A Lone Long Gun to Travel the Country

Which long gun?

  • Total voters
    76
  • Poll closed .
How about a Rossi Ranch Hand in 44 mag? Long enough barrel to do the hunting you are considering. Lever action but very short and portable for the road. Seems to perfectly fit your requirements.
 
.44 Rossi levergun w/16" barrel. Compact, reliable, .44 will stop anything in the 48, legal everywhere, compact, 10 rounds in tube adequate for self-defense, fairly inexpensive (if you dump the bike you won't cry), etc.

If they only made a takedown model . . .
 
I would probably go with a lever in .44mag. With the right ammo, it is decent for white-tail at shorter ranges. Also, you should be able to go to most states with a lever gun (I'm not sure a 16in lever in 44mag would even run afoul of the NY ridiculousness). Be careful about the pistol though!
 
A large bore short and handy lever gun but I see this for the most part as a pipe dream. This assumes all state and local laws produce no problems and I am not worried about theft every time I stop for eating or rest room. :)

Ron
 
Since I don't know the tour route, I can't comment on the legality of either 223 Rem or an AR platform. If the AR is fully legal on the route, and 223 is fully legal on the route, then a 16" AR is an option, although I would honestly recommend a 6.8 SPC version for hunting. Push two pins and you can pack it in decent sized saddlebags...

However, a Handi Rifle youth model in 30-30 for hunting and a pistol for protection seems like another good option to me. Hard to keep an AR for "defensive purposes" at the halt without looking like you are itching for a fight, but a concealed pistol is better than an AR in two pieces in the saddlebags. The Handi Rifle can break down almost as compact as an AR carbine.

But you won't run into any legality issues with a Handi Rifle that you might with an AR, so then you only have to worry about reciprocity for concealed carry, or knowing which states are "open carry" only for non-residents (like Colorado).

Jimro
 
Another outside the box option:
Not always,but nearly so,if the range is far enough to need a rifle,its hard to claim self defense.
Not always,but nearly so,if you have to go retrieve your long gun,its already too late.
For true SD,the handgun that is on your person will do the most for you.
Take your pick for the optimum SD handgun,without regard for deer hunting.

In your saddlebag, a suitable T/C or other single shot handgun.Maybe 30-30.
 
+1 for the ole 30-30 or 44 lever gun, a take down model would be even better. A good shotgun with a two barrel setup and ammo would be a second option.
 
The poll closed before I saw it, but I'd take a Savage 24V-A .222/20 ga O/U. That's the most versatile gun I have and it's not very long so should pack well.
 
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