I had a nice '81 BLR in .358 and it was super nice. My local smith ( before he retired) did the trigger job thing on it and it was a shooter. Unfortunately, it couldn't compete with my tricked out 35 Whelen AI I had at the time. I hunted with a friend and his dad one year for cow elk. It was late season, really cold and the dad used a BLR in 30-06. Now, being raised with a Mod 94 Classic carbine, that particular BLR/'06 was one ugly devil, ha. But it worked just fine and he loved it, so that's whats important. Also, the shiny factory finish on the stock is surprisingly super tough! It can be buffed down with some steel wool/elbow grease, but Its never been proven ( in my own experience) to me that a shiny rifle has hurt anyone but Snipers!
