I was at a gun shop the other day looking for LH rifles and they recommended the BLR. They had a stainless with walnut stock on the shelf that fit well was balanced perfectly for me. I like the way it look and have always liked a lever.

Has anybody got any good or bad reviews on the gun?

Great rifles. Accurate, reliable and well made. I love mine. That being said, the triggers generally suck with a ton of creep.

Hate the looks and triggers are awful.....

I am big Browning and A-bolt fan. They have been the most accurate rifle running Hornady's through them. I was wondering about that with this rifle. Very light and holds well. On top of that the stainless and walnut is a sharp combo.

Thanks for the reply
Bob

aside from the looks is there anything that could be done with the triggers?

From all I've read, there's not much that can be done.

The other problem that some encounter is chambering difficulty, even when small-base dies are used.

I've long had a hankering for one of these dating back to the very first models, but I've managed to stifle it. I'd suggest a nice, early post-war Savage 99 if you really want a lever gun for a .308-class round.

Or, just buy the BLR and see how it works for you.

That's just it, I was not looking for a lever but a LH Bolt. I am partial to Browning so this caught my eye. If its not this rifle I would probably just buy another brand in LH bolt. I like the looks of the LH M77 Mountain rifle.

Neil Jones in Saegertown PA is a BLR trigger guru.

Not wanting to hijack, but what is this "M77 Mountain Rifle" you speak of? New offering from Ruger?

He was first guy who came to mind. If you are not going to attempt it yourself, make sure whomever does work on it has experince with BLR triggers, specifically....

It's gone now but I once had a BLR 243. I sent it to Neil for his trigger job. Highly recommend his work and enjoy carrying that BLR during deer drives. I would own it still to this day if I was capable of putting down my fast twist 243.

Only thing I didn't like was the "bass boat" type thick arse finish Browning uses.

I have only worked with four of these 3 in .243 and one .308.
They varied from accurate to really accurate the best one capable of a one hole group with factory ammo.

The artillery lock up is comparable to a multi lug bolt action and the barrel has a long threaded shank tied into a stiff receiver at least on the steel framed ones.

I would gladly pick the BLR over an A-bolt any day. If I run across one in .358 or .284 I will be severely tempted.

I've been hunting with a Japanese pre81, 308 for 33 years.
I've killed more deer with it than combined.
2.5-8 Leupold atop, 165 hornady soft points.
I can't imagine Hunting season without it.

Dont EVER buy a Belgium made BLR if its missing the magazine...

If you shoot from a stand, I would pass. If you walk, they are great, because of the slab sides, and they shoulder really nice. At least mine does, which is the Lighting model in 30-06.

Yes that would be a Ruger.

In MI I hunt from a tree stand. I have taken my Marlin 30-30 a few times and like how compact it is in the stand. I am thinking the BLR would also be nice and compact, plus less weight. It just makes another excuse to own a gun.

By all means then jump on it. Lol

I want to hear more about the mechanical reviews of the rifle. I already know about the cosmetics and fit. It will come down to whether the cons out weight the pros. I will need to see how I feel about the trigger the way it sounds before I purchase. Maybe someone will come along and add more mechanical issues.

That Sir, is a nice rig!

Pre '81 .358 Win. with Nikon Monarch 2-7x32.
Never had any issues with it.

They are known to strip the gears out of the rack and pinion on the lever, when worked hard. There were pictures of such on here a few years back.

I have seen this happen. Gear was broken so lever wouldn't cycle. I believe different models may have had better gears or gears made of different materials. Receivers made of different materials also. He11 I don't know. I used to know all this $hit. I could prolly go back years and read my old posts and learn something "new".

The BLR has never appealed to me due to it's large awkward looking receiver design. I like traditional style lever guns. Own many. And the BLR is an ugly duckling in comparison. Don't like the looks, the feel, the finish, or the trigger. As for reliability, some may have used them for years without issue, but it still cannot be considered as reliable as a good old USA made Winchester or Marlin IMO.

I am quite certain I could improve the trigger on one. But it is not easy, and there are certain things you must avoid doing when tinkering with one. It still will never be like a nice bolt action trigger, but you can reduce the weight of pull quite a bit, and reduce some of the 10 feet of creep they have. I highly recommend having an experienced smith doing it if you aren't someone who has worked on triggers.....

My brother had one in 358 for a few years, never got to shoot anything but paper with it though. It always functioned just fine, he never had any problems with it. Ending up selling it because he was more comfortable with his 300 Win for elk hunting.

kingfisher,

I'd give a body part for a Sako Finnwolf.

My friend has a BLR. He loves it.

I liked my early 358 BLR. The trigger didn't bother me. However, If I put in all the mag would hold it would not feed well.

If you hunt from a stand, go with a BAR.

I love BLRs. I like Marlins and winchesters, too. I tried to like Savage 99s, but their ugliness and weakness has thrown me off, no matter how much I try. I've seen plenty of pretty 'lipstick' on 99s, but they're still ms piggy in a pretty dress.

i hunt a BLR in 30.06. got it when i was 16, it's not a tack driver, but a good hunting rifle. I'm a lefty so this was a good option for me at the time. the action is smooth. you won't be disappointed with this rifle

I really like the old steel short receiver BLR rifles. I dislike the alloy long receiver rifles.

Do you mean Aluminum? Alloy is steel. I am a toolmaker by trade and deal with all types of materials daily.

Any mix of multiple metals is an alloy. The majority metal can be iron or aluminum or whatever...

I am a shipfitter by trade and work for a company that builds 400' long Navy ships out of aluminum...want to guess how many different types of alloy we use?

I quote and process details for the Aerospace and Defense dept. I have a good idea what metals you work with. Just saying alloy is also a steel. Typically group material that is in the tool steel or heat treatable range. You can heat treat Aluminum to specific temp ranges but they to not get as hard as steel alloy. I am sure you know this, so I won't jump off topic to much.

I have had several BLR's and plan on keeping the 308 and 284 I have now. The triggers take a little getting used to, but they are not really a problem. Both of my BLR's are accurate and very slick operating. If I was going to get another, It would be a short action, steel receiver with a straight grip. I haven't been able to warm up to the aluminum, long action, pistol grip versions… But the takedown feature is interesting.

I do like my Belgium BLR in 308.

sweet.
I put Talley LW on mine. I also found a spare front sight hood a couple years ago to replace the one that came off sometime in the 90's.
I tried a couple of the post 81s, couldn't love them so the departed.
now magazines for the Belgium and Japs and always on my snach list.

This BLR subject jogged my memory a little bit. There are a couple that slipped though my fingers over the years. One was a 257 Roberts, the other was a 450 Marlin Magnum.

This BLR subject jogged my memory a little bit. There are a couple that slipped though my fingers over the years. One was a 257 Roberts, the other was a 450 Marlin Magnum.

I had one in .243 for a number of years. I got it for fast action coyote calling in brush country. I liked the rifle OK and shot gobs of coyotes with it. It was very accurate. I had the trigger worked some, but it was still pretty long.

I just did not like to have a rifle that I could not easily break down and clean. Other than that, I really could not complain about it.

shhhhh.
don't say that too loud. my 1980 308 might hear you and quit shooting sub moa till I take it apart and clean it.
I've only been hunting with it since I was 12.

Thanks for the comments guys. Right now all I can say is I am undecided after reading some of the comments. I do not like Aluminum receivers and the trigger issue.

I will handle it one more time. I do know it really fit well and my boy said the same thing after he handled it.