What? No rifle yet?
DID I SEE YOU TYPE THAT YOU HAVE NO RIFLE?
Are you freakin' nuts?!
"--without it I am useless..."
Tsk tsk, Dr. Jones. You have been remiss. There is no "suppose" about it. Everybody needs a high-powered rifle, period. However, you're willingness to address this problem is a sign that you realize you
have a problem. You must forthwith immediately purchase as many rifles as you can afford.
If you do not comply with this, we'll have to ship you off for re-education. Maybe someplace like Texas. Remember, guns are more important than food.
The stainless Marlin sounds like a dandy choice. My first gun was a Winchester M-94 in .30-30. Be warned that those slick little flyweight leverguns can kick pretty viciously, particularly with 170-grain bullets. Don't be fooled by all the "good beginners caliber" hype about the .30 WCF. In a gun that weighs less than 7 pounds, it can make your shoulder purple if you're not paying attention. (And if you shoot 60-odd rounds of Silvertips the first time out with no instruction like I did. Ouch.)
Other options include a Savage M-99 in either .308 or .300 Savage, or the aforementioned Winchester.
In the context of the Kaliforny gun-grabbing attitude, you might want to advance consideration of a semi-auto up to the top. A Garand would be a good choice, or an M-14 copy. Of the two, the Garand is probably going to cost less, particularly if you get it through the DCM. Other options are the BAR, the Remington 7400, and my favorite, the Remington Model 8/81.
A PRK-specific reference thread. (Plugging the M-8 is the real reason I mentioned semi's at all. They're about as cool as a stainless Marlin, and they can cost half as much, IF you can find one. We now return you to your thread's original intent.
)
I would suggest getting a BFR in .30-30 as a companion gun, but of course, they're not on the Kal-DOJ Extortion List. That might be a case for a pistol-caliber gun like a .44 Mag. (Yes, I saw your "which caliber" thread.) Another possibility is either a .480 or a .454. Rossi is making a slick Winchester 92 copy in .454, and USRAC is producing the Winchester 94 in .480. Revolvers in these calibers are avalable here in the Interdiction Zone, and the .454 is a rifle round by any definition except that it appeared first chambered in handguns.
I wonder if the .500 Magnum's going to turn up in leverguns. Seems like it'd be a pretty good choice...too long to wait, though.
Because you're right, after all. This is the People's Republik of Korny Kaliforny, and because our liberal gubmint unofficials squall it to the rooftops, the sky IS falling. It's just a matter of time, unless some sort of dramatic reversal of fortune happens.
