Making the case for a lever gun back-up.

When it comes time to defending your home and family against the bad man, a good choice for a primary arm is the AR15 rifle/carbine.  Whether it's a single intruder in the middle of the night or a mob during a total breakdown in the rule of law, Eugene Stoner's creation will do more than serve you well.  It has been endlessly written about on the 'net and in print for years, and there's probably not much that I could add to the mix.



Suffice it to say that I believe the conventional wisdom is correct in this case, as I own and use an AR carbine to protect my family.  Since the United States Marine Corps trained me on its design, operation and employment many years ago, until I finally purchased my own years later, it is a rifle that I am intimately familiar with and has proven its mettle in combat.  That's good enough for me.

However, the time may come when a back-up rifle/carbine is needed.  Even though I maintain a spare parts inventory for my AR, I also firmly believe in Murphy's Law, and wouldn't be a bit surprised if the part that broke was the one odd-ball gizmo that I didn't have laying around.

Or maybe you ran out of ammo for your primary weapon after an extended period in a breakdown of society.  (Hopefully you had at least 1000 rounds put away beforehand...)

Possibly you need to arm another person to guard your flank while you are manning your AR15, or you need to do a recon patrol while someone else stays back with a rifle to guard your home.  The possibilities really are numerous where a back-up rifle would be more than useful.

While there are a number of different weapons out there that will serve this need (including having a second AR), I will present the case for the humble lever-action carbine being a solid choice to fill this niche.  

Specifically, I am referring to Marlin 336's and Winchester 94's in 30/30 caliber set up with a forward mounted red dot scope on a scout rail .  Something like this little guy here:

What are you getting with a set-up like this?  Simple, reliable operation, economical price point, common and widespread ammo availability, good stopping power and game-taking ability, reasonably good accuracy, great portability, fast handling, natural point-ability, modest-but-ample magazine capacity, acceptable low-light operations and familiarity with most people that you might hand one to.  That kind of covers a lot of your bases, doesn't it?

The classic lever gun with a couple enhancements fills this role admirably.  The enhancements consist of a scout rail, forward mounted red dot sight, back up peep sight, and sling of your choice.  You could put this whole package together, including the cost of the gun for under $750.  Unless you are independently wealthy, this is a very important point.  Remember, we are talking about a back-up carbine here.......most people don't want to invest a lot of cash in something that isn't their primary weapon.  Those excess funds, if you have them, are better off spent stockpiling ammunition.

30/30 ammunition is available anywhere ammo is sold and is reasonably priced.  It falls in the deer & black bear power class and will absolutely knock a tango out of his boots at 200 yards, if need be.

Lever guns are fairly lightweight, and can be toted for long periods of time without difficulty even by a smaller bodied or woman shooter.  Recoil of the weapon is modest and not considered significant to most shooters.

The forward mounted red dot permits shooting with both eyes open, and enhances hits on moving targets at close to medium range.  The dot itself also presents you with a defined aiming point in low-light conditions.....simply put, in a situation where you can't see your iron sights because of inadequate light, the red dot will always be visible. (if you can't see where you are aiming, you'll never make consistent hits).  The back-up aperture (peep) iron sights combine fast target acquisition and good accuracy in the event of scope failure.  These sights dovetail well on a gun that is naturally fast on target to begin with.

Typical 30/30 lever gun accuracy is 2" to 4" at 100 yards by a competent shooter......this projects out to a 4" to 8" group at 200 yards; easy center mass hits on a man's torso.  At 200 yards, a 170 grain soft point is impacting with nearly 1000 ft/lbs of energy (the same amount of energy that a 44 Magnum generates at the muzzle).

Typical magazine capacity on lever guns with a 20" barrel is six rounds.  In a back-up capacity, this is adequate.  Also, the magazine can be topped off with a live round in the chamber and the hammer back while you are keeping the bead on a subject.  The gun is never out of action during a reload.

Another intangible to consider is user friendliness.  Your good hearted, but half retarded brother-in-law, Billy Ray Joe Jim Bob may be the one you are arming with your back-up gun to watch your flank......do you really want him to be operating a rifle that has a complicated manual of arms to load and fire?  Most anyone who has watched a western on TV at some point in their lives knows how to run a lever gun without instructions.  The lever action is simplicity.....simplicity is exactly what you want in the hands of a non-expert during a high stress situation.

A lever gun in 30/30 is also a good, proven game provider should you need to bag a whitetail, mulie or antelope to feed your family.  They can even be used on elk at short range.  Being able to feed your family would be more than a luxury in the event of a TEOTWAWKI situation.

In closing, I believe that if you consider the all-around attributes that a properly set up lever action carbine brings to the table, you will find that is one of the very best choices for a number of different situations that a back-up gun might be employed in.  Men have relied on lever guns to protect themselves and bring down game since the late 1850's, and their utility is just as good today as it ever was.

Make your choices, but choose wisely.


LWM out...........