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I really like my first model .358 BLR. I also had a 99 Savage in .358 but, when I got the BLR, the 99 went away. Yeah, I wish now some 30 years later that I'd kept the 99.


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I just blasted a yote @ 105 yards this am w/my 1975 vintage BLR 243 win. w/2.5-8 vx3 w/B&C reticles. Loading a 87 berger @ 2900 FPS. tested reticles the other day out to 400 yards & dead on. Cool little back up rifle as my 2 yote rifles are gathering dust @ my gunsmith's!


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I have an early 70's steel receiver BLR in 358 that always seems to head out the door with me. Lots of other rifles, but none seem to carry as easy as the BLR. And the deer don't like em at all! Just my 2 cents.

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I love the BLR platform. For whatever reason, it seems that most folks associate lever operation with a 'carbine.' That draws them to the short actions. Personally, while I do appreciate the compactness and quick-handling of the short actions at times, I don't find it particularly different or more useful than a 'full-size' rifle for most of what I do. The BLR is still very quick and handy even in long-action chamberings (never handled a magnum-length BLR, though); quicker to operate than a bolt gun by quite a ways, IMO/E.

They're also super-strong of lock-up in their current form (lock up almost exactly like an AR), and the take-down models are super-cool. smile

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Hi FNG,

What would be your intended use?

I like BLR's, although I don't own one. I saw a hunter using one this year. It looked to be a .308 Win, which would be a perfect BLR fit. For big game out to about 350 yards...probably farther, a .308 will get the job done.

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I sure like my stainless laminate takedown BLR .358 Winchester, shown here with a Leupold 2.5x Scout scope cool -

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Originally Posted by Hairtrigger
Originally Posted by MOGC
Originally Posted by 2muchgun
The 88 is a great rifle.

The BLR, not so much.......


Could you explain your reply in greater detail please?


Because some one on the internet said so!! No need to touch either rifle

I just reread this!! did not read it the way I meant it to read. I get a bug over guys making opinions with no experience.
I have a Win 100 and would love to get a 88 to match it. I have a couple of BLR s and cannot figure out why any one would have a negative opinion of them.


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Had two BLR's in 358 and one in 308 win, sadly I sold them to fund another project. Really miss my short action .358 BLR and if I were buying one today it would be a 7mm-08 takedown!


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The only issuse I know with BLR's is Browning trigger, but a trip to Neil Jones and they all work like a dream!


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How are the triggers on these rifles? I've heard that they are on the heavy side and some smiths will not work on them.

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Neil Jones in Erie PA is the only person I know that fixes BLR trigges.


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While I enjoy my BLR .358 Win, I do not enjoy the stinking packing grease Browning slathers those things in. If you buy one, CLEAN all that gunk out that you can and then clean it 10 times more. In cold weather it can be a real game stopper. Beyond that, my trigger isn't a custom bolt gun's trigger yet it's not Mossberg shotgun's either. The accuracy is there and better with quality ammo. Stopping power hasn't been a issue, as you might would have guessed. The gun looks great, functions great (once the white snot grease is gone) and it's really a plesant gun to shoulder, shoot and hunt with (even though it is a pumpkin roller).


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At a low point in my life �revenue wise� as a result of the loss of employment despite being a strong and successful contender as both an employer and an employee.. I sold my BLR 358.
What the heck was I thinking.. Or was I thinking? I know now that I rushed this move.
As it turned out the world did not come to an end however, I am currently without my early model 358 BLR
I would love to have my straight stocked 358 back in my hands.
In my opinion this is a great round and in the BLR a great riffle.
It was not necessarily great from an accuracy stand point but with its 4X leupold fixed power scope it was all I needed and provided for the quick harvest of game.


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Originally Posted by Gravestone
How are the triggers on these rifles? I've heard that they are on the heavy side and some smiths will not work on them.


I've squeezed good ones, but many are bad. Some quite terrible. Mine was quite terrible. Cleaning all the crap off the hammer and sear, and some careful polishing with a hard Arkansas stone, made the trigger crisp and clean. I had talked to Jones, but didn't want the hassle of mail-order gunsmith-ery. smile Still heavier than many nowdays seem to prefer, but crisp letoff such that the pull weight is no biggie at all.

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The intended use of this rifle will be elk hunting here in western Montana, of course some deer and other critters will die in the process. I've really gotten tired of carrying my M70 300wsm around, even though (after much effort) it is a great shooter. I've been carrying my Rossi 92 454 more and more lately (even thinking of scoping it), but I don't want to miss out on longer range opportunities. Hence my thought of a BLR. I have only handled a 7 mag, not shot it, and it felt unwieldy. I want to handle an 06 and a short action before making a purchase. Shooting a few options would greatly help me decide. Definitely not interested in one with a barrel band.

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I have two of the BLR 81's with the pistol grip stock---not the straight stock. Both have the fairly stiff factory trigger, which I have not attempted to improve. One in .308 and the other in .270 WSM. Not a lot of experience with the latter (one WT buck) but the .308 has taken cow elk, mule deer, whitetails and antelope. I'm impressed with the accuracy and range of the little rifle in .308. My youngest killed a deer at 350 yards with it last week...far in excess of what I would have expected. It consistently performs well at 250 yards on large deer and cow elk.

Both are topped with an inexpensive Redfield 2x7 scope. Pretty happy with that too.

I bought the .270 WSM version because I wanted a lightweight fast rifle to hunt elk with. I have yet to try it in that application.


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My son has an early BLR in .308 and has taken a muley buck so far with it. I used it to take a muley buck with it also. Nice rifle!

My dad has an early .358 that he really likes. Has taken deer with it also. Light, handy, accurate. I like the BLR.

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I am not a big fan of the long action BLR's but I love the short action BLR's. Most owners I know also prefer the SA to the LA BLR.


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Plainview,
I wasn't aware the '81 was ever offered with a pistol grip stock or chambered in any of the WSM cartridges? I would be interested in seeing a picture of a BLR '81 with a pistol grip stock.


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finally handled a short action BLR. Now I understand most shooters' preference for the short action. It didn't even feel like the same rifle as a long action. It was a 300wsm, which is tempting since I already reload for that and have an abundance of components for it. I'm really thinking 308 at this point though. I'm not too recoil sensitive, but that thing is so little and light that I think the 308 would be more enjoyable than a hard pushing magnum.

SA BLR in 300wsm pushing 155 scenars could be a REALLY good time though...

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