There are some pretty clear trends on what posters believe the answer is.
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1st post (DMK) asked the question and stated ... "I'm thinking 30-30 lever action, maybe M1 carbine."
I'd take that as a vote for the 30-30 lever action. (1 vote for lever action)
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2 : Stoky - Had a picture of an M1 Carbine. Vote for M1 Carbine. (1 vote for M1 Carbine)
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3 : gbeecher - The 3rd post stated "Otherwise the M1 carbine, Garand or Winchester '94".
Since the M1 Carbine is first I'd take that as a vote for the M1 Carbine. (2 votes M1 Carbine)
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4 : jmr40 stated "The M-1 or Ruger Mini-14".
Again, going to guess that like DMK with mentioning the lever action 30-30 first that it was at the top of the list in that posters mind. So, going to guess M1 Carbine despite that poster mentioning the Ruger Mini-14 more later in the post. (3 votes M1 Carbine)
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5 : bannockburn - Winchester '94 (2)
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6 : Jacksprat agreed with the 5th post, Winchester '94. (3)
• 7 : Stoky talks about how Ruger Mini-14's were less expensive and had a twist rate more suited to the M855 load that 1:12 AR's - already posted that pic of the M1 carbine first
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8 : CraigC - "Winchester 94, hands down." (4)
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9 : chicharrones - "In my little part of the world, the Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 were the ubiquitous carbine." (5)
• 10 : Orcon posted an old ad for the Thompson.
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11 : badkarmamib - posted about how the Marlin 336 was more popular than the Winchester '94. (6)
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12 : Tahoe2 - "I agree with the 30-30 lever and the M-1 carbine, as there was one of either in every home that I remember, growing up, ...". I'd take that as a vote for the 30-30. (7)
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13 : Sunray posted a short history of prices between the Mini-14 and the Colt SP1 and then stated ... "Anyway, prior to 1974, it was the M1 Carbine, ...". (4)
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14 : Jackal posted "Win 94." (8)
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15 : md7 posted "I'd say a Marlin or Winchester lever action on 30-30 around these parts. " (9)
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16 : readyeddy posted "20 or 30 years ago where I live it was the SKS and AK." - Between those two I'd guess that's a vote for the SKS.
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17 : ms6852 posted "Mine was the Marlin 336 in 35 Remington. Got this one used from my uncle, than I purchased the Winchester in 1977." (10)
• 18 : Tommygun stated that the Thompson was a commercial failure. - not really a vote
• 19 : Spoke about the price of the Colt SP1 in relation to hourly wages in the past.
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20 : DustyGmt -
"I would say the marlin/winchester 30-30 lever action would be "Thee" quintessential carbine." (11)
• 21 : Carl N Brown posted about how Thompson's were available on the civilian market from 1921 to 1934 and only sold 15,000 guns.
• 22 : gbeecher posted about the popularity of the Thompson.
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23 : Quentin posted "I'd say it was the 30-30 lever action. I chose the Marlin 336C in 1970." (12)
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24 : ApacheCoTood posted "Carbine being a broad term and AR15 being a rather specific focus of it, I'd say that only one firearm fits the question. M1 Carbine." (5 votes M1 Carbine)
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25 : Sistema 1927 "The "Thutty-thutty", whether a Winchester, Marlin, Western Field, Ted Williams, or other house brand." (13)
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26 : WestKentucky posted "Same guns as what are iconic carbines today. Winny 94s, Marlins, m1 carbines, and a bunch of bolt action milsurp rifles. A lot of collectible rifles got the "bubba treatment" at that time to turn a rifle into a carbine."
Vote for lever action 30-30's (14)
• 27 : DustyGmt asked if the term bubba was derogatory.
• 28 : Sistema1927 answered the question about the term bubba
• 29 : WestKentucky posted about the answer that poster 28 gave regarding the term bubba.
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30 : Jim Watson posted "Manly men had Tanker Garand carbines."
• 31. : Sam1911 talked about the term bubba
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32. : Macchina posted "I'm in my early 30's and use my 44 Mag Marlin 1894 for everything I see people using AR's for and do it with a 6-pound rifle that is handier, quieter, more streamlined, and quicker on target than any AR I've shot, of which I have shot many." (15 for the lever)
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33 : Driftwood Johnson posted talking about wages and being in favor of grabbing a lever action rifle if in a hurry. (16)
• 34 and 35 : Both posts are from DMK complimenting posters on their taste.
• 36th : A post by stoky basically asking what time period that we're talking about.
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37 : A post by varmintterror clarifying what the definition of word ubiquitous means and talking about trends at different time periods.
"So if the question is "what was ubiquitous before the AR?" the answer is the bolt action hunting rifle, and the subsequent question, " what was ubiquitous before the bolt action hunting rifle?" is answered by the levergun"
Vote for bolt actions
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38 : loose noose - M1 Carbine (6)
• 39 : A post by chicharrones
talking about the different classes that lever and bolt action rifles were held in at different time periods.
• 40 : A post by DMK talking about geography and terrain and what different carbines would be used for as well as the political uncertainty today.
• 41 : A post by chicharrones
talking about how certain jobs (LE) or previous military experience might predispose someone towards a certain type of firearm. Also talks about the prices of M1 Carbines and Garand's in the late 80's/early 90's vs what SKS's cost.
• 42. : Carl N Brown posted about the practice of sporterizing rifles into carbines back when they were inexpensive military surplus.
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43. : Speedo66 posted about how a ton of M1 Carbines were bought through the DCM program at low cost and how LE used them to good effect in the 60's and 70's. (7 for M1 Carbine)
• 44. : AlexanderA posted about the huge flood of surplus firearms that were sold to the public, the NRA issuing pamphlets how to sporterize some of them and about how Dewat full-auto's were sold through mail order in the 50's.
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45. : LoonWulf - "Mix of 30-30s, quite a few SKS, and M1carbines, only a few Minis or other "high end"....yeah, they cost about double what you could get an sks or any 30-30 for when i was growing up in the 90s on Molokai....I never even saw an Ar till I was in high school."
Going to cast a vote for 30-30 lever actions. (17)
• 46. : 22250Rem - "I'm also gonna say "30-30 Lever gun". (18)
• 47. : DustyGmt "I know at least here in VT the most "ubiquitous" carbine is hands down the lever action 30-30."
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48. : Illinois Burt - "The question really requires a time frame. I can tell you for sure that lever guns were on the out's from everyone's opinions I heard in the 1980s. Those were for dusty old guys -- everyone needed a new Remington or Winchester bolt gun with a 3-9*40 scope for hunting (even though in Illinois we all used pump slug guns). Truly the sks took the scene by storm in the late 80's to early 90's. Without the Chinese import bans it may have become THE carbine. "
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49. : Carl N Brown posted a bit about the M1 Carbine and it being the equivalent of the .32-20 and appropriate for small game and coyotes.
I'm not completely sure it that's a vote for the M1 Carbine being 'THE' Carbine before the AR, going to guess that it's what he's saying though. (8 M1 Carbine)
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50. : conformist - "I agree that the 30-30 lever and the 30-06 bolt rifles were most likely the "AR-15" of the day." (19)
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51. : Kendal Black extolled the virtues to the 30-30 lever actions.
Guess that's a vote for the 30-30 lever. (20)
• 52. : DustyGmt - "The OP gave us a pretty open criteria in which to deliberate so it's official, I enter the Ruger 10/22......."
Already mentioned the 30-30 lever action first though.
• 53. : Kendal Black - "Tagging onto
illinoisburt's remarks, I think the most ubiquitous gun previously was the 12 gauge pump. Quail, deer, bandits, you were pretty much good to go, perhaps with a two-barrel set."
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54. : kBob - "Growing up in the 1960s in North Florida bolt guns were no where near as common in the back windows of pick'em up truck as Lever Action carbines. Marlins were less common in my neck of the woods than Winchesters for whatever reason though the rifles of either make might well have been store branded." (21)
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55. : redneck2 - "If there was anything in the category of the AR, it might have been a .30-30, but those were very scarce, at least in Northern Indiana." (22)
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56. : d2wing - "30-30 Winchester 94 hands down. Just about everyone had one in the 50's." (23)
• 57. : d2wing - Was a post about surplus guns and money - "Nobody cared about collecting beat up war guns. You may not realize but military rifles are not good hunting rifles. They are heavy and bulky. It was normal to strip off excess guards and reshape the stock into something more presentable and handier. Most people weren't able to spend money on guns or much else. They made do with what they had and made better things out of whatever was at hand.
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58. : UGARRGUY - "Immediately preceding AR type rifles, it was the SKS. The SKS didn't have enough "bad" cosmetic features to be outlawed under the AWB, and I remember gun shops having crates of them in the mid '90s."
• 59. : ScrapMetalSlug took issue that there was a ubiquitous Carbine at all. - "I don't think there was a "ubiquitous" rifle carbine before the ar came along. I think it is mostly a modern thing. Sure some people had nice lever carbines, but not enough to call them "ubiquitous". I think a 12 gauge was the closest to something you would call a ubiquitous home defense carbine."
60. : Dr Rob - Lever actions -
"By comparison, there were dozens of models of lever action rifles from Winchester, Marlin, Savage and Browning in an array of rifle and pistol calibers" (24 for levers)
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61. : Tentwing - "Not trying to create an echo in here, but growing up in North Georgia every farm out there had lever action hanging over the fireplace.
1. Marlin 336 30-30
2. Winchester 94 30-30
3. Marlin 336 35 Remington ..." (25)
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62. : Tirod - "Once the lever actions were selling after 1894 they were the most plentiful and also sold the most every decade thereafter. In .30-30 more of them took deer in America and they are highlighted as the firearm that nearly drove them to extinction." (26)
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63. : DougW - "I looked at a Colt AR15 back in '81, the $450 price put it out of resch. Had a Winchester 1300 as the go to, along with a Ruger Security Six (still on HD duty here) and a 1911. Figured at the time I was well armed. Today, more than one Glock 9mm and AR."
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64. : Browning - "It depends on what year you're setting the clock back to and if you're excluding anything based on type.
...
1. Winchester (Win 94 - 6,500,000 were made) 30-30
2. Marlin 30-30's (all types but especially the Model 336, listed as the 2nd most produced behind the Win 94)"
Lever action 30-30
(27)
• 65, 66 and 67 don't add much to the discussion.
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68. : CoolDill - "I would say the M1 carbine if we're talking "defensive" guns and either the Marlin 336 or Winchester 1894 if hunting guns." (9 for the M1 Carbine)
• 69 and 70 don't add much to the discussion.
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71. : Mentions both the Rem 8 & Rem 81 as well as the M1 Carbine. I'd take that as a vote for the M1 Carbine (10 for the M1 Carbine)
• 72. lysanderxiii posted about inflation.
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73. MTNDTRYDER - Clear vote for 30-30. (28)
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74. Elkins45 - Another clear vote for 30-30. (29)
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75. : coyote3855 - Another lever action 30-30 vote - Specifically the Winchester 94. (30)
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76. : Swampmanshares the opinion much like the one from earlier that states that there really wasn't a ubiquitous carbine before the AR.
• 77. : KB308 posts about the price of the Thompson.
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78. : KB308 -"I'm not sure why exactly (though I do prefer it, and it was the "heavy" rifle I was raised on), but here in North Alabama the Marlin 336 seems to be FAR more popular than the Winchester 94's." (31)
79. : deleted post
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80. : MistWolf - "Prior to the AR, the Winchester 30-30 was the ubiquitous carbine, hands down." (32)
• 81. : Tommygun posts about the Thompson and uses the words 'commercial failure'.
• 82. Another post about the Thompson
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83. : PowerG - Another vote for the Marlin 336. (33)
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84. : HoosierQ - Vote for the M1 Carbine (11 for the M1 Carbine)
• 85. : Another post about the Thompson.
• 86. : Another vote for the idea that ... DeepSouth - "I don't think there was one, ...
-
And for what it's worth, I don't even like the AR platform but there's no denying it was a trend setter."
• 87. : Post about the cost of of the machine gun vs the SMG.
• 88. : MistWolf - "There were mass produced carbines long before the AR came along. Study history and you'll see that in its time the lever action carbine was everywhere."
• 89. : Post about the Thompson.
• 90. : Post about SMG.
• 91. : JiminAnchorage takes exception to Mini-14 bashing• • 92. : Gives out 1976 Gun Digest prices
• 93. Talks more about prices between 1976 and 1984.•
94. : hdwhit - Another vote for M1 Carbine. - "If you're choosing the earlier date, the M1 Carbine would definitely have to be considered."
(12 for M1 Carbine)
• 95. : styles - a vote for the Enfield - "30 years ago, I knew a lot people with enfield no 4s, mk 3s, and carbines."
• 96. : P5 Guy - Vote for the SKS - "SKS I would say."
• 97. : Capybara posted a pic of a Winchester 94. Another vote for that. (34 votes for the lever)
• 98. : Post about the Thompson.
• 99. : Joke about the Glock and passing through airport security
The Thompson was mentioned multiple times, but it seemed like the posters were more talking about the general era and purposely posted it in a light to reflect this. Not really a 'Carbine'.
At any rate is seems like the lever action (specifically the 30-30) won.
- 34 votes for the Lever Action
- 14 mention the Winchester 94 specifically or mentioned it first
- 10 mentioned the Marlin 336 first or specifically
- Only one mentioned a caliber other than 30-30 (.35 Rem).
- 12 mentioned the M1 Carbine
- 4 mentioned the SKS
- 2 or 3 mentioned bolt actions, two without giving a brand and one mentioned the Enfield.
- 2 or 3 mentioned shotguns
- I believe that it was 3 posters who stated that there really wasn't a ubiquitous carbine before the AR-15 and that it represented something unique.
