Earlier today I had a friend ask me a question that kind of made me think. He wanted to know if a Marlin model 336 30-30 rifle would be a decent defensive arm. I came home and started searching through old issues of variouis firearms magazines and found several articles mentioning such stuff. I found where one school (Gunsite I think) actually teaches defensive rifle courses using these type of guns, as well as the various semi-auto types. They even install ghost ring sights on them! But I see nothing wrong with the standard sights that come on them...they are quick enough.
So after thinking, I guess one of these little lever rifles or carbines wouldn't be a bad choice. Sure, they aren't a semi-auto that shoots 20-30 times, but in my opinion, it doesn't have to be. The advantages of such a gun is compactness, lightweight, pretty good durability, fast enough to fire and doesn't ever need any magazines. The way they are set up allows for fast reloading like a pump or auto shotgun. They are also excellent handling rifles. So what's your thoughts on using such a gun for this purpose? What, if any, modifications would you suggest? I am not a Marlin expert and would just like to hear from others before giving him my advice.
Also, what type of ammo would you recommend? I know that the 30-30 is pretty hard hitting and those Remington 150 gr SP's at Wal-Mart are very cheap for SP rifle ammo. Would these be good enough for defensive uses or would the lighter 125 gr loads be best? Thanks.