I'm just the opposite as for as the go to gun. If it was a matter of I need one gun out of the gun cabinets to put meat in the freezer, I would reach for my Marlin. After growing up shooting Daisy BB guns, it is the most natural shooting gun I have ever handled. And as for killing capability, refer to the moose mentioned above along with probably every other North American big game animal. For close to medium range it is a perfect combination of thirty caliber and speed. The bullets do not blow apart on any hit. We get a lot of boar hunters that are amazed when their 270.s and such deflect, blow apart, or just fail to penetrate a shield on a big boar and the old 30-30 punches right through. It is just one of those calibers that work.