Time was, the role of “truck” or “trunk” gun could safely be delegated to that old Mosin M44 that you picked up at a garage sale for $30. Time was.
Nowadays, even the skunkiest Mosins can only be had for $500 or more (!!!).
So then, if these are the times we live in, allow me to offer an alternative to a rifle which needs a mallet to work the bolt.
Such as the very handy and practical 1895 Oviedo Mauser, which has a much smoother bolt, and which shoots the 7mm Mauser cartridge (which will not dislocate your shoulder like the Mosin’s 7.62x54mmR).
I actually owned one of these, once upon a time, and I can’t remember why I got rid of it. Stupid me.
Anyway, one rumor I do need to dispel about this lovely little carbine is that the metal used is inferior to modern steel, and which therefore makes it “weak”.
It’s completely untrue. The steel is every bit as fit for purpose than any other, as Chuck Hawks wrote many years ago.
I’d have one of these excellent little carbines in the trunk of my car any day of the week. It’s just too bad that today’s gun prices have made the whole concept unworkable.