Taurus Thunderbolt pump rifles?

[JoeWilliams]

It's my turn to buy a gun or two, since my wife has been having fun lately. I'm considering a Taurus Thunderbolt .38/.357 to go with the Ruger Security Six I'm trying to steal from her. Their website lists it at about $530, no doubt it can be bought cheaper.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with these rifles? We've been more than pleased with the Taurus handguns we've had over the years, but don't have any experience with their rifles.

Are there any other choices in .38/.357 rifles for a reasonable price that we could compare these to? I know Marlin has a lever action out in .38/.357, but I don't know how much they cost.

Another alternative is to pick up a Glock 19 and a Kel-Tec carbine in 9mm, but the .357 allows the option for some short range deer hunting if I feel the urge, and I'm not really convinced about the Kel-Tec's durability in the long run.

Primary purpose is basically fun shooting. We are also looking for a rifle for our "bug out" kits, that can use common ammo with at least one of our pistols. Don't really feel like carrying more kinds of ammo than we already are (.22, 20 guage, 9mm, and .38s & .357s), and a couple Lee Classic Loaders in the pack allows us to load all the 9mms and 38s we could need.

[nfafan]

See the other thread going about "lever action in .40" - both Henry and Puma lever guns are avail in .38Spl/.357.