Lever Action Rifle for Home Defense

[drs1457]

Hey All, I watched a segment of Michael Bane's show on TV about lever action rifles for self/home defense and I got interested. I am not a hunter and doubt I will ever be. But I thought it might be fun to own a lever action rifle, maybe use it at the range and have around for home defense. Marlin rifles seem to be about right for me but could get convinced that Uberti (tho expensive) or others might be best. Also, what caliber should I think about. Am sort of interested in .357 but would 30-30 or other be more appropriate for me? I know this site is more for carry weapons but technically you can carry a rifle, so I thought I would stretch the envelope.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[jwhite75]

Probably should have the mods move it to the rifle and shotguns forum. Anyhow...the Marlin is an excellent lever action, you can also find the Winchester Model 94s used pretty cheap....they even make a lever action in .44 mag. Might look into those also. The 30-30 is avery viable HD round. There is a company out there making a picatinny rail to mount red dot and holo optics too. That is what I would want for HD. You would be OK on a pistol caliber too.

[ccw9mm]

I've got a Marlin 1894P .44mag, with 16" bbl. Very handy and it packs a decent punch. I have installed a "scout mount" picatinny rail on the top, and it works well for holding a long eye-relief scope or a red dot sight. XS Systems has a scout mount, as does Wild West Guns.

Wild West can do the install, along with a ghost ring rear and fiber front. Makes for an effective combination.

[Cuda66]

I'd recommend the Marlin, particularly if you plan on putting a scope/red dot on it.

The Uberti and other clones seem, to me, to be a bit more retro-styled for the cowboy shooting community. Not that there's anything wrong with them, but for a mainly HD rifle, I think the Marlin would better suit your purposes.

.30-30, .357, .44...all are more than adequate HD rounds. I think I would lean towards .30-30 because (at least in my area) ammo is actually cheaper per 50 rounds than .44 or .357.

[rottkeeper]

I have always preferred the Marlin over Winchester, the Marlin has side ejection and the spent casing doesn't get thrown back towards you. It is easier to mount a scope that way also.

[WoodLark]

Another option (though more expensive) would be a Browning BLR. I have owned two of them in .308. Great guns!

[edr9x23super]

If you use a gun like that, just make sure you stoke it with a lighter HP round (180gr or less) that will expand violently and reduce the chances of ricochet, or worse yet, traveling through a couple of walls and into an unintended target.....

[Precision]

personal suggestion

if you have any concerns about over penetration with your hand gun, then consider the increased muzzle velocity of the same round in a barrel that is 14+ inches longer. Not to mention that they are not nearly as quick or handy as a pistol and the bullet weight will usually be quite a bit higher than a pistol round if you are not using a pistol caliber lever gun. Look at the ballistics differences between a 9mm and a .30-30 (especially at 50+ yards).

In my opinion a "long gun" for home defense should be a shotgun with a pistol as back up.

Now a lever action makes a great truck / trunk gun and far be it from me to suggest you not own a lever gun.

If you do decide on one for "home defense" buy one that is fairly inexpensive, and not too pretty as it will need to be handy and get knocked around a bit. My home defense guns were all bought second hand for that very reason. They are tools and I don't want to be concerned about scratching my new $800 lever gun. My used $220 one works just as well and came pre-scratched. :-D

[alnitak]

Many people own a lever gun for home defense. I have several and hang out on a number of boards where this is discussed frequently. I would stay away from the .30-30 for home defense for two reasons -- penetration and capacity. A 16" barrel Win Trapper or Marlin 1894 (18.5" barrel) in .357 or .44 holds 9 or 10 rounds vs. the 5 in a .30-30. You can also shoot specials out of both (the .44 special is a terrific SD round) and the .38 special avoids any concerns about over-penetration. I can't disagree about the shotty as a HD gun, however. Either one will work.

If you go the lever gun route, check out the 16" Rossi in .357 as an alternative to both the Marlin and Winnie.

[alnitak]

I have always preferred the Marlin over Winchester, the Marlin has side ejection and the spent casing doesn't get thrown back towards you. It is easier to mount a scope that way also.

All the Winchesters since '92 have the side eject, rather than the top eject, so mounting a scope is no issue.

[alnitak]

If you use a gun like that, just make sure you stoke it with a lighter HP round (180gr or less) that will expand violently and reduce the chances of ricochet, or worse yet, traveling through a couple of walls and into an unintended target.....

+1, I agree.

[seawolf1956]

If you use a gun like that, just make sure you stoke it with a lighter HP round (180gr or less) that will expand violently and reduce the chances of ricochet, or worse yet, traveling through a couple of walls and into an unintended target.....

Agree with that too. I think a shotgun is the better choice for HD ... IF your preference is a long gun.

-Seawolf

[BikerRN]

Posted by Precision:

In my opinion a "long gun" for home defense should be a shotgun with a pistol as back up.

I agree.

If one wants a Levergun, which I like for various reasons and uses, I would strongly suggest you go with a pistol caliber, like a 45 Colt or 38 SPL. My own Levergun is a 38 SPL by Uberti that I use for CAS.

IMHO the Shotgun is a much better choice for home defense.

Biker

[jwhite75]

Agree with that too. I think a shotgun is the better choice for HD ... IF your preference is a long gun.

-Seawolf

Actually not always....They had a comparison on the Best Defense the other noght and they stated a 223 was safer in general for HD and did not penetrate drywall and stuff as much as did a 00 buck round. They tried birdshot and determined it to be safer over all. than 00buck bu the rifle round still pentrated less layers of drywall.

[seawolf1956]

Actually not always....They had a comparison on the Best Defense the other noght and they stated a 223 was safer in general for HD and did not penetrate drywall and stuff as much as did a 00 buck round. They tried birdshot and determined it to be safer over all. than 00buck bu the rifle round still pentrated less layers of drywall.

jwhite75 ... can you post that info if possible, or provide a link to it if it is available online? I would be very interested in reading it. Thanks!

-Seawolf