Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing BLR 81 Disassembly for deep cleaning

My NRA disassembly book doesn't have the BLR81. I need to get inside as it was full of old grease that looked almost like Cosmoline. Used Brake cleaner spray outside the house but it needs a serious full disassembly and cleaning. I don't see any solution but to push out three pins. TIA. Be Well. Rusty

Getting all those gears and pieces back together with proper timing was the reason I never took mine down.

DF

Bless your hearts.............

You did it.

DF

With a hatchet, even!

Damn - he's GOOD!

A quick google search turned this up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afvhm_Gvhew

Looks like about all you need to know. Good luck!

Thats for a BAR

I’ve taken a BAR down, never felt confident tackling the BLR.

Stick seemed to get it done.

DF

Yep--don't know what happened to the youtube video on the BLR (did a copy and paste).

Try this--not as easy to follow but at least it is about the BLR: https://www.midwestgunworks.com/field_service_manual/browning_blr_pre_81_field_service_manual.pdf

Taking the BLR down is the easy part, getting the gear timed correctly so the bolt closes properly when re-assembled is the hard part. Following the instructions for re-assembly contained in the above linked manual will get you there, but as noted it is a trial and error process. Paying attention to the instructions regarding the bolt clearance is critical.

Now those are good instructions..Thanks

I'm pretty comfortable doing a lot of different gun smith stuff.

Still don't know if I'd tackle a BLR. I'd be worried about scarring the pins by tapping them out with a punch. And, getting it all back together....

Think I'll pass on that one...

DF

Found a cut away action pic on Browning's website:

One of my gunsmiths won't do it so good enough for me not to even try. Get your hatchet and take it down with the trigger group in tact, like stick. I would rather spend more time on flushing it out than on dinking with the action timing and maybe still not getting it right. Most of the parts are accessible or a vibratory cleaner would get all the carbon out. Only if there were corrosion issues would I strip it all the way.

Something everyone who disassembles a BLR needs to be aware of is that the pins are knurled and must be driven out from right to left. Driving them thru will prove difficult and will damage the pins and the internal parts on which they rotate. A punch with a concave tip is also a necessity as the pins have radiused ends, using a flat tipped punch will damage them and also run the risk of the punch flying off the end of the pin and marring the side of the receiver. In the Browning shop we used Sears punches that we hollowed the tip using a mounted stone in a Dremel tool and polished the resulting hollow tip on the buffing wheel.

Gunswizard thanks. I never thought of the polish part, just the hollow. It won't be controllable otherwise. Be Well. Rusty

I had a BLR in 358. Current model stainless steel. Must of been some contaminants in the bolt body steel prior to machining. After about six months in the safe the bolt looked like swiss cheese. Never seen anything corrode like that. Sent it back to Browning twice. Bolt was replaced the first time second trip was to get the timing right so it would fire. My guess is they did not have any ammo on hand to test fire the first time. If the factory cannot get it right I am not taking it apart myself. So I sold it and bought a takedown when they came out. Pull the barrel and spray the action out very simple.