How are you with recoil?

I love my .45-70 Marlin, K98, and Steyr Scout in .308.

If I could really "only have one," it would be a tough choice. Probably the .45-70 would win out, Hornady makes some impressive ammo for it. A lot of problems can be solved with .45-70.

As has already been said, if you have a .357 Magnum, then a lever gun in .357 Magnum should be a no brainier. If I had to choose between a 30-30 and a 45/70, I’d go with the 45/70. If you hand load, the advantages of a 45/70 are impressive.

Sounds like you are leaning towards a Marlin 336 in .30-30. Fine rifle. My only complaints about lever guns is that they are slow and awkward to load. I have 3 of them. If Marlin, try to find an older JM stamped rifle, tho there are some positive things coming from Remington now.

Ruger #1
lefty, righty, what ev
any caliber you're comfortable with from .22 Hornet up to the dinosaur killers
same overall size as a regular carbine but with a 24 or even 26" tube installed

quote:

Originally posted by striker1:
It’s a 200 yard max gun.

OK, for short-ish distances. Still a few things to consider.

What are your primary purposes -- hunting, plinking, target shooting, self defense, something else?

What are you accuracy expectations?
What are your energy on target expectations? If this is a consideration.

Do you want to shoot with irons sights or optics.
What are your requirements for ammo capacity and reloading capabilities?

What is your comfort zone with recoil management?
Do you plan to use a suppressor?

Function first, then consider form.

Mauser bolt action rifle.

A .50 Barrett. You can shoot anything with it...….including things a mile away...…well I'm not good enough to, but A sniper can.....LOL

A Marlin 336 in 30-30 is one of those classic rifles that can easily be recommended. I have one in .35 which is a bit more expensive to shoot.

I couldn't decide either, so I now have one in .357, another in 30-30, and a third in .45-70. All three rounds are very versatile when you handload, and all three guns get shot pretty frequently. I still want one in .45 Colt and .22LR!

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
lever action in .357 Mag

to match the revolvers

-----------------------------

I'd start with this.
If you have a pistol in .357 or a .44, grab a good lever action to match a handgun caliber.

Later on, look at a bolt action (Remmington makes a nice lefty bolt action) in a caliber that you may already have: .223/.308 or a 30-06/30-30.

In the event it became inconvenient to own semi-automatic rifles (and presumably standard capacity magazines) my single non-semi rifle would be the CZ 527 in 7.62x39. This rugged carbine is based upon the time honored Mauser action and accepts detachable 5-round magazines. With a weight of ~6 lbs. and a length of just over 37", the handling characteristics are superb. And as an added bonus, the chamber is cut to C.I.P. specs making it compatible with less expensive steel case ammo. It will also digest brass case SAAMI loads though CZ issues an accuracy disclaimer re: bullets with a diameter of less than .311 inches.

I have 5 lever guns in various calibers but I'll be honest and say that I enjoy shooting my Henry H001 .22lr more than the others. I love plinking and doing it cheaply makes it more enjoyable.

That said, I'll never sell my JM stamped Marlin in 45-70. With loadings from very mild to shoulder breaking artillery type loads it's very versatile and as Ark pointed out, it can solve a lot of problems.

Jim

45/70 for me. I have one and would replace it, not something I can say about many of my rifles.

If you want a range toy that can be useful at home or for close up hunting, I believe the 357 is worth serious consideration. .44 mag even more so if hunting is important.

.45-70 - be it a Henry or Marlin style, both will give you everything you need with a touch of classic style as well.

I can only have one non-semi rifle right?

Since I would need to combine hunting and a standoff platform, I’d like a heavy barreled bolt gun in 308 or 300 Win Mag with a stock that runs DBMs and medium/high end glass with an illuminated reticle. Probably go with 308 for being cheaper to run.

I like the idea of .308, but I assume almost every lever out there won't be compatible with the exception of Browning and maybe Henry. I do like the Brownings.

If i had choice of only one rifle...it would be a Winchester M70 in 30-06. I would also learn to reload...very versatile cartridge that can be tailored for a variety of targets.

quote:

Originally posted by striker1:
I like the idea of .308, but I assume almost every lever out there won't be compatible with the exception of Browning and maybe Henry. I do like the Brownings.

Yep, no pointy bullets in a tube magazine. (Hornady's Leverloution is the only exception I can think of.)

If you like lever guns but want an actual solid 200-yard gun, I'd look at a Browning BLR which you can get chambered in many non-lever (typically) calibers.

3006, 308, 270, 243, 7mmRem Mag, 7-08, 300 Win Mag, etc.

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable shooting much of anything at 200 yards with a 762x39 or a 30-30.

For me, though, if I could only have one, it'd be a Winchester Model 70 in 30-06.

Blr in 270 or 308, Win88 in 308, all with box mag