Marlin or BLR?

[.45_Rich]

I have wanted to buy an lever action rifle for the last several years but have never been able to really make up my mind. What I have decided is that I am going to buy one this year. I am considering either a Marlin 336 in .30-30 or possibly a Model 1895 in .45-70. If I go with the BLR I think I will get a short action cartridge (.243 or .308). With either the Marlin or Browning I intend to go with a peep sight rather than a scope. I already own a .300 Win Mag and a .270. I hunt in the woods of Northern Minnesota and it is very rare to get a shot at distances farther that 150 yds. I felt Marlin and Browning were good choices because they are relatively inexpensive, easily found, and have a reputation of quality and durability. Finally I chose these calibers because they are cheap (with the exception of the .45-70) and easy to find. Finally, at this time I don't reload and therefore shoot factory loads.
If I had to make a choice right now I think I would go with the Marlin 336 .30-30 (in stainless because I think they look cool).
I appreciate all comments and opinions.

Thanks.

[dr walker]

I think a Marlin 336 .30-30 in stainless steel is abou the perfect starting point. You can always get that BLR next year.

[CowboyTutt]

It may not matter for your purposes but a 308 in a BLR is almost always a tack-driver and will probably be more accurate than the Marlin. -Tutt

[Swampman]

The BLR is ugly and heavy. Buy American, buy a Marlin.

[AJMD429]

I know they're "Brownings", but I just can't get used to guns that have the guts come out the bottom when you work the action. Maybe I'll try real hard someday, but it just doesn't seem right, somehow...!

[madman4570]

Now since 2007 you can get the Stainless Marlin in .35 Rem man that would be sweet.
Otherwise the Marlin in 30-30

[Hobie]

Whichever feels right to you.

[iceman]

Between the 2 I would take a Savage model 99 in 308. Just something more to think about

[.45_Rich]

I forgot about the Model 99. Great gun. Would like one in .300 savage.

[iceman]

I have one in 300, great rifle. I only mentioned 308 because you don't reload.

[O.S.O.K.]

Given your currently owned rifles, I would suggest the Marlin in 30-30 or 35 Remington.

The BLR would be redundant.

The Marlin is quite different and I think that's what you're after?

[Tycer]

30/30

[CowboyTutt]

The BLR is ugly and heavy. Buy American, buy a Marlin.

Whaaaa? Ugly, maybe, but heavy? My 20" BLR with the aluminum receiver is a fantastically light, quick handling and easy to carry rifle, even more so than my 20" 454/45 Colt Puma '92 Win copy. Old Savage had no love of BLR's when I met him, and even he was impressed on the handling characteristics of it.

You certainly could not go wrong with a Marlin or '99 Savage either but I still bet the BLR would be more accurate. Marlin is owned by Remington which is owned by a larger multi-national conglomerate just like Browning. Hard to argue the "buy American" thing anymore as everyone seems to be selling out. If you can, handle and cycle them all in a store and pick the one that feels right like Hobie said.

-Tutt

[piller]

Both???

[Don McDowell]

Either the Blr in 243,7mm08 or 308, or a winchester 94 in 30-30.

[6pt-sika]

You speak of the 308 in the BLR .

While I am not a fan of the BLR , I would suggest the Marlin 308MXLR !

The Marlin is stainless and chambered for the 308 Marlin Express .

The two I've owned were both very good shooters with factory ammo .

[geobru]

As Hobie said, pick the one that feels right to you.

The BLR is a quick and accurate woods rifle, as is the Marlin. When you are young and your eyes focus quickly on irons, it doesn't make too much difference. When you get older, it is nice to be able to scope your gun withoout having to D&T a bunch of new holes in the gun.

This is a subject that everyone has their opinion on, but what YOU think is more important than what I or anyone else thinks. Some on this forum don't like any levergun that doesn't have a magazine tube on it, favoring the classical look. Others like me, like levers in all their configurations. (But there is really something special about an 86 Winnie!)

Both calibers are excellent choices for deer. If you think you might want to shoot a moose or an elk with it, I would favor the 308, but it sounds like you are already covered for the larger game with the calibers in your existing collection.

Good luck. Make the decision either way and I really doubt that you will be disappointed.

[Lawyer Daggit]

I agree with Hobie- with lever guns or other brush guns it comes down to 'what feels right'- it is that shotgun like feel that will enable you to take a quick shot.

[Borregos]

I agree with Hobie- with lever guns or other brush guns it comes down to 'what feels right'- it is that shotgun like feel that will enable you to take a quick shot.

+1

[Doc Hudson]

First of all, you really should start to reload. It won't save you any money, but you will get more shooting for the money, and it can be a lot of pleasure as well.

I'm afraid I won't be lots of help on your decision making. I own a BLR in .358 Win and love it. i've also owned Marlin .30-30'a and .45-70's with great satisfacction..

If you are leaning toward the BLR, let me suggest you take a good long look at the .358 Win. It is IMO the very best medium bore cartridge around. The only down side is that factory ammo is not easy to find. However a single pass through a forming die convert .308 brass into .358 brass.

Considering your hunting conditions, I believe you do quite well with a .45-70. it has been bringing home meat for nearly 140 years and with modern loads it gives up very little to the .458 WinMag.

[tman]

i'd take a blr in .308. it combines range, fast cycling, cartridge availability and price. it handles almost as well as a 336. the .308 is a little more flexible than the 30-30 when it comes to hunting the big stuff. the military still uses this round. the 30-30 is a great round. the 308 is just a little better.

[.45colt]

I now have three Marlin's,a 32-20, a 30-30 and a 1895 45-70. want to mount a reciver sight? about 10 minutes. not much more for a scope. two of mine came from the factory with studs installed for a sling.want to clean it? easy to remove the bolt. now that Remington is loading core loct ammo for the Marlin .338 I really want a Mx model.
I can't badmouth the Blr but the Marlins sure work well. I like Mine.

[Marlin32]

Why choose? I have the BLR .308, Marlin 32 Special and Marlin 30-30.
Considering the following:
Marlin in .356win
Marlin in .45 Colt
Marlin in 338 (would like to see ammo besides Hornady)
BLR in .358
(Had a .307win) but it wasn't accurate enough for me, traded it, yep I am a dumb butt.

My 32 special and the 30-30 are very accurate rifles. Every bit as good as the .308 BLR out to 100yds, Haven't really tested them any further out than that, wouldn't probably shoot them much further than that.

To be honest, I am just a bit dissapointed in the BLR .308, now don't get me wrong, it will shoot more than acceptable "hunting" groups with the 180gr soft point, I just think it should be better. Probably would be with other rounds, just haven't had the reason too.

[TCB in TN]

Well, I have both and couldn't argue against either. (.308 in the BLR and 336 in the 30-30). My 77 336 is a good shooting thing, it don't have the range of the .308 but its plenty accurate IMHO. I also love my BLR. Don't see myself letting either one go. I got my 336 in good used shape for about $225, and the BLR used for $450.

TCB

[tman]

Why choose? I have the BLR .308, Marlin 32 Special and Marlin 30-30.
Considering the following:
Marlin in .356win
Marlin in .45 Colt
Marlin in 338 (would like to see ammo besides Hornady)
BLR in .358
(Had a .307win) but it wasn't accurate enough for me, traded it, yep I am a dumb butt.

My 32 special and the 30-30 are very accurate rifles. Every bit as good as the .308 BLR out to 100yds, Haven't really tested them any further out than that, wouldn't probably shoot them much further than that.

To be honest, I am just a bit dissapointed in the BLR .308, now don't get me wrong, it will shoot more than acceptable "hunting" groups with the 180gr soft point, I just think it should be better. Probably would be with other rounds, just haven't had the reason too.

don't give up on the blr. i consider mine my lever SNIPER RIFLE. try a few more loads and find 1 it likes. it's worth the search.

[Big Mike]

I got the BLR in 308. Its never let me down and I've shot everything from 1500 pound stuff to woodchucks. Load it right and you will never think you should have had more. I like my 30-30 and it is a tie for my favorite rifle but mines a Winchester. But, other than deer and small stuff and beyond a pretty close range I wont shoot because it has nowhere near the potential of the 308. If the caliber dont matter that much I'd get the gun that pointed best for me.

[FWiedner]

You speak of the 308 in the BLR .

While I am not a fan of the BLR , I would suggest the Marlin 308MXLR !

The Marlin is stainless and chambered for the 308 Marlin Express .

The two I've owned were both very good shooters with factory ammo .

Bingo. Marlin reliability, .308 performance, but... a good .30-30 is never a bad choice.

[madman4570]

yep, and if .45_Rich deceides he does not want to handload anytime soon in the future,hard to beat the 30-30 for $15@box

[brno602]

I dont like the glossy finnish of the BLR my only gripe.
Okay two gripes what is the twist rate on the .308 barrel? as I have never seen them shoot good with the heavy bullets, But I never shoot anything but 165 in .308 or 06, I don't have a BLR but know many who do and I shoot with them and they all say 150 gr works best but they always over look the 165gr but then most do not reload they just buy their ammo at Canadian Tire see what shoots best (at least they do that) and call it a day.

[Lastmohecken]

I have owned, hunted with and target practiced with probably 50 plus different leveraction rifles over the years, and still own quite a few, but I personally believe that the old steel framed model 81 Browning BLR's in 308 win are the best, unless you just want a 30/30.

If I am not going to scope a 30/30, then I much prefer a pre-64 Winchester model 94 to anything else. If you going to scope it, you might as well get the BLR because the .308 Win is superior to the 30/30, and a scoped Marlin is no lighter, and handles no better, then a scoped BLR.

You could pick up an old Savage 99 in .300 Savage, as that's a pretty sweet shooting gun, if you get a good one.

[FWiedner]

I dont like the glossy finnish of the BLR my only gripe.

Mask your metal with some painter's tape and use a fine steel wool to buff the high gloss off.

[scarville]

[Bingo. Marlin reliability, .308 performance, but... a good .30-30 is never a bad choice.

I don't know of any evidence that the Marlin lever action is more reliable than the BLR. I've read a lot of claims they are not an "off road" rifle but I've never seen any problems in the field with either of mine. The only problem I ever had was with some steel cased Chicom ammo that would stick in the chamber and was very hard to extract. I could fix that by lightly lubing each round but since it wasn't reloadable anyways (and I found out it was the only corrosive 308 ever made in the history of the world) I gave it away to some full auto guys.

[Bruce]

Nothing wrong with any 30-30. A Marlin is a good, reliable and easy to maintain rifle. My choice is a BLR. There is a difference and it is not weight.

[71fan]

I'm going to sway from the crowd a bit, with a few points to think about.
-You already have high-powered, pointy bullets covered. The 308 offers no advantage over either of your current bolts.
-A 308 with open sights seems a bit silly at your stage in the levergun evolution. You'd be shooting a light rifle with a nice bit of recoil, for 100 to 150 yard shots. The application just doesn't seem to fit for an open-sighted BLR in 308

So that bring us to the 336 or 1895. Both will do fine, adn the 30-30 is superior in terms of cost and recoil. But...I would recommend the 45-70 and stick with factory Remington 405s if you're recoil sensitive. That and the Leverevolution ammo are quite fine for deer, and both can be had for $25 to 30 still.

One last thought....
Once you get hooked on the levergun thing, if you have a 30-30 you'll be wanting a 45-70 pretty quick. May as well get it first and be done with it

[Rexster]

I like my .308 BLRs. My latest one is a Takedown model. I have Marlin lever rifles, too, but they are chambered in .357 mag.

[pdawg.shooter]

I forgot about the Model 99. Great gun. Would like one in .300 savage.

There are 3 of them comming up at auction in Larned Ks. Feb28.

[scarville]

I dont like the glossy finnish of the BLR my only gripe.

Some furniture oil and 0000 steel wool will take the gloss off. I just recently did that to mine.

Okay two gripes what is the twist rate on the .308 barrel? as I have never seen them shoot good with the heavy bullets, But I never shoot anything but 165 in .308 or 06, I don't have a BLR but know many who do and I shoot with them and they all say 150 gr works best but they always over look the 165gr but then most do not reload they just buy their ammo at Canadian Tire see what shoots best (at least they do that) and call it a day.

Twist is 1 in 12. This works OK up to about 180 grains. Beyond that it's not fast enough. Probably have to go to a 1 in 10.

[Henry McCann]

I have owned 8 Marlins and still have 4 in .35, .32, 30.-30, .444....I love them. My dad bought 2 BLR's in .308 and .358 that I have used for 30 years. Handy, accurate fun rifles. The .308 is now my sons. Shot his first deer with it a couple of years ago.

Dad has promised me the .358 when the time comes. Marlins and BLR's...how could life get any better!!! No bad choices here.

[.45_Rich]

I want to thank everyone for replying with their opinions. I know that the gun that "feels best" is the correct choice, but I am definitely leaning toward the .30-30 and/or .45-70. IMHO that every collection needs a .30-30. They are all around good guns that are suitable to many different situations. The more I think about it, the more I am intrigued by the .45-70, especially the Marlin 1895. At 7.5 lbs with a 22 inch barrel, I think it would fit nicely and shoulder very comfortably. The only concern I have with the 336 is that it may feel too small. In that case I will have to try and find an old Winnie.
Fortunatley I have an acquaintance at the local conservation club who has a .45-70 and has offered to let me send a few down range. Once we get unburied from the snow in the spring I will have to take him up on the offer. Finally this thread has reaffirmed my need to start reloading.
Thanks again.

[peabody]

First of all, you really should start to reload. It won't save you any money, but you will get more shooting for the money, and it can be a lot of pleasure as well.

I'm afraid I won't be lots of help on your decision making. I own a BLR in .358 Win and love it. i've also owned Marlin .30-30'a and .45-70's with great satisfacction..

If you are leaning toward the BLR, let me suggest you take a good long look at the .358 Win. It is IMO the very best medium bore cartridge around. The only down side is that factory ammo is not easy to find. However a single pass through a forming die convert .308 brass into .358 brass.

Considering your hunting conditions, I believe you do quite well with a .45-70. it has been bringing home meat for nearly 140 years and with modern loads it gives up very little to the .458 WinMag.

i have a model M99F in .308, i love the rotary magazine. super slick. cannot go wrong with a savage 99.

but having said that, i'ed love the have the browning in .358, now theres a classic !!! [makes me want to re-chamber my 99]

[peabody]

thinkin ? doesen't browning make the BLR in .338 federal ? now theres a thumper.

[blackhawk44]

They also make the BLR in .300 and .325 WSM. Those might outrun a .338 Federal, not to mention any .308 or .338 Marlin round.