I like the Marlin 30-30's. They're great rifles for GP type rifle use in my opinion.
The .357 is also a good choice and is actually more versatile than the 30-30. If you were only going to have one long gun in your entire life, ever, you'd be hard pressed to do much better than a Marlin .357.
But you have a .22LR for small game and smaller pests. With good SOLID bullets, it should do pretty well on most smaller critters. In my experience, solids are way better. They damage less meat for hunting and penetrate a lot better for punching through stuff. Hollow point bullets are sadly lacking in this department.
30-30:
- very common rifle
- very common cheap ammo ($12 per 20 rounds)
- decent power and better range than a pistol caliber carbine. The 30-30 still only drops about 5" at 200 yards (IIRC).
- the rifles themselves are cheaper if you buy used. You can probably find a really nice used one for under $250.
- It will be a bit much for some uses, but have no doubt that it will KILL the hell out of a coyote.
.357 lever action:
- very versatile. It will work for defense against people or many critters out to 100 yards or so. It is NOT something to be underestimated, especially with a hot .357 load and a really good hard cast bullet. On the other end, with .38 Specials it's well suited for small game and plinking. It will also be cheaper to shoot and much more quiet than a 30-30 if you use .38's.
- Ammo is at least widely available but .357 ain't cheap anymore. Last I checked it's around $36 per box of 50. The same amount buys you about 60 rounds of 30-30. Gotta do the math and see if it makes sense to you.
- In my experience, a lever action .357 is one of the most fun guns to shoot that you can possibly own. If you take one to the range with you, expect other people to want to shoot it.
- You say you don't reload but if you ever start, .38 Special is a very efficient little round. You get a LOT of shots from a pound of powder.
- The rifles themselves are very graceful, well balanced, and some how just "old school". I like that.
- Although .357 is no weenie round to begin with, it gains a lot from a carbine or rifle. But it still isn't in the same class as a .30-30 from what I've read.
- Even new, the rifles are not nearly as available as used .30-30's or .35 Remington's.
In your situation, I'd get the 30-30 first. It's the cheapest and most available. If you do decide it's not for you, you can probably sell a used 30-30 for exactly what you paid for it and break even.
For features, some have a crossbolt safety and many older ones don't. That's about the only complaint that most have with them (one way or the other).
