i love my .280. not a ton of people have them. its like a 270 with a little more knock down power. id get a .300 win if i bought another gun. if i ever wanted to go on a bigger game hunt. mossberg 4x4 is a beauty of a gun

I second that! A Marlin 45/70 is just what the Dr. ordered. You can buy more kick with the proper amo but it really isn't needed.:s4:

Look for a used .444 Marlin. I hear the newer Marlins have quality issues. I have a 99 Savage in .358 WIN, but it is almost impossible to find one of those.

Marlin 45/70!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want the BLR because you want a lever gun, then you have made a good choice in that aspect. However, you said that you already have a 30-06. The 30-06 is a 30 caliber projectile measuring .308. You said you where looking into getting a .270 or a 7mm? As far as performance goes, they ALL can perform extremely similar depending on your ammo choice. And on paper, ballistically the 7mm and 270 are viewed as flatter shooting rounds. The 270, 7mm and 30-06 are very close in projectile size and will provide marginal, if any difference at all in the results of you harvesting the animals you intend to pursue up to 450 or 500 yards. Beyond that, some would say the 7mm or 270 would out perform the 30-06 because of their flatter shooting characteristics. ( I feel these are perceived by people ) On paper it looks good, but in real life hunting situations how much more trajectory does the 7mm or 270 have over the "06" before it drops significantly? 40-70 yds? To some I guess it does matter, but for most, it wouldn't. I doubt you will be hunting for black bear over bait where the bait barrel is 700 yds. away will you? How long will your shots typically be where buying a 7mm or .270 will make a difference? If you want a lever gun that is VERY different ballistically and in size of projectile, I would recommend upping to a larger bore like 35 whelen, .405 winchester, .444 marlin, .450 marlin, or 45-70 gov. These rounds are great for larger game.... EVEN UP TO THE BIG STUFF, they are offered in lever actions, and they perform VERY different than the 30-06 you have now. If you get any of those mentioned above, you will have a very different type of gun than you have now. But if you just want another gun to add to your collection....get whatever you want and keep building your collection.

Having both the .270 and 7Mag, Id go .270. The 7Mag is a GREAT gun but it kicks a little harder and is ALOT more expensive to shoot. The .270 is a PERFECT deer calliber, a joy to shoot. Flat Trajectory, and dead is dead so the 7 isnt necessary .... UNLESS you are serious about reaching out past 500 yards; Then the 7MM offers enough more to make it worth while but that is typically very unlikely.....

also remember without a great scope even the best rifle is just garbage.

A 45-70 lever is a set up you will never need more power. I have a .270 win. but nabbed a 45-70 Encore barrel. It will be my back up deer gun and my main bear gun. Perfect for Wisconsin.