r/canadaguns • u/iKxml • Mar 24 '26

Buy recommendations Best 2 in 1 gun

What’s the best gun for someone who’s looking to have a good animal defence weapon in places like the Yukon and northern BC. But also fun at the firing range. I just did my PAL course recently I still have to wait until I actually can apply for it. But in the meantime I’ve been looking at guns for fun it seems like my best option would be a lever action rifle that’s 30cal or bigger or some kind of pump action shotgun that can shoot slugs.

Thank you

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u/canuckguy89 Mar 24 '26

Shotgun will generally be the most versatile long gun you can own.

6

u/iKxml Mar 24 '26

Yea that’s what it seems like. Throw some slugs in it you have a partial rifle. Do shotguns make decent range weapons ?

6

u/Paint_Spare Mar 24 '26

I've enjoyed it personally, you'll want to train/practice with whatever firearm you use at the range regardless. It's been fun practicing with slugs on a steel target out to 80 yards. Also SKEET, skeet is way more fun then I thought it would be. It's a great time.

be mindful of cost. 12 guage ain't as pricy as 308 or 303 British to run on a range but it'll add up depending on the shells you buy.

That and be mindful of your shoulder lol 12 guage kicks, especially with 3inch shells, but yeah shotgun is the most versatile hands down. 

3

u/safe-queen Mar 24 '26

Depends what you want to do :) you can certainly shoot trap, for example, but some ranges might not allow you to shoot steel/paper targets with shotguns due to the fact that slugs damage targets and shot wrecks OSB target backers.

Might I also suggest a 45-70 lever action?

Whatever you use, make sure you practice hitting targets quickly. Bear spray is great for protection from big wildlife precisely because it's easy to get the animal you're aiming at.

1

u/canuckguy89 Mar 24 '26

Potentially. Some ranges especially indoor ones might not have the correct backstop to support long gun fire. IMO shotguns are more fun for stuff like trap and skeet. Most of the folks I see at my range with shottys are typically patterning for turkey hunting.