General purpose rifles

[357Man]

Since I was burglarized awhile back, I am without a centerfire rifle of any kind. I don't hunt a lot, but do some deer hunting. I am considering what to get as a sort of "all-around" rifle for fun shooting, hunting and heaven forbid, self defense.
Most of my conclusions have led me to think about a lever action. I am already set up to load .357 and .44, as well as .30-06. If I go the lever way, which way to go - pistol cartridge or .30-30; or should I look for a good bolt .30-06? I'm leaning the lever gun way right at the moment. I do like to shoot a lot, and I can load the handgun rounds on my Dillon.
Any suggestions or advice?

 

[ctdonath]

Study the "scout rifle" as described by Jeff Cooper in "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth". It was designed as a "general purpose" rifle, suitable (though perhaps not ideal) to pretty much any task.

 

[cratz2]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Criminals suck!

If I reloaded and had to start a collection from scratch, I would seek out an older .257 Roberts (or AI version) or 6.5x55 as my first rifle. If I were to go a little less exotic of a route, I'd look at a .260, 7mm-08, .308, .25-06, 270 Win or possibly a .243. All are very versatile cartridges, easy on the shoulder even with extended sessions, capable of taking most game in North America and just generally effecient, sensible cartridges that I like.

Or if I was shooting at paper 98% of the time, I'd probably just stick with the .223.

 

[Meanoldfart]

You already have it in sight

IMHO, Since you reload for .357 and .44, I would say that a Marlin lever action in either of these calibers would fill your list of requiements easily.
I have a Marlin Carbine in .357 and it is a great little shooter, I put a Williams adjustable aperture sight on it because I have "old- eye syndrom". { it is already drilled and tapped}. I had to get a higher front blade to make this work but I did it myself and it did not require a gunsmith.
It is very accurate out to 150 yds. and with 140 gr. hollow points, you can load it up to about 1900 fps in the carbine length barrel.
For plinking and small game and varmints, a .38 special load with some cheaper lead bullets at about 1100 fps. is a lot of fun and cheap to shoot.
All of the same things can be said about the .44 if you feel the need for a little more power. I chose the .357 because I carry a .357 revolver in the woods.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

I don't think you can go wrong with a bolt action 30-06. It would give you more reach out and touch ability and it would certainly work for deer.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

For something with all-around use in mind---I would be thinking along the lines of a .30-30 or 7.62x39------or a .308 if you're thinking you need more power.

All are cheap to buy--readily available--and proven performers.

 

[cheygriz]

If you lean toward levers, the .30-30 will do what you require. It's more than aqequately powerful for SD and/or deer hunting. My model 94 winchester is light, short, fast and easy to handle and points naturally. With a Lyman receiver sight it makes an ideal woods gun.

You can tool up any Dillon except the SDB for .30-30 as well.
I don't consider it an elk caliber, but my son has taken elk with it.

Cooper's scout rifle concept, while interesting to read about, is IMHO, far too expensive for what you get. The cost/benefit ratio is way far out of kilter.

 

[Preacherman]

Cooper's scout rifle concept, while interesting to read about, is IMHO, far too expensive for what you get. The cost/benefit ratio is way far out of kilter.

I don't know about that, Cheygriz... since getting my Steyr Scout, I've retired and disposed of at least half-a-dozen bolt rifles that I no longer need or use. The Scout really is that good...

There's a cheaper option available in the Savage Scout. It lacks the integral bipod, but a Harris unit can be fitted very easily. It doesn't have spare magazine storage in the buttstock, but that isn't critical. It is a very accurate rifle, and with a decent trigger (I fitted a Sharp Shooter trigger to mine, but I think the new Savage adjustable trigger will be fitted to their Scouts as well) is eminently shootable. If I couldn't have the Steyr, the Savage would make a very nice all-rounder for a lot less money.

I now use the Steyr or Savage Scout for all my general-purpose work. I don't hunt at ranges in excess of 300 yards, so long-range work isn't a problem. For heavy game, I like the .45-70 in stouter loads - it's easily as good as many of the African Nitro Express cartridges, and can be accurately used out to 200 yards or so. I also use lever-actions for nostalgic reasons, and for thick brush country with limited ranges, they're outstanding performers. I really don't need anything else right now.

 

[RCL]

My answer depends on what range you mught be shooting at in your deer hunting area. If you're at typical eastern woods ranges, where your shot will probably be 100 yards or under, a .44 Mag Winchester 94 would be a good choice. For slightly longer ranges, say 150 on average, the same gun in .30-30. Any longer and a good bolt .30-06 is probably your best bet.
I think my own choice would be the M94 .44 Mag.

 

[duckfoot]

30-30

 

[ojibweindian]

My GP rifle is a Savage 110 in .30-06.

 

[MrAcheson]

.357s with 20" barrels are nice for home defense. If you take a hot old-timey .357 load you will approach the performance of a .30-30 with twice the mag capacity. Thats definitely nothing to sneeze at.

You can hunt (within 100 yards) and fun shoot with it as well. Some .357s will reliably feed .38sp others won't, usually depends on the individual gun, not the manufacturer. If you get lucky then you have cheap centerfire plinking too.

 

[jar]

For general purposes it's pretty hard to beat the all around versatility of the '94 in 30-30. It's light, accurate, reliable, simple, inexpensive and a ball to shoot.

For just plain value, the current crop of suplus Mausers and SKS are near the top. For well under $100.00 you can often find a near brand new Mauser that shoots dirt cheep ammo way farther than I'd care to walk. Great, near unissued SKSs are available for about $150.00.

If you want to try the Scout concept, here's a possibility. I bought a good action, lousy stock Mauser for $70.00. A synthetic Scout STock from Advanced Technologies was anothe $70.00. So for under $150.00 I ended up with a light, reliable, accurate rifle.

 

[Yanqui]

Go with your instincts 357Man.

But I have to add my own 2 cents.

Since you already load for the 357 and 44 Mag and you stated that you are interested in a lever action go for a lever in those calibers. You can always pick a 30-06 later. They make a lever in 30-06 too.

Posted by 357Man
Most of my conclusions have led me to think about a lever action. I am already set up to load .357 and .44, as well as .30-06.

Winchester, Marlin, Navy Arms, Legacy, Uberti, Cimarron, Taylor & Company, EMF and others have them.

http://www.legacysports.com/
http://www.emf-company.com/
http://www.henryrepeating.com/ Has one in 44 Mag in 2003
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/
http://www.winchester-guns.com/
http://www.uberti.com/main.html
http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/
http://www.navyarms.com/index.html
http://www.taylorsfirearms.com/

Winchester, Marlin and Henry are made in here. The others carry Uberti and/or Rossi. The Rossi's are the Winchester 92 copies. Uberti makes the the Winchester Henry, Yellow Boy and the 1873 copies. I do not know if there are other manufactures of lever action being imported. There could very well be.

Good luck.

 

[Spoonman]

Sorry to hear about your losses, 357man. It feeds one of my worst fears.

For an all-around rifle, there are so many factors and so many solutions. Since you are already set up to load .44 mag & .357 mag, a rifle in one of those calibers would probably make sense. The .30-06 is a great round but might be a bit cumbersome in most packages for defense (a Springfield Armory or Miltech M-1 might be pretty cool, but a little pricey). I have Marlin lever actions in .44 mag and .357 mag (.30-30, too) and love them. They're compact, powerful (enough for most uses), and more accurate than most of us can shoot. Relatively inexpensive, too.
My rifles chamber and are accurate w/ .44 special and .38 special.

I've heard good things about the Ruger .44 mag bolt action, but have not fired one.

Try to have some fun with the shopping experience. Maybe it will take some of the sting out of your bad experience.


Hang in there, bud.
Clif

 

[WYO]

My new GP rifle is a Remington TI in .308. It is a very nice package, and can be loaded down for plinking and up for hunting. Because you already have the Dillon shell plate for a .30-06, all you need are .308 dies and you are ready to load. I have to admit that a lever action would be handier for self defense.

 

[Freedom in theSkies]

Ruger Deerfield .44

 

[s&w 24]

If you can afford one the styer scout wins hands down but for a lower buget rifle I have found sporter 1903 springfields hard to beat. I have found them consistently under priced on auction arms and all that I have shot have been exellent. A 30-06 can do many things a 357 carbine can't but with pratice and handloading you can do many things with a 30-06 that you can with a 357 carbine.

 

[MrPink]

Before you buy another gun, I would suggest purchasing a good gun safe. As gun owners, I feel we have a responsiblity to keep our guns out of the hands of criminals.

Now that I am off my soapbox. Look into the Kimber 84M in either 308 or 7-08. Nice and light, Mauser/Win 70 action. Good factory trigger. Top it with a Leupold 2-7x and you are good to go (you could bob the barrel if you wished)

 

[sixgun_symphony]

Get the Marlin .44 lever-action carbine.

It will be good for hunting and defense.

 

[Dan Shapiro]

I'd go with a CMP M1.

 

[357Man]

Thanks for all your responses, guys.
By the way, Mr. Pink, getting a safe was the FIRST thing I did after I got burgled! Good advice, by the way.
I have to admit, I hadn't thought much about the Scout rifle, but it does sound like a good idea. Don't think I could go the freight on a Steyr ($2500), but the Savage with a few add ons would fit in the budget.