palmgopher

just wondering what you all think. I am looking for a new rilfe that is pretty much general purpose. would you get 44 rem mag lever action, 270 bolt action, or 30-30 lever action and of course why. this would be a general shooting, hunting, and home defense. i have looked at all of these and have different reasons for picking this particular ones. just wondering your thoughts. i respect all of your thoughts and knowledge. also with the calibers a particular kind would be great. thanks.

edr9x23super

Hard to beat the .30-30; it has been a standard for about a hundred years.

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deadeye72

Between those three, I would choose the 30-30. To me it would just be better all around than the other two.

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Agave

Were I getting one rifle, it would be an M14 or an FAL. 30 cal, magazine fed, semiautos- what else do you need?

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Pete Zaria

I have a Win 30-30 lever action that's an excellent "brush gun" (not terribly accurate past about 100 yards though). Reliable as gravity, and has a great sense of nostalgia to it (My Dad, Grandfather & Great Grandfather all bagged deer with a Win 30-30; if there were hunters in your family, they likely used one too).

My next rifle will either be an AK platform or an M1A platform, probably in .308 either way. I'm kind of leaning M1A for accuracy reasons. That's a true multipurpose gun.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

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gg12

How do you plan to use the rifle for home defense? Those are big guns to go shooting in a city/suburb and even in the country they'd be hard to stop. I guess if you're making sniper shots at invading BG at long distances they'd be okay.

Any rifle can be great fun for shooting at the range. For general shooting I personally like the smaller caliber rifles because I like the least amount of kick possible.

Shooting at the range and hunting though are two different issues. The size of the rifle depends on the prey I'm after. All of those you've listed would be pretty much overkill for rabbit, squirrel, possum, frogs, snakes and coons.

BigEFan

I guess what throws a kink in your question, for me, is that you included home defense in your uses of a general purpose rifle. I will probably get flamed for this but I just don't think a rifle is something one should think of when contemplating "home" defense. Nor do I think that a person should think of home defense when seeking out a general purpose rifle.

So if you take home defense out of the billing I really think it comes down to bolt action or lever action. I would say either a Win 94 "thuddy thuddy" as already mentioned if you want a lever gun or a Savage, Remington or Mossberg ATR depending on your price bracket if you want a bolt gun. Whichever caliber you get, make sure it is a common one and for a general purpose rifle, I would shy away from the pistol calibers.

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RedHouse

I think a rifle for home defense is good idea.....in addition to a good handgun or two and a good shotgun. The handgun can buy you time until you can get to a long gun. I would use a shot gun if some one were already in my home, or almost in.

Lets say the OP has a home in a rural area with a bit of property...a rifle would be great for defense if you had a group of people(or zombies) heading up your long driveway. I would certainly grab my 30-30.

Hornady's new Leverevolution ammo extends the range of lever action guns well past 100 yds now.

goawayfarm

I think the lever gun is a good way to go. Another plus is it will be one of the last firearms that the anti's will be able to ban.

ARs, AKs, SKSs ....etc....will be & have been, in the anti's sights for banning. With the next AWB, that will be brought to a vote, these will be banned! At least if you get a lever gun, the chances are good that you will be able to keep it longer than the others.....especially when we get an anti in the White House.

I also think that every gun owner should own at least one lever gun...IMHO it is the most American of all firearms. Bolt guns & semi's all originated elsewhere, but lever guns have always been American, even from their ancestors the Volcanic & Henry.

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BigEFan

Red, based on your comments, I gather that you believe a lever action rifle would be more effective against a group of people than a shotgun??????????????????????

Also, remember I spoke of "HOME DEFENSE." I never said a rifle isn't a good defensive weapon, I said that in my opinion the rifle, especially a general purpose rifle (think bolt and lever guns here) shouldn't be what people look at when considering a home defense weapon.

[off topic]
For what it is worth a properly trained handler with a quality shotgun can effectively defend the home and it will likely require much less training to get good than any other weapon.
[/off topic]

Sorry OP we can go back to topic now.

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"Not only do the people who put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us deserve better, we all deserve better than to have our own security undermined by those who undermine law enforcement." -Thomas Sowell