My Truck Gun; Mosin 91/30, Marlin 336, Marlin 1894C, SKS, or SU 16?

[Cosmoline]

The 91/30 works better with standard 54R loads than the carbines. There's a lot less flash and substantially higher FPS. I don't find that the carbines are any quicker in the hand, either. The Soviet 91/30's had very light barrels and are easy to manipulate. Why you'd hack the barrel off of a rifle is beyond me, unless you just like wasting money. The M-38's and M-44's already have shorter barrels if you really want them.

I like Mosins and Mausers as truck guns because it's very easy to yank the bolts as a security measure. You can't do that with a levergun. Plus, the Mosin bolt in particular fits in the hand like a brass knuckle.

 

[gila_dog]

MyRoad brought up a point that should be considered, and that is, what's legal where you live? According to the 2005 Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States (www.gunlawguide.com), in Tennessee "firearms must be unloaded and in plain view or secured in commercial gun cases anywhere in the vehicle". That means both handguns and long guns. Now I don't know for sure if this book has Tennessee law completely nailed, but what it says about New Mexico, where I live, it's right on the money. In New Mexico you can have a loaded or unloaded gun (handgun or long gun) in your car, hidden or not. If I lived in Tennessee, I would go with something with a detachable magazine that I could keep separate from the rifle, with the rifle in a case under or behind the seat, magazine in the glove compartment. Sounds reasonable to me, but maybe you should check with your STATE police dept. just to be sure. If you get into an accident the cops may go thru your car looking for alcohol or drugs. If they come up with an illegal firearm you will have made their day.

I had a small town cop try to bust me at a roadblock for having a loaded handgun in my glove compartment.

He was so excited, he was going to be famous!

Fortunately there was a NM State cop working the same roadblock. He knew the law and straightened things out. I'm sure glad he was there!

 

[MinScout]

I think a truck/trunk rifle should be fairly light a short of barrel. I keep a well-used post-64 94 Winchester 30-30 in my trunk. Since even post-94s are now getting pricey, you might consider a Henry lever in 22 mag or a Rossi in 357, if you can get it to function. Just a thought.

 

[Ditchtiger]

Go with the Mosin. Cheapest to replace if stolen. More than enough power. And I liked the part on using the bolt as brass knuckels

 

[my-rifle]

Trunk gun

Yes I know we're discussing truck guns, but I don't have a truck. I also realize you limited the selection to those guns you own, but I own Mosin-Nagants (M91/30, M38, M44), and I love shooting them all - at the range. In a self-defense situation I think they'd be less valuable than an auto-loader. My personal gun of choice rolling around in the crap in my trunk is an AK-47. They are the most amazing guns. I live outside New Orleans, and my neighborhood flooded in Katrina, and a friend of mine was given an old AK-47 out of the waters and mud of the floods (four WEEKS in water that had some of the worst toxins known). He cleaned the mud out of the receiver, loosened up the bolt carrier, took it to the range, AND FIRED IT! He said it performed reliably, and accurately. Now THAT'S a truck gun! I build my own AK's, so they only cost about $150 apiece, I know what they're capable of, and I love them.

 

[ECVMatt]

I would be all about the 336

These things are great! They have all the power you need, in a generally compact package and the fit right in anywhere. I had an SKS and just couldn't get used to it. It was the klunkiest gun I have ever owned. I shot OK, but was just too big and awkward for me. I have a few 336's right now and use them for camping and woods/desert bumbing. I use XO ghost ring sights and they shoot fast and accurate.

My latest truck/camping gun is a Savage 11 in .223. I cut the bbl to 19 inches, installed a set of XO GR's and sited it in for Speer 70 grners @ 3,000 fps. My wife loves it, I can ring the 200 yard gong all day long, and it is reasonable powerful.

She had a problem with the force required to work the lever on the 336's. She could do it. It just took a lot of effort. I taught her to thumb back the hammer first, but it is just too much to worry about if we really needed.

Wholly Mackreal, did I get off track. Well like I said, I vote for the Marlin.

All wise men know not to mock the Marlin,

Matt