Help me figure out how to build this...BLR

T

thepitchedlink

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So I work in the bush as a pilot and would love to have a take down "survival/bear" gun. If I could do things the simple way I'd just get a 12gauge pump, but that's no fun. I carry a m94 30-30 now. So I was thinking that a takedown BLR would be cool and it could double as another hunting rifle to boot, so that's just good $$ managment right? A BLR in .358 seems about right I think...problem is what I really want is a 35 Whelen..so here's my quiestions and thoughts:
IS the Whelen that much better as a bear basher? does it have that much more ooommph then the .358 to make all this fuss worth it?
How do ya get a BLR in 35 Whelen? could you buy 2, a 30-06 and 358, swap barrels, re-ream the 358 and have an easy 35 Whelen? I'm not gunsmith but I think that might work. But then what do you do with the left over parts. What can you make from a short action reciever and a 30 cal barrel cut for a 30-06? How hard might it be to re-work the camber end and make it back into a 308 or something?
OR do ya just buy a 30-06 and rebarrel it...
OR is this just a stupid project and I should buy a 12g
 
yeah, why not just buy a BLR takedown?
i havent seen the pistol-grip stock ones (nicer finish on these) in canada, but a lot of places sell the BLR takedown lightweight with the straight grip stock. SIR is one of them, last i checked they werent even that expensive.
 
Go to the ammo company web-site ... ( you know, the winchester dot com
exercise) ... use the tab for rifle and then the drop down box to find 325WSM,
once there, pick a built weight by checking the "check-box" then go to the right and click on the red "compare items" ... you'll get their ballistic info like velocity, energy and a short & long range drop table. You can compare at least 3 different loads at once. ( For the 35 Whelen, you'll have to go to the Remington site - Product - Ballistics for the same sort of thing )

Have a look in the post a few items down " 308's, moose, tikkas and other boring s**t" ... good photo of a BLR takendown on p.8 of that post by manbearpig
 
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I shoot three different .35 Whelens, have not taken a bear with one but have shot a dozen or so elk and moose. My brother shoots a BLR .358. He has used his .358 to shoot several elk and moose. I also have a Win 94 .356. If you load them all up with good bullets, and use them at "self defence" range, I defy anyone to prove there is any practical difference in effect on game the size of bear (or elk or moose!). Another thought. Handle a long action BLR and then a short action. In my (not so humble) opinion, these rifles should not have been made in long action. They handle much better in the original short version. A .325 WSM is not superior either. Higher velocity and a lighter bullet is NOT what you want in a "bear basher" The "superior" ballistics of the .325 may look good on paper, but bone crunching penetration is far superior to speed in this application. African Dangerous game rifles are an example of the principle. Long heavy bullets at moderate speed penetrate better. Buy a .358 stainless/laminate takedown BLR, load up some 250 grain Nosler ptn, 250 grain grand slams, or 225 X bullets, and you're all set. Even the 200 grain Winchester factory load silvertips nearly always break major bones and still exit from bull elk, so you could use them with confidence on big bears too. A .358 has a good practical hunting range of 250 yards or so, so it is not really limited as a general hunting rifle either. Now wasn't that easy?... Of course if you really want to build a custom rifle, you have a great excuse!!! Ignore all the above.
 
Hahaha, thanks Longwalker, that's pretty much what I came up with too, I was just trying to explore the options...but I think the .358 would probably be fine. I have to get out and handle each or these too. I really would like it in stainless, but I'm drawn to the pistol grip for some reason. With my m94, I seem to get the odd thumb knuckle in the nose every now and then so I was worried about the straight grip BLR been the same.
 
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Your talking SURVIVAL...which means for food as well...and not always big or medium game. My suggestion is to buy a Marlin guide gun, shot the big lead at bears and such, but also be able to pound grouse and bunnies and such with small 410 shot loads one at a time
 
I'd vote for the .450 Marlin, much better solution, for anything in close......If you've made your mind up o.k. but have you seen some of the custom take downs made from the '95 Marlin in 45/70? Checkout Wild West Guns and DRG for awsome powerhouses.
 
You don't need more power than a .358 for anything in North America. For survival food gathering, or general small game hunting, a lead RN handgun bullet loaded to <1000 fps is a great "bunny & grouse buster" out of a .358. Unlike a full power .450 Marlin, you won't need to lick the slug to get something to eat. One of the reasons the .35's are so versatile. Ben, you even make a nice 198 gr. RN cast .358 bullet that I'm planning to load in my Whelen for small game.
 
why does it have to be a take down? my 12.5" 12ga fits fine in any helicopter I've been in....

if you have your heart set on a lever, pick up a Marlin guide gun

(figure from the handle you're a fling-wing driver?)
 
Ya, fling wing...a short 12g would work fine, I just don't want one. Looking for a bit more cool factor and maybe get a back packable, easy to transport hunting rifle out of it too. Had a look at the Wild West guns site...that, my friends, is pretty darn cool.
 
TD rifles come with a pretty steep price tag, but if it's really what you're after, by all means.

Iif it's a no-no on the 12ga, I'd probabally grab a Marlin stainless in .450 and have the barrel bobbed down to the mag. don;t get me wrong the .35 whelen is a serious thumper, but having put lead from my .450 in a few angry beasts now, and it has rather spectacular and finite results. :D

you're not one of GSH's new lads and worried about Nanuk are you? ;)
 
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I bought a BLR in 300 WSM a few weeks ago. I was wanting a take down in 325 but the store didn't have one but had a couple of 300 WSM's at a reduced price, so purchased one of those instead. Since I still have a hankering for a 325, I phoned Browning today to see if they would put a second barrel on my rifle in 325. They said no, they would not do that. Then I asked if they would sell me a barrel extension, the part that slides into the receiver and has the barrel threaded to it. Again they said no, its a factory service part.
I guess the only way I'll get a 325 is to buy another rifle.

Hart
 
Nope, no GSH here, AES all the way..and really just looking for an excuse to buy another gun, not that anyone needs an excuse. Sure like the look of those WW co-pilots, but the$$ is pretty steep, might just have to go middle of the road and a BLR
 
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