Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Help Choosing between 30-06 and .308 in Browning BLR

I want the BLR as a compact all purpose hunting rifle out west with ability to get elk within 300 yard.
As a cartridge I like the .308 over the 30-06 in all respects but the only thing that makes me entertain the 30-06 is that the BLR in .308 has 1:12 rifling and the one in 30:06 has 1:10 rifling.
Please help me decide.

The long-action BLR's sure FEEL less compact than the SA versions. The LA ones feel really long to me.

Neil Jones Custom Products is the only guy I know who will do trigger jobs on BLR's. He sure did magic on mine!

In the BLR the biggest difference is the lever-throw on the 308 will be shorter, and thus faster, than on the 30-06. Also the receiver will be a bit shorter and the rifle will balance differently. Ballistically there isn't enough difference to worry about; twist rates aside, the BLR platform isn't exactly designed for pushing the performance envelope of either cartridge.

This is one 308 vs 30-06 debate that is very easy to decide. Definitely the 308 in the BLR. The advantages of the shorter stroke action in the 308 vastly outway the tiny ballistic advantages of the 30-06. The short actioned rifle is 3 inches shorter than the long action - an inch thru the action and two inches of barrel. The lever throw on the long action really feels very long in comparison to the short action in the BLR. If you get the opportunity, operate both actions beside each other and i know which rifle you will walk away with. The short actioned BLR feels like what a lever should feel like. The long action doesn't. It feels decidedly cumbersome in comparison. If you need a heavier bullet, look at the larger cartridges available in the short actioned rifle.

BLR in short action all the way.

Is this an issue for you because you like to shoot over-180-to-200-grain bullets in your 308, or is it purely hypothetical/psychological?

I've handled both the long and short-action BLR, and they certainly feel different. Better or worse is personal, though, so there's no good way to help you choose besides the previously-given advice to handle them both and buy what you like.

FWIW, the long-action BLR's lever stroke distance is pretty much the same as a Marlin 30-30's lever stroke, from my measuring & eyeballing.

EDIT: My BLR's HORRID trigger was quite simple to fix myself, and it doesn't take a whole lot of disassembly. However, always be cautious about messing with fire control mechanisms!

I agree with Jeff_o on the BLR, had one in .308 (two in .358) and the SA action BLR's weigh half a pound less than the long action 30-06. I also had Neil Jones do the trigger work, when it comes to BLR triggers he great!

...and the shorts ones are really compact....





My friends .358 KillzAll....

Bob

Originally Posted by MZ5

Originally Posted by Lionclaw

...the only thing that makes me entertain the 30-06 is that the BLR in .308 has 1:12 rifling and the one in 30:06 has 1:10 rifling.

Is this an issue for you because you like to shoot over-180-to-200-grain bullets in your 308, or is it purely hypothetical/psychological?

It is mainly because I want to be able to shoot a good elk cartridge.

Then 30-06!

Why not get the best of both worlds and get a BLR in 300 WSM ???

Okay, in that case, choose whichever rifle you like! Either will and does work fine on elk.

Another vote for .308 all the way. No contest in my mind.

BLR in 358 Win. Short action, power enough for anything in North America shoots plenty flat with the right bullets.

This is one time I say .308 over 30/06.

I have 3 BLR's - All shoot moa and are great handling rifles.
With new 308 loads like Federal High Energy loads you can get Elk killing power out to 300-400 yards.
Having said that I will second the 300WSM - still short action and you can easily reduce loads to 308 levels. One great all around Rifle. Lwr308