go to all around gun

[oldbear1950]

Let's stir the pot, what is everyone's favorite go to gun , to have with you all the time.
For me is my new ROSSI stainless 16 inch barrel in 38/357 or my new Rossi
45 colt/454, Here in south Alabama, those two will do for most anything, from snakes, to hogs, to gators. to two legged varmints, and of course deer.
and being stainless , either one makes a good truck gun

[Webleymkv]

It would depend, I think, on where one lives and what chores you think you're likely to have to accomplish. For where I live in rural Indiana, I'm hard pressed to think of a more useful or practical all-around gun than my Winchester 94 .30-30. The Winchester is a light, fast-handling, well-balanced, and just all-around handy rifle and .30-30 is more than powerful enough to take any animal I'm going to encounter in the midwest short of a jailbreak from the zoo. While a .30-30 levergun might lose some points to an autoloading black rifle when it comes to anti-personnel use, it still cycles fast enough and hold enough cartridges for me to feel confident for anything short of Red Dawn, The Walking Dead, or Space Invaders.

[oldbear1950]

the 92 was the pistol version cartridges, that browning designed to take the place of the 73 winchester. My 454 holds 10 rounds of 45 colt and 9 rounds of 454. my 38/357 holds 6 and 7 rounds, and as fast as you work the lever, and also has the distinction of not being disallowed in states that dont like ar's or ak's

[bamaranger]

Key phrase "all around", not just Indiana or south Alabama, but ALL around. That will effect my choice. However, consider the first responses.

I find it interesting in the day of the black rifle, that the OP and the first response listed the traditional lever carbine, in more or less (in the case of the .454) traditional chamberings. I doubt this trend continues, as the popularity of the AR is enormous. But the appeal of the flat, lightweight carbine with a tube full of cartridges is hard to deny. Before we had to have lights, lasers, foregrips a full box of cartridges and the kitchen sink attached to our carbines, the Winlin's were indeed the GP rifle, seen in scabbards, gun racks in pickups, and propped in corners or hung over the doorway of rural folks everywhere. Eminently portable and amply powerful (ya like that?), so armed, one could sally forth and deal with most anything. Seems I read somewhere that noted explorers of the day did just that. I myself logged a lot of miles with a .357 Marlin until......

We had an incident where a captive elk got loose and roamed about busy suburbia . Then another episode where a bull maddened and panicked from the slaughterhouse, rampaged about near downtown. Heck, bamaboy himself had to dispatch a rogue steer recently that had caused multiple MVA's in the same city. I watched another bull terrorize my neighborhood as a kid, it had come out of a trailer while being transported. I formed the argument for more power than the pistol caliber carbine could offer. But there was another factor also.

I could no longer effectively run iron sights on the stubby barreled carbines. I had gone to a peep about a decade before, maybe more, and that allowed running carbines w/o glass for a while longer. I reasoned that if I was going to have to scope a long gun, and was searching for more power and gain added reach in the process , I might as well go all out and take the step up to.......

My GP, do all rifle these days is a .308 bolt carbine, specifically a Ruger Predator, the 18" model, with a tiny Leupold 1.5-4x on board, mounted conventionally. It offers more reach than my ability to shoot well, and plenty of power. It's bladed trigger makes it easy to shoot well, and it shoots tiny quarter size groups too. It's little more trouble to carry than the old Marlin. Affordable, it's poly stock and matte finish tolerates rough use and I don't wince if I scratch it (well a little). It's lighter and shorter than it's GP predecessor, a Savage 10FC Scout and despite my admiration of the scout rifle, the conventionally mounted scope on the Ruger lets me see better under all conditions.

As all things these days are to be tactical, I've considered attaching a short piece of picatinny rail on the side of the forearm to take a light but have not done it. I also bought the ACIS mag well adapter so I could use 10 rd mags, but I have not installed that either. I have considered a slightly different scope, still an LPV but with a lighted aiming point, say a Vortex Crossfire, but the Leupold on board at present is very tidy and lighter with a 1" tube ahead of the Vortex and other 30mm numbers.

I'm quite pleased with the little rifle.

[oldbear1950]

The truth is , I could probably do better with a scope, but about the only scope I would consider would be scout type scope to put in place of the rear sight.
That 357 mag, and the 454 would probably be as powerful as I would want to go in an urban environment,
To many folks around and that includes kids.

[oldbear1950]

And one good thing is lever guns of all types do not have the negative press that AR'S AND AK'S have,

[Webleymkv]

originally posted by bamaranger
Key phrase "all around", not just Indiana or south Alabama, but ALL around. That will effect my choice. However, consider the first responses.

I really don't think that there's any such thing as an "all around" rifle to handle every possible situation, for that matter I don't think my Winchester is even the best for every situation that I might have to deal with. For example, if I heard breaking glass in the middle of the night, I'd probably reach for my AR-15 and if there were pests eating the tomatoes in my wife's garden I'd probably pick up my Ruger 10/22, but the Winchester can accomplish both of those tasks, and a lot more, adequately.

I find it interesting in the day of the black rifle, that the OP and the first response listed the traditional lever carbine, in more or less (in the case of the .454) traditional chamberings. I doubt this trend continues, as the popularity of the AR is enormous. But the appeal of the flat, lightweight carbine with a tube full of cartridges is hard to deny. Before we had to have lights, lasers, foregrips a full box of cartridges and the kitchen sink attached to our carbines, the Winlin's were indeed the GP rifle, seen in scabbards, gun racks in pickups, and propped in corners or hung over the doorway of rural folks everywhere. Eminently portable and amply powerful (ya like that?), so armed, one could sally forth and deal with most anything. Seems I read somewhere that noted explorers of the day did just that. I myself logged a lot of miles with a .357 Marlin until......

It's kind of amusing to me that a lot of older gun designs, including lever guns, are experiencing something of a renaissance right now. It seems like a lot of younger people who have only had experience with the "black rifles" are suddenly discovering just how useful, handy, and downright fun lever-action rifles can be. Also, when you look at some of the ridiculous laws and regulations in force in certain parts of the country, a fast-handling lever gun starts to make a lot of sense as compared to the goofy modifications needed to make a "black rifle" legal in some jurisdictions.

Another advantage to something like a lever-action is, as oldbear1950 pointed out, they have a more benign look than a "scary" gun like an AR or AK. Even in so-called "red states" where guns like AR's and AK's are legal, certain localities have differing politics and having, much less using, a "black rifle" can get one looked at with a more jaundiced eye than a more traditional looking gun. Even in deep-red Indiana, the city-county council in Indianapolis, with the full support of the Mayor and Prosecutor, recently passed gun-control ordinances including a ban on so-called "assault weapons" though these ordinances are unenforceable due to our state preemption law. I would be pretty nervous about defending myself with my AR if I lived in Indy (thankfully I don't), particularly if a mass-shooting were in the news, it was an election year, or the person I had to shoot was of, shall we say, a different demographic than me. Finally, while AR's are legal to hunt with in Indiana (assuming it's in a legal caliber for the game you're hunting) and many people do, I can't help but think that my old Winchester will draw a lot less attention from the game warden than an AR would.

[Paul B.]

From many years to about 1982 I drove a Ford F150 4x4 and probably spent more time than not roaming the first Nevada desert, then the Arizona desert after a job transfer in 1970. During that time that truck had an Indian blanket seat cover that had a pouch that ran alongside the front of the bench seat in the truck. It was a bit uncomfortable with a scoped bolt action rifle but held an M94 Winchester or 336 Marlin carbine right handily. During a deer or elk hunt it held the appropriate rifle for the task at hand. IIRC, it was around 1982/3 that I traded that truck off for something newer and lost the option of that style seat cover. I rigged up a scabbard that hung behind the seat and used it instead and that worked until that truck went down the road. Last two truck though really had no convenient way to store a rifle which is something that bothers me but seriously, health problems pretty much keep this old desert rat out of the desert anymore.
Still, if I were still able to get out and about, most likely it's be my old M94 30-30 that gets to ride along.
Paul B.

[taylorce1]

Probably my M700 .308 is my go to all around gun these days. I had the barrel cut down to 18" so it's pretty compact and handy. Plus it has plenty of reach still when I need to stretch things out.

[Shadow9mm]

my colt Ar15 in 223.

[FITASC]

Remington Model 7 in 7-08 - short barrel lightweight, accurate, and will take pretty much anything I care to hunt from coyotes to elk

[rickyrick]

I almost purchased a lever gun this year, well at least I wanted one when I had the money but the gun wasn’t in stock. I finally gave up and put the money into another AR

In 2024 AR15s can be had for “knock-around the floorboard” of an old truck prices. There are a few tried and true alternative calibers if .223 isn’t your thing.

In another decade maybe something different, but today I have to say AR15 carbine in .223. Guns are cheap, ammunition is cheap’ish (been cheaper) and most are rugged and reliable enough.

I must add that I used to hate ARs. At some point I could no longer ignore the utility of them. You can even repair them with limited tools.

[bamaranger]

Certainly there is not one rifle that can do all things. But I think that there are rifles that can do more across the board than others. Also, the negative image created by black rifles, while misdirected, exists.. AR hate exists, even in our own circles. I know a lot of fellas, hunters and shooters now mind you, who openly condemn ownership and question the platforms utility. You won't change their mind either. My suggestion earlier was a bolt carbine in .308. That is indeed plenty of cartridge, but I'll suggest another rig, a bolt carbine in 7.62x39mm.

Ruger offers their bolt Ranch Rifle in the cartridge. Howa and CZ have a nifty carbines in the chambering as well. The Soviet cartridge runs on the heels of the old 30-30, which is about all most of will need. I've got a Ruger MkII, LW stainless, in the chambering, synthetic boat paddle stock to boot. Were it not sought so heavily by Ruger fans and valued so highly, it would see more use.

The availability of the x39mm cartridge seems to have waned with the regulations effecting its import from Russia. One local shop has reduced its inventory of AK rifles, stating they just are not selling as well as they were. What steel case I find has nearly doubled in price. The cartridge is still available, just not the bargain it was. It is also as versatile as ever. While not an elk or bull cartridge, with bullet weights up to 150 grs and velocities around 2000 fps, it is certainly effective on deer and hogs within its range. Speaking of range, it is notably faster and thus flatter than the big bore pistol cartridges, allowing hits out around 200 yds, ,where hits with .44/.454 begin to approach morter fire.

[Hawg]

Model 94 Winchester 30-30.

[oldbear1950]

It is a sad state of affairs that even in gun friendly states, black rifles have a negative image. Lever guns seem ok to a lot of folks. I would like to have a good Marlin or Rossi copy of a Marlin in 30-30, and wish Savage would bring back the 99 in 300 savage.
That round is really close to a 308, and would be nice to be able to buy a new one

[FrankenMauser]

Marlin 882SS. Stainless/Synthetic, .22 WMR.

Not legal for big game. Not practical for plinking.

But I love it.

I hope to supplant it with a 100% custom Marlin 336 .30-30 that I've been working on for years. But that is currently just a hope. I know it shoots well, and I love what I've done so far. But it isn't ready. I need to finish it first.


Now, if you want something legal for big game, I'll have to grab the Ruger 77 Mk II in .270 Win. Stainless / laminate, I believe it was called the "Sporter" model when made. Ol' Reliable always does its job.
Timney trigger, pillar bedded, and threaded 19" barrel. Otherwise just a stock rifle. It has put a lot of meat on the table and smiles on my face.
And my wife's. She calls it the "pretty gun".

[Pumpkin]

A USRA Winchester M70 Lightweight in 308. Mine has a 4x Leupold for optics.

[bamaranger]

Ready.......a Mini30

Wait, .........consider it the modern saddle rifle, near 30-30 power and near the same size and weight. Accuracy equal to a lever carbine (maybe?). Easily scoped if needs be. Range to 200 yds plus. Fair trigger. Hi cap mags available if that matters. Wood and steel models available. Ruger support net. Soviet/Russian ammo is not as cheap as it was, but 7.62x39mm is still widely available. Plus I think about all domestic ammo companies offer the cartridge.

Somebody will mention that the rifle has a bad reputation with fail to fire and steel case. OK........shoot brass domestic and quit griping.

[oldbear1950]

I had two series 180 mini 14s and they were a hoot to shoot, but probably the most inaccurate guns I ever shot.
Got rid of them as soon as I could find someone wanted em more than I did.

[oldbear1950]

Not saying my two Rossi 92s most accurate, nor the most powerful, but within 100 to 150 yards, that 357 mag, and 454 casull will do the job on most anything.
and I have the option of shooting lighter loads, 38 special, and 45 Colt.

[Buckeye!]

A 92R in 357mag would be a good choice for a knock around carbine .. a carbine you keep in easy reach .. maybe to carry while walking to the barn at night , walking the fence line ..
I have a Kel-Tec 2000 9mm carbine with Glock mags for such tasks .. I have it loaded with 124gr HST and or Punch ammo .. mostly what I’m most likely to run across is a Meth Head , Feral dog or a coyote ..
Im sure this combo would be good for any thing like that..
I have dispatched a rabid raccoon and a few groundhogs ..

But a 357 R92 Trapper could be a more than capable replacement for my “ Barn Rig”
And it could be used for deer hunting also


My Great Uncle was a care taker for a 500+ acre estate for over 50yrs 1920 to early 1970’s .. he was provided a home and a small farm on the estate… his everything rifle was a old bolt action rifle in 22 Hornet … dispatched ground hogs , feral dogs , coyotes and harvested more than several deer … that was the first center-fired rifle I ever fired …
Also his home place and farm with 20 acres was deeded to him when the family sold the estate..

[bamaranger]

It's pretty clear that one fella's idea of "all around rifle to have with you" go to gun, is quite different than another's, and I suppose that makes sense. Kinda like pickin" a wife, to each his own.

I've batted this idea of a "go to gun" (long gun) around for a number of years and mentioned some of my choices over the passage of time. For me, go to/do all means just that. I want to be able to take it anywhere in the country (legally), hunt medium game to the size 300 lbs or so, use it as a PD/HD weapon to 300 yds or so and be able to defeat soft cover and perhaps compete in some type of practical rifle competition to the same distances. If this sounds like a certain vintage gun writers ideas and his pet project, you're right, but I do not want to muddy the water, so I am not being specific.

I left the pistol caliber lever carbine (mine was a .357) due to limited range and power. In my case, not only did the cartridges run out of steam at 150 yds , I could no longer run the sights out to the carbines max range. But even when I shot it well, the idea of a long gun that only had the power and reach of a football field seemed a bit lacking. Adequate, usually, but not ideal.

I've known several men who really liked the .22 Hornet. Two of those fellas hunted hogs in Great Smokey Mtns. NP for the government. Both shot the old Savage 340, the one man had his lopped off to about 18" "cause it was lighter and easier to carry in the thick stuff". When Ruger came out with the stainless/synthetic 77/22 Hornet, they both bought one, easier to maintain in the wet and rough and tumble hunting they did. They would make extended back pack hunts, spiking out over the course of several days. They could carry an ample amount of the Hornet ammo w/o sacrificing weight or bulk. Interestingly, they handloaded a heavier bullet for their hog killing. claiming the factory 40-45 grainers did not penetrate well enough to suit. Head and neck shots only with 50 gr(I think) reloads. That was over 30 yrs ago and my memory is a bit hazy. Bureaucracy raised its head and the gov't mandated they hunted with issued with issued rifles of larger caliber, so their Hornet hunting days ended, at least professionally. Both those guys were exceptional woodsman and crack shots, regular Davey Crockett types.

I mentioned that my current GP/do all rifle is a .308. That harkens back to the scribe alluded to earlier, who reasoned it had sufficient power for all tasks and was widely available, to the point of internationally available. My thought these days is that it MAY be just a bit too much cartridge for the GP role. The other cartridge I suggested was the 7.62x39 and others have mentioned the .30-30. My own thoughts recently on those intermediate .30's and GP use is MORE than adequate, and ALMOST ideal. What really may be the ticket is something in between.

Hmmm? There was mention of the 7mm-08 and that indeed splits the difference. But I'll suggest another, what about the 6.5CM? I'm not sure how much punch the 6.5CM would loose from a 18-20" bbl, which is the max length I would want the tube on a GP rifle. The 6.5CM solves the short neck problem of it's relative the .260 Rem, allowing full powder charges with useful heavier bullets. The heavier slugs of the 6.5 bore gain an advantage over 6mm/.243 for bigger medium game, and they slip the wind like magic And the 6.5CM has less recoil than the .308. Whether the 6.5CM is more available than .308 I cannot say, but the CM sure seems to have taken off in recent years.

Now this is all random thoughts, I don't even own a 6.5CM. But a short barreled 6.5CM bolt carbine with a modest scope might make an interesting GP rifle if the ballistics are there and I suspect they would align with that certain old scribes model for the his GP project, the 6.5 Mann carbine.

I wonder what Jeff would have thought of that?

[stagpanther]

I'd vote for the 7mm-08 over the 6.5 creedmoor if hunting was a top priority--otherwise if plinking things at 1000 yds or more I'd take the 6.5 creedmoor. Might even take 280AI/284 win/280 rem mag/ over either of them.

[Jim Watson]

I mentioned that my current GP/do all rifle is a .308.My thought these days is that it MAY be just a bit too much cartridge for the GP role.

I don't think so, unless the definition of General Purpose has mutated. Or maybe it has become regional, not many grizzly bears or buffalo in Cherokee.

But the General Purpose rifle must be powerful enough for the biggest game and accurate enough for the smallest. And have ample range for target or game. It should also be reasonably portable. I read a lot of posts about using a target rifle for hunting. Ugh, oof.

Once upon a time, that meant you just got a commercial version of your country's service rifle and ammunition to suit the outing.

Hmmm? There was mention of the 7mm-08 and that indeed splits the difference.

I think the Steyr Scout was offered in 7mm 08 for sale in jurisdictions not allowing private ownership of military calibers.

[oldbear1950]

I started this and all the responses are cool, I have an idea that the Swedes came out with a good go to gun when they built the 6.5 Swede with an 18 inch barrel, only thing I would change would be to get rid of the full length stock, and 6.5 Swede is a soft shooting , and powerful enough for Moose.
So that should be able to handle anything in the lower 45