I've had this in my safe for a little while with no more ammo to put through it. With the current ammo shortage, it seemed the more obscure rounds became a little easier to find. So I was able to locate several cases of Winchester Super-X .200 grain soft point. Enough ammo for this rifle to last me many years. It's a hard-thumping rifle. I need to put a sling on it and get it out and warm it up again. With the other Browning posts, I figured I'd throw this one out there, too. I've got a BLR '81 lightweight in .308, but I think this is my favorite of the two. It shoulders perfectly and it's made for iron sights (though my eyes really need a scope). Balance is right between your hands. It is light. These BLRs in short actions are just great guns. Super smooth cycling. I love Browning's attention to detail. Even the bolt appears to be MP marked.

BLR's are great rifles. I have a steel BLR in .308 and love how smooth it is. About as strong a lever action as you could possibly find. My only gripes with them is that they are very difficult to disassemble and reassemble properly and mags are not cheap.

Yeah, they are definitely not a gun you want to disassemble unless you know exactly what you are doing. The lever and gear are timed and I understand it's put near impossible for the average shooter to get them right. The good part is without the magazine, the internals are pretty accessible for cleaning and lubing.

That's a beautiful rifle in an intriguing caliber. Almost as powerful as a .35 Whelen, and in a much more convenient and carryable package.

I've pretty much vowed if I ever find one used at a decent price, I'm owning it.

I currently scratch my .35 itch with a .35 Remington in a Marlin 336, but the .358 is a much more capable load.

I have a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington and this Browning BLR. Those are my only rifles in .358 caliber. I'd like to add a .35 Whelen one day.

The BLR does have noticeably more recoil than my Marlin, but neither is punishing. It has quite a bit more velocity and energy than the .35 Remington. Even so, the cases are somewhat similar.



.35 Remington left
200 Grains
Muzzle Velocity - 2080 fps
Muzzle Energy - 1921 ft. lbs

.358 Winchester right
200 Grains
Muzzle Velocity - 2490 fps
Muzzle Energy - 2753 ft. lbs

Buffalo Bore loads a 225 grain bullet that makes over 3,300 ft/lbs of energy.

Funny, I'd like a .35 Whelen as well, but haven't found one yet. I have an old Winchester 70 that may be shot out (I've never had the opportunity to shoot it, and it's in .25 Gibbs) that I am considering having rebarreled in .35 Whelen.

Great find! I really like these medium bore "thumpers" and have several, including a .375 Winchester "Big Bore" Model 94, a Winchester Model 71 in .348 Winchester, and a Remington Model 70 Classic in .35 Whelen. The later I've used to take deer, wild pigs, several elk, and two moose with single shots.

While ammunition shortages are pretty much effecting whatever we happen to look for, I'd suggest checking in regularly on loads for your .358 offered by Buffalo Bore and Double Tap. These aren't just using heavier bullets than your 200 grain rounds, they provide premium designs and custom loads that really optimize performance.

Thanks. I've got Buffalo Bore rounds for my .357, .44 magnums and .45-70. I may pick some up for my .358, as well. I've been toying with the idea of a guided hunt of some kind in the not too distant future. Of course, we have Elk here in Virginia and every year some are taken that wander off the Elk Recovery Zones, or that wander over from Kentucky. I've bear hunted in Maine in years past and that is appealing to me again. My .358 would be perfect Maine Black Bear rifle. I doubt I'd be lucky enough to draw a Maine moose tag.

I'd like to add a .358 to my Model 70 (pre 64 of course) accumulation. I have most of the other featherweight calibres. .358s are spendy though.

It's overkill for deer at the ranges I hunt. Of course, so are most of the rifles I've used. My .30-06 is way more than I need. Even my .30-30 with 150 gr soft points will shoot completely through a deer lengthwise at 50-60 yards and ruin meat while doing it.

This is a rather graphic video of a guy who lives here in Virginia showing what a .358 can do. It's either a testament to the power of a .358, or the strength of a deer that can still run some distance after losing heart, lungs and liver.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
It's overkill for deer at the ranges I hunt. Of course, so are most of the rifles I've used. My .30-06 is way more than I need. Even my .30-30 with 150 gr soft points will shoot completely through a deer lengthwise at 50-60 yards and ruin meat while doing it.

This is a rather graphic video of a guy who lives here in Virginia showing what a .358 can do. It's either a testament to the power of a .358, or the strength of a deer that can still run some distance after losing heart, lungs and liver.

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h6sEUo22CsA" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

"Overkill" or good insurance for a variety of shooting situations? Sometimes deer can be tough to put right down too. The .35 Whelen I used to take the above moose was also used to harvest a nice Mule deer buck a couple of days before. I had the Model 700 sighted in with Double Tap 250 grain Hornady "Hotcore" PSPs, thinking the bullet would expand easily on thin skinned mulies and have enough mass to use on moose during the same trip. I shot my buck from a quartering away angle as it ran about 100 yards away. My shot entered the buck from the right side just behind the rib cage, passed through and destroyed the liver, took out the left lung and ended up just under the hide on the left shoulder. That mass (heavy bullet) was very effective, but certainly didn't destroy anything that didn't need destroying (the meat was in great shape, the internal organs, not so much)! My buck only continued on for about 10-15 yards, but certainly was anchored and he was probably 250-275 lbs on the hoof. The same load took out the above moose a couple of days later at (a laser confirmed) 342 yards, with a shoulder/neck shot that dropped him on the spot.

While it seems that Double Tap doesn't offer that exact load for your .358 Winchester, they do have a 225 grain Sierra SPBT that should perform similarly and their 200 grain Barnes (all copper) TSX appears to be similar to their 200 grain TSX loads that I've used on multiple deer and wild pigs with my Whelen. I LOVE Double Tap ammo, not just because of their terminal performance, but due to the accuracy of the loads.

https://doubletapammo.com/collections/358-winchester

https://doubletapammo.com/coll...elen-250gr-jsp-20rds

The vast majority of shots I've taken were less than a 100 yards. Many of those were at under 60. Unless I'm hunting a clear cut, gas line right of way, or a beanfield, shots over 100 yards are few and far between. When I hunt with a rifle (many of our counties are shotgun only), I use run of the mill soft point, usually Federal Power Shok, Remington Core Lokt or Winchester Power Point. Those bullets have always performed well for me. Up close, they are downright devastating. One of the heaviest deer I ever took was with my Marlin 336 .30-30 with Federal 150 gr Hi-Shok. I intended a shot like yours on that mule deer, but from the left, and at about 60 yards. The instant I pulled the trigger, the animal pivoted right and the bullet struck the left hindquarter, destroyed the thigh bone, passed through the body cavity, diaphragm, hit the heart, lung, front shoulder and exited the chest. The whole hindquarter was completely bloodshot.

quote:

The BLR does have noticeably more recoil than my Marlin, but neither is punishing. It has quite a bit more velocity and energy than the .35 Remington. Even so, the cases are somewhat similar.

Dad had a 358 Model 70 FW years ago. He got it NIB still with factory grease. He got real excited and shot it. Found it kicked like a mule. So Dad hogged out the forearm and weighted it with shot and epoxy.

Have BLRs in 270 & 308. Like the flatter trajectory calibers in lever actions. Also have a Win88 in 284Win.

I have a '81 Lightweight in .308. I like it a lot, but I think my .358 with the pistol grip stock feels much better. I'm looking forward to putting more rounds through it.

Pulicord's statement, "'Overkill' or good insurance" rings true. Most of the areas I've hunted are on the edges of swamps and if you don't put you deer down, it's going to end up in it. It's a miserable job getting a deer out of a cold swamp, much less finding it. They can go a surprisingly long way even with a fatal hit.

I like this guy's videos. Here' another (graphic) video showing a .358's entrance and exit wounds on a whitetail.