Made the mistake of reading this forum and have caught the bug to get a lever action. Primarily hunting short to mid range mule deer and cow elk.

Any experience with these two guns? I would throw the finnwolf in the equation but I am having difficulty finding one to handle first. I will be adding a scope. Honorable mention goes to the 45-70 (ammo cost more + added recoil) and the 30-30 (may be a bit light for 150 yd cow elk)

I have been cruising guns shows for 3 decades and I don't think I have ever seen a Finnwolf.
If ammo cost bothers you the cost of a Win 88 will bother you too. Try to find a good used Browning.
I have a BLR in 358 but I would rather shoot an 50 year old Marlin.

I have a 88 in .308.
I paid 600.00 for it, and it is very acurate. Its abit on the heavy side, The Brownings from belgium aint cheap either.
But I bet if you are patient you could find a good buy.
The few finwolfs I have found were very expensive,
If you can find a nice old 99 savage you would probably like it fine too.
Levers are fun. Facory ammo for the 45/70 is very mild when compared to a .308.
And with a 30/30 170 grain bullet I would pop a cow elk for sure.
Those are real levers, the ones with no deatchabe mag...tj3006

As much as I like them all, the Finnwolf is a collector's item with nonexistant extra magazines. The 88 is a bit heavy, many are quite worn and parts are difficult to find. The Belgian BLR's were only produced for about two and a half to three years and I have never seen any difference in quality over the Japanese. My suggestion for a "user" would be to locate a steel framed BLR'81. No protruding magazine, fine quality, good balance, caliber selection and available magazines. For all around utility, the advantage of a 7-08, .308 or .358 over the limitations of a .30-30 or .45-70 is obvious.

Thomas Jones" summary (above) is a pretty good, pretty reasonble one.

I have owned both M88 and BlRs, and found no real difference in them insofar as usefulness. Both were easy to develop accurate loads for. M88s being expensive is rather a surprise to me. In this neck of the woods they are not very commonly seen for sale, but just last year one was available here locally in .284 for $550, and it was in virtually as-new condition.

If I had to pick between the M'88 and the BLR, I'd probably have to have them both available at the same price to be forced to make the choice on rifle merits...otherwise, I'd be happier with whichever was the less expensive of the two.

If they were the same price, I'd pick the M88 by a VERY slim margin. It generally will have a poorer trigger pull than the BLR, but I like the stock fit better, and the fact it has a pistol grip much better. The stocks are more "full" in dimensions and feel more like some of my favorite bolt rifles to handle, which for me is a plus.

At the same time, IF I was a horseback hunter, I'd take the steel-frame BLR. If the horse falls or rolls and breaks part of the stock, at least the two-piece one on the BLR will be both easier and less expensive to fix/replace than the one-piece stock of the M'88. Plus the BLR will take less space and put less weight off to one side of the horse. Unbalanced weight is rough on horses during long perios in the field. I'd actually take the lightweight frame BLR except I am not sure how durable it would be UNDER a horse.

My last '88 was a "carbine", so that may influence my thinking somewhat. It has been so long since I had one in "rifle"configuration, I have forgotten what it felt like to shoulder it.

At the same time,I suggest you not give up on the newer, stronger,"pre-safety" M94 angle-ejects, or my favorites, the rotary magazine Savage M99s. Both are dependable, can be scoped, and with a bit of looking can be found in more effective cartridges than the .30-30. The Savage in particular is available in many chamberings more effective than the .30-30 for elk (the easily found .300 Savage leaps to mind). If you have patience, or are willing to get along with a .300 Savage while you look, Savages can also be found in .284, .358, .308, and other chamberings (like 7mm/08) that are plenty adequate for cow OR BULL elk at double 150 yards.

Anyway, just don't get bitten like some of who try to have one of each!! Nothing wrong with the disease except it seems to have an adverse effect on wives who want new kitchens.

I would suggest that you look at and handle a straight stocked Savage Model 99A carbine in .308.

I predict that you will like it (and its price) better than the Winchester or the Browning.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ireload2:
I have been cruising guns shows for 3 decades and I don't think I have ever seen a Finnwolf.
QUOTE]

I am Sako fanatic and am always on the lookout for them. You're correct, Finnwolfs are hard to find, especially ar gunshows. However, about 5 years ago while making my first pass around the Big Reno Show I came across a new (with hang tags), early model Finnwolf in 243 (4 round mag) for $425. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough; I almost broke my wrist. Those finds are almost serendipitous.

If I buy a BLR, it will be in 358 Win and with a pistol grip. If I were you, I would look for a nice pre 64 M-88 in 308. Lou

I saw a Finnwolf about two gun shows ago. Nice clean rifle going for $800. Why so cheap? No magazine. My first choice would be the BLR, one of the new ones. I have one of the first japanese BLRs in .358 with the hang down magazine and while it's a good shooter since I did some accuracy work on it, it's way too muzzle light to my notion.
I wasn't too impressed with the M88 I had many years back, like when they first came out and the Finnwolf I saw seemed to be a tad heavier than the 88, at least as I emembered it.
Paul B.

I had a Finnwolf in 308 and gave to a friend as a gift. Probably the best off hand shooting rifle I have fired. They are great, especially the trigger. I like BLRs as long as I don't have to look at them too long. Have a Japanese one in 284 that really shoots well.

I have a Win 88 rifle and have had a couple of early Brownings. I kept the 88 and have no plans to get rid of it. The post 64 88's are cheaper than the pre 64 88's as would be expected. To me the post 64 88's make better shooters and are smoother to operate. It might be just the examples I have owned which were both in nearly new condition, but for a user I'll take a post 64 88 every time. You see the 88's at gun shows around here fairly often and much more often than the early Browning. I never could get use to the looks of the nearly western looking Browning and dumped it solely on that basis. The Browning and my Winchester shot great and neither was picky about the loads being used. Neither had good triggers, but the Browning was better.

I've owned 2 88's and three BLR's

The first 88 was in 284.. finely fitted with a nice trigger, and accurate! The 2nd one was in 308 a late model, not as well fitted but still a decent trigger.

Now the BLR's are a different story. I've owned 3 all in 308.

The first one is an early model with the protruding magazine. Nice trigger STEEL receiver.

The second one, Jap, Steel receiver, heavy trigger but not too much creep.

The last one was a Jap, Alloy receiver, with a 93 pound trigger that you had to pull on for about a yard before it would fire. Very sloppy hard trigger!

The fit an appearance on all was about equal. I still have the first one, but the other two are GONE.

If I were shopping for another one (and I am in 243 or 358) I would look for an old style with the protruding magazine. Every one I have examined has a decent trigger.

Oh, and the 88's are notorious for breaking stocks at the wrist!

Good luck!

I have owned one Win. 88 and one BLR in .308..My cousin owned a 308 Sako Finnwolf, I like them all..

I suppose my favorite .308 is the Savage M-99EG or 99F. The EG model is a little hard to come by in .308, they didn't make a lot of them and everytime I get one somebody talks me out of it with great amounts of green paper!

I've got an alloy 308 BLR that takes care of all my WT hunting and I use for elk in the woods. Shot a bull at about 30yds and it went through shoulder and ribs with Hornady 165gr light magnum. Gun is more accurate than I expected, don't think you could go wrong with it.

As an old man (now) who traded away a Win.88 in 308, this thread brought back memories. I was (and still am) a fanatical believer in the Savage 99 -but the Win.88 I had was every bit as good. I've been reading this thread and see how a lot of guys were smarter than me. If you can get a Win.88 in 308, grab it and hold on to it. The 308 is a superb cartridge - and I belong to the generation that actually shot the old T-43 (US Army Ordnance designation)when the 308 was being looked at to replace the Garand.(30-06) It did eventually and I have always thought of the 308 as being nearly as good as the '06 -but 10% less.

Are all the savage 99's detachable clip fed?

I really don't prefer rifles with hammers for use when its very cold. I can see pulling back the hammer with a heavy glove and having it slip.

I have a M88 but in this class of rifle I much prefer the M99 Savage.

Most 99s have a precision rotary magazine but a few late ones were made with clips.

I own both a Model 88 and a Savage 99. The 99 is a recent acquisition that I have not yet seriously tested across the bench. My 88 recently fired a three-shot, one-inch group at 100 yards across a hay bale. I've owned two previous 99s and I wasn't impressed with their accuracy although some owners report better results than I've obtained.

You should be aware that a gentleman in another forum reports having a meeting with the CEO of Savage Arms and Savage is planning a re-issue of the 99 in three grades. Specifics, calibers, and a release date remain unknown.

I bought an 88 a 100 and a blr of gunbroker last week all for under 400.00 and all of them were in great condition and shot good. I like the 88 and 100 over the blr as it has a little more bbl and balances better. But, I use the blr .358 a lot for bear hunting.

A M88 in .358 Win. is a rare and precious thing.

It's easy to get an 88 .358 just buy one in .308 off gunbroker then send it (name escapes me) gunsmith in Neb. and have him rebore it to .358. I did that twice and was very happy with both rifles.But they got away from me, one to a guide in Canada and one to a friend in Colorado

My primary hunting rifle is a Belgium-made BLR in .308 and I own two Japanese manufactured .358s. The Japanese rifles are IMO just a bit nicer finished. All three rifles will shoot consistently MOA. I prefer the original BLR with the narrow steel frame over the '81 version with the flush magazine but the '81 I owned in .243 was probably the most accurate of the BLRs I've owned. I don't care for the 88. Something about the stock shape; maybe too much like the shape of a 10-22 Ruger, but I've only fired one once and it worked fine.

I say find a BLR in .308 and go hunting.

I've only ever seen one finnwolf myself, about six months ago in the used rack of a local "toy store".

It had it's magazine but the asking price of $950 seemed a little steep, because it wasn't a 308, it was a 243.

Once I saw it was a 243 I lost interest instantly.

If it's still there when I get there again I'll let ya'll know.

that being said Neither the Finnwolf, the BLR OR the Win88 is a "real" ever gun, Oh they have a lever to be sure, but...

If I had to have one or the other I'd hedge and agree with the post above that recommended a steel frame Japanese BLR.


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