most versatile rifle

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

would the convenience of similar calibers between firearms trump the extra power of a 30-30?

No. The extra power trumps the convenience. Convenience and the whole same ammo for handgun & rifle issue is overplayed in modern society. That was a useful concept back when a cowboy and his horse were out on the plains or desert or mountains in the old west, far from any town, with a pistol and a rifle. Neat concept, but outdated in a society where a 1-10 mile drive will find you a store with both 30-30 and .357 mag. Thank you, J.S. for explaining the significant ballistic differences.

Having said that, the .357 mag levergun is itself very very versatile. But if you want to maximize versatility, get the rifle that can do quite a bit more than what your handgun can do, not just a smidge more.

And above, I said .30-30, but a pretty good case can be made that a .22 mag rifle is the most versatile. I mention this because a .22 mag can be had in a levergun also.

I too recommend a .22lr in addition to the .30-30 or whatever you run with.

 

[Mike 56]

I would go for leaver action late model 30-30 Marlin or Winchester that way if you want to add aperture sights, scope, red dot, scout mount they are already drilled an taped and the parts are easy to find. If you are a reloader you can load 100gr bullets and go up 190gr cast. Reduced loads using pistol powders are a lot of fun. I like the 125gr FNHP for home defence. I put Williams FP aperture sights on my 94 with a front fire sight they are quick and accurate.

Mike

 

[Pigspitter]

I'd put my money with the supreme war pike (Mosin Nagant)

 

[NC-Mike]

If you have a 357 handgun, you already have home defense covered.

Wouldn't you want something with more snort in a rifle?

 

[Ignition Override]

Shooters who likely have much more background than I recommended the SKS or the Saiga rifle.

Despite being new to the Mini 14/30, SKS and MN 44, my suggestion based simply upon my experience with these since January (but only plinking) is the Mini 14 or SKS, because of the time to cock/reload the Mosin. But a guy startled by a grizzly stopped it in the last several feet with four very fast shots using his smooth Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbine, and it kicks pretty hard, they claim. Ammo prices for .303 appear a good bit higher than x39.
My high-cap. polymer Promag (30-round) for the excellent Mini 14 is so far perfectly reliable, as is the R. factory 20-round mag which somehow came with the used Mini.

The SKS is about as inexpensive as a good Ruger .22, simple and rugged (my Norinco has a chrome-lined bore) and those who own the so-called "Paratrooper" version seem to have only very good comments about them. They might be easier than most rifles to maneuver inside a car or truck in case some streets/highways become unsafe ( Memphis in '68 etc, 'Rodney King chaos' in LA, or parts of Atlanta etc).

How often has civilian self-defense (if at all) required shooting more than 50 yards?
Although a relatively 'new guy' with all of this, can not imagine needing a rifle with what people call M-1 Garand or "AR accuracy" much further than that, unless living or working on open land with lots of acres, or living near large four-legged predators.

 

[tube_ee]

Well,since it's your first rifle,

I'd actually go .357. The range limitations won't matter to you for a while yet, and by the time they do, you'll have more than one rifle. They breed.

The .357 is going to be cheaper to shoot, with .38 specials in it, and it's like shooting a big .22. Cheaper ammo + no recoil = more trigger time. More trigger time = better shooter. Dandy small game round, too.

For deer-sized game, at any range that a novice hunter and rifleman should be shooting at game with an iron-sighted (or even scoped) rifle, it'll do the business, especially with some of the high-end loads. And no, 200 yards is not an ethical shot for a novice, no matter what he's carrying.

When (not if) you start reloading, you've only got one set of dies, and your powder, primer and bullets will work in every gun you've got.

The .30-30 is clearly a better rifle, considered as a rifle. For the novice, the .357's got some advantages, I think.

--Shannon

 

[mndfusion]

A 30/06 bolt gun can be hand loaded down to .22lr power level, up to a light magnum...thats versatile.

 

[Old School]

The .357 is going to be cheaper to shoot, with .38 specials in it, and it's like shooting a big .22. Cheaper ammo + no recoil = more trigger time. More trigger time = better shooter. Dandy small game round, too.

For deer-sized game, at any range that a novice hunter and rifleman should be shooting at game with an iron-sighted (or even scoped) rifle, it'll do the business, especially with some of the high-end loads. And no, 200 yards is not an ethical shot for a novice, no matter what he's carrying.

The .30-30 is clearly a better rifle, considered as a rifle. For the novice, the .357's got some advantages, I think.

--Shannon

+1, can't be explained any better than that.