Long Guns

The 5 Best Long Guns for Use on the Homestead

Life on the homestead requires long guns.

From pests to home invaders, one must be ready for anything when you're a homesteader. Thankfully, there are plenty of guns on the market that will get the job done quickly and efficiently.

These five long guns are perfect for doing it all.

1. Henry Arms .410 Lever-Action Shotgun

Around barns and the homestead in general, you could see a number of smaller pests right in front of you. A raccoon raiding the chicken house at 3 a.m. is a prime example. While a more powerful shotgun may dispatch a raccoon from far away, a quick-shooting lever-action .410 will do a number up close without doing much damage to your coop. The .410 isn't terribly loud either, meaning you won't disturb the neighboring properties. Henry has done a great job coming up with two forms of this handy small-bore shotgun.

2. Remington 870 Shotgun

A dependable shotgun, preferably in the hard-hitting, plentiful 12 gauge, is a necessity. If something happens in the night where law enforcement help may be far away, a dependable pump-action shotgun is the way to go. Load up buckshot loads where wild dogs, large predators or bipedal dangers might be on your homestead. Shotgun slugs pack a punch when hunting for big game.

3. Ruger 10/22 Rifle

Known for the ultra-dependable 10-shot rotary magazine and a multitude of aftermarket options, the Ruger 10/22 rifle is fast-shooting and accurate. A dependable .22 rifle is much needed on the homestead, too. There is also a takedown model that can easily be stored behind a pickup truck seat for when you need it the most.

4. Henry Arms Lever-Action .45-70 Rifle

When you need a hard-hitting rifle, especially on the Northwoods homestead, the mighty .45-70 caliber is the way to go. When you pair this mighty caliber with Henry Arms lever-action rifle, you'll find a perfect match. This powerful, quick-cycling combination is a ballistic sledgehammer.

5. Henry Arms Single-Shot Rifle in .223 or .243

For long-range targets like hole-digging groundhogs or livestock-killing coyotes, a scoped, long-range rifle is the right long gun for the job. The Henry Arms Single-Shot Rifle chambered for the .223 Remington or .243 Winchester calibers reaches way out there with precision.

While these five long guns are my favorites, I figure any dependable rifle or shotgun you can shoot well is useful. Make sure you have a close-range defense shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a long-range rifle at hand, and you'll be set for homestead defense.

Do you like articles about the outdoors? Click here to view more articles by Eric Nestor. You can follow him @ericthewoodsman on Twitter, The Classic Woodsman on Facebook, and @theclassicwoodsman on Instagram.  You can view more Nestor Photography photos at Nestor Photography.  

NEXT: SURVIVAL RIFLE REVIEW: HENRY U.S. SURVIVAL AR-7 RIFLE

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