Browning BLR Lightweight '81 Stainless Takedown

qcdude

qcdude

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Montreal
Thinking of it.
I've been reading some reviews and people say that the best grouping was 1.25" at 100 yds which is kinda not very impressive. But the 20+20" takedown compactness and stainless steel sound very appealing. I want a good backpacker rifle. Bad weather happens and I hate the need to dry and clean my rifle when getting home tired.
Also, there are few things to consider. My eyes aren't young anymore, so I appreciate optics/scopes. But this can ruin the idea of compactness. I don't think a red dot option could open the potential of this rifle. But as far as I know there are "quick detach" style scope mounts? Does anyone have experience with those? Wouldn't such a solution ruin the accuracy even more? Otherwise, maybe there are some good shorter scope options? If it extends beyond the rear piece only for max +1/2" forward then I could probably go for it. Any other ideas? Again the possibility to put it into a backpack is most important point for me.
 
wannabe said:
Triggers can be horrible
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yeah, I've read about this. Older guns especially.
For the new ones this article says "Trigger: 4.9 lb. pull (measured)"
https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/browning-blr-lightweight-81-lever-rifle-review/461208
Some people report like 5.4 lb etc. Can be worked on probably.
Overall I don't see any other good take down alternative in hunting calibers ...

The best optic scope choice seems to be Leupold VX-3HD 1.5-5x20mm - it is 9.6" long and 14.3 oz -- does anyone have experience with this one? How bright/clear it is?..
 
wannabe said:
I don't know anyone in Canada that works on Blr triggers
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I saw a vid on youTube of a guy doing it on his BLR... I think I could dare to do this kind of work myself.

It looks like there is no chance to check this rifle anywhere in my area.
My mind is more busy in regards of the geometry and scope options for this rifle.
i.e. if Leupold VX-3HD 1.5-5x20mm or Mark 3HD 1.5-4x20 Illum FireDot BDC is 9.5" in total length then how much would it outstand when rifle is broken in two pieces? Also, would it provide a comfortable eye relief?
The LOP of this rifle is 13 3/4" which is kinda slightly less than I normally need ( 14.5"). I think I could fit a 0.5" spacer under the butt stock which is again a length increase... So if scope outstands for about 0.5 then another 0.5" - this will make the rear piece to be 21" in total, so I would need a larger backpack to carry it comfortably. Yeah, the takedown is whole reason for me.
Like siad earlier here, there is QD rings option which can save my arse. But can also ruin accuracy, perhaps to not a critical degree, still...
Or I should try an aperture sight. If this is a techincally good solution for out to 300 yds then it would be great.
 
Takedown with a red dot on board makes sense for me. Takedown with a scope did not.

I fooled around with all kinds of site options on the takedown BLR - open sights, peeps, scout scope.

Eventually settled on a standard (receiver mount) picatinny rail. Can mount just about anything to that, and it offers really good fore and aft mounting flexibility to setup eye relief

A good set of rings will allow easy removal and return pretty close to zero when reinstalled. Seekins are my favorite. Nightforce Ultralite is another good option.

Personally i wouldn't worry about the LOP spacer - it's a lever gun, and doesn't lend itself to shooting prone 😉



I've done a couple of trigger jobs on BLRs. It's simple but tedious (no you don't have to take the whole action apart - first one took me most of a day though)

Gunsmiths don't like doing them due to liability and the fact it's so time consuming makes it hard to be profitable, unless the customer is willing to pay $$$
 
Love my takedown. 1-4x trijicon mounted. Plenty accurate, have a great skinner takedown bag for it. All the fuss about the trigger is nonsense. It's a handy lever rifle with a stout trigger, not a 500 yard target gun. No trouble to shoot it accurately if you learn the trigger and know how to shoot.
IMG_20201008_191118.jpg
 
Hand Skills said:
Takedown with a red dot on board makes sense for me. Takedown with a scope did not.

I fooled around with all kinds of site options on the takedown BLR - open sights, peeps, scout scope.

. . .

I've done a couple of trigger jobs on BLRs. It's simple but tedious (no you don't have to take the whole action apart - first one took me most of a day though)
. . .
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hi Hand Skills,
Red Dot helps to take quick shots indeed. I am curious to know what are your groups with RedDot at 100, 200 yds. ...well, I don't think it would be a good idea to try shooting 300 yds with it. For me this is first of all hunting tool, so ethical well placed shots are important. In your case what was wrong with using a peep?
Also, if you could share a pic of your BLR with RedDot on - that would be nice. Thank you.
DTM5 said:
Love my takedown. 1-4x trijicon mounted. Plenty accurate, have a great skinner takedown bag for it. All the fuss about the trigger is nonsense. It's a handy lever rifle with a stout trigger, not a 500 yard target gun. No trouble to shoot it accurately if you learn the trigger and know how to shoot.
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hi DTM5
it is nice to hear that you love your BLR. This is eye candy. The picture is also very helpful for me in couple more ways - thanks for sharing it.
Few questions, if you don't mind :
- how do you find your Trijicon low light performance? Which reticle it is? We all know that the best hunting time is usually early morning and sunset. And the fact that this scope uses fiber optics and tritium and doesn't need any batteries and switches is very good reason to add it to my list of candidates.
- do you feel like the eye relief is comfortable for you? Are you able to take a quick well aimed shot using this setup? I'm 6 ft tall ...
- what are your groupings at 100, 200, 300 yds?
Thank you.
 
qcdude said:
hi Hand Skills,
Red Dot helps to take quick shots indeed. I am curious to know what are your groups with RedDot at 100, 200 yds.
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hi qcdude,

I'll do my best to answer, hope it makes sense!

I did load development with a scope, and in that context my 'load' is good for about 3/4moa.

I don't think I've ever shot a BLR from a bench with the red dot 🤔

Mostly offhand practice. If I'm taking my time and conditions are good (low heartrate, low wind) I'm good for about 4moa. Sometimes better. I have popped balloons with that setup at 300 from sitting. 🤷‍♂️


qcdude said:
...well, I don't think it would be a good idea to try shooting 300 yds with it.
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You decide what's best for you, I decide what's best for me 👍 (but I think we agree, 300 is pushing it unless conditions and shooting position are perfect)


qcdude said:
For me this is first of all hunting tool, so ethical well placed shots are important. In your case what was wrong with using a peep?
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Its good to hear that you take shot placement seriously. I do too, though for me its more about the setup and the conditions than the distance. With the low profile (Skinner) peep, I'd get a bruise on my cheek. I tried a higher one (Williams) and needed a really high blade for the front to hit where I was aiming. The front blade kept getting hung up on things, and I was concerned about its durability, and losing zero.

I considered making a taller ramp for the front, so I could use a shorter blade, but got distracted with scout scopes for a time.

...decided I didnt like the balance of the scout setup and took that heavy rail off, put a lightweight rail on the receiver.

Went back to a LPVO for a bit, but I knew the moment I attached a Hensoldt RSA - it felt like coming home. Sometimes ya just know! The RSA is quick detach with a button. Very handy.

I thought a smaller dot might work better with my astigmatism, so I tried an Aimpoint T2. Ended up preferring the RSA, and kept T2 as a backup. If I had normal eyes I would probably prefer the T2 for it's finer point of aim though.

qcdude said:
Also, if you could share a pic of your BLR with RedDot on - that would be nice. Thank you.
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shorty.jpg
 
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hi Hand Skills ,
for sure, I didn't mean to tell you or anybody else that it is not a good idea to shoot 300 yds at something using redDot. This relates to my own experience only. So I meant that 300yds red dot results are not very important for me. Nothing else.
It is quite impressive that you were able to pop balloons at 300 yds from sitting.
Thank you for your answers and the picture.
 
Found this picture on the net
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it looks like this kind of scope can be mounted flush with the rear piece. Not sure if there will be enough eye relief this way though
 
There is a manufacturer that makes a rail for this rifle and use the quick release / detach rings for the scope. If you use med qdetach rings, should be able to install a peep into the base
 
qcdude said:
hi Hand Skills,
Red Dot helps to take quick shots indeed. I am curious to know what are your groups with RedDot at 100, 200 yds. ...well, I don't think it would be a good idea to try shooting 300 yds with it. For me this is first of all hunting tool, so ethical well placed shots are important. In your case what was wrong with using a peep?
Also, if you could share a pic of your BLR with RedDot on - that would be nice. Thank you.

hi DTM5
it is nice to hear that you love your BLR. This is eye candy. The picture is also very helpful for me in couple more ways - thanks for sharing it.
Few questions, if you don't mind :
- how do you find your Trijicon low light performance? Which reticle it is? We all know that the best hunting time is usually early morning and sunset. And the fact that this scope uses fiber optics and tritium and doesn't need any batteries and switches is very good reason to add it to my list of candidates.
- do you feel like the eye relief is comfortable for you? Are you able to take a quick well aimed shot using this setup? I'm 6 ft tall ...
- what are your groupings at 100, 200, 300 yds?
Thank you.
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Happy to help.
- Trijicon is good in low light. A higher end leupold (vx5/6) is better. But I've buckled 3 bucks with this rig at dusk and it is more than adequate. This one has the triangle post which I find a great shorter range option. The tritium works well in low light but it isnt as bright as a battery powered scope.
- I'm 6ft, tall, eye relief is VG, no issues. This setup is very fast shooting, especially with the scope dialed down and the post reticle. Often I'll shoot both eyes open.
- I've only range shot this at 100 yards . Groups average 2 inches. Keep in mind it's a 358 win and there is little ammo selection. So i shoot the hornady 200gr factory round only (I dont reload). If it was a .308, I'm quite sure you could dial it in better by finding the right ammo / load. But 2" at 100 yards is totally fine for where i use this.
Great rifle, love it I have 3 BLRs. 2 are takedown.
-
 
DTM5 said:
Here is my baby on duty.
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great scene. ) I feel myself happy when I hunt.
I guess everything in this rifle is weather resistant? Did you ever see a hint of rust anywhere on this gun after those wet days? Sometime it plain sucks to do gun cleaning when getting home and you're tired . I rarely sit and wait for more than 1 hour. So I walk and stalk a lot.

Btw, did you lap those scope rings? I had bad experience with this kind of rings in case of my Sauer bolt rifle. As I figured, it was the receiver holes misalignment which was causing my scope to adjust the windage almost to its limit. So the final solution was to use the Burris Zee rings with plastic inserts called Pos-Align Inserts system. But the rings which you use look very clean and nice.
 
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I found an interesting message on youtube:
" I have a takedown in 308 with a Leupold 1-4 Pig Plex. Also fitted with an adjustable cheek riser from Bushbuck. Accuracy was initially poor at 1.5” @100yds. I fixed it by unscrewing the barrel from the ForeGrip and carefully sanded down all the rough wood from the factory (being careful not to touch the bedding pads). I combined this by dremelling out a gap in the top-inside of the Barrel Band, so that when replaced there was over 1mm of clearance from the barrel. This has tightened up accuracy to the level of a bolt gun for me to a repeatable 0.5” the modification was easy and well worth it, just take your time."
-- it is not quite clear why this guy did "dremelling out a gap in the top-inside of the Barrel Band" .
Wouldn't it be more simple to remove that Band completely to make the barrel free floating?
Like this Vortex guy did in this video:
 
...OK fellows, I've finally pulled the trigger :)

Found a band new and last one in cal .308 at some hardware and firearm store, in a village in the wilds of mid-southern Quebec. It will cost me $2186 shipped and tax included. Initially I was hesitating to spend this much on this rifle, but seeing that there are some 2nd hand options on ####### which are already sold at $2200+ I realized the unhealthy situation around this gun. :ROFLMAO:
There is another one in 300WM at alflahertys.com - but I don't want it in magnum. I wish it would be in 6.5mm, but OK. 308 is still good for me. I don't find any other options elsewhere in Canada.

As for the scope, finally I've set my mind on a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24mm SFP which can be found at ~$300 US on eBay. This scope is 17.6 oz and only 10 inch long while being 1-8 zoom, not 1-4. There are some favorable reviews on the net for it, like 4.7 out of 5 for about 55 customer reviews.
I like the reticle too.
I was also thinking of a Trijicon AccuPoint 1-6x24mm but I don't seem to like the busy rear end of it and also it is +1" longer tube, 2oz heavier and 4..5 times more expensive. Also the 8x zoom helps more than 4x or 6x when shooting at 300 yds.
What ya all think?..
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1-8 power is a great option for the BLR 308, though I detest EBay
congrats on the rifle buy
I have the same, SS T/d, and went with regular bases and leupold QD rings at first as with the first scope I had to remove it to t/d the rifle
Have since gone with a smaller objective that clears the rear sight when t/d'ing
On a couple occasions I was glad to have the oem sights to use

And imo the trigger is very usable. Also the bolt pushes the hammer back like any lever gun and that interface has a lot of friction
Polishing it and reducing the hammer spring force will help immensely

Browning makes good stuff
 
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