Mini-14. My 24 yo daughter's favorite rifle. I have ARs, M1A, FNFAL, and the Mini. She LOVES the Mini, and hits well with it.

The fireball issue with the mini is no different than the AR, and in fact, my Mini is an 18 inch barrel, not a 16 like the AR. In my case, the flash and bang comes primarily from Federal 100 round red box amunition. We call that stuff the "Crowd Pleaser" because of the massive flash and KaBOOM that it gives off on the range. Winchester 5.56, IMI 5.56, and the North Georgia Reloading reloads that I shoot don't have the issue.

What about the Beretta CX4 Storm in 45ACP.....Just a thought...Mark

http://www.beretta.com/en-us/cx4-storm/

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
1) Ruger PC Carbine in 9mm or .40 (all my handguns are currently standardized on .40, but will drop to a 9mm for recoil reasons if necessary)

You can find the older PC-4s for sale. You can still find PC-4 (.40) mags for sale. I think folks are selling these to get the new TD PC-9s. Ghost rings would be a plus. Better hurry before Newsom makes semi-autos illegal in CA

Any recommendations for spiffy lever action .357's?

The Ruger PC is very popular with the IDPA crowd right now, just slap on a Holosun red dot and you're ready to rock. Very accurate and soft shooting.

My lever action is a Cowboy model with the octagon barrel. I prefer it to any other on the market, but this was before they merged with Remington

Had a Benelli MR1 and I’d definitely say NO. Expensive, very long LOP (carried over from their tactical shotguns), and a complex disassembly. Not worth trying to track one down IMHO when there are better options out there that are cheaper and more available.

The M1 carbine is good for a person of small stature, but you have to find a decent one, plus mags, and ammo isn’t common or cheap.

The Kriss Vector is pretty heavy and unwieldy in the CRB configuration, especially with that fake suppressor weighing down the front end.

The Mini-14 and Kel Tec SU-16 are good if you want to go for 5.56 rifle caliber stuff, and the new Ruger PC Carbine is the way to go if you want a pistol caliber carbine.

The Marlin 1984CS lever action in .357 or .44 mag is another option, although a bit old school. Personally, I’d rather swap a magazine if I needed to quickly reload instead of having to feed individual rounds down into the mag tube.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Any recommendations for spiffy lever action .357's?

For plinking, hunting, and general fun yes. For possibly fighting off hordes of unwashed food thieves, not my first choice. And I love Marlin pistol caliber carbines.

Have you considered other 9mm carbine platforms? Especially the *wink wink* pistols? 9mm out of an 8” barrel AR pistol with a soft, yet rigid SB brace should be easy for her to master. Throw in a red dot and BUIS sight set and it’s fairly formidable.

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
Ares SCR. Not wood but uses AR upper and magazines.

This! It's an AR 15, but it doesn't look like one. Uses AR 15 magazines, which is world standard. AR 15 uppers, so you have your pick of features. Uses a lot of AR 15 parts, so you have that.

It "looks" like a traditional sporting rifle for the most part.


ARman

quote:

Originally posted by sigarmsp226:
What about the Beretta CX4 Storm in 45ACP.....Just a thought...Mark

http://www.beretta.com/en-us/cx4-storm/

Also comes in .40, which he said he’s built out for now.

Likewise, a Keltec Sub2000. Can be obtained for a variety of mags (glock, sig, etc), .40, small and light. I can’t get a sight picture worth a damn on one, but a smaller person may fare better.

For 5.56 if I was handicapped by CA law, I would consider the Fightlight SCR lower and a lightweight barrel profile upper (DD, Colt, or KAC). Otherwise Ruger pcc is a great option.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Any recommendations for spiffy lever action .357's?

Marlin .357 lever actions aren't quite as well finished as they once were, but I think it's a viable option. Loading through the loading gate can be a bit difficult at first, it takes a certain touch to do well. Hand strength might be an issue if Mrs. Aeteocles is so petite.

Henry rifles are in a similar class, but they load differently. Instead of a loading gate, you draw the rod and follower out of the magazine tube until the loading port near the muzzle is open, drop in rounds until full, and then re-seat the tube - this operation doesn't require any special hand strength or dexterity.

I find .357 lever guns to be light and handy, with very manageable recoil. And a .357 magnum round that's had 16" of barrel or so to build speed is formidable.

Most of the .357 lever guns will also shoot .38 special, too.

I think there's dovetail mounts on the top of Marlin and Henry receivers, so you could pretty easily attach a red dot or optic if you desired.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
M1 Carbine now on my list. Pro's and cons over a mini-14? Looks like an M1 Carbine has more recoil than a similarly equipped AR-15 though.

Nah, in my mind it has less recoil than an AR, and the AR is always heavier.

Were I you, I'd unequivocally choose the M1 carbine. My only concern would be ammo availability, which you can avoid by stock up now. It's not that expensive, plus it's in 50 round boxes, not 20. Not overly pricey, but not the cheapest.

With a good soft point load, you've got a solid defensive gun that is extremely handy, light, points amazingly well and is just plain easy to shoot.

M1 Carbine definitely has less recoil than the mini-14. I vote for that platform or a Ruger 44 carbine. The latter doesn’t up the recoil by much, will reach out further + hit harder.

Unless you're just needing something cheap, there's little reason to go with a lever action .357 over a M1 Carbine for a defensive rifle.

.30 Carbine has similar ballistics to .357 Magnum, but in a semiauto with detachable magazines.

The M1 Carbine is even lighter than many lever rifles.

Ruger Mini 14 or PC.

Another vote for the Mini-14, but id see if you can find one to handle to see if she can work the action comfortably to charge the weapons and perform malfunction drills, get use to rocking in the magazine, get comfortable with the "odd" placement of the safety and the relatively long length of pull.

quote:

Originally posted by chino101:
get comfortable with the "odd" placement of the safety

The Mini-14's safety is only "odd" if you're not familiar with the M1 Garand or M14/M1A.

The wife has no experience with long guns, so no bad habits to work out.

Another vote for Mini 14. The PC carbine is excellent as well. My vote is based on caliber effectiveness of 5.56 versus 9mm. Either would be a great choice.

M1 carbine is a great choice for smaller people. A forward rail and the red dot type optic of her choosing it’s a formidable weapon. You can carry two extra mags on the butt stock, plus the mags and ammo are lighter.

Where the Ares choice makes sense is having magazine compatibility, and most parts with your AR.