Hi everyone,
This is my first posting here on MarlinOwners and I'm looking for some info and opinions from the more experienced members of the forum.
I'm in the market for a new rifle for around the house and have my decision narrowed down to two firearms but am having trouble deciding which!
I live in a very rural place in Canada (I'll let you guess where!
) and want a rifle to keep around the house just in case.
The rifle will predominantly be kept at home in the event that a predatory black bear or polar bear decides to make trouble and for shooting pesky coyotes/wolves that pass through my property.
But it will also see some use as a brush gun for moose hunting and for hunting harp seals on ice pans.
I don't want this thread to turn into a caliber war, I've seen both big bears and moose easily taken with both the old .30 WCF and .308 Winchester and know it can be done, regardless of what the fancy gun writers say!
There isn't a shot that I can envision me taking either in a hunting or self-defense scenario that will be much further than 50 yards, so the .30-30 and .308 have ample energy to do the job.
I'm torn between a beautiful 1952 JM Marlin 336 Texan and a pre-81 BLR. I've handled both and I really like the Marlin. I'm a slender lady and the Marlin just fits me better. The BLR has a much more complicated, albeit smoother lever action. The Marlin can be taken apart, serviced and cleaned with a multi tool while Browning specifically states for owners to NOT disassemble the BLR's complicated rack and pinion lever system.
I've also heard stories and seen YouTube videos of the BLR's detachable magazines failing to feed a round when the shooter was either shooting fast or short-shucking the lever.
The pre-81 BLR magazines are also impossible to find here in Canada and when you can find them, they cost like $300.00. Whereas, a new magazine spring for the 336 tube is a dime a dozen in the rare event that I need to replace it.
The Marlin also has a higher magazine capacity at 7 compared to the BLR's 4 rounds of .308.
I'm really leaning towards the Marlin for the aforementioned reasons but would like to hear some other thoughts!
Pics below!
Thanks!
Kimberley
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This is my first posting here on MarlinOwners and I'm looking for some info and opinions from the more experienced members of the forum.
I'm in the market for a new rifle for around the house and have my decision narrowed down to two firearms but am having trouble deciding which!
I live in a very rural place in Canada (I'll let you guess where!
) and want a rifle to keep around the house just in case.The rifle will predominantly be kept at home in the event that a predatory black bear or polar bear decides to make trouble and for shooting pesky coyotes/wolves that pass through my property.
But it will also see some use as a brush gun for moose hunting and for hunting harp seals on ice pans.
I don't want this thread to turn into a caliber war, I've seen both big bears and moose easily taken with both the old .30 WCF and .308 Winchester and know it can be done, regardless of what the fancy gun writers say!
There isn't a shot that I can envision me taking either in a hunting or self-defense scenario that will be much further than 50 yards, so the .30-30 and .308 have ample energy to do the job.
I'm torn between a beautiful 1952 JM Marlin 336 Texan and a pre-81 BLR. I've handled both and I really like the Marlin. I'm a slender lady and the Marlin just fits me better. The BLR has a much more complicated, albeit smoother lever action. The Marlin can be taken apart, serviced and cleaned with a multi tool while Browning specifically states for owners to NOT disassemble the BLR's complicated rack and pinion lever system.
I've also heard stories and seen YouTube videos of the BLR's detachable magazines failing to feed a round when the shooter was either shooting fast or short-shucking the lever.
The pre-81 BLR magazines are also impossible to find here in Canada and when you can find them, they cost like $300.00. Whereas, a new magazine spring for the 336 tube is a dime a dozen in the rare event that I need to replace it.
The Marlin also has a higher magazine capacity at 7 compared to the BLR's 4 rounds of .308.
I'm really leaning towards the Marlin for the aforementioned reasons but would like to hear some other thoughts!
Pics below!
Thanks!
Kimberley
