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Thinking of a longarm

Sld1959

Sld1959

Ronin
Kind of in the mood to buy something but am thinking of a longarm this time. Even though I really have a hankering for a 4 inch EMP, and a SW 19, the last longarm I bought was like 3 years ago. So am thinking something in the smaller lighter defense oriented longarm.

I do have a character flaw however. Everyone at the gun club and most of the shooters I know say, you have to get an AR, or if you won't get an AR, you have to get an AK. And I am thinking, no I don't, and push against that idea. Neither really pushes my buttons enough to buy one. Yeah yeah, great rifles but not for me. So have been looking around reading up etc and I have started looking at.

1. Ruger Mini 14. Nice rifle but everybody I know of with one says the same thing, very finicky about ammunition and magazines. So I don't know.

2. Ruger PC carbine. This one I like, I have always liked handgun and carbine combos maybe it's the cowboy in me. And since I bought my first 9mm Nato, this is very attractive.

3. 30 carbine M1 paratrooper carbine. Love me some 30 carbines. My all time favorite military rifle. Never had a paratrooper version and I would like to. There are several to choose from and this is a strong contender.

4. Henry side gate 357 Bigboy carbine. Same thing as the PC carbine except for 357 mag. This has a bit of an edge because pat has one and I have a .44 mag Marlin version. Since I got rid of my 44s have been pondering a switch to .357.

5. Keltec Cmr30. Definitely a dark horse but I spent a weekend wringing one out last summer and that thing was a gas to play with. Talk about a fun little shooter. And I was suitably impressed with how well it ran. But, would it be more than a toy, not sure I want to risk my life on a rimfire, aka .22 Wmr, pdw for SD, shtf, or teotwawki, lol I just had too...

Choices are tough.
 
You are not the only one who doesn't like the AR platform. I have owned both and much prefer the mini 14 . As to the new ones being picky I can't say . I bought mine in 1980 , you know , when they were supposed to be inaccurate. Well I made head shots on 3 different Groundhogs ( woodchuck to many ) at around 100 yards +/- a few feet. This was done with open sights back when I was younger and able to see.

To your other choices , The revolver cartridge carbine , lever or semi-auto , would be a great choice far as I am concerned. I think I would lean more to the Marlin .357 lever gun but I am biased towards the Marlins.
 
papa said:
You are not the only one who doesn't like the AR platform. I have owned both and much prefer the mini 14 . As to the new ones being picky I can't say . I bought mine in 1980 , you know , when they were supposed to be inaccurate. Well I made head shots on 3 different Groundhogs ( woodchuck to many ) at around 100 yards +/- a few feet. This was done with open sights back when I was younger and able to see.

To your other choices , The revolver cartridge carbine , lever or semi-auto , would be a great choice far as I am concerned. I think I would lean more to the Marlin .357 lever gun but I am biased towards the Marlins.
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The biggest issue with the new Marlins is after they were bought. I think by Ruger, the Marlins production were moved and they had serious issues. So much so production was halted for a time. They are back I guess but I have to wait and see I'd they got the bugs worked out.
 
I’ve always wanted a big boy side gate. That’s the cowboy in me. But right now I’m saving up for the Hellion. Especially with the upcoming SBR regs, it’s got a lot to offer. It’s kinda (?) not an AR lol.
Hate that I’m going to have to tax stamp my Edge PDW. Oh well, at least I’ll be able to put a real stock on it.
 
Sld1959 said:
Kind of in the mood to buy something but am thinking of a longarm this time. Even though I really have a hankering for a 4 inch EMP, and a SW 19, the last longarm I bought was like 3 years ago. So am thinking something in the smaller lighter defense oriented longarm.

I do have a character flaw however. Everyone at the gun club and most of the shooters I know say, you have to get an AR, or if you won't get an AR, you have to get an AK. And I am thinking, no I don't, and push against that idea. Neither really pushes my buttons enough to buy one. Yeah yeah, great rifles but not for me. So have been looking around reading up etc and I have started looking at.

1. Ruger Mini 14. Nice rifle but everybody I know of with one says the same thing, very finicky about ammunition and magazines. So I don't know.

2. Ruger PC carbine. This one I like, I have always liked handgun and carbine combos maybe it's the cowboy in me. And since I bought my first 9mm Nato, this is very attractive.

3. 30 carbine M1 paratrooper carbine. Love me some 30 carbines. My all time favorite military rifle. Never had a paratrooper version and I would like to. There are several to choose from and this is a strong contender.

4. Henry side gate 357 Bigboy carbine. Same thing as the PC carbine except for 357 mag. This has a bit of an edge because pat has one and I have a .44 mag Marlin version. Since I got rid of my 44s have been pondering a switch to .357.

5. Keltec Cmr30. Definitely a dark horse but I spent a weekend wringing one out last summer and that thing was a gas to play with. Talk about a fun little shooter. And I was suitably impressed with how well it ran. But, would it be more than a toy, not sure I want to risk my life on a rimfire, aka .22 Wmr, pdw for SD, shtf, or teotwawki, lol I just had too...

Choices are tough.
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A police buddy of mine just pickrd up a Citadel Lever in .357 Kind of a tactical set up with mlok fore grip, big loop lever, Poly stock. A tad pricey at $699 but he reports it appears well made. Probably by Rossi, too many similarities to the 92.
But, he likes it.
 
I think the SA Hellion would make a great option to consider with the OAL being 6in shorter than a standard 16in AR carbine and having fully ambidextrous controls which is a plus for those left handed people out there.

CZ Scorpion and PC Carbine are some more top picks.
 
Sld1959 said:
Kind of in the mood to buy something but am thinking of a longarm this time. Even though I really have a hankering for a 4 inch EMP, and a SW 19, the last longarm I bought was like 3 years ago. So am thinking something in the smaller lighter defense oriented longarm.

I do have a character flaw however. Everyone at the gun club and most of the shooters I know say, you have to get an AR, or if you won't get an AR, you have to get an AK. And I am thinking, no I don't, and push against that idea. Neither really pushes my buttons enough to buy one. Yeah yeah, great rifles but not for me. So have been looking around reading up etc and I have started looking at.

1. Ruger Mini 14. Nice rifle but everybody I know of with one says the same thing, very finicky about ammunition and magazines. So I don't know.

2. Ruger PC carbine. This one I like, I have always liked handgun and carbine combos maybe it's the cowboy in me. And since I bought my first 9mm Nato, this is very attractive.

3. 30 carbine M1 paratrooper carbine. Love me some 30 carbines. My all time favorite military rifle. Never had a paratrooper version and I would like to. There are several to choose from and this is a strong contender.

4. Henry side gate 357 Bigboy carbine. Same thing as the PC carbine except for 357 mag. This has a bit of an edge because pat has one and I have a .44 mag Marlin version. Since I got rid of my 44s have been pondering a switch to .357.

5. Keltec Cmr30. Definitely a dark horse but I spent a weekend wringing one out last summer and that thing was a gas to play with. Talk about a fun little shooter. And I was suitably impressed with how well it ran. But, would it be more than a toy, not sure I want to risk my life on a rimfire, aka .22 Wmr, pdw for SD, shtf, or teotwawki, lol I just had too...

Choices are tough.
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I tell sld1959 I love my ruger pc carbine it’s just a lot of fun to shoot I think 10 mm was saying that before I got mine loads of fun
 
10mmLife said:
I think the SA Hellion would make a great option to consider with the OAL being 6in shorter than a standard 16in AR carbine and having fully ambidextrous controls which is a plus for those left handed people out there.

CZ Scorpion and PC Carbine are some more top picks.
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I would never buy an AR, just don't care for them. However, the Hellion might convince me otherwise.
 
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While I own both AR’s and AK’s, they aren’t my preferred platform. In 5.56, I much prefer my AUG, then my HK93.
Mini 14’s…have never impressed me, and I’ve had a couple. Accuracy is hit or miss when it comes to them; you can get a good one, that will put a couple of accurate shots on before the thin barrel starts heating up and stringing your shots, or you can get one that will do 6” on a good day…and there’s no telling what you’ll get.

M1 carbines are fun as heck. I like my Rock-Ola, and so does my wife. That’s my first suggestion on the list you have.

Lever actions? Heck yeah. .357 levers are a hoot, and if you use .38spl in them, are basically a big .22…no recoil, accurate, and not bad to shoot without ears on—outdoors. Since you want a Model 19, it’ll be a good pairing. #2 on your list, but barely.

PC9? I think there are better 9mm carbines out there. I’d try to find one of the Century Centurion Uzi’s out there, m’self…something different.

CMR? I’ve looked at them, and .22WMR is nothing to sneeze at out of rifles. They can get decent accuracy, are compact…not a bad choice.
 
HansGruber said:
While I own both AR’s and AK’s, they aren’t my preferred platform. In 5.56, I much prefer my AUG, then my HK93.
Mini 14’s…have never impressed me, and I’ve had a couple. Accuracy is hit or miss when it comes to them; you can get a good one, that will put a couple of accurate shots on before the thin barrel starts heating up and stringing your shots, or you can get one that will do 6” on a good day…and there’s no telling what you’ll get.

M1 carbines are fun as heck. I like my Rock-Ola, and so does my wife. That’s my first suggestion on the list you have.

Lever actions? Heck yeah. .357 levers are a hoot, and if you use .38spl in them, are basically a big .22…no recoil, accurate, and not bad to shoot without ears on—outdoors. Since you want a Model 19, it’ll be a good pairing. #2 on your list, but barely.

PC9? I think there are better 9mm carbines out there. I’d try to find one of the Century Centurion Uzi’s out there, m’self…something different.

CMR? I’ve looked at them, and .22WMR is nothing to sneeze at out of rifles. They can get decent accuracy, are compact…not a bad choice.
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Around 2008 Ruger started making the Mini-14 with a tapered bull barrel to remedy the barrel whip they were known for prior to that time period. I have a 580 series Mini-14 and it's just as accurate as any AR I own or have shot out to 300yds.

The Century Uzi's have had a history of problems with broken firing pins and stove pipe issues. A CZ Scorpion beats even the original UZi hands down especially for the price a Scorpion can be had either in pistol or carbine options.
 
10mmLife said:
Around 2008 Ruger started making the Mini-14 with a tapered bull barrel to remedy the barrel whip they were known for prior to that time period. I have a 580 series Mini-14 and it's just as accurate as any AR I own or have shot out to 300yds.

The Century Uzi's have had a history of problems with broken firing pins and stove pipe issues. A CZ Scorpion beats even the original UZi hands down especially for the price a Scorpion can be had either in pistol or carbine options.
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I had one of the newer tapered Minis…it just wasn’t accurate. Maybe it didn’t string like the old ones did, but…like I said, 6” 100yd groups. Not acceptable. A buddy had one, and it was 3”, which isn’t bad…but it just supports the “hit & miss” in the quality/accuracy point.
 
HansGruber said:
I had one of the newer tapered Minis…it just wasn’t accurate. Maybe it didn’t string like the old ones did, but…like I said, 6” 100yd groups. Not acceptable. A buddy had one, and it was 3”, which isn’t bad…but it just supports the “hit & miss” in the quality/accuracy point.
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I can understand where your coming from and I definitely had some QC issues with the first 18in barreled Mini-14 I bought that had to go back to Ruger 3 times for stove piping issues that they couldn't fix before they sent a replacement rifle to my LGS for me. I never got a chance with the first rifle to check accuracy because of the stovepipes that happened after 1 or 2 shots. The 2nd rifle has worked flawlessly since and I was fortunately able to request the 16in barreled version as a replacement which should have a lesser chance of barrel whip due to the shorter length or maybe I just lucked out.
 
Annihilator said:
What’s up with Springfield….first you get the Hellcat, now the Hellion……WTH!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
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The first Marlins after Remington bought & moved the factory had issues. Haven't heard of any issues with the new Marlins after Ruger bought the Co. and re-started production.

Go with a .357 lever-action if you live in a non-free state.
 
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Your list of possible choices makes me realize that I have accumulated more rifles than I thought. Regardless, since I have experience with most of these models (everything but the 30 Carbine), here’s my take:

Ruger Mini-14: Older models were known to be ammo-picky and to have less than stellar accuracy. Mine are both newer(ish) models, and neither of them has ever had any issues with reliability or accuracy with brass-cased ammo. I’ve never fired steel-cased ammo through a Mini-14, so I can’t comment about their performance when shooting steel. A big advantage, especially with the wood stock Ranch models, is that they lack a lot of the “scary” features that lawmakers often use to define “Assault Rifles”.

Ruger PC Carbine: The Carbine is a blast to shoot, eats anything you feed it, and has anvil-like reliability. The takedown feature is attractive to anyone looking for a bugout gun. It’s definitely not the best rifle for hunting or self-defense, but it is capable of both and is just fun and cheap to run. These are great for feral hog hunting if you live in any of the areas plagued by wild hogs.

Henry Big Boy / Marlin 1894 Models: I own several of these. The Henry rifles are beautiful and provide a unique shooting experience. The company stands by their products and I have never heard of anyone having an issue with one. Marlin had some issues after Remington bought the company, but Ruger has since acquired the brand and I trust that Ruger will ensure a high level of quality control. Leverguns are awesome to shoot, can be highly effective for hunting, and are underrated for home defense (.357 Mag. or .44 Mag. fired from a rifle-length barrel are incredibly powerful).

Keltec CMR 30: I don’t have the CMR 30 Carbine, but I have the pistol version. Like all Keltec products, the CMR/PMR line have a lot of plastic and can feel “toy-like”. I wouldn’t underestimate .22 Mag. as a self-defense round, especially when fired from a rifle-length barrel. While a Henry or Marlin Levergun, and a Ruger Mini 14 with a wood stock, will be heirloom guns that you can pass down for generations, I would not expect the same longevity from the Keltec. That being said, it’s still a fun carbine and is cheaper to feed than the other guns on your list.

Hope it helps.
 
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