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

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).

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.

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. Still heavier than many nowdays seem to prefer, but crisp letoff such that the pull weight is no biggie at all.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...