new whitetail rifle
 

I already have a bolt action 30-06 and want to get a new rifle for hunting whitetail and occassionaly black bear. I want a lever action and was thinking of the browning blr, what caliber do you think is best. i was leaning towards the .270 or the 7mm mag. any suggestions??

Shot two of these about three weeks ago with my uncle. One was a 7mm-08 and the other was a .300WSM. They both shot well and are nice rifles. You have a .30-06 already the .270 and 7mmmag are pretty close to the '06. I would switch it up a little and look for something I don't basically have. But, both of those would still be good choices if that's what you want.
-Jake

45-70, 45 colt, 30-30 at the least for bear. You could go less, but unless the recoil is a problem why would you want a low powered gun?

The BLR is a fine rifle. 7mm is plenty for deer as well as bear , just use different ammo. A few guys I hunt with have BLRs in different calibers and they all think that the one they have is perfect for everything lol

i have a .270 and my dad has a 7mm mag. some people say the 7mm might be a little overkill for deer but i dont think so and its good for anything you would really hunt in the states. another round good for deer and bear is .308, if you want that in a lever marlin makes a nice one. never shot a blr so cant help you there.

I have taken my BLR in 308 into the deer woods for the past 24 years (It was a gift from my dad...I think it cost about $250). Never once has it failed to perform. It has taken well over 20 deer and 2 bears 250 lbs and over a shade under 400 lbs. Great rifle. I also love the look of the Marlin Guide Gun...don't know just like it...

Some say that a .270 & a .30-06 is the "perfect pair".

You are basically talking about three calibers that are very similar. All three calibers can take deer and black bear without any problems.

Let's face it, I would not hesitate to use my 7mm08 to hunt black bear with. I almost feel overgunned with it for whitetail in Wisconsin.

I know people who have been using .243s for years to hunt black bear with. That says a lot about how tough they are if you can do your job and make a good shot.

If I was going to get a BLR, it would be in 358Win. This round will easily take care of deer and bear and is "different" from your run-of-the-mill bolt gun rounds ('06, 7Mag, 270, etc). Plus, I think a short-action round would handle better in a lever, but that's just me.

np2004, what is your predicted average shot distance and what is the terrain you'll be hunting?