Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Browning BLR 243?

Anyone here have any experience with a Browning BLR? Guy here at work has an older one in .243 that he's wanting to let go for $600. It'll need a new scope and rings, and the stock shows some use, but other than that it's a good looking gun.

I currently don't own a .243, really don't need one but this could be a gun for my sons to use in the next few years.

Thoughts on the gun/deal?

I have a 243 BLR. Mine is 'older,' meaning it was made near the beginning of the current aluminum alloy frames and AR-style bolt lockup.

It is a perfectly good hunting rifle. Light and handy, and will shoot well with factory ammo it likes in various bullet weights. I decline to handload for it. It'll only keep about 3 shots in a 1 - 1.5" diameter circle, though. After that, shots start to scatter and the bbl is really hot. Once it cools clear down, it's right back as it was.

I like the sort of ambidextrous nature of lever actions, and the BLR cycles very smoothly, though with a completely different feel than the 19th-century designs.

A side note: The design of the BLR is not well suited to keeping escaping gas and particles away from the shooter's face in the event of a leaky primer or ruptured case. Obviously these are not super common events, but I was glad to be wearing my shooting glasses one day while testing some things with it.

Thanks for the info. I've always been partial to lever guns. Killed my first deer with a Marlin .30-30. I think I'm going to check this one out and see if I can get a deal on it. If nothing else, it would make a fun little woods gun for a little while.

I carried a BLR 243 when I was a driver during our deer drives for a while. Handled well, easy to walk with and was accurate enough for quick drawing running game.

Is it a pre-81 with the mag that hangs down a ways below the reciever? If it is you may want to take a look at what it would cost to replace the mag if you ever need to. Last time I sold a mag for one of those it brought around $200 on ebay. If it is a later model the mags are easy to come by. I have had them in .243 and .358 and my brother has one in 7-08 presently.

Yeah, those magazines are tough to come by. I know I found place that had a stash of them in Canada, but that was a dozen years ago.

I have a BLR in 30-06 and it shoots 1" with my 220 grain loads, and 1-1/4" with 165 grains and 180 grains. I got it in a trade and I am unsure when it was made, but I think it was in the late 80s.
It's a very nice gun.

It has the cheaper, easier to find mags.

I bought the gun. Seller let me shoot it a couple times and I had to have it.

I have one high in sentimental value. With them English stock I have a hard time taking prone or resting shots when compared to my bolts. But for stalking and having a handy little rifle with you it's perfect. it isn't my first choice for anything but it usually tags along for theride

I have three BLR's (.308 Win, and two 350 Marlins) I love these rifles, they are extremely handy and shoot very good 1"-1.25" groups...I think you will be very happy with your dandy little rifle...Good luck.......Hb

Blr's are great rifles, especially the short actions. I've shot 243,7mm08, and 223 quite a bit. They were very accurate,reliable, and nice to carry. If I hunted in the woods or less open country it would be my main gun.

Got a older 358, cool rifle, great caliber...