Two Missions, Two Paths, One Gun

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The mini 30 mags are expensive and hard to come by. Ruger doesn't recommend steel cased ammo. So I'd stay away from that option...30-30 is hard to beat but maybe 44 makes more sense for SD.
 
TarDevil said:
Wouldn't the build be close to the cost of a Mini?
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That really depends on the cost and quality of the upper and barrel. The build I had priced out with a SCR lower came to $1300 but I was also dreaming pretty big. For a more standard upper then yes they are comparable in price especially when you factor in the cost of a handful of magazines for each rifle.
 
As far what to choose, nothing wrong with a lever action or AR. I own both. One nice thing about the AR15 platform is that it is pretty easy to change calibers if you want. Any of the bigger bore calibers for the AR15 will fit your needs.

Even though 6,8SPC is not as available as other calibers, it can be reloaded quite easily with any .277 bullet. MidwayUSA currently shows 62 different 6.8/270 bullets in stock. I guess that Ruger doe not make the mini in 6.8SPC anymore. I couldn't find it on their website.

Two downsides to the large frame AR rifles: there is no set industrial standard so parts do not swap as easily between different manufacturers and the other is that they are definitely heavier than other types of rifles.

I would personally go with a 30-30 if I were to get a lever action as my only rifle. As others have said, practice, practice, practice. It is easy to short stroke the lever while under stress.

Go check out as many different options available to you and pick what fits you and your needs the best. With current events, all types of firearms are in short supply. Hopefully you can find places with enough stock to check out different types of rifles.
 
1) If it’s a dual role hunting AND home defense rifle, it needs to be fired with sufficient frequency to serve the latter role - which is frequent. Rifles which “don’t get shot a whole lot” need not apply.

2) Personally, for as long as I have been sentient to the difference - around 30 years - I have preferred the 44mag to the 30-30 in a levergun. More rounds, less powder, and similar performance on game in the field. Given a proper shooter and optic to accomplish it, the 44mag is capable of far more than 100yrds - I tend to bow out around 250yrds where the trajectory becomes excessively challenging; it’s still possible to go much further, but if I want to do so, I use something else.

3) A 6.5 Grendel AR-15 would likely better suit your applications at lower cost than an AR-10 in 6.5 creed. The 6.8 SPC was at one time favored over the 6.5G, but the two swapped positions about 10 years ago and the Grendel isn’t looking back. The 6.8SPC was America’s second favorite cartridge in America’s favorite rifle for almost a decade, so I wouldn’t pretend “it didn’t take off,” but today, it certainly has been “left behind” by the Grendel.

Given the choice for SD, having both in the safe multiple AR’s in various cartridges and multiple Marlin and Winchesters in 30-30, 44mag, 357mag, and 45-70, 100% of the time I reach past a levergun in favor of an AR every time - and unfortunately, have had more reason to actually do so of late, with multiple protests and destructive riots happening within a mile of our home, or that of my MIL - my specific solution is/was an AR in 6.8spc (which I would rebuild in 6.5 Grendel if I were starting over today, but I built it before the market shift). I would rather have a 6.5 Creed LFAR than the 44mag as well, but I would urge strong consideration of the Grendel in the small frame over the Creed in the large before making that decision.
 
The SCR is a sound concept, although they are a “Love it or Hate“ it design. Looks to me like some kind of morphed piece from a Western Punk genre. Or maybe a sad California Reach-Around project! Definitely not my thing. But as I said, the performance is sound.

I’m an AR15 guy. Have been my entire adult life. And I like my ARs in 223. I can load it for anything from small critters to medium game. I don’t worry as my ARs are accurate for headshots at distance.

Although, it seems to me from your post, you’ve already pretty much made up your mind. Nothing wrong with a lever gun. Personally, I’d do a 45-70, but 30-30 works. And of course, Chuck Connors could make a believer of anyone!
 
I was thinking about this more and I think I'll add another option I'd be researching simply because guns are not as easy to find right now. I would look into a bolt action rifle inspired by the scout rifle concept. Wouldn't have to be a 100% fit to the scout rifle but it would get you into the heavier duty cartridges for less money and weight than an AR10 most likely. I think Lucky Gunner does a good job summerizing it.

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/scout-rifle/
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/rethinking-scout-rifle/
 
Guns can be used for hunting, plinking/fun/recreation, target shooting, or self defense, broadly speaking. The more specialized you get the less overlap there is. 44 mag and .30-30 make great hunting options in a lever. Neither are really very cheap however unless you reload.

7.62x39 is notably cheaper off the shelf and does many of the same things. I suppose you could hunt with it in a mini-30 platform or SKS, but it shines in one of the bolt actions. It’ll get the job done in a semi for hunting/varmints/defense, just less elegantly than some of the other options.

Can’t really comment on the AR options as I have never owned one. I’ve heard that although the theoretical ability to swap uppers/calibers is nice, in practice it’s a bit of a pain just like other barrel-swap platforms, and you usually end up just building or buying a few rifles built for different things.
 
Varminterror said:
A 6.5 Grendel AR-15 would likely better suit your applications at lower cost than an AR-10 in 6.5 creed.
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Ok, I'm sold that I don't need the 10... but the 350 Legend has my attention. I think it suits my needs better than the Grendel.
But I can be convinced otherwise.
 
Yeah, ol'Chuck drops some lead on their axx in that opening scene. There was also the one where he shot all of the berries from a bush was not there?

I vote 30-30 lever gun if there can only be one. Besides that, in the next regime, should it take place, they will come knocking for the "assault" rifles and you will not be able to say the AR was lost. They will fine, hold up the income tax refunds, withhold SS and MC, liens on property and jail time and in general make it impossible not to comply but a lever gun as American as apple pie and single action revolvers, surely not :(. And we will all dutifully hand them over (second amendment) just as we were banned from church (first amendment), or public assembly (first amendment) and closed out businesses (first, tenth and the Declaration of Independence, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"), and forced to put on those pitiful rags (first amendment).
 
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TarDevil said:
Ok, I'm sold that I don't need the 10... but the 350 Legend has my attention. I think it suits my needs better than the Grendel.
But I can be convinced otherwise.
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I have been shooting the .357 Max for longer than I have the Grendel, and a couple other 350 Legend analogies, but have only worked with two actual 350 Legends so far. Were I only to have ONE of the two, I would have a Grendel over the Legend. The two have similar kinetic energy at the muzzle, but obviously the Grendel is flatter shooting and holds energy better. The heavier bullets of the Legend have greater momentum up close, but lower sectional density (considerably) such the penetration and game killing potential at short range is relatively an even horserace. At any extended range, the Grendel’s superior aerodynamics retains energy and drives greater penetration, so getting any air under the bullet strongly favors the Grendel. Either work for 0-200 yards, but the 350 Legend is more of a super-magnum Handgun Cartridge while the Grendel is a watered down rifle cartridge.

Maybe more importantly - I’m not sure I’m convinced a Legend can or will do anything which a 44mag couldn’t do, other than cycle in an AR-15. So in one regard, if a lever action 44mag was a good option for you, an AR in 350 is also a good option. But, if a Grendel AR is also a good option, then I’d personally say (as I did above) the Grendel is a better option than either the Legend or 44mag. For everything up close, it’s trading nickels, for anything farther, the Grendel exceeds the others - and generally, if I count something “as good as the other, except for when it’s better,” simply as “better.”
 
3Crows said:
Yeah, ol'Chuck drops some lead on their axx in that opening scene. There was also the one where he shot all of the berries from a bush was not there?

I vote 30-30 lever gun if there can only be one. Besides that, in the next regime, should it take place, they will come knocking for the "assault" rifles and you will not be able to say the AR was lost. They will fine, hold up the income tax refunds, withhold SS and MC, liens on property and jail time and in general make it impossible not to comply but a lever gun as American as apple pie and single action revolvers, surely not :(. And we will all dutifully hand them over (second amendment) just as we were banned from church (first amendment), or public assembly (first amendment) and closed out businesses (first, tenth and the Declaration of Independence, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"), and forced to put on those pitiful rags (first amendment).
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Won’t happen without some serious turmoil this country can’t handle. It sounds like you are justifying the 30-30 because they come for the ARs but not the Lever actions? You think I’ll give up my ARs, magazines, anything? Not without a fight. They will have to kill me. Which I’m sure they will. But I won’t go alone. And I’m not even some crazy Right Wing, tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorist! What do think these militia groups across the country will do? So just sit tight and do nothing. But if this all happens, remember my name.

I don’t need a building to worship The Lord. Breaking into your home, armed and ready to take your life is a different matter.
 
Ok, I'll throw in my 2 cents. ;)

If your sweetie is comfortable running an AR, (mine is not) then the .350 legend is probably ideal for the use and ranges you have stated. If a lever gun is more to her liking, (I am assuming, of course, that you expect her to be able to use it in a SD/HD situation) then I would lean more toward the Marlin 336 in a .44 Magnum/.44 Special, which will also simplify handgun selection. If'n it were me, I would use the .44 Magnum for hunting and use the .44 Special for SD/HD duty. The .44 just makes for nicer, bigger holes. Also, If I have to point it at someone, I think they are more likely to respect the bigger hole in the end of the barrel. :scrutiny:
 
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Varminterror said:
I have been shooting the .357 Max for longer than I have the Grendel, and a couple other 350 Legend analogies, but have only worked with two actual 350 Legends so far. Were I only to have ONE of the two, I would have a Grendel over the Legend. The two have similar kinetic energy at the muzzle, but obviously the Grendel is flatter shooting and holds energy better. The heavier bullets of the Legend have greater momentum up close, but lower sectional density (considerably) such the penetration and game killing potential at short range is relatively an even horserace. At any extended range, the Grendel’s superior aerodynamics retains energy and drives greater penetration, so getting any air under the bullet strongly favors the Grendel. Either work for 0-200 yards, but the 350 Legend is more of a super-magnum Handgun Cartridge while the Grendel is a watered down rifle cartridge.

Maybe more importantly - I’m not sure I’m convinced a Legend can or will do anything which a 44mag couldn’t do, other than cycle in an AR-15. So in one regard, if a lever action 44mag was a good option for you, an AR in 350 is also a good option. But, if a Grendel AR is also a good option, then I’d personally say (as I did above) the Grendel is a better option than either the Legend or 44mag. For everything up close, it’s trading nickels, for anything farther, the Grendel exceeds the others - and generally, if I count something “as good as the other, except for when it’s better,” simply as “better.”
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Good stuff!
 
David Hoback said:
Won’t happen without some serious turmoil this country can’t handle. It sounds like you are justifying the 30-30 because they come for the ARs but not the Lever actions? You think I’ll give up my ARs, magazines, anything? Not without a fight. They will have to kill me. Which I’m sure they will. But I won’t go alone. And I’m not even some crazy Right Wing, tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorist! What do think these militia groups across the country will do? So just sit tight and do nothing. But if this all happens, remember my name.

I don’t need a building to worship The Lord. Breaking into your home, armed and ready to take your life is a different matter.
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I'm not as worried about them taking as me buying.
One reason I'm at least considering an AR... get it while I can!
 
I’m building a few AR’s right now for folks who had been waiting for enough motivation. Finding the parts isn’t terribly difficult, but I will say, for most folks, finding the “great deal” sales and rock bottom pricing isn’t happening right now. Even avoiding gouging prices, some of the parts I would have gotten 20% lower cost during almost any year except maybe five out of the last TWENTY years simply aren't coming at these sale prices. Even for me as a builder with discounts, the opportunity to grab up quality parts at rock bottom prices is largely suspended right now. So it’s not true to say an AR is hard to get right now, as a guy can still build almost anything they want right now, but they’ll over-pay what they could have paid 6-8 mos ago by a substantial margin. I pass through costs dollar for dollar, and I’m telling these folks (most are repeat customers) that I simply can’t get the same incentivized pricing right now that I could 6-8 mos ago, so if they want it, they’re going to pay more than they could have if they had not waited so long to decide they wanted an AR.
 
OK, I'm going to be the unpopular guy here with the OP and be a contrarian and make people mad.... cause that is what I like to do. I will try really hard not to break any rules and pick up another ban for hurting someone's feels.

TarDevil,

I understand your desire to be "different" and not go with an AR-15/M4 pattern carbine for your stated purposes specifically one in 5.56mm NATO. I'm not going to beat around the bush here and tell you your desire to be different is logical or founded in anything but what your heart wants, because it's not.

You are looking for a multi-purpose long gun, and want it to be capable of being loaded quickly? OK, that is an understandable and logical call out or specification for a tool. If ease of loading quickly is a major factor look no further than an AR/M4, you can dump an empty magazine and have a fresh one loaded faster than you can pry a .30-30 cartridge out of a butt stock ammo carrier, much less get it in the loading gate. AR/M4 wins that argument every time, and doesn't even require a lot of practice to accomplish.

Furthermore an M4 offers up an adjustable stock, so if your wife is shorter in stature which most females are she can get a good stock fit for her if she needs to use the weapon. Plus M4's can be quite light, and that is not a bad thing if you have a smaller statured shooter who may need to use the weapon.

I'm also going to be contrarian and tell you that 5.56mm NATO is the answer for your needs, you can feed it solid copper Barnes TSX ammo for hunting deer and pigs and that same round will also work on two legged coyotes if needs be. There is a ton of 5.56mm ammo out there, even though supplies are tight right now doesn't mean you can't get it in quantity and later it will be readily available again. If you want to add another caliber to your carbine at some point in the future all you need is the complete upper, maybe a buffer and spring, maybe magazines, and the ability to push two captive pins out of the upper and lower. Not many other platforms offer that kind of versatility.

We're talking about a tool here, and frankly millions of users both private and government have pretty well validated that the M4 platform in 5.56mm NATO solves a lot of problems that can be solved with a long gun.

Just buy something of quality, put on a decent optic like a quality red dot or low power scope (variable or fixed) and go out and shoot the gun as much as you can. Familiarity will usually build confidence in a well made M4.
 
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