Originally posted by lazs2
rude is also right that the lever gun in say 357 is worth owning... cowboy action shooting has made these real cheap and easy to get and increased quality... you will have a handgun caliber rifle... tons of fun for plinking and more than enough for a coyote out to 100 yards.
lazs
You can usually pick up a used Rossi made Winchester 92 fairly cheap. They are chambered in either .357 mag or .44 mag. I own the Rossi SRS 92 Trapper style carbine with a 16" barrel chambered in .357/38 Special. It shoots 4 to 5 inch groups at 100 yards using the iron sights. Bought mine about 16 years ago. The 92 has a much faster action than the 94, and weighs a bit less too (16" barrel SRS weighs about 5.2 pounds unloaded). For short range work (50 to 100 yards), a Marlin Camp 9 or 45 semi-auto carbine is another viable choice. Chambered in either 9mm Parabellum or .45 Auto, it's light, points quickly and surprisingly accurate. One thing I like about these is that you can get magazines anywhere. The Camp 9 originally came with a 12 round mag interchangable with several S&W 9mm autos, while the Camp 45 uses standard 1911 pistol mags. Naturally, any high capacity mags that fit those pistols will fit the rifles too. They employ a Garand type safety and the bolt locks open on an empty mag. Teardown is simple, but you need 3 hands to reassemble it as the mag interconnector is a bear to keep aligned. Accuracy is such that at 50 yards, you can make on large ragged hole in a target.
You can also buy Mosin-Nagant rifles for a song. I prefer the model 1938 or '44 carbine, although it kicks hard shooting the full power 7.62mm cartridge. Accuracy is more than adequate. You can purchase glass-filled nylon Monte-Carlo style replacement stocks for these for about $60.
Go to
Tapco for good prices and reliable delivery. They also carry scope mounts, scopes, manuals and spare parts.
You can still find surplus Mausers and Enfields cheap enough. Either would be perfectly adequate for medium game. Just be sure to have older Mausers checked out by a qualified gunsmith prior to shooting new production ammo. I've seen stress cracks in the chamber area of older Spanish and Turkish Mausers after shooting full power ammo through them. Steel ages. I stopped shooting my WWI vintage Enfields years ago after I saw a lug recess on one fail at the local range. Thankfully, the remaining recess held or the shooter would have been eating the bolt. Enfields use locking lugs at the rear of the receiver. In this instance, the right side recess failed and that entire portion of the upper-right receiver fractured. If you wish to shoot ancient Enfields, I suggest hand loading reduced pressure loads to avoid damaging the rifle or yourself.
For additional firepower, you can pick up CETME rifles for under $400. These are built on U.S. made receivers, using Spanish made barrels and internals. This is a semi-auto version of a widely used battle rifle. They shoot the standard 7.62mm x 51mm NATO round (.308 Win). Magazines come in 20 and 5 round capacities. U.S. made receivers will accept H&K G3 mags as well. Diopter sights. Delayed roller locking action. Nice rifles, if a bit heavy. The H&K G3 was developed from the CETME. Again, Tapco has scope rails and adapters for the CETME as for the FN-FAL type (another good choice for an inexpensive, military type semi-auto).
Another very inexpensive rifle for varmint control is the Marlin MN25, bolt action, chambered in .22 Win. magnum rimfire. Don't underestimate the .22 Winchester Magnum, it's very capable. For coyotes, or smaller pests I'd suggest using hollow point rounds because the FMC rounds will often over-penetrate on smaller game. Rest assured that the .22 mag WILL kill a coyote. Back in the middle 1980s, a hiker killed an angry Black Bear with one shot from a .22 magnum. I also suggest 50 grain bullets. You lose some velocity (from a 24" barrel, expect 1,950 fps for 40 grain, 1,800 fps for 50 grain), but has about 3 times the muzzle energy of the typical .22 Long Rifle High Velocity round. Be advised that recoil is a bit stout for the typical rimfire scopes (although mild compared to centerfire rounds). Buy a high quality scope designed for centerfire recoil and shock. Accuracy is about the same for the .22 LR, but I noticed a greater percentage of "flyers". Try different brands of ammo. CCI ammo produced more flyers than Winchester ammo did.
My regards,
Widewing
