Scout/Truck gun

I haven't bought a gun in well over ten years, but I've always wanted a scout gun. I've considered things like a para sks and a jungle carbine, but I'm thinking this time I should go with the wisdom of buying quality and only crying once. So this is what I'm considering...

Fulton Armory M14 Scout Rifle

I figure I'll slap one of these on and call it good.

I'm going to be moving to Middle TN sometime next year to help manage the wife's family's farms there (by "manage" I mean clean out fallen trees, fixing fences, various grunt work, etc.) and I figure this would be a nice truck gun.

not a gun guy but is three grand about right for a weapon of that nature? I've never had a really high quality gun before so maybe this would be about right.

Nice.

That's got to be a record price for a truck gun, though.

oh man, that scope's gonna be a mile away from your eye.

I am a newby when it comes to scopes. I only shot open sights on the M16 in the military and the 30/30 as a kid. But now since I bought a crossbow of course I am using the 4 X 30 that came with it. The eye relief on that is about four inches or so for me which is apparently about average according to the manufacturer's guide. Good thing too, the bow has more recoil than I anticipated being a crossbow newby.

I think you're in the wtong thread, but the scope placement on your crossbow is fine. The model shoes linked to has a rail on the handguard, so with the action being what it is with the m14, the scope will have to clear the action, so its going to be pretty far forward on the rifle. The rail looks like its going to be free from the barrel flex at least.

Edit: went back and looked, that rail is attached to the barrel, so its going to flex, which isnt good for the scope. Were I him, I'd get a brass deflector/rail like whats mounted on this one.
https://www.fulton-armory.com/fultonarmoryusriflecal762mmm14-1-1-1-1-1-2-1.aspx

It's scout rifle. Scout scopes are designed to be mounted on the barrel. The greater eye relief helps for faster target acquisition. You also keep both eyes open for aiming so your depth perception doesn't go totally out the window.

Oh, I wholeheartedly approve.

But, as has been pointed out above, it's a record sum for a truck gun.

Shoes' truck:

It'll probably be worth more than my truck.

I was expecting something like this.

If I had the money, I'd get a semiauto M240.

Believe it or not, it's possible to get a semi-auto M249 here in California. Put a fin on the pistol grip, substitute a muzzle brake, and you're good to go.

If it weren't $7000 I'd already have one.

"I think you're in the wtong thread, but the scope placement on your crossbow is fine. The model shoes linked to has a rail on the handguard, so with the action being what it is with the m14, the scope will have to clear the action, so its going to be pretty far forward on the rifle. The rail looks like its going to be free from the barrel flex at least." - Burger King

oh yes that makes sense! Lotsa good advice on wordforge! Better to find things out now than after a purchase.

well that makes sense! It's a gun designed for quickly engaging a variety of targets at varying distances. Lots of wild critters on a farm.

A very nice gun. Not one I'd leave in a truck.

Here's a truck gun:

sweet! I like the camo version. I don't wear realtree camo clothes but the pattern is great on guns & bows and other equipment.

hehehe

We can see you're telling the truth when you're not a gun owner.

Hi-Point: the Pabst Blue Ribbon of gun marques.


(That 10mm carbine is pretty cool, though.)

Not a good comparison because at least hipsters like PBR.

I don't know anyone except for cheapskates who like Hi-Point.

Serious question for @Man Afraid of his Shoes

Why would you buy such an expensive gun to be a truck gun? Are there no guns that can do the job at a lower cost?

Don't get me wrong, the gun is awesome. I would love to buy one along with several other types they have on that website but it seems to me that you're buying the wrong gun for the job you want it for. The gun seems to be made for something other than a truck gun.

I think it's perfect for what I'm looking for. "Truck Gun" might be a misnomer. I'm thinking something to carry around in the truck when I'm on one of the various farms the wife and I are going to be in charge of...not a beater to throw around in the truck bed. Having said that, I'm having second thoughts about the Fulton Armory gun. The forged receiver is nice, but I'm thinking the Springfield Armory cast receiver would be good enough for a lot less $$$. So it will wear out 100 years after I'm dead instead of 150. I understand SA has quality control issues, but top notch customer service...so if I get a lemon, they'll fix it.

The two truck guns I remember my dad keeping in his pickups were my grandfather's Marlin .30-30 (though he always had a scope on it) and a Rossi lever action .38/.357, either in a rear window gun rack or later, when he had extended cab/double cab trucks, on the back seat. Never in the bed.

I used to have a lever action .30-30 Marlin 336 when I was a teenager. Yes people often mount scopes on them because they have a flat versus rounded top making mounting easier. I just had iron sights on mine though.

As far as I'm concerned, the perfect "truck gun" is my Marlin .44MAG lever gun with a fixed 2x scope. They don't make them anymore, but there are plenty on the used market. I have one for me and one for the little boy (when he's big enough to handle it). It's small, it points like a dream, it packs a lot of rounds, and the cartridges are more than effective at the ranges I'll likely encounter.

The only four-legged species I'm worried about in the woods are wild hogs and it'll do the job on them. Everything else, including black bears, will run from me.

Edit: Seems they are making them again.

Ahem.

My .30-30 is a Winchester Model 94. Lever action, of course.

Edit. My Winchester is also the largest caliber rifle I have. The other two are a .222 and a .22, both bolt action Springfields. Got those from my dad. Indeed, the reason I have the Winchester is because my dad had one but sold it when I was still a kid, and I always lusted after that rifle. Probably watched too many episodes of The Rifleman when I was young.

then I'm sure you loved the "Spittin' Image" Daisy BB gun that looked exactly like the Winchester 94 when you were a kid!

I've got a limited edition Canadian Centennial Winchester '94.

Love my Marlin .35. Peep mount with a little Tasco scope is plenty.

I've never ran across one chambered in .35 before. I had to google the stats and DAMN that does sound like a sweet round! Low recoil? Hell yes!

That is a bold statement, but I did not come defenseless. The numbers I am about to present come from the Shooter's Bible (SB) and various reloading books (I had to look up the powder weight to enter into the recoil calculator found on this website). We are going to look at knock down power (I don't like to blood trail deer) and recoil (The less recoil, the better people shoot.) Let's compare numbers.

300 Winchester mag., 150 grain bullet at 3290 ft/sec (SB)
Knock down - 22 rating. Recoil - 36 lbs.

444 Marlin, 240 grain bullet at 2350 ft/sec (SB)
Knock down - 25 rating. Recoil - 25 lbs.

35 Marlin, 200 grain bullet at 2224 ft/sec (My reload)
Knock down - 23 rating. Recoil 16 lbs.

The 35 Marlin beats the 300 Winchester mag in knock down with less than half the recoil and the 35 Marlin is only rated 2 less knock down than the 444 Marlin, but has 36% less recoil.