well enough to take out a coyote on the prowl an is heavy enough to get the good on a beaver that is damming up your lake. You have to admit if you wanted one to toss on your 4wheeler or carry along on a hike, a lever action is much more the choice than a heavy bolt or automatic -(pistols dont count in this discussion, but they are a nice option) :2guns:
Any opinions out there on the best carry rifle? Shotgun, snakecharmer....smokepole?

Mine is the 30/30. hands down for a Mississippi boy.
Thanks and have a good one.

 

[va hunter]

I always carry my Marlin bolt .22 mag.It too works on beavers or anything else within reason. Been thinking of getting a lever .22.

 

[TheMixedGamebag Man]

I have been looking at some lever action 22s as well. They almost don't look right with that small a chamber! I did have a great little pump action Rossie that would shoot shorts or longs. Traded off and regretted it ever since.

 

[va hunter]

I have been looking at the Henry .22 rifle. Cheap enough to carry on 4 wheeler and tractor, don't have to worry about scratching it up. BTW I had at one time a Marlin 336 in .35 rem.,could'nt hit the barn with it if I was standing inside.

 

[TheMixedGamebag Man]

Now that is in-accurate VA! Shure you weren't shooting through the windows of that barn! I have a single shot remington that i carved on the stock back when i was younger. It is about the same way. i would have a greater chance of hitting a squirrel with the butt of it than a bullet out of it.

 

[va hunter]

OK,I may have streched the truth a little. I did hit a 4x8 piece of plywood with it at 25 yards. Once and only once.

 

[Old Judge Creek]

When I hop on my quad for a little desert exploring, My Mini 14 is most often what gets tossed on the rack. BEE-cause:

1) it'll do any job it needs to out there,

2) the Realtree stock, stainless steel action and Mini 14 reliability seem unaffected by the desert sand and silt

3) I can easily carry plenty of spare ammo

4) why mess up one of my nice blued steel and wooden stocked lever guns when I have hi-tech stainless and plactic?

 

[TheMixedGamebag Man]

Good point Judge, in conditons like that I would consider synthetic over fancy wood any time!

 

[LeverMan]

When I am out and about I carry a Marlin 444 or 45-70ss guide gun. In the mountains of Northern Cal I may run into a bear so I like a little extra umph!

 

[Yukon Jack]

Have a look see at this feller's lever gun. It's a sho' nuff bear gun.

Don't call it cute, he's right touchy about that! http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.ph...=&threadid=5609

 

[LeverMan]

There are those who might even call it ugly, but what a nice rifle! Something like that would fit in well with all my other levers.:usa:

 

[valleypine]

Originally posted by TheMixedGamebag Man@May 18 2003, 09:05 PM
I figure this should be one of the most posted to areas! I like my bolt action, but the one I hunt the most with and carry on "walkabouts" is my trusty Winchester 30/30. It shoots well enough to take out a coyote on the prowl an is heavy enough to get the good on a beaver that is damming up your lake. You have to admit if you wanted one to toss on your 4wheeler or carry along on a hike, a lever action is much more the choice than a heavy bolt or automatic -(pistols dont count in this discussion, but they are a nice option) :2guns:
Any opinions out there on the best carry rifle? Shotgun, snakecharmer....smokepole?

Mine is the 30/30. hands down for a Mississippi boy.
Thanks and have a good one.

Winchester Model 94 Trapper in .44 Magnum. 10 shot total capacity. Good for 4 and 2 legged critters alike.

 

[22man]

The CAR15 weighs a mere 6 lbs. A 30 carbine just 5.5 lbs. the 223 autos have the option of a .22 lr conversion unit, which weighs one lb, easily stows in the leg pocket of your cammies, costs $150, and you can swap calibers in 20 seconds. The levers are all 7+ lbs. Dunno about you guys, but I consider a 30-30 to be a bit much for small game, birds, snakes,frogs, etc. I would not want to have to fight with a lever action, at all,much less a bolt action. I've seen too many guys "short stroke" a pump action, under just the stress of combat shooting matches. A lever action would fare even worse, in the heat of a gunfight, especially in prone,or in the dark, cold, mud, rain,snow, etc. It's dark half of the time, and it's a $200 custom smithing job to get luminous sights mounted on a lever action. It's a $100 drop in installation on an AR15 The .22 unit is 2" at 50 yds, and is at most 2" off of 223 POI at that range, so it's quite usable, both for foraging and for snapshooting practice.

 

[va hunter]

MUD, RAIN, SNOW, don't forget sand, that will get you killed depending on an ar to save your tail.

 

[PPosey]

My mod 94 30-30 is the ticket for deer and hogs, and a good general carry gun during those seasons, scout scope, trigger tuned, parkerized,,,, but the mini 14 gets the vote on year round use. Nether of mine has ever jamed with full power loads, they both are sub 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards, I have a variety of loads for them including subsonic for small game, and they are very tough and reliable. Now if Glock would just make a 308 rifle,,,,,,,,

 

[djskit]

I picked up a Mod 94 in .307 about 12 years ago brand new for like $150. The thing kicks butt - It's a .308 with a rim for gosh sakes! Great ideal but never caught on. When I go in tight for the little piggies, that's what I carry.

 

[PPosey]

That extra umph could be nice at times,,,when I was younger I thought I needed extra power so I bought a 270 and blasted 30+ deer and 15 or so hogs with it before figuring out that almost all were shot within 75 yards and most within 30, Sold the 270 to pay tuition and use the old 30-30 now,,,,It is tweeked a little and I shoot the POWER POINT PLUS LOADS from Win. They group 1.5 or so at 100 on a good day and 2.5 on a bad,,,,with a scout scope settup that isn't bad.

I like my flat and fast handling rifle,

 

[deerhntr]

In my truck Year around I have a Winchester 94 in 30-30 and a Ruger 10/22 with an old 4X scope as my General purpose rifles :blink:

 

[CrazyMiniMan]

My mini-14 is what goes with me for a general purpose gun on all my camping trips and hiking trips and such. Usually, I carry Ol' Betsy, my 12 gauge 870, and the mini-14 around with me everywhere in the truck.
Also, a Smith and Wesson in .357 magnum revolver goes everywhere in my truck.

 

[sr1911a1]

I picked up a new 94 in 30/ 30 a year or so ago with the Black plastic instead of wood. Had the barrel cut to 16 inch and it makes a great camp gun. It is the first lever action I have owned. really like it