Backcountry deer lever - BLR vs Marlin

[glennw89]

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.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I've never owned either rifle, but I would probably try to get something that had an oversized lever. With a pair of gloves on, my hands don't really fit in the regular ones. Pretty sure that would give the advantage to the Marlin.

 

[SilverDollars]

Howdy. Get the Marlin 336. I have, wait I've had both. I kept the Marlin and let the BLR go to resale. The Marlin is fun, bad a**, accurate(sub MOA with a 45-70 and open sights), and built well. The BLR shot a .358 Win and was anything but accurate! Seriously, I had no idea where any bullet was going! It's pretty to look at, but I could throw rocks more consistent and accurate than the BLR shot. I was so turned off by it that I will never buy another Browning rifle. I don't know who's fault it was in the building process, maybe the barrel was not up to any standard I expected. Needless to say, it was an expensive mistake!

 

[p_ham]

I think BLRs are ugly. They're made well though. Mixed reviews on accuracy.
You have to be careful with Marlins and make sure you get one made before the Remington takeover. You can also wait and see how the Ruger takeover plays out. The JM stamped Marlins are generally pretty accurate.
They're both heavy.
Any chambering offered in either rifle will work fine.

 

[JLS]

Depends on what chambering you want and if you want a detachable magazine. I’ve had a BLR and it was a good rifle. I’ve also shot Marlins and they are nice.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Marlin 336s are near and dear to my heart. Chambered in 30/30 they are the perfect midwest/eastern woods deer/black bear rifle. I never have had a BLR so leave that to others, but I learned to hunt with a 336 and now have two - my son and I took Ontario black bears with them this fall.

If you make sure the tube magazine band isn’t binding on the barrel and get a replacement trigger/spring and they will be plenty accurate for a woods gun. The stainless version is nice for longer trips in wet weather.

 

[jt13]

I've played with BLRs and I have a Marlin 336. Call me biased but I like the 336, as it feels more like a lever gun. Couple that with the fact that mine is an absolute tack driver and very wieldy in the woods.

 

[brownbear932008]

I finally picked up a Marlin 336 in 30-30 a few years ago. Love it and packed it most of the year this year. Friend of mine wounded a nice buck and 5 of us tracked him all morning. We finally did a drive once we thought we had him located. Between the 5 of us we carried 6.5cm, 300 wm, 300 prc, and a 30-378, and I packed the 30-30 because I thought the action may be close and fast. Guess who put that buck down on a moving 75 yard shot in the woods while two of the others were screwing with scopes and bolt guns and rest.
Make sure you get a JM stamped one before Remington screwed them up. Grew up on a lever and didn't realize how much I missed packing one.

 

[220yotekiller]

My brother has a stainless 336 that he loves, he swears by it and has shot everything from coyotes to cow elk with it.

 

[BrentD]

I owned and shot my first mule deer with a Belgian Browning BLR .308.

HORRIBLE rifle. Ugly isn't the word for it. Heavy as a tank and has far worse handling characteristics than a loaded Mississippi barge. Also about as heavy.

I don't own the Marlin 336 but I do have a bunch of Marlins, including, most relevantly, the Marlin 1893 in .38-55. The 336 is basically the same rifle with a few modifications to make it easier to manufacture and probably a bit stronger. Both models are easily serviced and most importantly, cleaned from the breech by removing the bolt (don't try that with a Winchester, unless you have a spare hour or two).

I absolutely recommend the 93 or 1893 (or the 336 by extension), over the BLR every day of the week.

Also, I suggest hunting for a used 1893 or Model 93 (different monikers at different points in the space-time continuum). Older rifles are not only cooler, they can be better made.

 

[D_Walt]

I have both, a Marlin in 30-30 and a BLR in .308. Both shoot well, but unless you’re just nostalgic for the 30-30 I’d go with the BLR in .308. I love mine and have killed a great many deer and hogs with it over the last 30 years. Accuracy is just fine with both rifles out to reasonable hunting ranges, though neither one would make the almighty “sub-MOA” list (though I suspect most “sub-MOA” rifles aren’t really). The versatility of the .308 just puts it over the top of the old 30-30.

The Marlin has been in the family over 60 years and has also accounted for a large quantity of game - as a matter of fact I just bought a box of bullets for it this evening.

 

[belshawelk]

I dunno about BLR but I have a 338MXLR and it shoots very well. So well I bought another

 

[Tikka06]

I have a 30A, the glenfield version of a 336, in 30-30. I love it. It was my first deer rifle and still gets packed around sometimes. I have a Vx1 2-7x33 with heavy duplex on it in talley lw’s. I shoot the federal premium 170gr partitions or the 170gr corelokts. It’s a 1.5in gun all day long at 100. I’ve killed a stack of whitetails with it over the years. All the BLR’s that I have held over the years looked great until you actually picked it up, then it just seems clunky.

 

[featherman]

I’ve never owned a BLR, but from the ones I’ve seen, I would expect it to quit functioning before the Marlin with mud and snow. That’s just a WAG though.

 

[David658]

I love my old 336, but it is old like I like my guns. I know nothing of the Browning. But I would suggest considering a Savage 99 in .308. Versatility, accuracy, good looks, and you can play scope or not. YMMV, I realize I didn't answer the direct question.

 

[mtmuley]

Is the 94 out of favor these days? mtmuley

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I’d hold off a while until Marlin starts production again, they were bought by Ruger! The current Marlins are made by the remnants of Remington. The Ruger production should get back to true Marlin values!

As far as caliber, I’d consider going .444 or .45/70, those make great brush guns!

I have the Marlin 1895 stainless in .45/70. I grew up with lever actions. Normal spitzer bullets are a liability in northern woods but a flat-nose bullet can be your best friend! They provide the piece of mind to not stress over tiny branches in the trajectory. 30-30 is a classic caliber but don’t always provide the knock down power needed in thick forrest.

 

[44hunter45]

I’d hold off a while until Marlin starts production again, they were bought by Ruger! The current Marlins are made by the remnants of Remington. The Ruger production should get back to true Marlin values!

As far as caliber, I’d consider going .444 or .45/70, those make great brush guns!

I have the Marlin 1895 stainless in .45/70. I grew up with lever actions. Normal spitzer bullets are a liability in northern woods but a flat-nose bullet can be your best friend! They provide the piece of mind to not stress over tiny branches in the trajectory. 30-30 is a classic caliber but don’t always provide the knock down power needed in thick forrest.

I hope you are right about Ruger @BoomerUSAF . I've long been a Ruger fan, but the same company makes the #1 and the M77 gave us the P.O.S. that is the American series.

I've been lusting over a JM stamped 1895XLR in 45/70 for a long time. The first thing I would do is out the big loop lever on it. I would rig mine up like @noharleyyet has his, but with the long barrel. I lug a 26" M70 through the North Idaho jungle, so the extra barrel length doesn't bother me.

I won a new production Winchester 1886 in 45/70 at a banquet and I sold it. The lawyers ruined it with the their tang safety. I grew up shooting a very old 1894 in 30/30, which I still have. The half @#)(# hammer has always been enough for me, safety wise.

Question for you Marlin carriers. How does the push button safety work? Can you carry "cocked and locked"? I rarely have a round chambered walking around anymore, just curious about how it works.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I hope you are right about Ruger @BoomerUSAF . I've long been a Ruger fan, but the same company makes the #1 and the M77 gave us the P.O.S. that is the American series.

I've been lusting over a JM stamped 1895XLR in 45/70 for a long time. The first thing I would do is out the big loop lever on it. I would rig mine up like @noharleyyet has his, but with the long barrel. I lug a 26" M70 through the North Idaho jungle, so the extra barrel length doesn't bother me.

I won a new production Winchester 1886 in 45/70 at a banquet and I sold it. The lawyers ruined it with the their tang safety. I grew up shooting a very old 1894 in 30/30, which I still have. The half @#)(# hammer has always been enough for me, safety wise.

Question for you Marlin carriers. How does the push button safety work? Can you carry "cocked and locked"? I rarely have a round chambered walking around anymore, just curious about how it works.

“But last August, Marlin ceased production of new rifles while its parent company, Remington Outdoor, was mired in financial troubles. Ruger purchased the company in September 2020 for approximately $28.3 million, plucking it out of the larger Remington Outdoor bankruptcy. That acquisition could very well be Marlin’s golden ticket. Ruger has been an industry leader in innovation and quality in recent years, and I fully expect that under their ownership we will see some great Marlin rifles soon.”

Is Marlin Firearms on the Brink of a Comeback?

After years of difficulties with Remington, expect to see new American-made Marlin rifles—now owned by Ruger—hitting the market this fall.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[BrentD]

I’d hold off a while until Marlin starts production again, they were bought by Ruger! T

Buy an old one. My 1893 was made in the 1920s. Lots of older Marlins that are superb rifles out there.

30-30 is a classic caliber but don’t always provide the knock down power needed in thick forrest.

I'd disagree with that. Nothing wrong with a .30-30 anywhere, any time.