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What is wrong with my Browning BLR '81? This is one of the old steel short-frame models in .308. Occasionally the bolt won't fully close and lock up. This occurs with an empty rifle or a loaded rifle. At completely random times when running the lever up the bolt will stop about 1/4" short of fully closing. It seems hard stuck, back the bolt back about an inch and run it forward again, and it seats and locks up as it should. The rifle is clean and very lightly lubed. There isn't any sort of gunk preventing the bolt from going forward and the lug recesses are clean. The gear at the back by the trigger group seems intact, no broken teeth that I can see. Thoughts appreciated!

I know they can develop timing issues and only certain 'smith's can work on them. My bil ran into that with his blr

That is exactly what I am worried about.

Easy fix by a gunsmith. Might be the gears are gunked up...

If the gears are gunked up it is down inside where I can't see it. The lever runs super smooth, as always, and not like there is anything in the gears themselves. It feels like just as the rotating bolt head starts to turn to engage the lug recesses in the receiver it jams tight. Back it up an inch or so and try again and it goes right into battery and locks up as it should. It is very random when it chokes, you can work the lever 15 times and it is normal and runs fine and then it balks once. Start again and it might go 10 times as it should, or 20 times, then out of the blue it will balk and not work properly. It is strange.

I had the same thing happen to mine,gunsmith said it was a timing
problem,he fixed it,but i never trusted it after that and sent it down the road.

OP, I'm just wondering - but why couldn't you put "What is wrong with my Browning BLR?" Im the subject line? Click bait attempt?

Geesh, dude seriously? I simply didn't think a long title in the subject line would fit. Thanks for the input, I'll consider myself duly chastised.

At least a "What's wrong with my BLR?" would work.

OK, gotcha. Can I get by with a warning this time or are you gonna write me a citation Officer Triggernosis? Again, thanks for your productive input into the thread. I take it you have no idea what's wrong with my BLR?

Duplicate post

Actually, I probably do.
I have had the same issue with two of my BLR's - a .223 and a .243.
Are you shooting handloads or factory ammo? In my cases, I had to bump the shoulders of the brass back more than the "standard" specification. Brownings are known to have really tight chambers and my theory is that the brass has to be "squished down" a bit more than usual.
If you're using factory ammo, just try another brand - it may be sized just a squuee bit smaller and work fine.

It's not a timing issue, else the rounds would never chamber properly. They don't jump in and out of time.

It will do this with an empty chamber, just cycling an empty gun.

Oh. Gotcha. Well that doesn't sound right.
Send it to Browning and see what they say.
I still don't believe it's a timing issue. More than likely a chunk of metal or something in there. Or a burred tooth on one of the gears.

Probably where it is headed.

👍
Please report back what they find.

Hey OP, did you ever figure this out?

Haven't fooled with it yet. Hunting season and the holidays are keeping me busy. I'll mess with this when things slow down after the turn of the year. The Browning Service Center, Art's Gun Shop, and Mid West Guns are within a couple of hours' drive from my home so I have plenty of help close by.

Understand.
If Arts gun shop was near me I would probably be broke.