Zaboo, I'm next door in MS - similar laws regarding primitive rifles. I picked up a HR last year in .35 Rem. I went with it because my other hunting rifle is a Marlin lever gun in that caliber. The barrels are the same length, so I only have to keep one box of ammo for both and the ballistics are the same. As triglet said, the trigger is a bit stiff, but other than that, it's a nice little gun. The .35 Rem is not near the kicker that the Wheelen is, but it's also not as flat of a shooter. I'm comfortable with mine out to about 200yds, but not past that.