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View Poll Results: Your Choice for short-range defense
.30-30 lever action with 55gr Accelerator at 3400ft/sec 1 1.18%
.30-30 lever action with 150-170gr bullet like LeverEvolution etc 24 28.24%
12ga Coach Gun with Buckshot (00, 000 or 1) 62 72.94%
12ga Coach Gun with Slugs 3 3.53%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 85. You may not vote on this poll

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Old September 29, 2006, 04:54 PM   #1
Para Bellum
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Defense-Caliber: .30-30 (Lever) or 12ga (Coach Gun)

What would you prefer as a short-range defense gun:

a .30-30 Lever Action like a Marlin 336 (Bullets from 55 to 179gr, new Lever Eveolution or Remingtin Accelerator with 3400(!) ft/sec)



or

a 12ga Coach gun (00 Buck, 1 Buck or slugs)?



I guess I'd slightly prefer the .30-30 but I am still about to buy and open as well as greatful for every argument and experience.
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Old September 29, 2006, 05:40 PM   #2
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I voted towards The Rifleman, but the Uncle Jesse would be OK as long as there are 2 assailants or less.
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Old September 29, 2006, 05:54 PM   #3
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Short Range + Lever Evolution = wasted money. Those bullets are there to make the 30-30 a quality deer gun with a flatter trajectory out to 250 yards, rather than its current drop off at 150 yards with flat faced bullets.

Just get 120-150gr standard flat points or hollow points.
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Old September 29, 2006, 06:03 PM   #4
springmom
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If people are like pigs...

(and some of them certainly are )...the Lever Evolution works real well. That's what Archerandshooter was using on our recent hunt and that pig piled up just fine when shot at about 30-40 yards.

Of course, there's always a good 1911, but that wasn't one of the choices

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Old September 29, 2006, 07:46 PM   #5
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Inside the house I'd use the shotty, outside its 30-30 time.
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Old September 29, 2006, 09:25 PM   #6
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I chose coach gun with buckshot but you can get a good pump for what they want for one of those coach guns.
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Old September 29, 2006, 10:56 PM   #7
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Coach gun with slugs, rig both barrels to fire at the same time and use 3 inch magnum loads for effectiveness.

Oh and coat the slugs in shellfish poison, cyanide, silver and garlic.
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Old September 29, 2006, 11:18 PM   #8
FS2K
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Leave it to me to be different...

Coachgun w/ #4 shot. Inside or out.
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Old September 30, 2006, 12:39 AM   #9
threefivesevenmag
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30-30

I'd go with the levergun. Much easier to control than a coach gun and has good stopping ability. You have to aim both guns, and I'd rather take my chances with a rifle than a side-by-side.

But if I had to have the shotgun, I would not feel undergunned.
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Old September 30, 2006, 01:40 AM   #10
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Depends on what I was defending and where.

I'm a big fan of the shotgun, but it won't do you much good against a maurading tribe of savages.

Of course, the lever gun won't be as good if two outlaws rob your coach and are smart enough to aproach from different sides. The shotgun will handle a lot faster.....



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Old September 30, 2006, 02:27 AM   #11
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I suppose I'd go with the 12 simply because I am more worried about overpenetration, especially since my house is poorly built.

But yes, an above poster does make a very good point. You can get a decent pump gun for the price of some of those coach guns.
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Old September 30, 2006, 03:49 AM   #12
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...the pump gun is not an option. for no reason the pump-shotguns became illegal here. Semi-auto-shotties are legal though as are pump-rifles. Makes no sense, I know. But: We here can buy the Steyr AUG-Z for a good price....and also 33 and 42 rd Magazines even for Pistols and shoulder-stocks for pistols are legal here. The only-nonsense law is the pump-shotty-ban...
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Old September 30, 2006, 05:46 AM   #13
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I have both right now, but my lever gun is in .35 Rem.
If .30-30, I'd use plain old Remington Core-Lokt 150 grain soft points. THEY ALWAYS WORK, and are available anywhere for little money-lots of ammo to practice with. They are also a great deer round.
My "coach gun" is an old Stevens 311 I cut to 19", loaded with 00 buck, with a bandoleer of 00 buck and a few #6 bird shot hanging on it. Very quick into action, very reliable, cost about $170 plus a little work.

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Old September 30, 2006, 06:17 AM   #14
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My choice is 30-30, in one of the shorter "Trapper" models, 150 grn flat nose, ghost-ring sights. What you loose in mag capacity is more than compenstaed for in better handling characteristics.

It doesn't scare the general population like an "assault" rifle.
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Old September 30, 2006, 09:33 AM   #15
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Like FS2K I'd go with the shotgun and #4 Buck.

I did some patterning with an 18"/cylinder choke, results here - YMMV.

I also have a Win. '94 Trapper in .44 Mag (16" bbl, 9+1 capacity) but it's the shotgun that stands guard duty. My reasoning being that under stress I'd rather have a gun that just needs to be pointed "close enough" instead of being "aimed", also I'm more likely to inflict enough trama to stop the threat per shot-shell than per bullet or slug.
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Old September 30, 2006, 09:40 AM   #16
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I have both but would choose the coachgun. I took mine out and tested it with 00 buck. Very impressive results.
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Old September 30, 2006, 11:39 AM   #17
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Why Moved?

Moving this tactical / defense-caliber thread to "General Discussion Forum" makes no sense to me
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Old October 1, 2006, 10:32 AM   #18
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since this thread was moved, its dead.

since this thread was moved, its dead.
cheers.
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Old October 1, 2006, 11:02 AM   #19
roy reali
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Tough Guys?

A .30-30 for home defense?

You all must have some real tough criminals were you live. Around here they will usually fall to much smaller rounds. I guess we have the sissy bad guys around here.
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Old October 1, 2006, 11:13 AM   #20
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For HD a shotgun wins everytime. While you specified Buckshot, you're not limited to it, which make the gun more versatile.

I was taught with a double shotgun, to hold 2 more rounds between the fingers of my left (being right handed) hand, for a quick reload. With practice I could fire 4 rounds from the double almost as fast as I could from my pump-gun.
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Old October 1, 2006, 12:19 PM   #21
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roy reali: tough guys!

roy reali:

Quote:
A .30-30 for home defense?

You all must have some real tough criminals were you live. Around here they will usually fall to much smaller rounds. I guess we have the sissy bad guys around here.
I understand that you haven't been a vitctim of violent crime yet. I envy you for that luck. The last freak that struck my office was 27 years old, 5'11", 170# and on SPEED. He stabbed my colleague in the head with a folding knife over and over until the knife's joint broke. Is that tough enough?

That was caught after several days. He is likely to be released from his mental institution soon since he has been there for two years now. The poor man is so insane that our legal system forbids to keep him in prison. He kept contacting us form his cell. So we have to prepare for his second attack while the legal system waits and watches.

So, I want a long gun to stop him in his tracks as soon as he makes it trough our door (we would not let him in voluntarily). Unfortunately that's no fictitious scenario. So what would you pick if you hat to stop a poor insane fellow human being that just broke through your door on speed charging at you with a knife? .223, .308, .30-30, and 12ga (12/70) are what I think of. But I don't know which of these gave us the highest chances to avoid being stabbed (again).

Keep in mind that we are preparing for a quick and strong young man who is on speed, therefore doesn't react to pain or the display of guns etc, wields at least a knife and is 5-5yds away from you. Whatever you have should stop him fast.
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Old October 1, 2006, 06:38 PM   #22
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Wow, in this case I would want both guns. The 30-30 loaded with 125 gr bullets if you can find them, or with 150 gr. if nothing else is available.

Shoot towards the hip, which will break him down, (rifle). They don't move to well with a busted hip, also a high probably of getting some vital artery or something. Try and shoot downward through the liver, this would bust the hip, also ensure death.

With the shotgun, the same shooting tactic would work, but you only have two shots vs 7 with the rifle.

I would worry about over penetration with the rifle, but going through the hip bones, greater mass of body, will slow it down somewhat. Personally, I would prefer the rifle in 357 or 44. In the 357 a good 158 gr. jhp would fit the bill. In the 44 you would have to talk to other people, as I have no experience with that caliber.
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Old October 1, 2006, 06:53 PM   #23
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In that scenario? Shotgun. No question. I don't know about a coach gun, but I'd want a semiauto that holds as many 12 gauge buckshot rounds as I could stuff in it.

Stay safe.

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Old October 1, 2006, 11:49 PM   #24
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Gimme the Shotgun

Given those two choices I'd take the 12 gauge every time. Believe me, you don't wanna come face to face with me and my Mossberg 500 in a defensive situatiion.
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Old October 3, 2006, 03:28 AM   #25
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For stopping maniacs coming in the door, nothing beats a 12 gauge. I like the coach gun, because it can't jam and you never have to worry about short stroking in a panic.

However, never do what cobraycommando suggested. A sbs gun has converging barrels, so firing both at the same time, especially with slugs, will cause both barrels to miss.
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