New Bear Thumpers

[Catahoula]

I’ve been looking for a lever gun for an upcoming bear hunt and came across a couple that I had to have. The first is a 1981 production BLR in 358 Winchester. I’ve never been a BLR fan but this one just feels right and I love the 358. The second is a 1980 Marlin 375 Winchester in unfired condition. I put a Burris 2-7X that I had lying around on the Browning. I’ve got a Weaver V3 1-3x waiting for rings to go on the Marlin. I know, scopes....lever guns...but my aging eyes do better with optics, especially in fading light. Brass, dies and bullets are here and ready for load development. I think either will be perfect for a deep woods black bear gun.

 

[BnC 04]

Both will indeed do nicely on a big blackie.

 

[gillettehunter]

Knock them on their butt for sure. Congrats and have fun!
Bruce

 

[CAustin]

Yep those will kill Bear.

 

[Eric Anderson]

Jealous

 

[flat8]

Nice! Love the lever guns.

 

[meigsbucks]

Either one will put a bear rug in your den or elk meat in the freezer.
The Browning BLR in .358 has been on my bucket list for years. I just always seem to find something I want more.
The .375 Win is a great round, unfortunately it never became popular. With several states legalizing straight wall rifle rounds for deer, it would be a great choice for that.

 

[bruce moulds]

I once had a miroku 358 with the detatchable mag.
a thing the be aware of is that, certainly in those days, many of the 35 cal bullets were designed for the 35 rem or other slower cartridges.
among these was the Hornady 200 gn round nose, which was a little too soft for big pigs unless you got side on chest shots.
that rifle was better suited to iron sights than scope, as the comb was a little low.
the gun fed and functioned flawlessly.
the nosler reloading manual I have suggests that the 358 would be handy to have in big bear country as a backup.
while this is probably true, bullet choice would be very important.
bruce.

 

[Catahoula]

I once had a miroku 358 with the detatchable mag.
a thing the be aware of is that, certainly in those days, many of the 35 cal bullets were designed for the 35 rem or other slower cartridges.
among these was the Hornady 200 gn round nose, which was a little too soft for big pigs unless you got side on chest shots.
that rifle was better suited to iron sights than scope, as the comb was a little low.
the gun fed and functioned flawlessly.
the nosler reloading manual I have suggests that the 358 would be handy to have in big bear country as a backup.
while this is probably true, bullet choice would be very important.
bruce.

I prefer to load heavy for caliber in most of my rifles. I’ve got 250 grain Hornady round nose and 250 grain Speer grand slams on hand. I would think they will be good to go on Black Bear at 2300 fps or a little more. If the Hornadys shoot and feed well, I’ll stick with those as I have several hundred on hand. Both the hornady RN and the 358 grand slam have been discontinued. If I was after something bigger, I’d develop a load with swift bullets or just take my 8mm magnum.

 

[Matt_WY]

Awesome! Be sure we get a trip report!

 

[Bullthrower338]

358 is something I’ve always wanted! Maybe I will fix that soon!

 

[AWLee]

A buddy of mine from NH had a Savage 99 in 358. It was as near perfect a bear gun as you could ask for.

Just when I thought I had everything I need, I guess I need to get a BLR now.

 

[Catahoula]

I finally got scopes mounted and made it to the range. The BLR won’t shoot the Grand Slams but loves the Hornady RN. Unfortunately, they don’t feed well. I’m going to try a new magazine and see if that solves it. Barnes Originals shot well in the 375. The target below was three shots from each at 75 yards.

 

[Scrumbag]

Nosler Partition might be worth a look for the BLR?

 

[Guy M]

Love that 375 Marlin!

 

[edward]

I’ve been looking for a lever gun for an upcoming bear hunt and came across a couple that I had to have. The first is a 1981 production BLR in 358 Winchester. I’ve never been a BLR fan but this one just feels right and I love the 358. The second is a 1980 Marlin 375 Winchester in unfired condition. I put a Burris 2-7X that I had lying around on the Browning. I’ve got a Weaver V3 1-3x waiting for rings to go on the Marlin. I know, scopes....lever guns...but my aging eyes do better with optics, especially in fading light. Brass, dies and bullets are here and ready for load development. I think either will be perfect for a deep woods black bear gun.
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like the place mats.

 

[Ray B]

All that's needed now is a permanent ink black or brown felt-tip marker to blend those white lines into the recoil pads.

 

[Catahoula]

like the place mats.

Thanks! My wife picked those up on our last trip to South Africa. Our planned African themed room is quickly turning into an African themed house!

 

[Catahoula]

Love that 375 Marlin!

It’s quickly becoming a favorite. The BLR May go up for sale.

 

[sgt_zim]

What??? No mention of 45-70???

BTB PDJ 425 gr and 525 gr PD at about 1600 fps are perfect medicine for critters with fangs and claws.