Time to buy a rifle. It won't get used a terrible lot unless my wife takes a likin' to it, but I want a long gun that will hunt (deer and pigs, medium to short range) and be a decent SD rifle.
I've leaned long and hard toward a side gate loading lever gun, most likely in .30-30. This appeals to me because I like the ease of reloading on the fly (kinda like my wife's bottom feeding 12 ga pump). The round is readily available, carbines are readily available and they're durable. I might consider .44 Magnum. Maybe. Convince me. Question... how easy are they to load?
I'm not ruling out a semi-auto. If I went that route I'd look first at the Ruger Mini-Thirty in 7.62x39. Always wanted one, but people here run hot and cold on those rifles. I'm not at all considering anything in 5.56 so if - IF - I could be convinced to look at AR's (they've never appealed to me) it would be a -10, probably in 6.5 Creedmoor. This option actually is gaining traction in my head.
Ok, go.
I've leaned long and hard toward a side gate loading lever gun, most likely in .30-30. This appeals to me because I like the ease of reloading on the fly (kinda like my wife's bottom feeding 12 ga pump). The round is readily available, carbines are readily available and they're durable. I might consider .44 Magnum. Maybe. Convince me. Question... how easy are they to load?
I'm not ruling out a semi-auto. If I went that route I'd look first at the Ruger Mini-Thirty in 7.62x39. Always wanted one, but people here run hot and cold on those rifles. I'm not at all considering anything in 5.56 so if - IF - I could be convinced to look at AR's (they've never appealed to me) it would be a -10, probably in 6.5 Creedmoor. This option actually is gaining traction in my head.
Ok, go.