LV Gun
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I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin my dad always had a 22LR and a JC Higgins bolt action 16 gauge shotgun they always took care of any problem that arose.
What one rifle for home or farm protection and hunting would you pick.
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35 Whelen
Member
I've owned a '92 Rossi in .357 for about a dozen years now. Although I rarely carry it, it is perfect for the chores you mention, and in fact mine resides in the laundry room gun rack, ready for come-what-may. Light, trim, easy to handle, no magazines to keep up with and power ranging from light .38 Special loads all the way up to heavy .357 loads.
It's already proven itself on deer, turkey, hog and a stray dog after my chickens.
By contrast, my AR's are like wielding a 8 lb. crucifix.
35W
Very nice. Now how about how loud others are in the barn or even in the house. Your 20 inch is even less noisy than my 16. With 38s.I've owned a '92 Rossi in .357 for about a dozen years now. Although I rarely carry it, it is perfect for the chores you mention, and in fact mine resides in the laundry room gun rack, ready for come-what-may. Light, trim, easy to handle, no magazines to keep up with and power ranging from light .38 Special loads all the way up to heavy .357 loads.
It's already proven itself on deer, turkey, hog and a stray dog after my chickens.
By contrast, my AR's are like wielding a 8 lb. crucifix.
35W
Armored farmer
Member
Ok buti had a fixed 3x on this rifle and I ran out of glass before I ran out of rifle at varmint distance.
I do have offset irons for across the driveway distance.
I keep the scope dialed to 3x.....it works for me.
All but impossible for me to do with one rifle, but if I had to give it a go it would be a 308 or 6.5CM bolt gun done up in my version of a "scout rifle". Compared to a lever gun in any cartridge it's not only a lighter, more compact package, but it hits much harder, is much more accurate, and is much more reliable.
Rate of "AIMED" fire is the same. I can empty the magazine on a lever gun faster if I'm not trying to hit anything. Start requiring that all shots hit a paper plate at any chosen range and the bolt gun ties or wins. Not only that, but a bolt gun will cost less and is faster to reload.
An AR is tempting, but big game hunting would be the primary use with HD a little farther down the line. I've used an AR to deer hunt with and they can work. If I could add a 2nd rifle an AR would be my pick. But if it has to be only one I'd have to leave it off.
Rate of "AIMED" fire is the same. I can empty the magazine on a lever gun faster if I'm not trying to hit anything. Start requiring that all shots hit a paper plate at any chosen range and the bolt gun ties or wins. Not only that, but a bolt gun will cost less and is faster to reload.
An AR is tempting, but big game hunting would be the primary use with HD a little farther down the line. I've used an AR to deer hunt with and they can work. If I could add a 2nd rifle an AR would be my pick. But if it has to be only one I'd have to leave it off.
Mosin77
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If you take combat or self defense out of the picture (which is the only likely scenario most of us can picture if arbitrarily limited to one rifle) then for a homestead do-all the .357 lever would be great. I’d probably go for my Martini Cadet in .357 or a 7.62x39 cz527. The CZ is more gun but if I could only have one, I really like the idea of being able to take game at 200+ yards if necessary… the .357 mag is running out of steam before that.
Exactly. But trying to trim down to one rifle is like deciding which child to sacrifice
someguy2800
Member
If I can’t cheat by having multiple uppers for an AR15 then I would have a Ruger SFAR
chicharrones
needs more ammo
I'm guessing you mean the 21st Century? After the AWB had sunset which help the AR flourish in US civilian hands?
mcb
Member
The idea of one gun for everything is silly. But playing along for giggles a single gun for home-defense/farm-defense and hunting gun: the obvious choice is a 3.5-inch 12 gauge shotgun (a 3-inch shotgun is probably sufficient too). It's not the best choice for many of those applications but it is one of the more flexible choices for all of those applications. Buckshot for the home defense role and slugs, buckshot, and bird-shot makes it a good choice for any critter on the planet from dove to moose and bear defense. Ammunition in a variety of capabilities is almost always available in many store.
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Mosin77
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You could make an argument for 30-06 too. Use a Hammond game-getter or similar for shooting small game or backyard pests, cheaper FMJ for varmints and things of that sort, and plenty of options for hunting just about everything under the sun.
The simple reality today though is that guns are, percentage of income wise, wayyy cheaper than they ever were “back in the day.” Then, a man almost had to restrict himself to one gun, because it was a tool first and foremost, they were pricey, and his area and friends would probably determine what that gun was. Now even a “poor” fella can reasonably find a decent used 22 rifle ($100), a budget AR ($400), and a serviceable hunting rifle ($400). Let’s say total expenditure $900. That’s approximately a week’s wages for most, give or take. Which means even someone who is really strapped could probably economize, scrimp and save, horse trade, sell something on Craigslist, donate plasma, etc etc to make that happen. And $900 could actually be a couple hundred less with some luck and persistence too. At those prices one can afford to not limit oneself to the single shot 12g shotgun.
But there’s still a very valid question of “what gun do you prefer to keep next to the kitchen door to grab when you need a rifle for critter control” and in that context, something like a .357 would be great. A .223 AR would fit the bill as well. A little more versatility, more meat/hide damage probably, lot more blast.
The simple reality today though is that guns are, percentage of income wise, wayyy cheaper than they ever were “back in the day.” Then, a man almost had to restrict himself to one gun, because it was a tool first and foremost, they were pricey, and his area and friends would probably determine what that gun was. Now even a “poor” fella can reasonably find a decent used 22 rifle ($100), a budget AR ($400), and a serviceable hunting rifle ($400). Let’s say total expenditure $900. That’s approximately a week’s wages for most, give or take. Which means even someone who is really strapped could probably economize, scrimp and save, horse trade, sell something on Craigslist, donate plasma, etc etc to make that happen. And $900 could actually be a couple hundred less with some luck and persistence too. At those prices one can afford to not limit oneself to the single shot 12g shotgun.
But there’s still a very valid question of “what gun do you prefer to keep next to the kitchen door to grab when you need a rifle for critter control” and in that context, something like a .357 would be great. A .223 AR would fit the bill as well. A little more versatility, more meat/hide damage probably, lot more blast.
My Rem 700 Stainless .270 Win is my go-to deer and other large game rifle. Used it on a longish walkabout and when resting on a tree stand, laid it down on the platform and for the first time in my life, called in a nice buck! He stopped about 30 yards past me in a clearing, so I grabbed the rifle and mounted it left-handed and shot... as he dashed away, toward a woods road. He didn't make it. (Although the photo comment said it was an '06, I apparently had my head up somewhere it didn't belong.)
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King Medallion
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Be either the Rossi 92 or Uberti 73 in 44-40, probly the Rossi, it's lighter.
EIB0879
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An AR. Probably a 300 BO.
Ethan Verity
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Well, I enjoy shooting my lever action a lot more... but from a practical sense, if only limited to one I would have to pick my AR-15 in 5.56. It's already my dedicated home defense option.
marksman13
Member
AR-15 in 6.8 SPC. It’s the first rifle I grab when I know I need a rifle, but don’t know exactly what I’m walking into.
Poper
Member
What caliber is the Remington 788?I've owned a '92 Rossi in .357 for about a dozen years now. Although I rarely carry it, it is perfect for the chores you mention, and in fact mine resides in the laundry room gun rack, ready for come-what-may. Light, trim, easy to handle, no magazines to keep up with and power ranging from light .38 Special loads all the way up to heavy .357 loads.
It's already proven itself on deer, turkey, hog and a stray dog after my chickens.
By contrast, my AR's are like wielding a 8 lb. crucifix.
35W
bigpower491
Member
FN FAL
Nuff said
Nuff said
Old Dog
Member
M4 w/Surefire Mini-Scout light, 4x32 ACOG, Magpul BUIS, yep, same set-up I've been using for the past 20 years.
While I certainly love lever-action rifles, simply far more versatility and utility with an AR (and a heckuva lot more rounds on tap and way faster to reload).
While I certainly love lever-action rifles, simply far more versatility and utility with an AR (and a heckuva lot more rounds on tap and way faster to reload).
Terry G
Member
My LE6920. But not for Whitetail. The only Deer I've ever had to track took a hit from my Colt SP-1 right in the heart/lung area and ran over a mile. Nope. .30/06 in Browning BAR. (Wasn't dragging that thing fun)
If we go by science, nature, physics, logic and neo-theoretical existentialism, this is the right choice. Anything in the 6.5mm range can technically handle squirrels through bears. Grendel and Swedes are also valid choices.
.308 Norma
Member
Yeah, I'll bet! Dad always told me, "Once you pull the trigger, the fun's all over." Dad was right!
One rifle to do it all...I'd be doing much more hunting than home or farm protection, so that'll weigh-in on my choice. All in all, it'd be my .308 Sako, scoped; a wedding present from my wife 53 years ago.
For the hunting chores, it probably needs no introduction...wide choice of bullet weights for most any purpose from 125/130 hp's for varmint hunting to 180 gr + prescriptions for any big game in the lower 48. With cast bullets of ~120 gr weight and a pinch of Bullseye or Unique, it'd do for squirrels with head shots. Turkeys...jep but not quite legal here in KY.
Home & farm defense....were on a farm with good sight lines out to 250 yds. A .308 will do nicely for that gruesome chore, and for up close, it'd be point and shoot. It's a 5-shot mag with one up the spout so extended, spray and pray fights are limited of course.
That's my choice, if I were FORCED to pick only one rifle...YMMv of course. Rod Here it is...a 1970 vintage Sako Forester in .308, Leupold scoped.
For the hunting chores, it probably needs no introduction...wide choice of bullet weights for most any purpose from 125/130 hp's for varmint hunting to 180 gr + prescriptions for any big game in the lower 48. With cast bullets of ~120 gr weight and a pinch of Bullseye or Unique, it'd do for squirrels with head shots. Turkeys...jep but not quite legal here in KY.
Home & farm defense....were on a farm with good sight lines out to 250 yds. A .308 will do nicely for that gruesome chore, and for up close, it'd be point and shoot. It's a 5-shot mag with one up the spout so extended, spray and pray fights are limited of course.
That's my choice, if I were FORCED to pick only one rifle...YMMv of course. Rod Here it is...a 1970 vintage Sako Forester in .308, Leupold scoped.
