Help picking a pistol caliber carbine

I am biased to the AR platform so I’d pick the last option.
That said, with the insanity going on here in Va I’m not sure what to say or do.

Anyway, I’m hoping we win this battle, and it sparks similar ones that will free you and others from such tyranny.

Schwarf said:

...Any advice?

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Ruger 77/357 (w/ NEGC aperture sights.)

GR

What caliber is your golden boy?

AR platforms are controlled in NY, I don't know of a modified AR in 9mm to match the SAFE act. They may exist. The Rugers are popular here. Also, quite a few friends in TX had them. They are nice guns. Used in pistol carbine for USPSA or IDPA.

Bolt guns aren't optimal for HD usage, if you are talking about close in (as in a house).

If you go lever action, be sure to practice. I've seen folks screw up the stroke under match pressure.

If it's solely a range toy, choose whatever strikes your fancy. My favorite is a compact H&R single-shot Handi-Rifle I had rebored and chambered for .38 Super:



If you want it to double as a hunting arm, go with .357 or .44 Magnum (preferably the latter) so you have the option to up the oomph.



If it may double as a home defense/anti-riot/SHTF gun, go Ruger PCC and get a bunch of cheap 9mm FMJ ammo and Glock 26 10-shot mags.



I live in the People's Republic of California, so I feel your pain brother!

What handgun calibers do you have.?

Schwarf

I would go with either of the lever actions as fun range toy, possible small game hunting, but not such a good choice for home defense. Side gate reloading with the Marlins is a plus but check carefully for overall quality. Marlin 1894C and Henry Big Boy Steel Carbine weigh about the same; around 6 1/2 lbs.

The Ruger PCC could make for a decent range gun and might be better suited for home defense than the lever guns. Feels a wee bit on the heavy side for a 9mm. carbine (from 6.8 lbs. to 7.3 lbs. depending on what model you get), but ammo is relatively cheap and 10 round magazines are easy to come by.

Among the levers, the Marlin, not the Henry.

Among the 3 options, for the described purpose, the Ruger PC9.

Range toy, get whatever and you put the levers first and second for a reason.

Home defense
1. Ruger. Inexpensive and plentiful ammunition. Semi-auto, which allows you to just continue aiming on your next shot rather than cycling the lever and pointing it in that direction. Ammunition selection with 9mm can help you best utilize the velocity/ft lbs out of a carbine vs a 9mm pistol. Easy reloads.
2. Marlin. Good power with the .357 and at least it has a gate.
3. Henry. Good power with the .357 or .44 Mag. Not what I would choose, but better than some options out there I guess and at least you’d be armed with something. Plus after 10 rds you could just beat the home invader into submission with it.

If you're a glock guy, the keltec that accepts glock mags would be a good option.

I was born a century too late, so a levergun is my favorite go to. I was twitterpated with .357 magnum for a while. I got an 1894c in .38/.357. To go with my revolvers.


If I was starting fresh I would now choose a .45colt levergun. Quite possibly, or likely an Uberti carbine.
A leather ammo cuff on the butt, good ammo, and a loading gate, makes a pretty formidable HD gun.

With the .Marlin 38/.357 or the Ruger PC 9 carbine you can’t go wrong for either range-toy plinking or HD duties.

The lever gun can triple-duty as a short range deer gun with the proper bullets. (If the Range was 35-40 yards or less, and I had nothing else, I’ll guess the PC could handle small deer with 147 gr JHP.... but I wouldn’t like risking it.) Good 158-180 gr .357 bullets, and more case capacity for increased powder charges and thus more horsepower, are the Ace in the hole the magnum has over the Luger.

Another less thought about issue: Since you live in Socialist Cuomo land, owning the lever gun would certainly be less likely to be a banned-item issue than a semi auto should Albany’s dictator get his wishes.

Stay safe.

Schwarf said:

I recently moved to upstate ny, which limits my gun selections somewhat, and I’m looking to purchase a rifle. Mostly as a range toy, and secondly, but less importantly, as a HD gun.

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............Based on those two criteria, I, as a subject of Socialist Cuomo land, ( That's very descriptive ), would love to have a 357, or 44 Mag. lever gun. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. Either one could serve well as a home defense gun, IMO. As for range toy plinking duties I already own a Ruger PC Carbine in 9mm, ( there was a bunch of them at the gun show this weekend in .40 cal., also ) and they are great for that application and would make a great HD gun, as HD distances are not very far. I've plinked with it all the way out to an honest 93 yards, ( the true distance of my buddies home range), and as long as the criteria involves range toy, plinking, and HD, but not hunting, I'd vote Ruger PC Carbine. It can accept either Ruger or Glock magazines so should you someday acquire a Ruger or Glock pistol you can have commonality in mags. I've read accounts that describe the PC Carbine as a "10/22 on steroids" and after owning one for almost a year and a half now I'd have to agree.

Armored farmer

If I was starting fresh I would now choose a .45colt levergun.

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That's what I did only I started with the .45 Colt handguns then went looking for the lever action carbine in the same caliber.

Don't poo-poo a Hi-Point 995. Accurate, reliable, 10 round mags, cheap to own and shoot.
Fun at the range and solid for HD.

GR

For my purposes I chose the Marlin, range fun, deer rifle and if need be home defense. I have an earlier JM marked edition but the majority of those who have purchased Marlins made in the past year and a half have been pleased with the quality.

Since you don't mention using your rifle for hunting, I would probably be inclined to suggest the Ruger despite my lever action bias. It will be fine for the range and better for a defensive rifle.

I have the henry big boy steel in .41. I also have a marlin. Of the two I know I’m in the minority here, but I prefer the henry. The marlin is nice, don’t get me wrong, but in my case the henry is smoother and shoots a bit better. It also just feels better for reasons I can’t really describe, but that is subjective.

If I were in your situation AND I RELOADED, I would go .357. If I were in your situation and didn’t reload I would go .44 mag. That is based on what you can do with factory vs reloaded ammo. The .357 is a do everything (within reason) cartridge if you load it. The .44 will do it all off the shelf. The .41 is just nowhere to be found on the shelf, so I reload.
Either is good, and I wouldn’t fool with the 9mm PCCs just because the others have greater range.

Edit to add: when I say greater range I don’t mean distance of effectiveness, I mean range of uses for the cartridge with different loads.

I have the Henry Big Boy Steel in 357. It was the only lever action pistol caliber rifle I could find at the time. No loading gate was a little iffy for me, too. Not now. Loading gates are no big deal and I’m sold on Henry. No regrets.

Mine is a range (back yard) toy, also. Shooting and reloading 38sp makes it cheap to shoot. Cheap as 9x19. Good thing because during family shoots it gets a lot of attention. Haven’t bought factory 38sp in years but seem to remember it a little pricey for plinking ammo. Well, pricey when you’re buying the ammo for everyone.

Haven’t seriously checked to see how well it groups but my DIL seldom misses the two inch steel targets at 25 yards.

Personally, a lever action wouldn’t make my list for HD.

Agreed with not going with a lever gun for HD. Too easy to short-stroke it under stress.

I've never shot the Ruger, but hey, it's cheap and it's one of the few NY-legal semi autos out there. If you want cheap range ammo too, 9mm is definitely the king.

Browning said:

Range toy, get whatever and you put the levers first and second for a reason.

Home defense
1. Ruger. Inexpensive and plentiful ammunition. Semi-auto, which allows you to just continue aiming on your next shot rather than cycling the lever and pointing it in that direction. Ammunition selection with 9mm can help you best utilize the velocity/ft lbs out of a carbine vs a 9mm pistol. Easy reloads.

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I have heard this mentioned before , but I don't find it all that difficult to keep the sights on target while cycling the lever on my Marlin 1894.

I have both a Marlin 1894C in 357 and a Beretta CX4 in 9mm.

Both are fun at the range although lately the lever gun is more fun.

Of the 2 guns the 9mm carbine would be the better self defense choice. The easy ability to add a red dot to my CX4 or the Ruger PCC along with its ability for quick reloads make one the better choice.

That being said I would be comfortable using the lever gun for sd. You would have to be careful not to short stroke the gun. Reloading is slow, but like a shotgun you can toss a round into the ejection port and be able to fire in an emergency

I've got the Ruger PCC and mine came with Glock and Ruger SR9 magazine inserts. I wanted this one in particular because I've also got an SR9c, so not only do the mags interchange, I feel like it's the present day iteration of the old west where the pistol and the rifle shared the same ammo. Here, not only the ammo but the magazines as well.

This is why I can never buy pistol caliber carbine. An AR is superior in just about every way shape and form, making the pistol carbine either a less good choice or a toy except in jerkwater USA where they tell you what to put on your gun like some kinda gun forum troll. But things being what they are right now I still vote for the Ruger carbine. Maybe you can grandfather it.....

I've got an old Marlin 336 in my bedroom for HD. Not maybe ideal, but six in the mag and another 9 on the stock should be pretty effective in any likely HD scenario. I've got it loaded with 125 grain hollow points. Bonus points for not being a scary black rifle in the extremely unlikely event I ever have to use it. A lever 357 would be a better choice and more in line with your stated desire for a pistol caliber.