General purpose rifle

This is a shocker coming from me but based on your criteria, accuracy to 200 -300 yds, plinker, predator rifle and HD : AR15 in 223 / 5.56 and, value for money, the S&W M+P Sport. You can't use a rifle for deer anyway and the AR fits every other criteria. Plus, they are so soft shooting, it's remarkable.

Given what you say, a pistol-caliber lever action would probably be the rifle out of which you'd get the most use and the most enjoyment. A Winchester or Marlin in .375 or .44 Mag would fit the bill for all that you say, and do so more economically than a rifle caliber.

A .308 for self-defense (especially in Illinois!) is not something I'd recommend--and frankly, I'd say the same about most rifle calibers above .223.

If you like that sort of platform, you can always go with an AR, which would do pretty much all the things you require of this rifle--but I have zero experience with it, so someone else may be better suited to comment on it.

(Edit: and sure enough, while I was typing the last paragraph, RPRNY beat me to it.)

If you go with a lever action, my personal favorite is the Henry Big Boy in .38/.357

For general plinking, .38 would be my choice. 'Yotes would drop from a .357, and they can still reach out to 200 yards from a rifle. There are better coyote guns, but for an all around general purpose rifle, the .38/.357 lever gun is hard to beat. They are super durable and reliable as anything I've ever seen. Lots of fun, and if you are a reloader, your options are abundant.

I'm not a fan of the 30/30 cartridge, but if you are, I'd recommend a Henry lever gun there, too.

Bolt actions, I'm a fan of Savage. Their 110 with accutrigger in .308 is a fantastic gun. I'd say better than the venerable Remington 700.

I tend to agree with RPRNY on this.

I'm leaning towards a 243 or a 7-08. Both will shoot out past your ranges to grow with you. Decent glass and a nice stock to be comfortable and be good to go. If it gotta be a pistol round then I'd go 44mag

45/70 marlin guide gun.....
Just kidding

If you have a shotgun now that should be your HD weapon. Buy a 223 bolt action varmint/target rifle and have fun.

An Ar would do nicely as well

7mm-08 and 308 are FANTASTIC all purpose cartrages (I own both) both are easily capable of cleanly taking all game up to elk, and are highly effective out to 500yd or more depending on the type of bullet used. The only rifle cartrages more versatile are the 30-06 and 6.5x55 IMHO (Own both of those too ) If I lived in slug/pistol country I would probably opt for a 44mag or 454 Casull lever gun, but have little use for them here in rifle country.

For your purposes, I like the higher-quality rifles in the 7.62 x 39mm chambering - .30 cal mid-power and extremely cheap mil surp ammo for plinking. The Ruger Mini-30 is sort of the default in this category, but it is $800 (like the Smith & Wesson M+P Sport) and sort of a hobby rifle to make it as good as everyone thinks it should be (unlike the Smith & Wesson M+P Sport). Nevertheless, a ton if fun and you learn a lot about firearms .

I would recommend a Marlin 1894 pattern in 44 Magnum.

However, i must add that I have batterys in 44 mag, 45 Colt, 44-40, and 357. Truthfully, any of those would serve you long and well.

There's nothing wrong with 30-30 or 308 either. I have a Ruger 308 M77RSI that's a perfect all purpose rifle for the continental US and it comes from the factory with iron sights and scope mounts. Iron sights could be critical under certain circumstances.

1894 44 mag is a great gun... If you can hunt with it or a shotgun but not another rifle, I'd go with that. Someone will hate me, but my 357 lever is not a dependable gun: I would trade it in if it weren't my FIL's.
if you have money/time, go with Kachok's 6.5x55...

I would take a look at a Mini 14. I know some people get crabby about them, but the newer ones are better than the old ones. I've got one, and it's my go-to rifle for when I'm out in the country. A friend of mine has a nice acreage with woods and fields and that's her go-to rifle as well. Puts skunks, possums, and coyotes down very nicely.

Reasons I like the Mini:

1. Nice wood stock. For "sheeple" areas it looks PC, plus I like wood.
2. Familiar feel - it's a lot like many other hunting-style guns since they
don't always come with a pistol grip. There's no option to use a stock
like that with an AR-15
3. For me, it just fits my shoulder nicely. I own a couple AR-15's and a Mini,
but I shoot the Mini better for some reason.
4. New ones come with scope mounts in the box. Nice touch.

Things I wish I could change about the Mini:

1. Rock and lock mags. Not as nice as the AR system
2. Expensive mags. You can buy 2 or 3 AR mags for 1 Mini mag.
3. Better accuracy. Yes, an AR wins in this department for most people. I'm
one that's different I guess, but an AR is typically better. Expect 1-2"
groups from a new Mini if you do your part
4. The Mini isn't as easy to accessorize, but then why would I really want to?
5. The Mini should be a $400 gun, not a $650 gun.

ExAgoradzo said:

1894 44 mag is a great gun... If you can hunt with it or a shotgun but not another rifle, I'd go with that. Someone will hate me, but my 357 lever is not a dependable gun: I would trade it in if it weren't my FIL's.
if you have money/time, go with Kachok's 6.5x55...

Click to expand...

Love my Sweed, but you simply cannot cannot find the Tikka in 6.5x55 in the states anymore, they make you buy the Sako version here and it costs five times as much!!!
For anyone wanting a good 6.5x55 on a budget CZ supposedly makes a good one as does Howa. I am sure the Sako is a world class gun but for two grand it better be!

Two of my all time favorite all purpose rifles are the older Marlin 336 30/30's and the newer Ruger mini 14 ranch rifles. Own both, love both.

For an all around general purpose rifle I would be thinking about a .308 bolt action rifle like maybe a Savage flavor. If you want to go the lever or pump action route there is no shortage of other rifles out there. I would not consider a handgun caliber for a 200 / 300 yard rifle. I have a .44 Magnum old Ruger and while it is a great handy little rifle it is a 100 yard rifle. Anyway, I would stick with a .308 in whatever trips your trigger.

Just My Take
Ron

You guys are recommending lever guns chambered in pistol cartridges for 200 and 300 + yards shots????

To the OP, get something is a RIFLE cartridge, .308 would be fine!

DM

You can use any firearm in any chambering for coyotes in Illinois, except a shotgun with slug (yeah, I don't get that one either). So you're AR with 100 round beta mag and night vision is OK, so is a NAA mini revolver with 22 shorts. I'd go with an AR platform with 16" barrel. It will handle anything you're asking of a rifle and if you decide 223 isn't your cup-o-tea, then it comes in a bewildering assorment of chamberings and switching between most of them requires only an upper swap and maybe a new magazine. Most leverguns won't have a very good trajectory at 200-300 yards and marginal accuracy past 100 yards. I know there are exceptions in the accuracy department, but all the Winchester 94's I've seen couldn't hold 3" at 100 yards, when most AR's will do better than 1-2".

You have a lot of "criteria" in mind to expect them to all be adequately filled by just one rifle. As others have said, a 223 AR might be the ticket for coyotes and the range but I personally don't think 223 is all that great for "home defense," especially if using it in the home is a possibility, but you do have your GP 100 for that. A lever gun in 357 would be better for in and around the home, makes a great "plinker" and you can shoot cheap 38’s but it won't be useful on coyotes beyond 100 yards so "200-300 yards" is out. A 30-30 will do a better job on the coyotes than the 357 but still doesn't have the trajectory for “200-300 yards." I'd either get the aforementioned AR, a lever gun in 357 which would be a great plinker and "home defense" rifle or a bolt gun in 223 or 22-250 for the coyotes and long range "pinking." If you go with the 357 my first choice would be an old Marlin. My second choice would be a new Rossi…

If you're thinking 308, then I would lean towards the AR-10 platform. Has a bunch of different caliber options availible with upper swapouts and can be had in 16" barrel trim for better home defence, not that it would be my first choice for in the home (too loud, too much penetration, et al). Want a bolt gun? Then there are various scout rifle setups out there as well as scads of conventional setups. Levergun? There is the Browning BLR and you can find used Winchester 88's and Savage 99's. Autos abound from those already mentioned to the Remington 750, Browning BAR... you get the idea.

Hunter;

Another very enthusiastic vote for the 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser. There are Winchester model 70's out there in that chambering as well as the Tikka's, CZ's, and other Euro-guns. The cartridge has won Palma competitions, and I can personally verify that it's capable of absolutely stellar accuracy.

Since you've said that you expect to get into loading your own, I'll tell you that it's a very easy round to do that with also. With a modern action, 2700 fps using a 140 gr bullet is not at all hard to achieve safely. Every reputable source of reloading information lists loads, and components are not hard, or expensive, to find.

Just as a side note, if you ever do come west to hunt, don't feel undergunned with a swede. If you do your part, the gun will do it's.

900F

AR in 5.56.

A handy all-around rifle is a Remington 7600 pump in 243 or 308 or whatever flavor you fancy. More reliable than a lever or semi auto, faster and easier follow-up shots than a bolt, good accuracy and range. A lot of good choices. Any light rifle in .22 hornet or .223 would be real handy.

Oh come on folks.

Nobody is going to recommend the Garand? He wouldn't have to go far to the CMP North store being in IL.

Believe it or not, the M1 is a fairly soft shooter. I have no problem firing it on a bench for an hour or more. Plus the gee-whiz factor you get on the line is priceless.

BTW you can reload Garand specific 30-06 fairly easily.