Good farm rifle?

Z

Zachary H.

Inactive
Howdy! I'm looking for a good rifle to use around the farm(coyotes, dogs, etc,) Although not legal here in Indiana, I would like something I could also use on deer out of state. I have been thinking about a Marlin 336 30-30 or a Ruger American in .308 Win. However, I'm not that well versed in rifle calibers: is .308 too much for what I need? Thanks in advance!
 
A good coyote/deer getter in one gun. I think that's a 25-06. It could be a 243 winchester but that leans more to the coyote side of things while the 25-06 fits right in the middle of the problem. IMHO
 
Are you looking for a particular action? .30 cal is more than enough for the game you listed. the ruger Mini's are pretty good farm rifles. Semiautomatic, incase you need/want the fire rate. Comes in .223 rem or 7.62x39, which I would recommend simply because of the cheap ammo and it having more energy for deer.
 
I might recommend a good lever action 30 30. As far as 223, and 7.62 x 39, they are great calibers, but are very scarce around here right now due to panic buying. I see boxes and boxes of 30 30's in stock.
 
My suggestion would depend on what states' you plan to hunt.

If you are talking max range of 150 yds. the marlin you mentioned would work great in 30-30. If you are talking about one of the western states where you might get a shot to 300 yds. the Ruger in .308 would be a better choice.

If you decide the marlin would work best for your needs, I would suggest you look for a used (older model) 336 as they seem to have a better reputation than the newer versions since Marlin was purchased by Remington.
 
One of the farmers I worked with carried a SMLE and a tin of surplus ammo in his farm rides. If your looking for a cheap farm rifle that will see a fair amount of abuse $100 for a 91/30 nagant and $80 for 440 rounds of surplus is hard to beat. If its going to be thrown around and see allot of time behind the seat of a truck I see no need to buy new but that's just by .02. If its a personal rifle that will be used but taken care of new is great and you cant go wrong with a Ruger. If you have no caliber preference go to where you buy ammo and see what calibers between .243 and 30-06 they stock most of on the shelf as anything in-between those will do what you want. 308win is your best bet for ammo availability and new gun options. It will cover anything you want to do.
 
Are you planning on keeping the gun loaded or load as needed.Levers are nice but loading and unloading is a lot nicer with a detachable magazine gun.Whats your budget?
 
.243 leaning a little more toward coyote?

Don't be fooled, .243 is plenty of rifle for deer. Nothing against .25-06, it is also a great caliber. Both of these are nicely flat shooters and have a wide variety of rifles chambered for them.

You didn't mention what action you were looking for, which may affect the recommendations. For instance if you really like levers, a 30-30 would probably make the most sense.

I think I'd also give a +1 to cowboy_mo's response.
 
A 308 with 110/120gr would work great on small game and you can bump up to 150-165gr for deer. But, the 110/120 factory loads are hard to find. The 243 is also a good choice and easier to find lighter bullets for. Might want to look at the 7mm08. Very popular and a bit less recoil then the 308.
 
Depends on the range. A Ruger Compact in 243 or 7-08 is a dandy for dogs to 300. With the short barrel, I'd limit deer to 200 with the 24. The trajectory of the 30-30 makes it tough for dogs at 200.
 
Action type doesn't really matter to me, as I like them both (as long as it's a gun, I like it:D). I won't be going out west, just around Indiana. That is, until they legalize rifles here. All southern Indiana is prime rifle country; it's as hilly as Kentucky or Tennessee: but I digress. I will be keeping the rifle loaded as it is hard to load on the run (not to mention unsafe). My budget would be $300-$400; as you can usually get more for your money in the used market, what models should I look for? Thanks for the replies!
 
Since you are in the used market and don't really care about the action look at Walmart they have Remington adl rifles for 417 bucks with a scope
 
Im not one to like to promote big businesses but My local walmart has the ruger american in 243 30-06 and 308. They're $357. Thinking of taking that 243 off their shelf when uncle sam gives me back the money i loaned him
 
Intentions for farm rifles can run a very wide gambit and it's very hard to recommend just one not knowing what you need. So I'll toss out some guns that I think work well.

- Ruger 10/22. Yes it's a lowly .22lr but it is cheap to feed, has quick follow ups. More critters have died at my place via the 10/22 than all other guns combined. Not gonna DRT many coyotes or dogs with it but when it comes to getting rid of varmints I don't care if they die on the spot or 400 yards away. Max range for pest control = 100 yards.

- Remington 597 Magnum. Same advantages as the 10/22 but with more thump and range at added expense. Good, solid, accurate guns. Honorable mention to the .22M lever guns.

- Good ol' .30-30. Great handling guns with a great cartridge. Won't reach out there 500 yards but will kill anything that walk's the lower 48.

- Mini-14/30 Ranch. Not as accurate as some would like but when it comes down to it they just plain ass get the job done. Slick little carbines, fast follow up shots. Honorable mention to the SKS (fixed mag).

- 12ga. pump. OK, not a rifle and it has the shortest effective range of any of the guns listed. But easy to use, easy to hit with, versatile and effective. I like mine with barrels around 22" with choke tubes. Great choice for night work.

As you can see I like and recommend carbines. I'll sacrifice range for handling and faster follow up shots. No bolt guns for me when it comes to general purpose farm guns.

Note: Dedicated predator, varmint and deer guns I do like and use bolt guns almost exclusively. I like accuracy and range. But when it comes to farm, ranch and truck guns I prefer those listed above.
 
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