Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Backcountry lever - BLR vs Marlin

Good evening all. I'd like to hear some opinions/experience/feedback around preferred backcountry lever deer rifle between the Browning BLR and Marlin 336.

I would primarily be hunting the big woods of Ontario, Adirondacks, etc. Some of those hunts would feature overnight backcountry stays. All hunts are likely to feature inclement weather - rain, snow, cold, etc.

The areas I hunt are a mix of deciduous trees, conifer trees, and swamps. It's thick cover - maximum shot would be about 150 meters, most shots will be 60 meters and under.

Reliability and build quality are paramount. It needs to work and it needs to hold up over time.

I have two Kimber Montanas that I use for the majority of my hunting - but would like to add a lever action as well.

Thanks in advance for your input.

I suspect that moose, big bears, and timber bison would be included in the game you’d like to hunt?

If those are all included I’d think a Marlin in 45-70 would work rather well.

Blr has 450 marlin as well

How are the new BLR’s? Mine was an early one. I had two magazines and I didn’t care for those magazines. They would not feed with a full Mag. It was a 358 Win. I liked the cartridge and everything else was good. The trigger pull was only ok.

On the other hand the only thing I don’t like about Marlins is the limit of over-all-length of the cartridges. I wish they fed a 1/4” longer shells to accommodate the cast bullets I prefer.

This is my favorite foul weather Marlin. .358

When I walk the woods, I prefer my BLR in 358 Win with 200 RN's. A very accurate, light package. I've had mine around 20 years and never had an issue.

You can take a Marlin apart with a multi tool. A jammed up BLR not so much.

Some people claim Marlins are unreliable. Oddball ammo may prove that true, but the usual stuff has never failed me at least.

I have no faith in any mechanical device being 100%. So, the one that is easiest to put right.

I'd use something like this, a Marlin 336 .444. The Marlin is a much more reliable action for adverse conditions and is easy to disassemble and clean. Given the ranges you'll be shooting the .444 shoots flatter than the .45-70 and with the right bullet will shoot through any big buck at any angle. Other rounds such as the .356 would work, but that's what I have to use.

I have a Marlin in 45-70 and a steel 81 BLR in .358 Winchester . For myself , given the hunting you mentioned , I would much prefer the BLR . I know nothing at all about the new BLR's from but I have not heard anything bad said about them . Any of the rifles mentioned by the others will work just fine , this is just my preference . My BLR mags work just fine when completely loaded.

I have an old steel frame, short action BLR '81 .308 that has never given me a seconds worth of trouble. But then neither have my Marlin 1895 and 336 rifles or the various Winchester M94's I have owned over the years.

Marlin 45-70.

Any model.

Having owned a 444, I think it would be a better deer cartridge. But the bullet selection was rather poor to say the least when I owned mine. I sold it in around 1990 and never desired another. I did get a 320 grain plain base mold for it and with that bullet I’d take on some of the animals that you might encounter. Otherwise I’d limit the 444 to deer and elk - maybe moose too.

I think the Marlin feed system is better than the BLR and with the conditions you mentioned you would not need flatter trajectory. Failure to feed in some circumstances could be quite unpleasant.

The 450 Marlin could everything as well as a 45-70.

I really like the 358 Win cartridge, and feel it too, is a good if not great elk and deer cartridge, (moose too).

But I think I’d be asking people that come across grizzlies which of the cartridges and rifles being discussed. If your large bison was part of the menu, I’d also be looking for something with a lot of power.

Also, what ammo is available where you are planning on hunting?

If you were needing flatter trajectory you might be best with the BLR and 300 Win and premium bullets.

Or you could Re-barrel a BLR to pretty much the limits of your shoulder- say a 458 Win.

I own a BLR and have done a lot of research on them in the past. That said, unless I need a specific cartridge only offered in the BLR, i would choose a Marlin if I were going to use it in adverse conditions where reliability is paramount.

I hunt conditions very similar to conditions the OP mentioned. I've been in the rain all day, snow, freezing temps and never had an issue nor a need to disassemble. I maintained it like normal and it was fine. Same with a Marlin 336. I'd have no issue taking either.

i own all these types of rifles maybe not each cartridge mentioned but many of them. i own 5 - BLR`S too , my favorite is a BLR takedown laminate stock 30-06 with a 6x - 42 Leupold mounted on this rifle ,i also like that it has a clip / magazine so the bullets don`t get bent up and i can shoot 300 yards if i have too. its accurate , easy too handle , recoil is not to bad , never have had trouble with this rifle , i use this rifle to track wounded animals if i ever have too for someone and this rifle is loaded at campsites. best thing about this rifle is you can buy 30-06 ammo at grocery stores , gas stations maybe even at a fishing or hunting resort any place in the world what ever . where ever i hunt i always bring this BLR 30-06 even sometimes fishing camp , its kinda like a favorite pillow it always goes with , i live in Northern Minnesota we get all types of weather its not always sunny and nice.

Sweet looking Marlin! Is it stainless or did you have it plated?

As to the OPs question, for the use he outlined, I'd choose a Marlin over a BLR any day. I had a BLR81 .358 and twice had issues in sub freezing conditions. I dumped it in favor of a Savage 99 .358.

How about a Marlin 1895XLR?

i own a Marlin guide gun 45 -70 recoil is horrible and its not that accurate maybe its a 100 yard rifle at a big animal . you can have trouble with any rifle i have had Remington 700`s freeze up , and to be honest i have had no problem with my S.S. BLR 30-06 ever , i was in the mountains this year in the snow freezing weather with this BLR 30-06 and it work just fine , plus was easy to unload with the clip and no messed up bullet tips so my ammo was still accurate all season long.

I would choose a Marlin chambered in 444 Marlin. Flatter trajectory than the 45-70 but still hard hitting delivering a heavy payload. As others have mentioned, the Marlin lever is easy to field strip. I jammed one once on a bear hunt. I made a poor shot on the bear and short-stroked the action trying to take a second shot. The bear went out into a marsh while I pulled out my knife to clear the jam. I got it cleared pretty quickly and followed the bear, ultimately catching up with it and killing it.

I doubt I could have corrected a BLR in time to put it back in use. Here's the rifle I cleared with a knife.
https://i.imgur.com/NXYmPO2.jpg
I was using iron sights on the hunt I described. I added the scope later. Also, you might note the aftermarket lever takedown screw. That too was added later and really makes taking the action apart simple without tools.

T.S