Marlin 45/70 or shotgun with slugs

by anonymous

marlin .45/70 guide gun.

An AK or SKS takes a 7.62x39 round which, in my opinion, is a horrible choice for anything besides its intended purpose-a cheap military bullet. It has horrible trajectory, not much knock down power, etc. If you're carrying a gun purely for protection from bears/predators/etc. then a shotgun with slugs would also be a great choice. But for this situation I would probably go with a Marlin lever action .45/70, it has tons of knock down power, decent trajectory out to 200 yards or so, and is easy to carry. Look at what guides in Alaska are carrying-I've never seen one of them toting an AK-47 around, it just isn't a good gun for that purpose. Most professional guides are carrying shotguns with slugs, lever action .45/70's, and a variety of bolt action rifles. If the gun is meant for survival with the possibility of defending yourself from other people, the AR platform is the way to go, probably in a .223(5.56mm).