Browning BLR in ROUGH shape.

R

Restoule

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Location
Calgary, Alberta
Hey all,

I picked up this BLR at an auction. Description of rifle was a bit off to say the least. I paid way too much for what this rifle is. Would of been a good deal if it was in decent shape. What's done is done. I accept my purchase.

7mm-08 Browning BLR Lightning.

Sick gun. Love this thing.

I want to completely restore/upgrade/ modify this thing.

-Cerakote barrel, action and magazine midnight bronze.

-Re-Blue(Or DLC) the hammer and lever.
Also turn the lever into a large loop, or medium...the opening is pretty small, and seems to cram my fingers as I cycle the action.

-Titanium nitride the trigger and bolt.

Either restore the original stock and re-checker it, or make a custom Carbon fiber stock molded exactly like the factory stock.

And finally, I love 7mm's. So this being 7mm-08 is perfect. But the barrel is so toast I don't know what to do.

My 3 options are:
-leave it, shoot it, and hopefully its good.
-rebarrel in 7mm-08 and have an awesome rifle all around.
Or
-Rebarrel in a different caliber. Maybe 8.6 Blackout? Maybe something else?

I want this to be a rifle I can track whitetails or bear with.

I'm looking for opinions on what I should do barrel wise. And yes, I realize taking the factory barrel off is going ro be a *****.

-Restoule
 

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Yikes. That barrel has a lot of pitting and if it shoots will likely foul quickly. What you propose is why this site is called gunnutz as there is no financial recovery from your proposed upgrades but sounds like a fun project. The stock is recoverable with some TLC and would look great with an oil finish instead of the ultra shiny Browning finish. Hopefully whoever misrepresented that gun gets karma right up the yahoo.
 
That is a alloy receiver BLR and has been taken apart 100 times , you can tell by the timing gear screws and the damage to the alloy around the hammer, my advice, and i own many blr guns, is sell it and dont put a dime into it, look for a nice 358 if you want a short bear gun or buy an 81-94 blr in 7mm 08 (the years with the steel receivers) which will run you $1200 to $1500 depending on how nice it is
 
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Best thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging…
Unless you intend to use it to learning gun refinishing I’d bail on it and take whatever hit happens.
The cost of everything needed far out weighs the cost of something better than what you would wind up with when you’re done.
Plus bailing is quicker with a known outcome.
 
You don't want to hold auction house accountable? Least they could give a partial refund....no?{is there rules/protections for this?} What was the cost?
 
hunterhenderson said:
That is a alloy receiver BLR and has been taken apart 100 times , you can tell by the timing gear screws and the damage to the alloy around the hammer, my advice, and i own many blr guns, is sell it and dont put a dime into it, look for a nice 358 if you want a short bear gun or buy an 81-94 blr in 7mm 08 (the years with the steel receivers) which will run you $1200 to $1500 depending on how nice it is
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I totally agree that it has been taken apart a bunch. Pretty crazy considering how much people say not to.

I bought it because of the alloy receiver. My current bush gun is a win 100 in. 284. But I hate how brass recovery is nill. Its 1.2 lbs lighter than that 100 too which is a bonus. I'm also content with the caliber being more than capable of taking bears down.

Also, I can't sell it. I'm not scamming someone, and I'm not eating more than half of what I paid. So that's not an option I'm looking at right now.
 
wasrupzuk said:
Best thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging…
Unless you intend to use it to learning gun refinishing I’d bail on it and take whatever hit happens.
The cost of everything needed far out weighs the cost of something better than what you would wind up with when you’re done.
Plus bailing is quicker with a known outcome.
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Man that is hard to hear. I love fixing guns up.

I bought a browning bps for 200$. Had pitting all over, but functioned flawlessly. I bought a second barrel for it. Re did the stock and cut the second barrel to have a defense shotgun as well as a duck gun.

I can do everything myself which will save me a ton of money as well.
 

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It's only money, you can't take it with you when you go. If doing the work is something you enjoy, who can put a price on happiness? Lol

Just be aware of what everyone has pointed out - you're going to pay more to fix it up then to just replace it. Some people value being able to bring something back from the brink, it's not a value easily translated into cash but that only matters if you're looking to get rid of it.


If you do ask about a partial refund from the auction house please let us know what their response is.
 
It looks like the perfect gun to me if you want a bush whacker for deer and bears. I’d make sure it shoots half decent, cut the barrel as short as possible and have at er. Always nice to have a gun that you don't mind beating up.
 
HOSSONE said:
It looks like the perfect gun to me if you want a bush whacker for deer and bears. I’d make sure it shoots half decent, cut the barrel as short as possible and have at er. Always nice to have a gun that you don't mind beating up.
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I know, I may just keep it absolutely haggered.

But then again, I dont mind beating up my nice guns too. To me they are a tool. I don't abuse them, like this BLR has had, but I dont mind walking through the brush with them.

I don't think I've ever dropped a rifle. I have fallen down a hill with my bow, snapping all But one arrow... but not a gun lol.

I'm not going to cut the barrel, I like the shortest possible, but it's only 20" now. 7mm08 loses a lot of performance going shorter and shorter.
 
Restoule said:
I know, I may just keep it absolutely haggered.

But then again, I dont mind beating up my nice guns too. To me they are a tool. I don't abuse them, like this BLR has had, but I dont mind walking through the brush with them.

I don't think I've ever dropped a rifle. I have fallen down a hill with my bow, snapping all But one arrow... but not a gun lol.

I'm not going to cut the barrel, I like the shortest possible, but it's only 20" now. 7mm08 loses a lot of performance going shorter and shorter.
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I’m a little over sensitive with my shiny things. ……lol. Don’t hunt much anymore so it’s not an issue and I like all guns. Shiny wood and blue to synthetic and beat up so used I used to bring a couple hunting to meet the task of the day.

Hopefully it shoots well for ya.
 
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