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Which rifle should I choose?

2K views 27 replies 25 participants last post by  therewolf 
#1 ·
I'm planning on buying a new rifle for general home defense and farm use. The three I'm looking at are a new Auto-Ordnance M1 carbine, a Ruger Mini 14, or a good lever action in 44, 357, or 30-30. The rifle should be able to take down coyote, bobcat, and the occasional deer.
 
#2 ·
I have owned and shot all of them you listed. My first choice would be a .30-30 lever-action. I have been using one for deer hunting since the mid 1950s. I currently have Winchester '94 rifles in .30-30, .45 Colt, and .44 magnum.
 
#4 ·
My first and only choice on your list would be the 30-30, prefer the Marlin for accuracy and if you plan to scope it too.

As far as the mini 14, all the years seen these on the range disappointing accuracy. As far as the M1 carbine, great defense gun for moderate ranges (100-150 yds) but for use on Yotes & smaller varmints while the .30 carbine has enough velocity/foot pounds the gun was designed for human "torso" shots. I've shot M-1 carbine for years, fun gun but even with hand loads 3" - 5" groups . Now for deer the .223 and .30 carbine have killed deer will proper bullets and placement while the 30-30 as a cartridge has been known to kill more deer than the 30-06. So considering all in one gun the 30-30 would be best suited and ammo would be more available than the 223 & .30 carbine.

Just an FYI, demand for lever guns new and used remains "high", just plug in Marlin lever 30-30 on Gun Broker.
 
#14 ·
For those applications ...

My first and only choice on your list would be the 30-30, prefer the Marlin for accuracy and if you plan to scope it too.

...
^^^ this ^^^

If home defense were an issue, I might make an argument for the M1.
 
#5 ·
M1 carbine would be a suitable solution. Not much chance of over penetration yet it will get the job done.
Its compact size allows for lots of storage options. And 30 round magazines are available. The gun is small and handles incredibly well in close spaces. And with very little recoil this gun is very easy to keep on target and move to the next target.
If you are worried about the round being a little anemic, don't worry. Three of them will put any any bad guys down.

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#6 ·
I too like a lever action. One of the reasons is that two of mine, a 94 .30-30 and a 92 .32-20 are very, very worn. Not much original finish left on them.

Both are around 100 years old and clearly saw a LOT of use & poor storage. Bores are dark but rifling is still visible.

The '94 has a badly brazed tang repair & spent, what was possibly decades, on top of a wooden rafter in a gold mine!

Yet both of these guns still work just fine! They aren't Competition Target Rifle accurate of course but the actions are smooth and they feed & eject like new.

So if durability over the long haul is a factor for you a good lever gun will be serving your great great grandkids just fine.
 
#8 ·
While the M1 Carbine and Marlin 1894 .357 are two of my favorite rifles, I think a 30-30 is likely your best bet considering your proposed application. Especially if you have a primary focus on hunting and live in amore rural area in terms of defense. Essentially I agree with all the other posters.

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#10 ·
You know what I'm going to say already but I'll say it anyway......Get an AR "pistol" in .300 black if you want a maximum performance SD gun and if you occasionally will hunt with get a normal rifle unless state laws allow heavy "pistols"

.30-30 in a lever does nothing but put you at a disadvantage in every way
 
#11 ·
I like my M-1 carbines.

And I like my mini 14, and I like the dozen or so lever guns that I have as well. I think you would do fine with any of them. However if I decided to go with the M-1 carbine. I would get either a GI WWII gun or one of the new ones from Fulton Armory. Quality on the Auto Ordnance guns tends to be spotty.

Availability is a big issue right now though due to all of the panic buying. I would look around, see what you can get and at what price. There is price gouging going on as well. It pays to shop around.
 
#15 · (Edited)
And I like my mini 14, and I like the dozen or so lever guns that I have as well. I think you would do fine with any of them. However if I decided to go with the M-1 carbine. I would get either a GI WWII gun or one of the new ones from Fulton Armory. Quality on the Auto Ordnance guns tends to be spotty.

Availability is a big issue right now though due to all of the panic buying. I would look around, see what you can get and at what price. There is price gouging going on as well. It pays to shop around.
What he said, having owned a Auto Ordnance and now owning a Fulton Armory the later is a much better rifle.

Downside is their expensive. If your wanting to hunt deer you might be better off with a 30/30. Mini 14 uses a .223/5.56 round, too small for deer IMO. .30 Carbine can be used but is it better than 30/30 for deer?

Would the Mini 30 in 7.62x39 be big enough for deer? That might be a good compromise
 
#12 ·
If the only choices are what's on the list, I'd go with the 30-30. Just be aware that the 30-30 hunting rounds will easily penetrate multiple walls.

If you are willing to get a modern AR type gun, I would agree that an AR-15, 300 Blackout is a better all around gun and you can have any number of options for accuracy, swap top caliber changes, sights, etc. But you have to be willing to make that switch to a military style gun. If not, go with a 30-30.
 
#13 ·
I would go for the lever gun, I own all of your choices and would go for the lever if I only had one, my early Marlin 336cs in 30/30 is a great deer gun but for deer, hog, and home I would use my Henry Big Boy in .357mag using heavy jsp rounds.

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#17 ·
This is an excellent point.



Ammunition availability is currently spotty at best. And there is significant gouging going on as well. With that said. I just today had a 1080 round case of surplus .30 carbine ammo delivered to my house for .36 cents a round.

30-30 ammo is generally still available pretty widely. And if you shop around you can get it for a decent price. .223/ 5.56 ammo on the other hand for the mini fourteen is hard to find and generally priced very high currently.
 
#18 ·
Lever

I too have been looking at a few lever guns. I think it is Winchester that has a few models made in Japan that are supposed to be well made? I would like to get a good pistol caliber carbine in 357 or go maybe with a 45-70. I want to be able to mount a scope or red dot depending on the caliber I end up with. I want a good quality rifle regardless of caliber. Seems like a lot of the big names are not making them like they used to. Maybe some of you guys that have newer models can give some input?
 
#22 ·
The Miroku Winchesters are indeed well made guns.

I too have been looking at a few lever guns. I think it is Winchester that has a few models made in Japan that are supposed to be well made? I would like to get a good pistol caliber carbine in 357 or go maybe with a 45-70. I want to be able to mount a scope or red dot depending on the caliber I end up with. I want a good quality rifle regardless of caliber. Seems like a lot of the big names are not making them like they used to. Maybe some of you guys that have newer models can give some input?
I have a half dozen or so of them and they rock. I think that their overall quality is about the best on the market.
 
#19 · (Edited)
My opinions only, and many will disagree I'm sure.

First off, I am not an expert on NY guns laws and haven't been in NY in many, many years. BUT, I believe that rifles are limited to 10 round mags or capacity. Also, you may be restricted by the "assault weapons" issue, but your original list should not be a problem.

Many "experts" on self defense state that a person must practice shooting weak side with pistols so that if their strong side is injured or wounded, they can still protect themselves. Yet these same experts are by and large quick to recommend a pump shotgun for self defense. What happens if one arm/hand or the other is injured and you can't rack a new round into the chamber? Do you want to depend on the Sarah Connor (Terminator) trick? This is the reason that a few years ago that I traded in my pump shotguns for a Benneli M4 (12g) and Mossberg tactical (20g).
I have the same concern regarding lever action rifles for self-defense. John Wayne and Chuck Connors (The Rifleman TV series) made it look easy, but that's TV.

On my land in North Carolina I see an occasional bobcat, coyote, fox, etc. A .223/5.56 round should easily dispatch any of these critters, with a big coyote having a max weight of about 40 pounds. And having owned an early model Mini-14 since the late 70's (and I'm sure that Ruger has improved their accuracy), I have found it to be accurate enough for your uses out to 100 yards, maybe more. I can't remember a misfeed or an ejection problem. It's now about 40 years old, and it's not quite as good as my newer AR or bolt action .223's, but it's good enough at least IMO. And as I stated, I'm sure that the newer Mini-14's are more accurate. Shooting deer, well in NY state, it appears that you can use any centerfire rifle. So legally you're okay with a Mini-14. Federal and other ammo makers have .223 rounds that they market for medium size game. Only you know your shooting abilities to get a good chest, neck, or head shot on a deer.

So, it's hard to make one rifle work for everything. But I'm very happy with the mini-14 for the uses you've described--and a lot of people will disagree. If you get a mini-14, get only Ruger magazines. I have found that several after market mags are not worth the metal they're stamped in.
 
#20 ·
Rob, good points about mag capacity in the op's state. That being said a lever gun may be a good idea in 357 with a 20 inch tube. I am a big fan of the 357 as it can be loaded hot and give great performance in rifle length barrels. Can also be paired with a revolver for ammo sharing. 45colt and 44 mag are also good choices for lever guns/revolvers.

The mini 14 is one of my favorite rifles (you all know I am a ruger fanboy).There is just something about the garand style action that I just love. No they are not tack drivers and never will be but 1.5 @100 yards is ok for most applicatons.

We can debate the performance of the 223 all day long and still not agree. The mini in 7.62x39 is an option if you need more punch but there are many mixed reviews so do some research. I don't hunt so for 2 legged targets and the smaller 4 legged ones the 223 works for me.
 
#21 ·
Out of the choices you gave, my opinion, for what it is worth, is go with a lever gun in .357. My reasoning is due to the following:

1. .357 has the widest possible ammo ranges out of the ones you mentioned. You can go heavy loads, JSP, JHP, etc., for hunting. But you can use lighter .357 or even .38 special loads for HD.

2. Based on your location, you don’t have the stigma of the tactical rifle that is,sadly, prevalent and vilified in certain states and cities.

3. Lever guns can have scopes mounted either in a scout configuration or traditional mount.

4. Ammo availability is pretty good. Not the greatest but any store should have some kind of ammo available for your intended uses.

I don’t have any experience with with .30 Carbine for hunting but think it makes a pretty good HD rifle or occasional varmint rifle. The Mini-14’s I’ve shot, both older and newer production kept decent groups out to 200 yards, with the newer productions being more accurate. It’s not hard to mount a scope either. The .30-30 is a good all around hunting/varmint rifle but I’d be leery of using it in a HD situation inside a house, unless you can be absolutely certain about it’s penetration factor. 5.56/.223 had some studies done and it actually over penetrates less than even most pistol calibers, one reason law enforcements were not as hesitant to make the change to SBR’s from submachine guns, if I remember correctly, the .223/5.56 is light enough and going fast enough that it tends to fragment when hitting most housing materials. And with a number of loads built for an urban setting can lesson the chance even more. A .44 lever gun is good but the availability of good loads for HD/SD are not as prevalent as .38/.357.


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#24 ·
1. RUSSIAN IZMASH SAIGA in 308 win. (Ak/Akm) reliability. Hands down its the baddest semi auto I ever fired.
2. RUSSIAN IZMASH SAIGA in 223 rem.
 
#28 ·
Bobcat are easy. (and kind of stupid, IME) You'll range them, at under 75 yards.
Deer are, well, deer. You'll get them at 100 to 140 yards, generally.

Coyotes, you may want to keep looking, they are very cautious, and you'll be looking for something which can reach out from 150 to 250 yards. Nothing you're talking about, caliber wise, has the legs, with the exception of .223/5.56, and for that, you'd need something more accurate than your everyday Mini-14, or M4-gery, for that matter.
 
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