[7x64 Brenneke]

I live in Austria, our gun law her is not so awesome like yours in the United States of America (God bless America for saving my country from the nazis) but its better than the rest of Europe, I got this today:

It's a Browning Lever Action in 308 Winchester. Wich ammo would you recommend (how much grain, brand etc), it's my first 308 and the barrel is shorter compared to my bolt action Rifles , I own a 7x64 Brenneke Rifle and a CZ in 300 Winchester Magnum. How ist the 308 compared to these calibers?
Does the shorter barrel make a difference in ammo choice or can I use the same like I would use in a Bolt action 308 with longer barrel?

 

[soonerfan66]

Sweet rifle !!!

 

[MPistone]

I live in Austria, our gun law her is not so awesome like yours in the United States of America (God bless America for saving my country from the nazis) but its better than the rest of Europe, I got this today:

It's a Browning Lever Action in 308 Winchester. Wich ammo would you recommend (how much grain, brand etc), it's my first 308 and the barrel is shorter compared to my bolt action Rifles , I own a 7x64 Brenneke Rifle and a CZ in 300 Winchester Magnum. How ist the 308 compared to these calibers?
Does the shorter barrel make a difference in ammo choice or can I use the same like I would use in a Bolt action 308 with longer barrel?

Nice Browning! Do you reload and what do you intend to shoot? Paper targets or hunting?
The 308 Win is an excellent cartridge and very versatile. To start with, you can't go wrong with just about any 308 Win in a Federal "white" box. Winchester, Speer, Remington, PMC, Hornady just to name a few all make great ammunition. Personally, I would steer clear of the cheap Wolf, Tul, Ruag, Perfecta, Aguila and anything made in South Africa.

For factory ammunition (and remember .308 Win and 7.62 X 51 are the same thing) you can have a lot of fun and less recoil with 110 grain bullets out to a hundred yards. The 180gr to 200 plus gr bullets will give you good results out past the 200 yard range, although they will have some drop and more recoil.

You are fortunate to have a magazine, rather than a tube, so you are not limited to flat nose, or round nose bullets.

Have fun with the Browning.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

My dad had one of those in .308 but with the straight stock. His liked 150 grain Remington Core-Lokt bullets.

 

[sharps4590]

I can't tell you what ammo but, I would suspect something in the 150 gr. weight. The shorter barrel will only make a difference in velocity achieved. With factory ammo I don't know if you'll have much choice in that regard. If you're going to handload, attention to the burning rates of powder should be to your advantage.

I can tell you the differences among the three cartridges you mention. The 308 is mild compared to the 300 Win. Mag. You can look up the ballistics and the difference is glaring. Of the two I'd take the 300 WM every time but, I have a long and favorable history with the cartridge.

I also have a 98 Mauser in 7 X 64 Brenneke apparently made by Wilhelm Brenneke in Berlin. Frankly, I'd take the 7 X 64 over the 308 as well. The Brenneke will shoot flatter and at a slightly higher velocity. On game their performance is equal, for all intents and purposes.

There is no faults with any of the three.

I'll throw in a welcome from a fella of largely Prussian extraction!

 

[johnsxj]

Nice rifle!
All the shorter barrel will do is cause the bullets to have a little less muzzle velocity compared to a longer barrel.
As MP mentioned, stay away from using the really cheap (steel case especially) ammo.
Grain weight really depends on what you plan to use the rifle for but 150gr is a decent all around weight for the .308Win
And Sharps beat me by a couple seconds

 

[Firpo]

That’s a sweet little lever action Browning you have there. Congratulations! I’m not familiar with the Brenneke but the .308 will shoot maybe 400+ FPS slower than the 300 Win Mag with like bullet weights. Sounds like you’re considering reloading? If that’s the case I believe your access to powders will be different then the ones available here in the US. If that’s true what bullets and powder do you have access to right now?
BTW thank you for the kind words. About 300,000 Americans gave their lives fighting those Nazi bastards and it’s nice that someone (who sounds younger) would acknowledge that sacrifice.

 

[Old Syko]

You've already received excellent info here. I had the same gun sometime ago and as mentioned 150 grain stuff was the way to go although I did run through some 168 grain stuff for long range but that was just for punching paper.

 

[TRAP55]

For a first lever action, you picked a good one. The twist rate for BLR .308 is a 1:12", so the 150's as suggested, will probably give you the best results.

 

[joe45c]

A friend of mine from my Air Force days had one of those same caliber and he loved it. I got to shoot it a few times and i liked it. He had to deploy and offered to sell it to me, but i had just bought a Winchester model 94 in .307 and decided not to buy it. Kind of wish i had got it now.

 

[rawright54]

Beautiful gun; I think you're going to love it! Mine is chambered in .243 Win, another fine general purpose cartridge. You'll never go wrong with a Browning!

 

[T.R.]

My .308 shots best with 150 grain spitzer soft tip bullets and delivers amazing power for toppling game animals well beyond 300 yards. Do you hunt red stag in Austria? I downed this stag with my 30-30 Winchester carbine at a distance of about 80 yards or so. Two quick shots into the chest organs did the job. - TR

 

[sharps4590]

T.R., may I ask where you got the stag?

 

[mudman35962]

T.R., may I ask where you got the stag?

i am sure not in Manatee Florida! check the avatar.

rick

 

[T.R.]

Sharps 4590 rec'd a private message about where my hunt took place. -TR

 

[sharps4590]

Yes I did! T.R. and I have traversed some of the same ground!

 

[Pulsarnc]

My brother had one for years . 308 is a great cartridge . Try the 165 grain ammo . Seems to be about perfect in all 4 of my 308s .

 

[guntha45]

I live in Austria, our gun law her is not so awesome like yours in the United States of America (God bless America for saving my country from the nazis) but its better than the rest of Europe, I got this today:
View attachment 286608

It's a Browning Lever Action in 308 Winchester. Wich ammo would you recommend (how much grain, brand etc), it's my first 308 and the barrel is shorter compared to my bolt action Rifles , I own a 7x64 Brenneke Rifle and a CZ in 300 Winchester Magnum. How ist the 308 compared to these calibers?
Does the shorter barrel make a difference in ammo choice or can I use the same like I would use in a Bolt action 308 with longer barrel?

I do not use bullets more than 165gr in the .308. If I want heavier bullets I will use the .30-06 or .300 Win. Mag. that can hold more slow burning powder. If you will be shooting less than 150 yards then you could use 180gr bullets but velocity will suffer. Because the .308 uses faster powder the barrel does not have to be long to be efficient. Since you have a .300 Win. Mag just use 150gr or 165gr bullets in your .308, whichever gives the best accuracy. Browning makes a very nice lever gun!

 

[7x64 Brenneke]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, I bought a box of S&B 308 FMJ:

Some wrote that 110 or 150 or 165 grain would be ideal because of the shorter Barrel, what difference in velocity would I get when using lighter bullets?
I hope the 180 grain are only slower and not useless for my new rifle. Main reason why I own guns is because I collect them, I don't shoot them very often, I just love firearms, especially American Guns and I always wanted a Lever Action Gun for my collection. I love the United States of America and this Gun combines two very American things: Lever Action & the 308.
At first I thought of buying a Rossi in 357 Magnum, but from my point of view even a powerful Handgun cartridge combined with a longer barrel is no match for the 308 Winchester

 

[guntha45]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, I bought a box of S&B 308 FMJ:
View attachment 286850
Some wrote that 110 or 150 or 165 grain would be ideal because of the shorter Barrel, what difference in velocity would I get when using lighter bullets?
I hope the 180 grain are only slower and not useless for my new rifle. Main reason why I own guns is because I collect them, I don't shoot them very often, I just love firearms, especially American Guns and I always wanted a Lever Action Gun for my collection. I love the United States of America and this Gun combines two very American things: Lever Action & the 308.
At first I thought of buying a Rossi in 357 Magnum, but from my point of view even a powerful Handgun cartridge combined with a longer barrel is no match for the 308 Winchester

You are right, no handgun cartridge can compete with a .308. Sure, the crazy .500 and .460 S&W magnums are VERY powerful but they don't go in a "normal" handgun. Your Browning barrel is not really very short. It appears to be 20" or 22". Most average rifles, such as .308 Win., loose or add about 25fps for each inch(2.5cm) of barrel shorter or longer. Because the .308 Win. uses faster burning powder you don't need a long barrel for it to work well. The 180gr bullets would work fine if you get good accuracy. In the end what really matters is hitting where you aim!!! My uncle used a Browning lever action in .358 Win. for deer hunting. No deer ever ran off after he hit them with that, just dropped right there. "DRT" (dead right there)