Given the legalities you are faced with, I would second the Garand. They are one of the finest rifles ever produced in my opinion. I really think lever guns are underrated. The real hillbilly's I shoot with who live "off the grid" have all sorts of rifles to choose from but they carry lever action rifles when they are "out on the land" 95% of the time. Shooting with them has really made me look much more positively at lever guns.