The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: Bolt, Lever, and Pump Action

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old January 31, 2013, 03:29 PM   #1
Zachary H.
Member
 
Join Date: January 27, 2013
Posts: 18
Good farm rifle?

Howdy! I'm looking for a good rifle to use around the farm(coyotes, dogs, etc,) Although not legal here in Indiana, I would like something I could also use on deer out of state. I have been thinking about a Marlin 336 30-30 or a Ruger American in .308 Win. However, I'm not that well versed in rifle calibers: is .308 too much for what I need? Thanks in advance!
Zachary H. is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 03:37 PM   #2
eldermike
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 24, 2013
Location: NC
Posts: 545
A good coyote/deer getter in one gun. I think that's a 25-06. It could be a 243 winchester but that leans more to the coyote side of things while the 25-06 fits right in the middle of the problem. IMHO
eldermike is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 03:49 PM   #3
JD0x0
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 30, 2013
Posts: 1,037
Are you looking for a particular action? .30 cal is more than enough for the game you listed. the ruger Mini's are pretty good farm rifles. Semiautomatic, incase you need/want the fire rate. Comes in .223 rem or 7.62x39, which I would recommend simply because of the cheap ammo and it having more energy for deer.
JD0x0 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 04:20 PM   #4
coyota1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 6, 2008
Location: West Michigan
Posts: 663
I might recommend a good lever action 30 30. As far as 223, and 7.62 x 39, they are great calibers, but are very scarce around here right now due to panic buying. I see boxes and boxes of 30 30's in stock.
coyota1 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 04:25 PM   #5
Cowboy_mo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 23, 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,039
My suggestion would depend on what states' you plan to hunt.

If you are talking max range of 150 yds. the marlin you mentioned would work great in 30-30. If you are talking about one of the western states where you might get a shot to 300 yds. the Ruger in .308 would be a better choice.

If you decide the marlin would work best for your needs, I would suggest you look for a used (older model) 336 as they seem to have a better reputation than the newer versions since Marlin was purchased by Remington.
Cowboy_mo is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 05:20 PM   #6
AssaultTortoise
Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Posts: 39
One of the farmers I worked with carried a SMLE and a tin of surplus ammo in his farm rides. If your looking for a cheap farm rifle that will see a fair amount of abuse $100 for a 91/30 nagant and $80 for 440 rounds of surplus is hard to beat. If its going to be thrown around and see allot of time behind the seat of a truck I see no need to buy new but that's just by .02. If its a personal rifle that will be used but taken care of new is great and you cant go wrong with a Ruger. If you have no caliber preference go to where you buy ammo and see what calibers between .243 and 30-06 they stock most of on the shelf as anything in-between those will do what you want. 308win is your best bet for ammo availability and new gun options. It will cover anything you want to do.
AssaultTortoise is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 05:45 PM   #7
kilotanker22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 14, 2012
Location: North Central, PA
Posts: 2,117
I think the 308 would be a great choice. For an all around rifle.
kilotanker22 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 06:16 PM   #8
ejb69
Member
 
Join Date: January 3, 2013
Posts: 49
A Remington 7600 in .243, 308, 270, or 30 06.
ejb69 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 06:27 PM   #9
wild willy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 8, 2006
Posts: 403
Are you planning on keeping the gun loaded or load as needed.Levers are nice but loading and unloading is a lot nicer with a detachable magazine gun.Whats your budget?
wild willy is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 06:31 PM   #10
shootniron
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 16, 2011
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,599
Marlin 336 would be a good choice...as you had suggested, depending on what type of out-of-state hunting you would do.
shootniron is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 07:19 PM   #11
PatientWolf
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 20, 2012
Location: NC
Posts: 944
.243 leaning a little more toward coyote?

Don't be fooled, .243 is plenty of rifle for deer. Nothing against .25-06, it is also a great caliber. Both of these are nicely flat shooters and have a wide variety of rifles chambered for them.

You didn't mention what action you were looking for, which may affect the recommendations. For instance if you really like levers, a 30-30 would probably make the most sense.

I think I'd also give a +1 to cowboy_mo's response.
PatientWolf is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 07:29 PM   #12
coyota1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 6, 2008
Location: West Michigan
Posts: 663
Quote:
.243 leaning a little more toward coyote?
243 is plenty for deer.
coyota1 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 08:09 PM   #13
gundog5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 27, 2013
Posts: 116
A 308 with 110/120gr would work great on small game and you can bump up to 150-165gr for deer. But, the 110/120 factory loads are hard to find. The 243 is also a good choice and easier to find lighter bullets for. Might want to look at the 7mm08. Very popular and a bit less recoil then the 308.
gundog5 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 08:20 PM   #14
GeauxTide
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 20, 2009
Location: Helena, AL
Posts: 4,413
Depends on the range. A Ruger Compact in 243 or 7-08 is a dandy for dogs to 300. With the short barrel, I'd limit deer to 200 with the 24. The trajectory of the 30-30 makes it tough for dogs at 200.
GeauxTide is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 09:16 PM   #15
eldermike
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 24, 2013
Location: NC
Posts: 545
I didn't say 243 was insufficient for deer what I said was the 25 was better centered on the overall problem.
eldermike is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 09:51 PM   #16
Zachary H.
Member
 
Join Date: January 27, 2013
Posts: 18
Action type doesn't really matter to me, as I like them both (as long as it's a gun, I like it). I won't be going out west, just around Indiana. That is, until they legalize rifles here. All southern Indiana is prime rifle country; it's as hilly as Kentucky or Tennessee: but I digress. I will be keeping the rifle loaded as it is hard to load on the run (not to mention unsafe). My budget would be $300-$400; as you can usually get more for your money in the used market, what models should I look for? Thanks for the replies!
Zachary H. is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 10:15 PM   #17
reynolds357
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2012
Posts: 6,161
The Ruger American in .25-06, .243, .308, or .270 would all serve you well. I would personally choose the .270.
reynolds357 is offline  
Old January 31, 2013, 10:55 PM   #18
kilotanker22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 14, 2012
Location: North Central, PA
Posts: 2,117
Since you are in the used market and don't really care about the action look at Walmart they have Remington adl rifles for 417 bucks with a scope
kilotanker22 is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 12:52 AM   #19
Murauder
Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2013
Posts: 26
Im not one to like to promote big businesses but My local walmart has the ruger american in 243 30-06 and 308. They're $357. Thinking of taking that 243 off their shelf when uncle sam gives me back the money i loaned him
Murauder is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 09:57 AM   #20
L_Killkenny
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 2, 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2,676
Intentions for farm rifles can run a very wide gambit and it's very hard to recommend just one not knowing what you need. So I'll toss out some guns that I think work well.

- Ruger 10/22. Yes it's a lowly .22lr but it is cheap to feed, has quick follow ups. More critters have died at my place via the 10/22 than all other guns combined. Not gonna DRT many coyotes or dogs with it but when it comes to getting rid of varmints I don't care if they die on the spot or 400 yards away. Max range for pest control = 100 yards.

- Remington 597 Magnum. Same advantages as the 10/22 but with more thump and range at added expense. Good, solid, accurate guns. Honorable mention to the .22M lever guns.

- Good ol' .30-30. Great handling guns with a great cartridge. Won't reach out there 500 yards but will kill anything that walk's the lower 48.

- Mini-14/30 Ranch. Not as accurate as some would like but when it comes down to it they just plain ass get the job done. Slick little carbines, fast follow up shots. Honorable mention to the SKS (fixed mag).

- 12ga. pump. OK, not a rifle and it has the shortest effective range of any of the guns listed. But easy to use, easy to hit with, versatile and effective. I like mine with barrels around 22" with choke tubes. Great choice for night work.

As you can see I like and recommend carbines. I'll sacrifice range for handling and faster follow up shots. No bolt guns for me when it comes to general purpose farm guns.

Note: Dedicated predator, varmint and deer guns I do like and use bolt guns almost exclusively. I like accuracy and range. But when it comes to farm, ranch and truck guns I prefer those listed above.
L_Killkenny is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 09:59 AM   #21
Rifleman1776
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 25, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,309
I carried a .243 with a frangible bullet I loaded for safety. No ricochets. But, fact is, my .22lr was used far more often than the center fire.
Rifleman1776 is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 10:41 AM   #22
PawPaw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 24, 2010
Location: Central Louisiana
Posts: 3,137
Another vote for the .22. When I was living in the country, the little .22 Marlin 60 was the rifle that lived by the back door. For most varmints, I didn't care if they were DRT or if they left under their own steam, but most often a well-placed shot from the .22 did the job.

Nothing wrong with those other calibers, from .243 to .30-06, but for pure varmint control, it's hard to beat a good .22
__________________
Dennis Dezendorf

http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com
PawPaw is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 12:33 PM   #23
603Country
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 6, 2011
Location: Thornton, Texas
Posts: 3,995
I vote for a short barrelled bolt rifle in stainless (Rem Model 7 or Ruger Compact or something similar) with a synthetic stock. The synthetic stock isn't really necessary, and neither is stainless (except for ease of maintenance), but you do probably want an easily handled and light rifle. As for the caliber, go for 243 or larger.

And if it's going to be in the truck and bouncing around and getting roughed up a bit, I'll suggest that the Winchester/Ruger style 3 position safety is a bit safer under those use conditions.
603Country is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 12:39 PM   #24
coldbeer
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 21, 2012
Location: Woodhaven MI
Posts: 477
I think you were on to something when you mentioned the Marlin 30-30. Unloading a lever action rifle is incredibly easy by the way.
coldbeer is offline  
Old February 1, 2013, 01:47 PM   #25
K1500
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 24, 2011
Posts: 163
Over the years on the ranch I have used a 10-22, AR 15, Mini 14 Ranch Rifle, 6mm Rem Bolt .30-30 Lever, and .30-06 Bolt to do what you want. My favorite was a stainless ranch rifle (mine shot well enough in the accuracy department). If centerfire was not needed, a 10-22 won hands down.
K1500 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:57 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07604 seconds with 11 queries