Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Another BLR 81. This in 358 Win

Any advice from knowledgeable people? Rusty

Crickets...………………... Be Well. Rusty

It's a popular chambering for the blr and a popular subject on the fire. Search for past conversations.

Compact gun that handles well. I wish mine had a higher comb, but I added some foam insulation under an ammo sleeve.

Heavy trigger, but Neil Jones will fix it if you can't live with it.

Mine carries a 2-7 scope and works just fine. I get Hornady 200 gr round nose for a good price and they work well for eastern woods hunting.

You don't say much about the BLR other than its in 358 Winchester. You also put the word Rusty on the same line...I'm guessing that is your name and not a description of the rifle.

You looking to buy one, found one, got one or want to get rid of one? I have a BLR in 308 and a BLR 81 in 284. I like them just fine. They are handy, accurate and reliable. I don't ask for much more in a rifle. Like my 284 Winchester, ammo for a 358 Winchester is sometimes hard to find, but if I found a BLR 81 in 358 in good shape, at a good price, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

Just waltzing though the classified and see that Rusty recently purchased an old model blr in 358 with steel receiver and fishbelly magazine. I got rid of mine 20 years ago because it was butt heavy/muzzle light and I couldn't comfortably carry it one handed due to that sagging magazine. Opinions differ, but I think the BLR81 is a better carrying rifle.

mogwai, my BLR in 308 is one of the early ones and made in Belgium. I like it better than my BLR 81 and I'm not really sure why. I carry mine on a sling, upside down on my left shoulder and have never paid much attention the protruding magazine. I guess If I carried it in my hand a lot I might feel different.

Mathsr, we all use guns differently and this is a Great example of why a person needs to try stuff on as well as getting advice from internet wizards!

Mathsr I found one. Had been looking for a 358 in a Savage 99. Instead of a 99, which already sold, I found the BLR in 358. Cool. I had just bought a steel framed BLR in 308. I guess I won't have to rebore the 308 to 358! Maybe. I have cast 280 gr FPs and 275 gr Hornady RNs in the old boxes, down to 180 gr TTSXs. Would like to try the 275 and 280s on Feral pigs next February in Texas. If you get tired of the 284 let me know what you want for it. And I don't know what you do for 284 cases but I just take some Lake City 7.62 empties I have and run them into a 308 Small Base die. Then into the 358 Winchester die and reload. Both times through the sizing die they get Imperial Sizing Die Wax. Messy but I don't lose cases. If you will notice going smaller in caliber the necks grow but up in caliber and they shrink a small amount. Works for me on 358 Winchester cases. Thanks for the replies. Be Well. Rusty

The info I got is the big belly receivers had a different lug/ locking system over the newer ones.

They are presumed " weaker" I have only had newer ones. Without getting the triggers worked I don't like shooting them.

I've had mine for quite a few years. Some of my favorite powders in it are TAC, XTerminator and IMR 4064. Handles and shoots great.

Love mine, great thumper for Whitetails, bear and Moose. Use 225 gr Nosler partitions over 4895 or TAC. Loaded some 180 gr flat nose Speers that I will use on Whitetail this fall, just to try something different and less expensive to shoot. 225gr .358 Nosler partitions are getting hard to find and pricey. I've got an old 2-7x28 Leupold on mine with the post cross hair that works great.
Got a cheek pad from lever gun leather works to raise my eye up to the scope properly, and it looks good.

John

Can you post a picture of that cheek pad?

https://www.levergunleather.com/images/mikeccheekrest1.jpg
https://www.levergunleather.com/p_buttstock_covers.htm

The top link is like the one I have on my BLR, Moose head wood burn/ painted on the cheek side by a hunting buddy of mine. Page down to "Cheek Rests". There is a lot of nice stuff on there. Pricey, but quality work.

358 win blr--
-250 speer bullet, 44 grains imr 4064 and 215 fed primer seat bullets to max length the magazine easily cycles
its been used for 4 decades in my elk hunt group with complete satisfaction
sight in 3.5" high at 100 yards, this is almost dead on at 200 yards and almost 10 inches low at 300 yards
I don,t remember a single elk even being seen or even shot at, past 250 yards and 1 shot kills are common

Do you have a pistol grip? I think that would slide on my strait buttstock

Looks nice though

What kind of speeds are you getting with that 250? I haven't loaded any that heavy but thought about either the Speer or Hornady just for kicks and a heavy load. IMR 4064 hasn't given the velocity some of the others I've shot but it's been very consistent and accurate, probably my favorite powder in mine.

It is laced on very tightly, and the back end is attached to the rear sling swivel to keep it from sliding forward. I do have to snug it up about once a year, but it doesn't move very much at all.

Ah! Mine has no swivel stud, so I’ll keep using pipe foam and vet wrap, covered by a nylon ammo sleeve

Whatever git's the job done.

i purchased a new BLR S.S. takedown 30-06 and that had no swivel studs either , so today i just got done installing studs .its really not that hard to install them carefully. this rifle is kinda going to be the family workhorse rifle used to take care of business ,matter a fact a dear friend with health issues will BE taking this BLR rifle cow- elk hunting soon said his 30-30 just might not be enough for longer shoots.