Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Ultralight BLR 358 Win Project

After moving to Alaska from northern Maine in 2002, all I had down there was a 30-30 mod. 94. A BLR 358 was my first big game hunting rifle. Many rifles have come n gone, but the 358 being most similar to what I grew up carrying, always stayed. Whenever any hiking up elevation is involved, my 9.3x62 carbine gets a little heavy at 8.25 lbs scoped. The 9.3 would be an impossible cartridge for a lightweight rifle, as the recoil is too brisk. After 20 shots of my 300 grain handloads, I realize quickly that I wouldn't want it any lighter. So started the BLR project, as a lighter weight alternative, offering 75% of the power of the ole 9.3. A Kimber Montana is out of the question, as would any bolt action because I still need a rapid-repeating deer rifle for the thick woods of Northern Maine.

As my gunsmith buddy was carving some fine walnut for a big-bore double rifle, we did a little mindless work on an ugly rifle. There is a little over 1lb of needles bullsht on the rifle. The recoil pad feels like a lead ball, and all that over-engineered stuff in the forearm mounting system as well. From the factory, the butt stock is significantly hollowed. We took some metal off the hammer, as it's too wide. The recoil pad was replaced with a piece of EVA foam, same stuff thats the handle on fishing poles. It weighs nothing. Some 550 cord sling loops, a 2.5x Leopold ultralight, and some Talley light-weight rings, the rifle is sitting at 6 lbs 12 oz scoped. With 44 grains of reloader 10x under a 250 grain A-frame, I'm getting 2400 fps. The recoil is not bad at all. I've shot 275 grain woodleighs at 2200 fps, 200 grain accubonds at 2700 fps. None of those handloads recoil bad either. 100 rounds of any full power load, is easily done. I once rattled through 200 rounds of speer 250 grain target loads in one session, and my shoulder was fine. By the last 50 rounds, I became bored so started shooting targets at 350 yards. I ran out of rounds before I realized that the 2.5 fixed scope was of sufficient magnification. Random thoughts: Woe is the pathetic sucker who affixes a 50 mm objective belled scope to a hunting rifle.

Anybody contemplating a scope for a 358, the Leopold fixed ultralight is the best. I used to run a 1.75-5 or a 2-7. These scopes were used on 3 bull moose using a 358 win. In every instance catching a moose, the scope was on the lowest power. The simplicity of a fixed scope really adds to the allure of this gun. At 6 ounces on my scale, I can't think of a lighter scope. The ocular lenses housing is smaller, which allows better access to the hammer, a much better designed scope for any lever gun.

Having hunted and run thousands of miles of rivers and lakes in Alaska with a 358 over the past 15 years, I suppose it's my favorite cartridge. It's the ultimate canoe carbine, and a pretty darn handy mountain rifle too.