Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Tell me about the BLR...

Never been a browning fan-maybe thought the finish was too shiny when I was a kid-anyway, getting curious about the BLR in .243 for a elder stepdad for deer hunting. He is very new to guns/hunting and he is a lefty. I like the idea of the removable mag, but never had real experience with the gun. So what can you tell me about it?

Dave

I've had three or four. Found them to be accurate. 223, 7mm-08, 450 marlin, I guess that's it.

Good solid rifles. Sometimes the triggers is a little gravelly but not excessive on pull weight. I personally prefer the steel receiver era guns.

What era has the steel receivers?

Didn't the steel guns have that magazine that hung down out of the receiver? I never liked the look of that, figured it'd carry awkward.

The first BLRs (US, Belgium and Japan) had steel receivers and drop magazines. The next generation BLR81 still had steel receivers but had the more flush fitting magazine. Don't know when they went to alloy. I briefly had an early steel BLR81 in .358, never cared for how it handled or shot (vertical stringing). After the trigger hung up a couple times I got rid of it and found a Savage 99 .358 Brush Gun.......mucho better.

They need trigger work.

The early models locked up differently than the later. The early models are regarded as " weaker".

The long actions had a factory recall and are " less desirable ".

The newer composite receivers are regarded less desirable for collectors.

I personally find the newer pistol grip carbines, especially the takedowns my favorite hunting firearm.....after Neil jones did the trigger.

I have a few of the lightning models . 243, 22-250, 7mm08, 30-06 , 308 all are very accurate. I am a huge lever fan . marlin, savage, winchester and browning. I will make the statement that the browning blr lightning design is the only lever action I own that you can jack the lever as slow as you possibly can and it will function.my go to gun is the blr in 30-06. I bought new in 1996 took it home and cut 3/4 of an inch off the butt stock and cut the barrel down to 19 inches, and put an 11,5 degree inverted crown on it. off the bench at 100 yds is so tight that if I made a claim on just how accurate it is you would think I was making up stories.

Google BLR fails to fire. I had one in 358 that I sold for that reason.

I bought a 1993 LNIB 7 mm mag this year for a moose hunt, I’m a lefty. First one I owned and liked it.

I also purchased a .358 new model as a back up. I’m shooting Buffalo Bore ammo, again very satisfied.

I’ve owned 5-6, all in 308 or 358......mostly first run and 81s. Never had a misfire, jam, or bad accuracy. MOF, I’ve had more malfunctions with some popular bolt actions than BLRs, but I don’t hunt in Alaska rain and mud, just AL, MS, LA, TX, TN, etc rain and mud and such.

I find my 308 s can be finicky about reloads. I think I push the shoulders too far back perhaps?

I also think the Winchester 88 is a wee bit stronger. Compared to the BLR. The model 99 is way weaker.

I was able to find one in the local gun store...they feel kind of “cheap” to me-just not real solid.

LOL....apparently you’ve never handled a marlin or savage?

Outside of a finnwolf, a BLR is the bank vault of lever actions.

My sister-in-law is a lefty, too. Her BLR is chambered for the 7mm-08 cartridge and she has taken many large bodied mule deer in Wyoming with this rifle. Two elk as well and a couple antelope. The unique BLR is actually a bolt action operated by a lever. Accuracy is quite impressive, too.

If you look around, you will find a Savage 99 in either 300 or .308 chambering. These rifles are noted for their stellar accuracy and reliable lever action. The 300 Savage cartridge features moderate recoil and flat trajectory for the deer hunter who hunts in mixed cover. The .308 has only slightly better ballistics although ammo is easier to locate. Managed Recoil Ammo for the .308 might be a better choice than shooting a .243 for deer. This photo shows my Savage .308 rifle.

Sherwood

The BLR might handle pressure better than the Marlin, and maybe even the Savage 99, (although the Savage is chambered in some high pressure calibers,) but in terms of quality its not even in the same league as the Savage, and personally I think even the Marlin is more reliable. Take a Savage 99 apart and you will marvel at the simplicity, and strength of these fine rifles.....they truly were decades ahead of their time. In contrast the BLR has a lot of moving parts and needs to be timed perfectly to work properly. I never cared for the geared action or the alloy they build the receivers with.

I had an 81 in .243. I stripped all of the shine off and used it for calling coyotes. I probably shot 150 coyotes with that rifle. It was accurate and functioned well. I had the trigger worked and it still was not that great. I don't like a rifle that I cannot take apart and clean once in a while. I sold it a few years back.

check out the Henry Long Ranger in 243. i hope to buy one in the near future.

I still say an early BLR is built as good as anything out there, and I have savage and marlins, too. Of course, that’s just my opinion after having shot and worked on them all. A BLR may not seem ‘simple’, but a savage isn’t exactly ‘simple’, either.....especially messing with magazines. They all have weaknesses, and they all have strengths.....but build quality is probably not the weakness for any of them....perceptions on feel, aside. It’s hard to beat a BLR for smooth, fast, and accurate....as a rule of thumb. Looks, cleaning, takedown, feel, etc.....up to you.

I own 2 S.S. BLR Brownings both are very accurate 308 win. and a 300 win. mag. I will never sell them. I want to buy a 7mm rem. mag S.S. in a BLR yet. BLR`S are really kinda a bolt - lever lockup that`s why BLR`S can handle a lot more pressure and able to shoot 7 mags and 300 mags, I do wish Browning built a 338 Win. mag.S.S. with a 24 inch barrel too. plus BLR`S have a magazine clip not a tube feed so bullets in the cartridge don`t get damaged.

Browning worked 4 Winchester 4 generations.

The BLR is perhaps the pinnacle of browning engeniering.

Marlins, Savage , and Winchester all have their spin....

It's all good.

Had one in 308 and loaded for it... crappy trigger and would not shoot better than 1.5 inches... sold it...

Does anyone know if they changed the firing pin when they started building the receivers out of aluminum? Just wondering if that might have something to do with the fail to fire issue. Seems worse in a cold climate. Mine failed to fire on a winter bison hunt one time. Pulled the hammer back and the second time it worked

The BLR isn't a "Browning" design in the same sense as the Winchester firearms designed by John Browning. The BLR was outsourced to another designer (Karl Lewis) and refined by TRW Corp. Probably the pinnacle (and last) of true Browning engineering was the M2 "Ma Deuce" or the M4 Cannon.

Moisture/grease being inside a bolt/internal firing pin system, during cold weather, often causes FTF in ALL firearms. It can also often be traced to maintenance error.....as opposed to design flaw.

Thanks 4 that T Mitch!

I didn't know who made the BLR ......just assumed...well we all know where that will get you.

The Ma Duece is a far better weapon to end the legacy!

Thanks for setting the record straight!

I appreciate it.

Happy Holidays!

John

Very true. Mine was cleaned out good with a degreaser, but I found it hard to keep it scrupulously clean when working 18 hours a day guiding hunters for 60-days straight, most of it in bad weather. Found out real quick it wasn't designed for the use my rifles have to endure.

REally like my BLR, but you never see them on a list of tough working rifles.

I'm not a fan of the BLR

I totally get the nay Sayers on the BLR. If in bear dangerous game country.....you better trust your rifle to fire!

But hunting civilized country driving too and from hotels.... the magazine and hammered lever action make it easy to be legal....

When NOT hunting. They just need trigger work. I M O.

I just ordered a another new BLR Browning in 7 Mag. S.S. I plan on using next year in Alaska on a moose hunt. > I was on a hunt in the mountains south side of Yellowstone on a horse back hunt ,lots of bear tracks in the snow too, all 3 of us had 338 Win. Mags. in 700 Remingtons all 3 rifles on day two were froze up and would not firing tell I unthawed them, as far as the BLR Browning freezing up this type of rifle will not freeze up as easy if you do the proper maintenance on rifle as easy as a 700 Remington will. the other part about freeze up on a rifle there are some pre cautions you can do so this never does happen on any rifle, some people clean and oil their rifles way to much also,dry bolts work always better,and uncleaned rifle generally shoots better or as good as a clean bore but a fouled rifle does not rust as easy.

You are correct, the Remington 700 has a reputation for having problems in extreme conditions, at least up here it does. I always run my rifles dry, but still had problems with the BLR. I like the BLR, they usually shoot really good, and I like the way they handle, but I do believe there are far better rifles available for rough use. I've seen Winchester 94s carried by First Nation guides that likely were never cleaned and they still functioned flawlessly. Same goes for the Savage 99. I assume you will be with other hunters on your moose hunt? I sure wouldnt feel comfortable doing a solo hunt in remote country with a complicated rifle like the BLR.

You are right, My sav 99's tend to show reduced case life and stretch when used with upper end hot loads. My BLR does not do this.

Had 2 BLRs in .358W, one Japanese, one Belgian, also have had 3 BLRS in .308W, one Belgian, 2 Japanese. They all shot close to MOA and one of the Belgian. 358W shot quite a bit better with my loads. As you guessed, I really liked them for a long time. I have sold all of them now, one cost me around $300 and 2 trips to Midwest Gunworks to get it right. The lock up got very loose on it from my warm (but in spec) 200 grain loads. They are pretty complicated and fussy so didn't suit me for tracking in thick swamps where they were always getting lots of evergreen needles in the action and froze up on me a few times. I am surprised that is not a more common complaint. Now strictly a bolt action man and decided that for most of my tracking and clear cut watching to go with 7-08 and .270Win. If I was 'needing' something heavier, I would go all the way with a 45-70 or load up some 200 grain bullets for a .308 or 30-06. Although I have rifles costing 7+ times the price, the little Ruger American Compact Stainless is my go to gun 90% of the time.

I have a Belgium made BLR circa 1971 in .243. It is heavier but balanced. The trigger sucks but it is manageable. It really loves 95 gr Hornady Superperformance SSTs. My daughter killed her first deer with it and it really is "her" rifle.

I have had 3 steel receiver Japanese BLR's with the drop down clip and have had absolutely no trouble at all with any of them. 2 308s and still own a 358. I used one of the 308s when I was guiding full time with no trouble . I also know of a couple earlier Belgium guns that have been used and carried hard for years that are very dependable. I like them very well and recommend the early ones.

I've had several, japan and belgium built both.
I've never had any of the problems folks post about online.
They carried just fine and shot just fine. The deer never complained
about anything, just fell over dead. Since I started hunting where I
now hunt, I mostly use a couple of cheap single shot rifles and have
had no problems with those. A nice fellow with a nice pile of greenbacks
wanted my last BLR, and it went home with him. I must say I didn't
sell it because of any kind of dissatisfaction, I was just needing the
money considerably more than I needed the rifles. I'll also add that
all the ones I've had were the pre-81 models. I wouldn't hesitate to
buy another if I had the want and the money.