Unless you want to play cowboys and indians levers are not a good choice, pump guns only slightly better. Bolt guns or semi's are the way to go. Mag capacity isn't that big of a deal especially with DBM guns. Carrying 2-3 spare 4or 5 round magazines for a bolt gun is plenty.
Though the SKS looks clumsy, it balances and points very well, at least for me. I swing it up, my eye is looking through the sights, no need to roll my head over to get a sight picture.
My wife was similarly impressed, which has led to a marital dispute over whose rifle it is...
Likely because for many the look and feel of the traditional lever gun a a certain lure to it. The taste of a good many people leans towards a lever gun as a good handy rifle for general use.Not sure why anyone would choose a Marlin .30-30 when an SKS fires just as good a cartridge at half the cost per round if not less, and also is semi-automatic with a larger reserve.
I've been wanting to get into boar hunting for a while and I think I'm going to buy a rifle next week with this in mind. But I'd also like something to use as a brush deer rifle and even for defense in a SHTF type of situation (where I might want something more than my pistols or shotguns). This is new ground for me as I've only hunted with shotguns in the past. This would be the first rifle I've owned in a while.