Loving the BLR chambered in 358 Win.

[NYDAN]

Some of you may remember that a couple of months ago I traded a Ruger Hawkeye chambered in 375 Ruger for a Browning BLR chambered in 358 Win. I had gotten the 375 Ruger at a gun auction.
https://forum.nosler.com/threads/what-was-i-thinking.47308/page-2

Well, I am very happy with the trade. I bought a Leupold Freedom scope 2-7x33 scope for it during our trip to Montana. After we returned home I ordered some Talley scope mounts for it and mounted the scope.


When I sighted in the scope, I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy I was getting with the rifle and ammo. It seemed as if the bullet holes would have overlapped each other if not for the adjustments I was making on the scope. I was using Hornady 200 gr. interlock ammo.



I did shoot a bullet into a line of one gallon milk jugs at about 20 or 25 yards. I was surprised that it went through 4 jugs and bounced off the 5th jug. That seems to be more penetration than what I had seen posted the forum for the Hornady 200 gr. Round Nose bullets. Bullet made a perfect mushroom.







I have been carrying this rifle with me during the past week trying to get a shot on a deer. I finally got a shot on a small deer Monday and hit the deer just behind the front shoulder. I was astonished at the performance. The deer dropped in the tracks. The exit wound was about the size of a tennis ball even though I didn't hit any bone on the entrance. A huge chunk of lung was hanging out of wound. Pieces of lungs, blood, meat, etc. were blown out in a spray pattern behind the deer.

Based on the results with the water jugs I am confident that these bullets with have sufficient penetration on deer sized game and based on the terminal performance I witnessed on Monday, I am confident that the bullet will expand quickly enough for deer.

So, I am very happy with the way everything has worked out.

Dan

 

[DrMike]

Oh, yeah, the BLR chambered in .358 Win will definitely "git 'er done!" I've owned three of these beautiful rifles, and all were a delight to carry. All performed well above expectations, even when taking a bison on one occasion.

 

[Slimfinn]

Great results Dan, looks like you're ready for another hunt

 

[RL338]

Looks like you have yourself a winning combination. And one in the freezer too.

 

[JD338]

Very nice Dan. There's something about those 35 cal bullets that just crush game.

JD338

 

[Blkram]

Wait until you try it on bear, moose, elk, and other big game...you'll like it even more!
You may lose velocity due to the shorter barrel, but no game you shoot with it is going to no the difference! And you get good performance with manageable recoil! My daughter took her first deer with mine as a teenager.
It is also handy in the thick timber, or when tracking wounded game. Travels nicely in a short rifle case or scabbard on a horse or atv/utv.
While they may not have great triggers, they are usually pretty accurate once you learn where that trigger breaks.
I know I won't be parting with mine (a pre-81)! I've had it since '03, and have had many great adventures with it!

 

[Guy Miner]

Outstanding!

A friend of mine had his 308 BLR re-bored to 358 Win when the actual 358's were very hard to find. He topped it with an Aimpoint red-dot, this was 25 years ago... He nicknamed it "Killer" after a long streak of kills on elk, mule deer and black bear.

I think you're going to continue being happy with that rifle! Congrats.

Guy

 

[gerry]

Congratulations on the deer Dan. That 200 gr Hornady does really well at 358 speeds.

 

[cloverleaf]

Hey Dan- Thats great! Really nice "utility" rifle that is also pretty, and apparently performs well. "Beware the man with one rifle..." Sounds like may have just become a one rifle, rifleman. Nice! CL

 

[SJB358]

Great stuff Dan! That 200 grain Hornady is a whopper in the 358. Pretty accurate in my BLR as well.

 

[rjm158]

I used mine last year to shoot a medium sized doe at about 80ish yds. Ammo was a handload using the same Hornady bullet that had shown excellent accuracy at the range. It was a bang, flop, kick, kick, done, kind of hunt and the internal damage was similar to Dan's description. No bullet recovery, of course.

My oldest stepson used it the year prior to shoot a whitetail buck another hunter had wounded. The buck was playing peek a boo in a wooded area, poking it's head around a tree to look at my stepson while it's body was concealed by other trees and brush. When the buck stuck his head out again, my stepson shot him just behind the head and that was that.

I bought the rifle used several years ago after Scotty and Dr Mike twisted my arm to convince me to do it. Therapy in the time since then has worked well and my arm is almost back to normal.

Ron

 

[DrMike]

I bought the rifle used several years ago after Scotty and Dr Mike twisted my arm to convince me to do it. Therapy in the time since then has worked well and my arm is almost back to normal.

Ron

The therapy was required because of persistent pain as you patted yourself on the back for a great acquisition! Fess up, Ron.

 

[SJB358]

I used mine last year to shoot a medium sized doe at about 80ish yds. Ammo was a handload using the same Hornady bullet that had shown excellent accuracy at the range. It was a bang, flop, kick, kick, done, kind of hunt and the internal damage was similar to Dan's description. No bullet recovery, of course.

My oldest stepson used it the year prior to shoot a whitetail buck another hunter had wounded. The buck was playing peek a boo in a wooded area, poking it's head around a tree to look at my stepson while it's body was concealed by other trees and brush. When the buck stuck his head out again, my stepson shot him just behind the head and that was that.

I bought the rifle used several years ago after Scotty and Dr Mike twisted my arm to convince me to do it. Therapy in the time since then has worked well and my arm is almost back to normal.

Ron

I am glad to see it's healed Ron. Mike had me in a Hulk Hogan sized headlock before I got mine. It was rough for a spell

 

[Blkram]

The best therapy for all that arm twisting and headlock induced muscle strain is carrying, hunting and shooting your BLR!
Taking game with the 358 is the elixir needed for those deep muscle pains; the sense of satisfaction warms the heart and spreads warm feelings throughout one's spirit.
(this from one who has drank deeply from this well!)

 

[Hunter26]

Awesome report! Those BLR's are pretty sweet. I've used the roundnose version of that bullet loaded in a .35 Rem in a Marlin. I shot a great buck last year at spitting distance and the bullet did an awesome job. Great blood trails and exits every time.

 

[PJGunner]

I have like four rifles chambered to the .358 Win. Two Ruger M77s, an early Japanese made Browning BLR, the type that has the magazine hanging below the receiver and a Savage M99. Interesting thing about these rifles is Ruger went with the 1 in 16" twist while the Browning and Savage haave 1 in 12" twist barrels. I've never gotten those two Rugers to give a decent hunting group while the BLL with a bit of tinkering and the M99 all shoot in the .85 to 1 inch range if I do my part.

Kind of a story on why I ever bothered to get a .358 in the first place. I was elk hunting with friends a hair south of the Olympic National Forest and was sitting on a stand next to a swampy area while slme of the local members of the hunt did a drive. Never saw a thing. Plenty of time to think and came to the conclusion that under these conditions a .358 Win. would be about perfect. A 35 Whelen even better but Remington hadn't brought one out yet.
After returning home from the hunt, I scoured the local papaer's want ads hoping to maybe fine a .358. As luck would have it, I found the first Ruger and gave the guy a call. Turns out it's a local pawn shop and the gun is NIB. $
200 out the door. I gave him my name and told him I'll be there shortly. A fw weeks later one of my shooting at the range buddies tells me he has a Ruger M77 in .358 he wants to sell or trade off so in a moment of weakness we made a deal. Later on at various gun shows I picked up the BLR and the Savage.

The Savage shot decent groups right off the bat but the BLR was rather erratic. For one thing, the forearm was binding on the barrel and the nut at the end of the magazine wasn't properly adjusted. It was an after market thing so as to have a sling swivel. I relieved the forearm and properly tightened the thing at the end of the magazine and groups were equal to the Savage.

I've never done much with the two Ruger other than replacing the stock on the first one I bought. The stock it had on the rifle had an almost pretty piece of wood so rather than bang it up I made the switch.

Unfortunately , I've never done all that much with the cartridge. Maybe I should once the docs finally allow me to start shooting again.

Someone asked why the .358 never went anywwhere. My thoughts are because most of our "eggspurt" gun writer including jack O'Connor just considered it another "wood's cartridge." Probably the only one that may have said anything good about it was Elmer Keith and I'm nor sure about that.
Paul B.

 

[Guy Miner]

A

Someone asked why the .358 never went anywwhere. My thoughts are because most of our "eggspurt" gun writer including jack O'Connor just considered it another "wood's cartridge." Probably the only one that may have said anything good about it was Elmer Keith and I'm nor sure about that.
Paul B.

Steve Timm wrote favorably of the 358 Winchester and had a bit to say about it in Nosler's Number 3 reloading manual. Not sure where else he was published back then, but he liked it a lot.

Guy

 

[PJGunner]

A

Steve Timm wrote favorably of the 358 Winchester and had a bit to say about it in Nosler's Number 3 reloading manual. Not sure where else he was published back then, but he liked it a lot.

Guy

I just looked it up.Nice writeup. I noticed his was one when they were a limited edition. Brings to mind that that was probably the reason I snagged the second one as well. I have a list that has the serial numbers by year for the Ruger #1 but never did grab the one for the M77 I just might have to took into it. Both of mine are tang safety guns Going from memory which sometimes doesn't get it right, I think that limited run was something like 250 rifles in .358. I'm probably wrong but that's the number that sticks in my head.
Paul B.

 

[Cowboy307]

What a great rifle and caliber combination! Congratulations. I have a BLR in 284 Winchester that I love, but it's a safe queen - less than one box of ammo through it to sight it in. Nice Leupold scope, too. Unfortunately, 284 ammo is practically impossible to find, certainly at any quasi-reasonable price. As such, I should probably sell the rifle to someone who handloads, but the BLR is such a beautiful, well-balanced firearm that I can't convince myself to part with it.

 

[DrMike]

A BLR in 284? That rifle is just begging to be used afield. My 284 is in a Featherweight, and it doesn't get near enough time afield. Guess I'm condemning myself in this case. I'm more likely to grap either my 280 (Fwt) or my .356 (Model 94). Love 'em all!