All around gun- Home Defense, Camping, etc...

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After trying out pistols, pump shotguns, etc...it seems the individual who I worry about using it is most comfortable with a lever action. Would a Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70 be appropriate for this use or would it be worthless in a close range setting against a human target?
 
.45/70 seems like overkill and will kick like a mule. If it has to be a lever for everything I would go .44 mag or maybe even .357 mag. Both would be easier and cheaper to practice with.
 
1.) Try pump shotguns again until you get to like them. They're the best all around gun for what you listed. If the person just does not like them and cannot get used to it, than I would suggest that buying more than one gun would be an option to consider. Only because:

2.) The Marlin is great for hunting and bear defense. Way Too much over-penetration in the home (as with most rifles), not as fast to operate as a pump or pistol, and not as much stopping power against human threats that are trying to kill you (Can I even say that? Only because the buckshot will cause more wound trauma per round). But in all seriousness it has plenty.
 
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A .357 Mag in a lever gun will drop anything that lives in the northeast woods, with the right ammo.
You can carry 50 rounds of .357 in about the same space and weight as a box of 20 45-70s.
The .357 works well as a rifle-pistol combo.
The ability to choose different power levels and types of bullets lets the .357 work well from small game to large game or personal protection.

Jack
 
I would think the 45/70 wouldn't be the best choice for home defense, as it may put your neighbors in more danger than anyone else if a bullet strays. Pump shotguns are very effective and quick and easy to use in a SHTF situation. If a lever gun is the only gun you are comfortable with, than a .44mag or .357mag would probably be better, though I once saw a lever action .410.

Training with a weapon will make you more comfortable with it. I would try to get accustomed to a weapon better suited for HD than a levergun. A levergun is going to be more bulky and difficult to aim in tight quarters, and also harder to load IMO. A shotgun can be modified via different barrels and stocks to adapt to the conditions. Put a collapsible stock and short barrel on for HD, and switch to a standard stock and longer barrel for hunting/camping.

It will all depend on the ability to adapt to the gun and having the ability to shoot it well. Use whatever works best, but I would try to train more with a better suited weapon first, than to settle for something mediocre now. Kenny
 
Why not a semi-auto shotgun? It's always ready to go, flip the safety and shoot until it's empty.

I have a .44mag Henry and I love it, for hunting.

I would rather use my pistol or my semi-auto shotgun for home defence, covers the room quite nicely. [laugh]
 
I would also have you re-think the pump shotgun. The best home defense firearm you can have is the one that makes dirtbags leave your house immediately before you even have to fire a shot.

The characteristic sound of a pump-action chambering double-O buckshot is enough to make most of them decide to go elsewhere.

If they decide to stick around anyway, they are crazy enough (high enough, drunk enough) that you will need the awesome power of the shotgun to stop the attack. The lever-action is a nice rifle, but the action is a little more complicated and more cumbersome to operate in the home. In this case, better to stay simple and effective.

Good Luck!
 
I agree, a 12 ga. would be best but I don't know if pumping the action will scare the bad guys away. If it does thats good but if it doesn't, you just gave away your position. If it has to be a lever action, I'd go with a .357 or .44 mag. in a trapper length carbine.
 
I have to agree with the majority. I have a Marlin 45-70 great gun for what I got it for... Alaska. Winchester Trapper 44 is a nice PC "AR" [smile] spg
 
I have a 44 mag levergun. Winchester Trapper/Scout. ..... never thought of it as a HD thing , but I brought it to camp for a few years until I got an AR15 ; an M4 style carbine with an Aimpoint.

... which has become my " everything gun " , for a long arm. I don't hunt , but it goes to the range every week , an Appleseed shoot in a few weeks , goes to camp in Maine , is easy to move around indoors , and will likely be hell on the zombies if they come around here.

It'll do most things any gun'll do , and more than a lot. I have never been attacked by a bear , so I am not too concerned with lack of big game stopping power.
 
A short barreled, 20 gauge pump shotgun would be what I would use indoors if I was uneasy about firearm safety.

Lever guns are not as simple. It's better to have your trigger hand ready to release the safety and shoot, and the non-trigger hand doing the labor of cycling the round.

A 45/70 shot indoors would probably put me into shock. I think it's too big.
 
After trying out pistols, pump shotguns, etc...it seems the individual who I worry about using it is most comfortable with a lever action. Would a Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70 be appropriate for this use or would it be worthless in a close range setting against a human target?
Which bear, there is a huge difference?

For Black bear a lever action in 35 Remington is pretty easy to shoot by a small framed person, and delivers much more punch than a 44/357 mag.

Several of the guys I've hunted Black bear with have used them. A 45/70 could be over powering.

Respectfully,
jkelly
 
The 12 ga. is pretty much accepted as a good HD choice, but the title mentioned camping. I don't see hiking with a shotgun.

I agree with USMA-82. The way I phrase it is that, in a HD scenario, if a gun goes off, you lose. It's not a zero sum game. Being a shooter is bad thing, and acceptable only to prevent something worse. It makes sense to me that any HD weapon should be visually and audibly intimidating.

Best would be a two gun solution: the shotgun and a convenient carry gun for the woods. For a one gun solution, I would have a big shiny revolver.
 
The 410 lever action shotgun is the Winchester 9410. I have one and wouldn't recommend it for defense. The lever action shotgun in T2 was also a Winchester but a much older model that came in 10 and 12 ga. There are reproductions being made now. I had a Winchester 94 in .44 mag but it didn't cycle reliably. I don't know if it's because the action was designed for rifle length cartridges or if I just got a lemon
 
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