[sdsnet]

I really enjoy shooting my friend's 30/30 so I would like to get my own new lever gun. I do not live in an area with large animals like bears but might hunt wild pigs. This would be for the rifle range and home protection. Which would you suggest ?

Marlin 30/30, 357 mag, or 44 mag or even 45/70 government ?

I am hoping to purchase a nice revolver one day so a 38/357 might be in my future.

I currently have an AK, AR, SKS, 10/22 and a few others

Sdsnet

 

[kaifs]

Winchester 94 or Ranger in 30-30 sure does shoot nice, can be had for around $400-450 in a really decent shape.

 

[cowboy1964]

I'd choose a 357 personally. Nice combo with a revolver.

I've always liked the Marlin 1894C. Such a classic look.

 

[WarEagle32]

I really enjoy shooting my friend's 30/30 so I would like to get my own new lever gun. I do not live in an area with large animals like bears but might hunt wild pigs. This would be for the rifle range and home protection. Which would you suggest ?

Marlin 30/30, 357 mag, or 44 mag or even 45/70 government ?

I am hoping to purchase a nice revolver one day so a 38/357 might be in my future.

I currently have an AK, AR, SKS, 10/22 and a few others

Sdsnet

Having your collection I would get a .357 lever gun. The .357 gets great velocity out of that long barrel. Also, when you get a .357 pistol you could buy a ton of one round for each, and you can run 38 special through them both. Although I like a 30-30 in which the hornady tipped Lever Revolution ammo has given it a whole lot more range. the 44 also wouldn't be bad. I would stay away from the 45-70 when compared to those others. One of my favorite lever rifles is a 308 marlin express. Might give it a look.

 

[ChuteTheMall]

I'd choose a 357 personally. Nice combo with a revolver.

I've always liked the Marlin 1894C. Such a classic look.

Them fish guns from the Gay 90's are too newfangled.kie:

Here's the Beretta Renegade in .357:



And it's parent, another of the Uberti 1873's:




For home defense and a range gun, the .357 which also shoots .38 spl is ideal. Watch some cowboy action shooters to see how they mimic full-auto.

 

[paulbow]

For some reason the Marlin 336 in 35 Remington has always appealed to me. I'd pick that.

 

[ronin.45]

Marlin is best in my opinion. I'd get one of the pistol calibers. .357 unless the pigs get big where you live, then the .44.

 

[Fox]

I recommend the 1873 Winchester carbine chambered in .44-40 WCF.

The originals are expensive, but Uberti makes a very good reproduction at reasonable cost. http://www.uberti.com/firearms/1873_rifle_and_carbine.php

It's good for deer, wild hogs, and black bear. It's also a proven manstopper too.

 

[southernshooter]

I like rifles to be in rifle calibers. 45-70 or .444 marlin would be nice but too expensive to plink with if you don't handload. 30-30 or 35 Rem. are good choices, or go 44mag if you want to carry a 44 mag revolver with it.
How about a box magazine model like a Browning? Then you can go with standard high power rifle calibers like 30-06, .270, .308 etc that you can't use in tube magazine models like the Marlin.

 

[MrMurphy]

.357 is fine.

Most leverguns in the old west were chambered for weaker rounds than anything they use today, a .357 will kill deer and hogs except very large ones, quite well.

The .30-30 would be the other choice. Not as cheap to shoot but good overall.

 

[Nestor]

I had nothing, but terrible experience with Marlin products lately. The worst part is that I'm not alone in this, so here is the deal. The best 30-30 You can get yourself right now is made by Winchester and it's called model 1894. For 357 I would look at Winchester 1892 or Beretta pictured above. Quality costs.

 

[OUSooner]

I prefer the Winchester action to Marlin. I also don't like the heft of the Marlins. Get a straight stock on whatever you get. The new Rossi's are pretty nice too.

 

[Fox]

The original saddle gun and sidearm combination for the Old West was the 1873 Winchester Carbine and the Colt Frontier Six Shooter revolver, both chambered in .44-40 WCF.

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt4440.htm

Check out the hyperlink above on the article by John Taffin on the .44-40 WCF cartridge.

 

[sdsnet]

Thank you everyone. My friend's rifle is a pre 1964 Winchester that his father handed down to him with less than 200 rounds fired.

I will look for a Winchester.

 

[Boogiefan]

Browning lever in .308.

 

[Travclem]

Either a pre '64 Whichester or a pre safety Marlin.

 

[jwhite75]

I am a little eccentric, so I like the .45-70. Great caliber in a levergun.

Marlin 1895...for functional and pretty, go with the 1895 SBL.

 

[vafish]

Marlin in .30-30.

Load it with 125 gr jsp for home defense and 150 or 170 gr for hunting needs.

 

[Agent6-3/8]

I've got a Marlin 1984 in .44mag. Fun rifle to shoot! A Marin in .357 would be a nice easy shooting gun, but I'm a bigbore guy at heart.

.45-70 would be fun. I reckon it'd anchor a hog like Thor's hammer! :supergrin:

 

[Bren]

Marlin 30/30, 357 mag, or 44 mag or even 45/70 government ?

Marlin or Winchester. I hunt deer with a marlin 45/70 1895G and it's great. My father has a couple of pre-WW II Winchester 94's in 30-30 that various family members also hunt with and they are equally great for deer. If I was using it for home defense I'd rather have the .44 mag for capacity. the .44 will also work on deer, but it's toward the low-power end of deer guns. I imagine a deer caliber would be just as good for hogs.

The .357 is the least useful of the bunch, unless you compete in cowboy action matches and can use it with .38 spl. other than cowboy matches, it would be home defense and target shooting only.