BLR Re-Barrel Project---Opinions Wanted

[redfox33]

I have a new love in my life....Browning BLR's.  I just got a 7mm-08 and love it.  My Dad has been carrying a .243 and .284 for years.  He got rid of all his other rifles because he won't tote anything else.  It just took me a little longer to come around.

I've been thinking of a re-barrel project and here's my question...Which would you think would be better for a close quarters mountain gun? 
A .308 re-barreled to the new .338 Federal
OR a .30-06 re-barreled to a 35 Whelen. 
I know Browning offers a .358 Win. but like I said I want a re-barrel project.  What are ya'lls opinions??

redfox33

[pagris]

redfox33:  Glad to hear another BLR fan has been made - they sure are a sweet carry. 

With regards to to your re-barrel project, I believe the decision should be based in part on the barrel length you are thinking about.  Your 7mm-08 had a 20" barrel, as do most the the short action length BLRs.  If you decide on a longer-length barrel in order to get some of the inherent performance out of either the .338 Federal or the 35 Whelen, you might lose some of that handling factor that you like. Also, the action length for the 35 Whelen would be longer, by necessity, which may cause a difference.   If you decide to stick with the 20" barrel. I would probably be inclined to get the 338 Federal, as you would probably lose less performance out of its smaller case than you would with the larger 35 Whelen case.

Another point to consider is simply that neither cartridge seem to be big-sellers currently, so factory ammo choices and availability might be an issue - unless, of course, you reload.

Yeah, if it was me, I would go with (or, in my case, stick with) the .358, but only since I reload.

I would be curious to hear who you are thinking about getting to do the work and what an approximate cost would be.  I have always thought that a BLR in 250 Savage or 260 Remington would be sweet.

Good luck with your project.

pagris

1977 .358 BLR
1980 .358 BLR - original owner
1987 .243 '81 BLR
1991 7mm-08 '81 BLR

[Ahshucks]

For me, it would be between the 325WSM(long range gun) or the 358(medium range gun) with a lot of reloading supplies of course. 

[pastorp]

I don't care for the feel of the long action BLRs. That would eliminate the 30/06 from the selection for me.

I had a pre-81, jap made blr rebarreled from 308 to 260 a couple years ago. It cost over $400.00 to have done, but I wanted a BLR in 260. As long as you use a steel receiver gun for the rebarrel you should have no problems. Regards, Byron

[Darrell Davis]

As already noted, it can cost for a new barrel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, get a quality gunsmith and remember he needs to make a living, then buy a quality barrel.

AS noted in "Bye ,Bye Browning, I had an A-bolt with a bad barrel. 

I, in general liked the rifle, but by the time I would have paided for a quality barrel and the gunsmiths charges, it just wasn't a good way to go.

In your situation, I'd look for a new or good used BLR in the desired caliber and sell/trade your current rifle.

It will usually be bucks better spent.

AS per caliber, there is no such thing as "to dead".  Big can, at times, be better as long as you can shoot it well.

Just IMHO!

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[Blackhawk44]

While I only have three BLR's, I must agree with pastorp on the long action models.  They have all of the lively handling qualities of an 8ft 2x6.