Thread: HD Long Gun?

Which would you take for Home Defense with Property to defend too, about ten acers.

1-Pre 64 Winchester .30-30
2-New Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun
3-Winchester M12 12ga w/cut down 18" barrel?

I love the .45-70, but the .30-30 holds more, and shotguns are awesome for close quarters, but there's more than just close quarters.

I assume you mean 10 Acres For things that go bump in the night I have three different items that I will grab. 870 shotgun with 20" barrel and 3 shot extension and a AR with attached flashlight and 1911. Depending on where your location I would definitely have the shotgun and a lever action (IF bears are your area it would be the 45-70) otherwise the 30-30

In my area I haven't seen any bears, but we do have foxes, coyotes, cougars (the four legged kind) and such, but with 2500 acres of BLM behind there maybe other critters.

Yep, ten acres. We do have Bear, the guy next door just got one on his property. It was a really big Black Bear. Also have the Cougars, and Coyotes. I would keep an array of weapons around, but its my girlfriends parents house, and her mom wouldn't enjoy seening my arsenal, so I'm stuck with one, which I just throw in the trunk when I leave in the morning. The other guns are in her dad's safe, which makes it pretty hard to get to them in the middle of the night.

Originally Posted by M.Link

Yep, ten acres. We do have Bear, the guy next door just got one on his property. It was a really big Black Bear. Also have the Cougars, and Coyotes. I would keep an array of weapons around, but its my girlfriends parents house, and her mom wouldn't enjoy seening my arsenal, so I'm stuck with one, which I just throw in the trunk when I leave in the morning. The other guns are in her dad's safe, which makes it pretty hard to get to them in the middle of the night.

If you are worried about animals, the 30-30 should cover most everything you encounter...just remember that it is a big calliber and it will punch holes in those house walls. I, personally, would stick to the shotgun. Even a smoothbore will be able to hit targets at 100M with the right slug in it...just food for thought.

Well its an old used of shotgun, that I can't hardly hit a milk jug with at 25yds with slugs, its been cut down too, from like 26 to 18. If I have to shoot at something in the house I'm not worried about walls, I can fix them, and the parents are upstairs and we are down stairs.

The way i look at it is if you can shoot a rifle in any direction without hitting another house then a rifle is fine. If that's not the case a shotgun is your safer bet.

No one has suggested an AR-15 yet?! SBR for handiness in the house. For ammo use 75gr Hornandy TAP. Goddamn scary fragmentation and even outside fragmentation range it quickly tumbles and has terminal ballistics similar to 5.45x39. Badass round if there ever was one.

Originally Posted by M.Link

3-Winchester M12 12ga w/cut down 18" barrel?

A man after my own heart! I've been a model 12 lover since my early teens...

I'd couple the M12 with the .30-30 and a good revolver. My model 12 sits in the closet along with a 92 Winchester clone in .357 and a model 15 S&W; I like the rifle/pistol combo for ammo compatibility. I've only got an acre to reach across so .38 Special +P works just fine; for 10 acres I think a .30-30 is a better choice.

Shotgun for inside the home defense, 30-30 for outside. The shotgun is the ultimate close range manstopper but outside of about 25 yards that short barrel is going to cost you

Originally Posted by spengo

No one has suggested an AR-15 yet?! SBR for handiness in the house. For ammo use 75gr Hornandy TAP. Goddamn scary fragmentation and even outside fragmentation range it quickly tumbles and has terminal ballistics similar to 5.45x39. Badass round if there ever was one.

I would not want to try an AR15 out against a large, enraged black bear at close range

Originally Posted by M.Link

Which would you take for Home Defense with Property to defend too, about ten acers.

1-Pre 64 Winchester .30-30
2-New Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun
3-Winchester M12 12ga w/cut down 18" barrel?

I love the .45-70, but the .30-30 holds more, and shotguns are awesome for close quarters, but there's more than just close quarters.

The 12ga and the 30-30.

What could you possibly want to shoot with a 45-70 in Oregon?

Originally Posted by Kanewpadle

The 12ga and the 30-30.

What could you possibly want to shoot with a 45-70 in Oregon?

Yep, anything that size is extinct!

Originally Posted by Blitzkrieg

I would not want to try an AR15 out against a large, enraged black bear at close range

Originally Posted by spengo

OK, I would not want to use a 5.56 caliber rifle

In your list, having a 444, 30-30, and 870 with a short barrel, I prefer the 870, so I'd say Model 12.

That being said, this is what I keep handy. It's an IMI Timberwolf in .357 mag. It holds 11 rounds, and I can fire it as fast as I can pull the trigger. It's my favorite all around gun. I'd have no issues with unloading it into the front end of a ticked off critter.

Personally I'd want something with a scope and accurate out to 500yds. Then something for close in (like the 12 Ga), then a pistol for house use.

I don't think there is one gun that fits all scenarios so I have many!!

If you need to reach out and touch something beyond the reach of a 12ga slug, it's no longer "defense"

12ga is all you'll ever need.

When the coyotes come and try and eat our other animals its defending our animals. When I hear a goat sqeeling at the end of the field, I can look off our 3rd story deck and see what's going on, a 12ga won't do anything from there.

Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy

If you need to reach out and touch something beyond the reach of a 12ga slug, it's no longer "defense"

12ga is all you'll ever need.

Short barreled cylinder bore shotguns are usually very inaccurate with slugs, and POI with slugs varies wildly from the POI with shot

Ten acres could be a lot of things depending on the aspect ratio, vegetation and terrain. If it's a square, flat, open field, it's only about 220 yards square. If your house is right in the middle of it, your longest shot would be about 110 yards. If your house is on the edge of it, you still don't have that long of a shot.

If, like my property, it's partly wooded, irregular in shape, and the terrain varies, your sight distance could be less. The longest clear shot I have from my house is about 200 yards. After that, either rolling terrain or woods limits my sight.

The biggest, "baddest" weapon I have that's accurate at that distance is the Remington Premier AccuTip Bonded Sabot Slug in 12 ga. It needs a fully rifled barrel and rifle sights. I get 5" groups at 200 yards. Link

Considering the weapons you listed, I'd want that 30-30.