Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The Browning BLR

Roughly 30 years ago Dad picked up a lever gun for hunting wild boar in California's Coast Range. We'd had lever guns before, in fact he taught me to shoot with a Marlin 39 "Mountie" in the early 1960's when I was just a little fellow. I'd shot Winchesters and we had a really neat Savage 99 take-down with a couple of different barrels and a tang sight.. More on that rifle some other day...

But, Dad decided he wanted a new rifle for this wild boar hunting stuff, I think it was mostly just a fine excuse for a new rifle. He found a lightly used Browning BLR, in .308 Win. I think he liked Browning, because he hunted with a Browning shotgun. This is an early BLR, built in Belgium, and with the all steel receiver and a 20" barrel. Quite an interesting little rifle... If you haven't messed with one, they're... different! Some good points, some things I don't particularly like - but I can live with.

The "don't likes" first:
1. Really mushy trigger. Not particularly high pull weight, but very mushy. I understand it's not easy to fix.
2. The newer "long action" BLR's capable of handling the big cartridges, just don't balance right for me.

That's a pretty short list of "don't likes." Here's what I like about the rifle:

1. Reasonably accurate and I understand that some specimens are quite accurate.
2. Neat design with rotating bolt head & multiple locking lugs. Strong enough for high-pressure cartridges (.300 Win mag, .450 Marlin etc...).
3. Four shot detachable/drop magazine.
4. Reasonably handy
5. Solved that pesky "pointy bullet" lever gun problem a long time ago - like Savage.
6. Like a Marlin - it's really easy to mount a scope on the BLR.

Here it is, our "family" BLR, in .308 Win on a recent range trip:


Very interesting "rack and pinion" type bolt... I like it, but seem to remember one of our tribe here mention shearing off the teeth on a BLR bolt. That would pretty well ruin the shot I'd think!


The multiple locking lug recesses are just barely visible here:


The very neat magazine, stuffed with Federal factory .308 ammo and the 165 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullet. A great bullet by the way...


The rifle has been passed around between my dad, my oldest son and me, depending on who needed a handy .308 at the moment. A few friends have taken it afield as well. It shoots pretty well, plenty good enough for deer at 250+ yards. Interestingly, I only remember adjusting the compact scope a couple of times over the decades, and only when we've swapped from one load to another. Time to time we've shot everything from 110 gr hollow point varmint bullets to 180 grain max loads through it. The little BLR accommodated all of them just fine. I tend to stick with the 165 grain bullets for the Browning, that's what Dad relied on during his hog-hunting adventures with it.

These days they're made in Japan - and have been for at least a couple of decades - and they're still good rifles. Hunters can get them in a wide range of cartridges, from .22-250 to .450 Marlin, including short and long action cartridges, standards, magnums and even a couple of the WSM cartridges... A take-down model is even offered...

Submitted for info. Regards, Guy

Neat write up and pics Guy. I have one of the newer BLR's in .358 Win ... has the pistol grip and schnabel forestock which I prefer over the straight grip and barrel band. I like it, but wish it had a steel receiver like yours does. I agree about the long action BLRs and also think they have a longer throw to work the action. The BLR shines in short action chamberings.

As my "name" says it all, I can only say DITTO to all the 'likes' and while I agree somewhat with the first 'dislike' I strongly disagree with the second. Even though I can only lift the gun with one arm to the mono-pod shootin' stick I use, my long action guns balance for me perfectly. I LOVE them each and every one. Only wish Browning would make one in 260 or 6.5x55. I would buy one of each in a heart beat. BTW while I Love Um all, I would thank J.M. Browning every nite if they were in stainless and had a laminated stock, the black and grey type with the straight stock. Oh heck while I'm Wishin' make them with no sights just drilled and tapped. NO changes PLEASE on what is and has been, for me atleast a Darn near Perfect rifle. All of mine are shooters, taken deer hunting each and every year. None are "safe dollys".

Glad to hear those long actions work for you. It'd be a boring world if we all agreed .


BLRNut. Browning does make gray stainless laminate BLR's ... but in limited runs each year. And when they do, they usually only do it in specific configurations. Like, say, a straight grip in .308 Win one year, or a pistol grip in .358 Win the next. By the way, I have one in .358 Win . I also have a blued walnut in same chambering. The stainless come with the same open sight but with a red firesight on front.

GuyM,

I have the same model rifle you do. An older one with a steel reciever, straight grip in .308. cal.

I have hunted with that rifle more than any other I have. I love mine.

I've shot sloppy triggers so long I'm used to them. I think the older Model 81's were one the best lever guns made.

Bought one this year in the stainless/laminate takedown model in 300 WSM. The trigger was horrible but I sent it off to a guy named Neal Jones in PA for a trigger job, who seems to be one of the very few people in the country doing trigger jobs on BLRs.

What a difference! It went from a long, mushy 8 lb pull to a short very crisp 4 lb.

Now, the accuracy. It's ceratinly acceptable but as soon as the barrel gets hot that barrel band starts to wreak havoc with small groups. But I can usually get the first three into 1.5".

Should be a great traveling and packing rifle in the takedown model. Going to try it for elk in NM this fall....

TZ