Posted on 11/13/2008 10:07:22 AM PST by Labyrinthos
Like many Americans in these uncertain times, I plan on purchasing additional firearms over the next few days. I already own a Remington 870 12g, which I use for both sport and home defense, as well as several .22 rimfire rifles for target shooting. I would like to buy a versatile o/u for field and range; and a centerfire lever action rifle for field, range, and defense. I don't want to spend a lot of money on either.
My budget on the o/u is less that $1000, and I have been looking at guns from Charles Daley, Mossburg, Spartan, and Dick's Diamond (Franchi). I would also consider a higher quality second hand gun in my prince range. I welcome your thoughts and recommendations.
My budget for the lever action is under $600 and Marlin seems to be the lever action of choice in that price range. I have never fired a centerfire lever action rifle and would appreciate you advice on make, model, and most importantly, caliber (I don't want to bust the budget on ammo).
Thanks in advance.
I fit my Rem 870 when at home with the 18" legal police/riot barrel and switch to the 28" barrel when in the field.
Anyone?
Are the sales of ammo recorded?
My brother has taken a deer with the 44mag marlin. He has wooded land and he is never farther than about 100 yards, he said that it seemed to hit hard and the deer went down immediately.
I don’t think the range would be any where neer the 30-30 though.
As far as I know, 5.56 is the military designation for .223. I have a 308 and have purchased 7.62 military ammo.
I haven’t unboxed my reloading equipement or books since moving about 10 years ago but I am quite certain that there is no difference.
Find a used Brwoning Citori for the O/U. New cheap O/U’s are just that, cheap.
Mods, would it not be a good idea to think that threads like this may not be in the best interest for Free Republic?
After all there is a ton of websites on the internet that does this everyday?
I see almost a new one everyday and I think its going to lead to something detrimental to our views.
Dimensionally there's not hardly a difference.
But there are other considerations.
I found a great gun I’m going to buy that will suit my needs perfectly....
But I’m not telling anyone what it is until I have one, lest it become the next big thing.
I will tell you this though for the money as well as the accuracy and adaptability there is nothing on the market like it.
While the 5.56 mm and .223 cartridges are very similar, they are not identical. Military cases are made from thicker brass than commercial cases, which reduces the powder capacity (an important consideration for handloaders)[6], and the NATO specification allows a higher chamber pressure. Test barrels made for 5.56 mm NATO measure chamber pressure at the case mouth, as opposed to the SAAMI location. This difference accounts for upwards of 20,000+ psi difference in pressure measurements. That means that advertised pressure of 58,000 psi for 5.56 mm NATO, is around 78,000 psi tested in .223 Rem test barrels (SAAMI .223 Rem Proof MAP is 78,500 psi so every 5.56 mm round fired is a proof load, very dangerous). The 5.56 mm chambering, known as a NATO or mil-spec chambers, have a longer leade, which is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point at which the rifling engages the bullet. The .223 chambering, known as the "SAAMI chamber", is allowed to have a shorter leade, and is only required to be proof tested to the lower SAAMI chamber pressure. To address these issues, various proprietary chambers exist, such as the Wylde chamber[7] or the Armalite chamber, which are designed to handle both 5.56 mm and .223 equally well. These 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges are identical in appearance to .223 Remington. They are, however, not completely interchangeable.Using commercial .223 cartridges in a 5.56-chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223-chambered gun due to the excessive lead. [8] Using 5.56 mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223-chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and may even be unsafe, and SAAMI recommends against the practice.[9] Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56 mm, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14[10], but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56 mm ammunition.
For your .22, may I reccomend the S&W 22A? I own several .22 autos, and this is by far my fave...SWEEEEEET!
My views include the 2nd Amendment. Apparently your views are not mine or FR’s.
I just purchased at WalMart two Maverick 88 (Mossberg) 20 gague pump shotguns and had the barrels cut off at a machine shop to 18 1/2 inches. Excellent lighter weapon for ladies and can be fed #3 buckshot and #5 long range turkey rounds (1350 fps) and still hold a nice tight pattern at 25 feet (bottom of a 1 pound coffee can pattern that is). This particular model of shotgun is being discontinued from WalMArt and you can find real bargins if they have one or more hidden int he gun vault int he back of the store ... they will not be out front. [$177 each!]
Doc,
A small correction:
Using .223 in a 5.56 chamber is quite safe as the 5.56 chamber has a longer leade than the .223. Using 5.56 is a .223 chamber MAY cause excessive chamber pressures due to bullet shape and OAL. Most manufacturers recommend against this practice.
Haven’t researched the 7.62 and .308 issue so will not comment until I do.
I disagree. I did a search before posting my shameless vanity (I think we are entitled to one a year), and I didn't see any thread specificaly dealing with o/u shotguns or lever action rifles. Although there are many websites that deal with these topics "everyday," I know of few that have the traffic to produce over seventy real-time, quality responses within a couple of hours, as opposed to weeks or months. Most importantly, I trust the opinion of my fellow Freepers on important issues like firearms. I have been around FR a long time and I recognize many of the names that responded to my post. I trust them because I have reading their posts for years. Just my opinion.
If you want a good woods/self defense gun (up to 100 yards) and intend to purchase a hunting pistol, the .44 magnum (1894) is a better choice if you value using the same ammo in both firearms.
If recoil is a concern and compatibility with your SW 38 is desired, the .357 Marlin (1894C) would be recommended. Can be used on small game with the same ammo you use in your .38, and can be loaded with .357 cartridges for deer and such up to 75 yards or so (hell they used to shoot polar bears with .357 when it first came out). Either round can be used for the 2 legged pests for self defense.
The 30-30 was a favorite of Col. Cooper for home defense because it is light, short, fast, and can be used for both intermediate and short range work.
Personally I couldn't make up my mind, so I have one of each (though the missus claimed the .357 for herself because of the lighter weight and shorter OAL).
If I was buying a single rifle, the 30-30 is your best bet due to low cost and almost universal ammo availability.
I sincerely appreciate your advice.
i apologize and I too defend my rights but there is a lot of things going on right now and almost anything here is going to be used by someone else to start an agenda, especially the DUmmies, over and under? I would go Benelli
http://www.benelliusa.com/forum/
I have a Marlin 1894 lever in .357 magnum ,or 38 Special for plinking, I would really like to have the 45-70 for hunting.
Advantages - light, action is made specifically for pistol cartridges and tends to feed well. relatively inexpensive, can be “smithed” to run flawlessly and quickly (email me for a reference if you need one), strong action due to the double locking lugs (it is even chambered for the .454 round), lots of smithing info on the web, John Wayne's favorite rifle.
Disadvantages - more complicated than other options, can be confusing to put back together, for competitive use almost requires a good smith to feed reliably at speed. Again, my opinion based on past experience and use. Take it for what it is.
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