Lever Action Carbines for Home Defense? 

You're right. New lever guns are well over $1k and some ARs can be had for $500. My point, which maybe didn't come through well, was that a lever gun you already have could be upgraded for a modest price to give excellent service. Thanks for the review and comment. Dick Fairburn

Yeah or an AR-15!!!! Bear creek arsenal guarantees 1.5 MOA for a $500 gun!!! I don’t know of lever guns anywhere near this price point for the quality??? I don’t think there’s any way to make a lever gun cheap relative to modular designs like the AR?

That was my first thought lol the lever gun I want is over a thousand bucks..

Lever gun in .357 is a good choice in this broad subject range ! The last Marlin 1894 I looked at was $1200.00 so that’s spendy for a fine rifle !

This video is maybe not as usefull for people in the US but for people in countrys with much more restrictiv gun laws.

Glad it works for you.

Massachusetts?

That is unfortunate

I would say you are pretty well set up.

Yes, both Marlins and Henrys allow top mounting. I prefer the 92 action because it has a shorter lever throw and I can work it easily from the shoulder with my short arms.

You can do that with 9mm, too. Most carbines today take Glock mags. Don't get me wrong, 44 magnum is one hell of a cartridge. But the 9mm much more available today.

@@sasquatchycowboy5585 Do not forget the .357 mag which also is capable of firing .38 specials. That is my preferred choice over the .44 although I do have both a .44 and .357 handgun and could have gone either direction.

@billwiley7216 Mine, too, actually. I mentioned 44 because its ballistics are superior. But the .357 has, in my opinion, a better balance of recoil and power. I hope to pick up a set of Rugers in .357 in the next year or two. Maybe and 1894, GP 100, and SP 101. But I've also got Glocks and carbines that take Glock mags.

Mad.

Thanks for your kind words. What load do you use in your .357 for deer hunting?

@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb the past three seasons I've been using the same load I carry in my 686 plus, 158gr JHP's. I've been kicking around the idea of using 180gr JHP for the thicker brush areas. What's your favorite load?

I’m still under 40, but I remember when the AR was $1000 and the AK could be bought for $400. Now a decent AR can be bought for $400 and a good AK is $1000 minimum!

Hopefully, the liberals will never get us restricted to lever guns only.

My pistol caliber lever guns are Browning B92s in .357 and .44 (plus the big brother B86 in .45-70). John M. Browning was a genius.

My point was, you can use what you might already have, as you pointed out. Glad you like my videos.

Thank you.

try 2-3000 in CANADA OR MORE! BIG HORN ARMORY ARE 4-7000 IN CANADA

And like 400 bucks for a basic AR-15

In Jeff Cooper's book "The Art of the Rifle," he discussed and showed images of the .30-30 lever action for general purpose use. I have long recommended a lever gun for patrol and home defense use.

Thank you for the kind words.

I've gone to stainless/synthetic for my hunting rifles, but LOVE my lever guns.

If you are comfortable with what you have, there you go.

Good thoughts from you as well.

Sounds like you were well prepared!

And can be had for under $300

Yes, if you enjoy recoil, lol

@@michaelnasser8697Many companies offer reduced recoil buckshot and slug loads that kick way less but are still absolutely devastatingly potent at close ranges.

I am sighting in my Browning 1886 Carbine .45-70 in an upcoming video. I'm headed to Wyoming in a couple of weeks to film a bear hunt - black bears over bait - and my buddy has trail cam pix of a HUGE grizzly which has visited that bait five years running. I plan to smear my wife with peanut butter and honey while we sit in the ground blind ... I can claim self-defense when I have to put it down with the .45-70! I carry a 10mm sidearm now in bear country when I don't pack a rifle (another upcoming video).

Thank you.

I'm good with aperture sighted lever guns to at least 100 yards, 125+ in good light. If you like a scope on a lever gun (I don't). You can extend those ranges. Were I ever able to afford an African trip, I'd be tempted to get an Aimpoint Micro mounted mid-barrel on my .45-70 and try a buff with the right load!

It is gone from their web site and don't find another on a Google search. Strange, I found 3 when I bought mine a few years ago. I emailed Wild West Guns to see if they can still make them. You could buy a short section of picatinny rail from Brownells or other supplier and screw mount it to the forend. Not sure I would want to drill holes in my forend, so maybe Wild West will get back to me.

@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb Thanks for the assistance! It looks like a nice mount for when critters come visiting remote camps at night!

No, I don't think a .22WMR is a viable self-defense weapon unless that is all you have ... it beats a stick. Use defense-type loads or, probably better yet, a solid lead projectile and aim for the eyes.

It was plenty good enough for Chuck Connors of the rifle man.

@@enriqueoliva6988 😎

Thank you! Exactly 💯

Not to mention they are just so much cooler and better looking sorry but they just are! Plus fun as hell to shoot I could shoot my 30-30 all day and it doesn’t bother me a bit it’s a mild light shooting gun even tho it’s a 30-30 (rifle caliber) plus they’d be great if you had to ever shoot from more of a distance for whatever reason.. and obviously can use them for hunting of course, just an all around awesome multi purpose gun! 👍

For iron sights, I like a peep the best. Choose a fairly large aperture (or drill out a tiny one) and use it as a "ghost ring" where the back circle is mostly a blur. Using a flat-topped front sight, concentrate on the tip of the front sight and you will be both fast and accurate. If you can't get at least a decent focus on the front sight, a 1x optical sight like an Aimpoint or Eotech will help a lot and can be a bit faster yet. I just can't bring myself to mount on optic on a lever gun. Maybe someday.

Thank you.

I agree that an AR carbine is probably the best available home defense rifle, see my M4 Home Defense video ... Dick Fairburn

Firing a 5.56 indoor without ear protection? Say goodbye to your hearing! A 9mm carbine would be a better solution. And these longer barrels make the 9mm even quieter.

You wake up hearing some crackhead breaking in. You grab your AR chamber a round and go out to the living room. You see the crackhead 10 feet away, aim and pull the trigger. Click! Misfire! The crackhead rushes up to you and guts you like a fish with his bowie knife! Good thing you went with that bargain Basement $500 AR! A levergun or revolver would have let you fire the next round very quickly

@@Gieszkanne I did shot a 12gauge indoors in 1995 (3 shots). I can still feel the pain!

I disagree a lever gun can be every bit as effective as a AR plus more powerful Cartridge also depends on the person and what they practice with/ are more comfortable with I definitely don’t feel underfunded with my 336

The .348 was just about the pinnacle of Winchester lever guns.

Might want to check your 5.56mm against stud/sheetrock walls. Even a 40gr Blitz load will penetrate a couple of walls.

Caliber choice for home defense depends a lot on your home (construction type) and location. Almost anything larger than a .22LR will pass through multiple walls made from 1/2 inch sheetrock. Living in the country means you may have to legitimately defend yourself at longer distances, depending on the threat. What caliber/action do you recommend for home defense?

@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb Well sir, I guess the first thing we need to establish is what you consider home defense. I see home defense as defending human life within a dwelling, such as a house, mobile home, or apartment. I don’t see where living in the country has anything to do with it. In a home, I can’t fathom the need to make a 100 yard shot. If you do need to make that shot, you are either outside, or inside shooting from a door or window at something that’s outside. That’s not home defense. If a would be intruder and/or attacker is outside, and has not breached your domicile, you are protecting property, not ones self. As I said in my first comment. If that’s the only gun you have, then so be it. Now if you’re talking about a charging bear, or something like that, then by all means. As far as any caliber or action recommendations, I’ll refrain from giving an answer. All I’ll say, is that there are way more viable guns and calibers for home defense, than a .357 lever action hunting rifle.

@@davidbillings1863 You are exactly right! Even if you shot some 5 feet from your front door. It’s defending property and if against the law.

Depends on where you live

Lever action rifles are just as effective not to mention just way cooler and better looking people can give anecdotal and argue with all day long but at the end of the day nobody wants to get shot by any gun including a lever action rifle can absolutely do the job just as much as an AR can point blank period also 556 rounds can obviously over penetrate as well any caliber can. And people saying I can’t fathom ever having to shoot at someone from a farther distance.. you never know what situation you could find yourself in