BLR cleaning routine

An interesting post. These rifles, IMO, are not a target/range gun, but rather for hunting only. Mine gets about 10 rounds at the range before the hunt and then, hopefully, one or two shots during the hunt. Clean from the muzzle (i.e. don't ever take one apart), using plastic or brass jags and a suitable coated cleaning rod. Only clean as required (probably once a year unless you shoot it a lot?) and very very carefully so as not to damage the crown. Use a guide if you have a suitable one. Don't think I missed anything.
 
That covers the bore.
You may need to clean the mechanism at some point.
Because disassembling and reassembling one of these mousetraps is something best avoided, flushing, drying and relubricating is an option. Any lube should be premium, non-gumming and non-freezing. You do not want to have to disassemble the thing.
I have seen these develop a misfiring problem.
The hammer spring is a small diameter thing hidden away in a tube inside the grip. The buttstock retaining screw threads into it. To get at the hammer spring to clean out any gunk or rust, the stock must be removed. Then you can get at the tube and hammer spring, making sure they are clean. To remove the buttstock, you must first remove the recoil pad. Finding the screws that retain the pad is the first step. Use a lubricated screwdriver to minimize damage to the slits in the pad.
 
I highly recommend you strip your BLR fully. It will be a great learning experience and boost your patience level to new heights. Did it once years ago on a rifle that needed a complete reblue job, never again.
 
Get a brass muzzle protector similar to those for muzzleloaders to protect the crown when cleaning. I have the repair manual for them and a copy of Guntech's easier way to time the action but I wouldn't attempt to take one apart even with those.
 
There are different versions of the action. Solid drive pins and slip fit pins retained by screws on their ends. Don't disassemble either. If you do, and you have to take the parts to a gunsmith who is prepared to work on one of these critters, remember that it was your brother-in-law who disassembled it. Deny responsibility for being foolish enough to disassemble one.
 
I am an automotive Repair Technician, and have little fear of disassembling/reassembling complex mechanisms. [e.g. 10 speed automatic transmissions]
However, the BLR is an asinine abortion to reassemble, so I also recommend that you do not attempt it.

I use brake clean after removing the stock, flush everything out well. Then some spray graphite to lube it up.
The carrier will evaporate, leaving the dry graphite behind as a lube.

These are decent hunting rifles, but I believe the designer was a sadist. :) Dave.
 
Eagleye said:
I am an automotive Repair Technician, and have little fear of disassembling/reassembling complex mechanisms. [e.g. 10 speed automatic transmissions]
However, the BLR is an asinine abortion to reassemble, so I also recommend that you do not attempt it.

I use brake clean after removing the stock, flush everything out well. Then some spray graphite to lube it up.
The carrier will evaporate, leaving the dry graphite behind as a lube.

These are decent hunting rifles, but I believe the designer was a sadist. :) Dave.
Click to expand...

The designer was one Karl Lewis. He did a stint in the USN beginning 1945 or 1946. I don't believe he seen any action and then IIRC he was a policeman in Florida for a time. At one point he worked for Colt Firearms division testing .50 BMG machine guns I don't know if he did this before his navy-police career or afterwards?
I think he designed the Colt Woodsman and approached Browning with what later became the Dan Wesson revolver but they declined as they had no desire to build revolvers. And I do believe he had something to do early development the M-79 grenade launcher.
Not sure exactly when he put the BLR first to paper but it's rumored that there was a tubular magazine BLR put to paper as well. Maybe he wanted a 30-30 and or 35 Remington BLR also in his mind??
Probably better it died on paper first. Kind of defeats the purpose detachable magazine and better ballistics.
 
Have had my BLR since new in 1977. Clean the bore with jag, patches, rod through the muzzle...typical routine. Once every couple of years I gave the “action” a generous soaking of WD-40. Blow dry. Use without lube in cold weather. Light oil for long term storage.
 
I give mine a good cleaning every year.I use nothing but bore snakes and good oil,never had the need or urge to take one apart to see what makes them tick,but I have watched our local gunsmith who is also a machinist with an engineering degree put them back together no sweat.He also looked at me and said never take one of these apart .lol
 
Clean from the muzzle but don't push all the crud down the barrel. Insert a quality rod down to the open breech, screw a brush on and a bit of solvent and pull it out. Do that a few times and then with a dry patch wrapped around a smaller brush... then a larger brush and patch and clean the chamber. This one ends in the chamber... push it back out and unscrew... the whole process is slow but it works.
 
There must be systems for assembling them efficiently. Maybe jigs.
The earlier versions are assembled with splined drive pins. If you are going to drive out the pins and disassemble the action, make sure you drive the pins out the right way. You don't want to drive the splined ends through the internal parts. I suspect that splined pins can only be driven out and replaced a certain number of times before the splines and holes get gnawed up a bit, and don't hold firmly.
 
guntech said:
Clean from the muzzle but don't push all the crud down the barrel. Insert a quality rod down to the open breech, screw a brush on and a bit of solvent and pull it out. Do that a few times and then with a dry patch wrapped around a smaller brush... then a larger brush and patch and clean the chamber. This one ends in the chamber... push it back out and unscrew... the whole process is slow but it works.
Click to expand...

This be my cleaning method as well for rifles like these, but I make Delrin muzzle guides to better protect the crown.

Cleaning Rod Setup.jpg
 

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