I've been looking around for months at the local gun shops to try and find a decent used .30-30. So far, I haven't seen a single one on the "used" shelf. This is probably because much of my state is shotgun only.
So it looks like if I want a lever gun, it is probably going to come down to buying a new one. That got me thinking--I love my .38, and I'm slowly squirrling away the money for a .357. In either case, I'm already set up to load .38/.357 and have molds for them.
What are people's experiences with a .357 carbine? Do they tend to work well with .38's as plinking loads? The largest game it would ever see is WI sized deer (I'd guess and average would be around 150#), and with decent shot placement, I would have to guess the .357 would be adequate for that. I've seen a couple of deer taken with .357 hand guns and with a stout load they did the job fine.
I guess what I'm looking for is a handy "do it all" type of rifle. A fun plinker that could run the same ammo as my pistol, a decent HD piece, and maybe a good brush gun for hunting deer along the power lines.
Are there any brands that you would recommend? Avoid? The problem (like normal!) is that I don't have a fortune to put into it. Just looking for a solid, reliable and handy rifle. I thought "Rossi" first thing because of the price, but it seems like the quality is hit or miss. You either get a great one, or a junker. (although I don't have any personal experience with them)