Looking for a Good Deer/Hog/'Gator Rifle

[Armd2DaTeeth]

Look guys I'm not as experienced with long guns as I am hand guns.

I can hunt deer in WVA & Florida(Boar & 'Gator here also) with a rifle and am looking for a simple lever action unless Ya'll have better ideas.

I am think .357 Mag but am open to other ideas.

I would appreciate your suggestions.

[srt 10 jimbo]

I mostly Hog hunt, the Deer down here are pretty dinky but I use a Marlin 336 lever action in .35 Remington and it works just fine , a 30-30 would also work fine

[btleslie]

Any center fire lever gun should do especially the rifle rounds for deer and hogs. Haven't hunted gator just seen it on TV on Swamp People. They all use 22s. I guess if you're going for meat and not the perfect hide a higher power round would be OK.

[Armd2DaTeeth]

I shot a sow through the side with a 30-'06 and she ran 1/8 of a mile on 1 lung and a bullet wounded right leg(it took a head shot to put her down).

I want to kill these animals cleanly but quickly.

[sparks9293]

Any handgun round won't pack as much punch as a rifle cartridge. There are some heavy hitters in rifle as in .300 win, .308, 7mm, 30-06, 30-30. Another heavy hitter is a 12 gauge rifled slug barrel with a high end sabot round can put a serious smack down. All in all I feel it comes down to a real good quality hunting ammo with some great expansion no matter what you decide on.

[Armd2DaTeeth]

Another heavy hitter is a 12 gauge rifled slug barrel with a high end sabot round can put a serious smack down. All in all I feel it comes down to a real good quality hunting ammo with some great expansion no matter what you decide on.

Maybe that's the road I need to go down.

[cws_dallas]

You might consider the Ruger Thunder Ranch Scout Rifle. For the uses you listed, it could be a very good solution. Pricier than some other options, but also more useful.
Gun of PDTV: Ruger Scout Rifle - Guns & Ammo

[scrabtree6]

I do dig that scout rifle seems like a good all around rifle, can be used for anything from hunting to even more "social" uses with the 10 round detachable mag.

[ncfarmer]

I'd suggest a .30-30 lever action or .35 Remington for deer and hogs. If you are going to do
a lot of hog hunting, the .35 might be your best bet. The .30-30 has slightly more range than
the .35 Remington but the .35 Remington has a little more knock down power because of the
heavier slug. My best friend hunts with a Marlin 336 .35 Remington and he uses a 200 grain
slug. I hunt with a 160 grain slug when I use my Marlin .30-30. If you are interested in longer
shots in an open area, a .30-06, 7MM Magnum or a .308 would be good calibers to consider. Down
here where I live, the deer aren't as big so many hunters go with the .270. I wouldn't
use that because if you are going to hunt hogs with the same rifle, I wouldn't want to
be on the wrong end of a wounded and angry boar.

[ncfarmer]

If you want a lot of knock down power, the .45-70 would fit that bill. Marlin makes a nice
.45-70 lever action and it really packs a wallop. The .45-70 was introduced as a buffalo
hunting cartridge and would probably put anything down it hits. I've never shot one but
I understand it can be a little hard on the shoulder.