Explain exactly how a 6-10shot levergun would not have done equally well, in this hypothetical gunfight.
Motega raised a good--and real--scenario. Let's suppose the following apply: it wasn't a million miles from the border, the intruders were cartel runners, the things worth ransacking are spread out so that one or more might be beyond reliable handgun range, the bad guys were still there, there were 4-6 of them, and they were all armed (a given with drug runners).
With a ~6 shot lever-action rifle, it would be no problem to dispatch the bad guys if 1) there were no more than ~6 of them, 2) they would obligingly line up in a row at 25, 50, 75, and 100 yards as at the rifle range, 3) not move while I take aim and fire, and 4) not shoot back.
Battle Rifles are called Battle Rifles because they're used in battle--circumstances very different from blind hunting or range practice.
Shot placement becomes a tad more difficult when both you and your target are moving and you have to worry about keeping your skull intact. Even taking the time to aim is no guarantee for our soldiers (with lots of range time) to fire every shot with instant-kill placement. Probably why they're not all issued lever-action rifles.
Regarding practice: no, equipment can't replace a lack of skill, but skill is no good without minimally sufficient equipment. Practice is crucial, but practice won't let someone with a derringer be Rambo.
Someone referred to using the rifle "day-in and day-out," and maybe this was a generalization, but I'm not patrolling my grazing lands against cattle rustlers. I work at my client's office out of town and I'm lucky if I can make it to the gun range once every two weeks. And even then, my range frowns upon taking one shot downrange, ducking behind the next lane partition and shooting twice out the door, then scrambling across the floor to situate oneself in lane 2 while firing at lane 9's target.
Therefore a relatively quick action gun, with higher-capacity, quickly exchangeable magazines seem like a prudent measure for a dual-purpose rifle when I can't bank on being able to always put down multiple hostile moving targets with a single shot each without having to reload.
Would like the capability to do that with something that is also accurate and powerful enough for reliable and humane hunting of medium to medium/large size game. Really I don't think I'll come across any game larger than an elk. Have to consider mountain lions though.
A couple of people have also mentioned zombies. Can we please be realistic? Zombies shamble so slowly that the time taken to reload wouldn't be a concern unless surrounded by dozens of them, in which case a rifle would be too unmaneuverable anyway.