I am in the market for a rifle in .450 Marlin cal (for close up bear hunting/depredation) and was going to buy a Marlin 1895 in .450 Marlin but given my pleasant experience with my recent purchase of a steel receivered BAR in .30-06, I am considering a BLR with steel receiver in .450 Marlin. If any of you know of one for sale, please let me know. And a question: All I see out there are aluminum alloy receivered .450 BLR's. Since I am hard on hunting guns, I assume that I want a steel receivered .450 BLR. What are the differences? What are your experiences? Was a steel receivered .450 BLR even manufactured?
The 450 Marlin was issued/standardized through SAAMI in January of 2001 (see: http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/C and C Dwgs - TOC - Rifle.pdf ) Were they still making steel-receiver BLRs then? I don't know for absolute positive, but I feel reasonably confident that Browning went to the aluminum receivers for 1995 (see: http://www.browning.com/support/date-your-firearm/blr-lever-action-rifle.html ). That would seem to preclude the possibility that there were ever factory-built, steel-receiver 450 Marlins, but it wouldn't surprise me if Wild West or someone else has re-done an older one that way. My experience with my BLR may not be that useful to you. It is a Lightning (aluminum-receiver) BLR in 243 Win. It's a good gun, though interestingly I have trouble handloading for it, yet it shoots factory ammo well. I find that rather aggravating... I consider my BLR my 'backup' big-game rifle. I take it when things are really steep, like much of our Coues (Sonoran desert whitetail) deer country is, or when I'm waaaayyyy up high and can't breathe as well, or whenever saving weight over my kinda-heavy front-line rifle is useful to me. I haven't had any trouble with this BLR that has anything to do with the receiver, nor have I had any of that sort of issue with my aluminum-receiver BAR (the Hog Stalker model with 5- and 30-round detachable box magazines). I can't tell you you absolutely _won't_ have an issue with a BLR on account of an aluminum receiver. Depending upon exactly _how_ badly you treat a rifle, one might speculate on having troubles, but I can't prove either that you will or that you won't. Hopefully others will chime in here as well.
I would try to find a Marlin Guide Gun. Very hard to find, like a fool, I sold the one that I owned. Mine shot great, very accurate. Mine had a buttery smooth action, and the old Marlin triggers were easy to tune. Recoil was easily handled, Marlin did a great job designing the stock. Yes, I've owned BLR'S, I owned a .243, but it just didn't shoot like a (JM) Marlin.
hydrex: Thanks for your reply. Your advice is my current tentative conclusion as well. I was raised on Marlin 39A and 336 lever action rifles. And the Marlin 1895 will take four cartridges in the tubular magazine while the BLR will only take three in the box magazine. But California is outlawing lead bullets for anything but self-defense. So the fact that you can shoot pointed type bullets in a BLR may present an advantage over the Marlin 1895. My current bear problem was depredated by CA F&W yesterday after being caught in a trap, so the need is really only a want at the this time. And the CA F&W trapper suggested a shotgun with #4 buckshot as an alternative for bear defense. I have Brenneke slugs in mine but will probably change out the first slug shell for a buckshot shell.
I let a Maine guide to bait bear on my land and he suggests that his customers use 12 ga with buck shot. He gave me a small(150 +lb male) that the client only wanted the cape. Nuts, as it's great eating! No meat wasted, it was a head shot with copper plated 00 Buck. Still that seems a bit unsporting. Does Barnes make a solid copper bullet for the .450? Next to the .450, the 1895 in 45/70 . That's a wacky law, btw, I doubt that a copper jacked bullet passing thru a Condor or Buzzard contributes to much lead in the blood. Also, I don't see many animals carrying off a 450 Marlin round too far. Here's a pic of my custom 336 in .358 Winchester and my 39 A Golden. Both now sport Leupold scopes.
Beautiful rifles. That 39A is my vintage. No checkering in the walnut stock. No cross-bolt safety. Obviously you replaced the stock and forend on the 336 to accomodate the scope. Beautiful.
Thank you E350. I had that Cabela's scope given to me, after 2 of them failed, went to a 3x9 Leopold. Never again will I put a Chinese scope on American made firearms. Yes I have a bit of a bias for American made stuff. As nice as my 3 X-Bolts are, those old Marlins, have something that they lack, character. BTW , I restocked the 358 way back in the 1970's. Gave me great appreciation to the guys who built those guns by hand in New Haven. You'd be better off with the 45/70 in California, 300 grain copper Buffalo-Barnes should be great medicine on deer or bear, even elk. I have a Browning HiWall in 45/70, wish I'd bought an older Marlin 1895.
Are your needs for bear protection, depredation, or hunting? I think your choices are dependent on which application. Even if you use a shotgun with buck shot or slug, it will still need to be lead-free by 2019. Living in CA, I think the more common calibers will have newly developed lead free loads first. I'd say go .45-70. I will feel confident using my guide gun with various copper loads in black bear country.
