My marlin 1895g in 45/70 is my go to gun. I bought a savage hog hunter to takes its place since it's only a few inches longer and it would be lighter I thought (it isn't according to manufacturer specs but it does feel lighter). With that being said I've never taken it in the woods to hunt with I always grab the lever gun unless i know I'm going to go to one field we have that has some room (200yds+) to shoot then I take my savage model 110 in 30-06 that's setup for longer shots but since i rarely hunt open fields and mainly stick to hardwoods and pine thickets on public land and even on our private land the lever gun always goes except that 2 or 3 times a season when I take my 30-06. I prefer hunting pine thickets and hardwoods from the ground or in a tree and the short lever gun is easy to swing in a climber and easy to walk with on your shoulder in the thick stuff with out getting the barrel snagged because it doesn't stick up way past your head when your walking