Browning BLR Lightweight '81 Stainless Takedown

boxhitch said:
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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Thanks buddy.
Speaking of that 10" long scope I hope that I wouldn't need to detach it. Having already seen few pics of blr TDs setups with such a kind of light small scope. I hope it won't out stand too much forward. If it gonna be 0.5" maximum then I can live with that.
The QDs are plan "B" for now.
As for the friction, let me get my hands on it and see... It is shipped! My itch starts to grow :LOL:
 
qcdude said:
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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That BLR is my 'foul weather' rifle.....I have a blued pistol grip in the same caliber for nicer weather.

Hasn't had a speck of rust. I simply give it a quick wipe with an oily rag after a day in the rain. Maybe put it near the woodstove disassembled for a few minutes to dry it out. Worst case, a little spray of oil into the receiver. Its seen some wet stuff. No issues whatsoever. The Trijicon is pretty tough as well. No Complaints.

Didn't lap the rings - Just out of the box Talley 30mm BLR one piece alloys. Easy Peasy.

Here is one of my other ###y beasts with a Leupold VX-R firedot.
IMG_20190829_154614-EDIT (1).jpg
 
I'm getting kinda paranoid :) when my rifle is wet. For sure I wipe it ASAP. But I imagine that it can develop rust in some tight areas like in between the forend and barrel, etc. So usually I cut a long piece of thin cotton rug, oil it then pull it through that gap in between the barrel and forend. Then I take wd-40 and spray it into the receiver, trigger assembly, all the tight places, etc to misplace the humidity. Then I clean the bore too. So this takes me at least 15 min. I just hope the stainless TD will be more forgiving which will let me put it into a corner at home to dry for at least until next day.
The wet rainy weather muffling your steps nicely and helps to get very close to your game.
I.e. one rainy day I approached and filmed this bear at just some 13...15 yds away and he was not even aware that I'm near by. :D
The season wasn't still opened. So I walked away quietly :)
So hopefully the stainless TD will be right tool for my hunting style )) The package must arrive today... :)
 
The laminate T/D version is a great looking rifle! I have been looking at them for some time, but haven't pulled the trigger on acquiring one as yet, as they are now several hundred dollars more than when they were still in production. A 6.5 CM would be pretty sweet.
I have owned a pre-81 in 358 for over 20 years and love the rifle, despite its terrible trigger. But I have learned its creep and break point and can consistently produce 1" groups with it. I had mine tefloned when I first got it as the metal finish was in very poor shape. Made it like new, and it has weathered years of constant use very well, including riding in a scabbard on an atv or on a horse, as well as being my main camp rifle, back up rifle for guiding and archery hunting, and following/tracking wounded game in thick brush and dark timber. I have also owned a newer steel receiver in 358 that would produce 1/3" groups at 100 yards with its preferred handload, and a Belgian 243 Win. Sold that 358 back to my hunting partner that I bought it from, when his grandson said he wanted one. Never should have parted with the 243. Have been looking for a 257 Roberts for many years. Accuracy can be pretty good on these rifles...just have to find a load it likes.
I have had a Leupold VX-III in 1.5-5x20 in Leupold QR rings on it for years, and the poi repeatability when testing taking it off and reinstalling it was very good. Have recently acquired a Leupold VX-R 2-7x33 and mounted it for a little more magnification and the illuminated FireDot reticle.
 
cal 358 sounds like a heavy recoil gun.
Going to woods with a good lever gun on a horse is all man needs to feel himself in paradise.
My girl riding horses on weekends. I wish I could try it too, but there are girls only going to that stable :LOL:
'2019 Husqvarna 701 Enduro is my iron horse for now ))

OK, I've received my .308 BLR TD. Going to test fire this beauty, maybe tomorrow.
Last week I was checking multiple customer feedbacks and reviews on the net in regards of this gun and saw few reports of misfiring. Hopefully my BLR won't disappoint me.
 
The recoil on the BLR in 358 Win is manageable...while it may get 2400 fps in longer barrels, the 220 gr Hot Cor bullet is only 2209 fps 2384 ft.lbs of energy w/ 50 grains of W748 out of the 20" barrel. 1.7" high @ 100 yards gives a 150 yard zero. Retaining 1865 fps and 1699 ft.lbs at 150 yards. A great saddlegun!
My daughter shot her first deer (mulie) with this rifle when she was 15.
 
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Lucky you, BlackRam
My girls don't want to touch firearms :cry:

Today I took my brand new .308 TD to a wild range. No scope as of yet. To help my vision I took x1.25 reading glasses. A piece of cardboard, marker and 3 ft of wire. Drawn a cross and a couple of circles 2" and 3" in the center of cardboard then attached it to a tree. I took ten shots in total using 150gr copper bullets at 50 yds. The goal was to check the functionality and break the barrel in.
The shooting position was like this
hathcock-768x618.jpg

I also tried to follow the barrel break in procedure suggested by this well known PRS barrel manufacturer:
https://riflebarrels.com/support/centerfire-maintenance/
But I would say it was rather loose following. I cleaned the bore after each shot first three shots. The cleaning was consisting of passing a new nylon stiff brush 3-5 times. Then using a jag with "Brite bore" soaked patch. Then same jag with a 96% alcohol soaked patch - these were coming out dirty, so I was repeating until patches start coming clean. I didn't use any copper solvent, but I think the "Brite bore" + 96% alcohol was still better then nothing. I can tell that I saw tiniest silver metal particles on those patches every clean session. Next two clean outs were after each two shots. Then three final shots and a good thourough clean out which made 10 shots in total.

It wasn't the best place to shoot. Because of tall grass I was sitting on a sloped side of hill which was another degree of challenge. Btw, there was no need to adjust the iron sight. It did pretty good "as is" factory pre-set. The resulting group was about 3" wide and 4..5" tall at both sides of the center axle line. I would say I was satisfied and surprised in a good way given the iron sight, reading glasses from Costco, my tired eyes and the shooting position.
It is time to buy a scope and rings, etc. I've set my mind on Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24 BDC3 - it is possible to get one in the US at $300...400 USD

My impressions. The recoil is slightly more than my 6.5 creed bolt ritle but not an issue at all. The trigger is maybe not perfect but pretty good one. I will leave it as is. Given the way this system works and the way and nasty places where I hunt, I think it would be less safe approach to make this trigger light. After all I think proper trigger discipline is all I need to take good shots. Some folks complain like "the barrel is pencil thin and getting hot just after three shots". I didn't feel like that. The barrel diameter is not less than my 6.5 Sauer 100 XT or .308 Rem783 barrel. It was +25C sunny day. When I took three last shots one after another I didn't feel like the barrel is hot. I would say it was warm, ok. But I could grab it and keep in my hand as much long as desired without feeling any discomfort at all. I imagine it could be getting too hot for hotter or heavier calibers, like 300wsm with faster twist, etc. But for a .308 TD I felt like it is not the case. So whole magazine four shots can be taken with no issues one after another. I don't think one will ever need more than that in a hunting situation. At a range, well, take 3-4 shots, relax, check your results, reload the magazine and you'll be fine, IMHO.
And I really like the hammer safety system of this rifle. It is simply amazing. It makes so easy to disarm the hammer any moment and stop worrying of safety while breaking through a nasty place in the bush.

The 100yds results using the mentioned scope and bipod are to follow, but not earlier than the middle of August.
Stay tuned my friends. :)
 
Hi fellows,
which ammo makes best groups out of your TD stainless?
Please mention your caliber, bullet weight, type and brand of your ammo.
I've installed Vortex Viper 1-6x24 then tried 7 different boxes of 308win ammo: 150, 168, 178 and 180 grains at 100 yds. The best ones were
- Federal Power-Shok 308 Win 150Gr JSP
- Sako Gamehead 308 Win 180 Gr SP
these two were barely 1" to 1.25" groups. Everything else was like nothing to write home about.
I think to try removing the Barrel Band then see if this really helps.
 
My go-to rifle is a SS/TD in 358 win. I had it cerakoted by black box customs since I use it in the rain all the time. Probably overkill given the receiver is aluminium. They do top notch work. I previously had a 358 blued/wood takedown for a few years as my former go-to but sold it when I found this SS one.

I use a 1-5x24 lpvo with illuminated reticle (Kahles k15i) in QD rings and love it. I generally run it at 1x and shoot with both eyes open. I wasn't a fan of the Scout scope on the BLR. The only advantage I can see is the guaranteed return to zero after reassembly, but to be fair for normal hunting distances, I am satisfied with the return to zero of the receiver mounted lpvo.

Congrats on your purchase, it's a very nice rifle in a versatile calibre. I've handled and even owned some of the other calibers (std ength, magnum, WSM) and found they don't handle as well as the short action BLR and moved them along. IMO, the TD version is well worth the premium over the regular version for ease of cleaning alone. Fwiw, be careful not to gum up your firing pin by spraying wd40 in the receiver.


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qcdude said:
Hi fellows,
which ammo makes best groups out of your TD stainless?
Click to expand...
With my 308 we shot 6-8 factory rnds just to check zero with a scope I mounted, then went right to reloads
First bullet and powder was Hornady Interbonds 150 gr with 4064 powder that worked good enough I changed the scope to a 24x to do some testing to 300 yds. Found the best load for under 3" groups so called it good and put the 1.75-6 back on and there she sits....waiting

Not much help I know as Interbonds are now unobtainium
 
doctor_meltdown said:
My go-to rifle is a SS/TD in 358 win. I had it cerakoted by black box customs since I use it in the rain all the time. Probably overkill given the receiver is aluminium. They do top notch work. I previously had a 358 blued/wood takedown for a few years as my former go-to but sold it when I found this SS one.

I use a 1-5x24 lpvo with illuminated reticle (Kahles k15i) in QD rings and love it. I generally run it at 1x and shoot with both eyes open. I wasn't a fan of the Scout scope on the BLR. The only advantage I can see is the guaranteed return to zero after reassembly, but to be fair for normal hunting distances, I am satisfied with the return to zero of the receiver mounted lpvo.

Congrats on your purchase, it's a very nice rifle in a versatile calibre. I've handled and even owned some of the other calibers (std ength, magnum, WSM) and found they don't handle as well as the short action BLR and moved them along. IMO, the TD version is well worth the premium over the regular version for ease of cleaning alone. Fwiw, be careful not to gum up your firing pin by spraying wd40 in the receiver.


View attachment 806905View attachment 806906View attachment 806907
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A nice looking rifle. I have some Brownell's ceracote "coyote" which I applied on my old a380 shotgun barrel. But I'm kinda shy to paint the stainless of this SS TD ... The aluminum receiver looks nice when it's clean. But it gets dirty and exhibiting your fingerprints right away once you grab the rifle. Let me focus on making it a satisfying shooter for now.

Looked up the .358win info...
Wikipedia:
Noted web firearms author Chuck Hawks agrees with the Speer reloading manual that "the .358 Winchester is one of the best woods cartridges ever designed."
-- that sounds interesting. I've never checked this caliber before. It looks like bigger .35" bullet in a .308 based case. So it tells me that it will be slower and perhaps better grouping given that the amount of powder is the same as for 308win. Probably it doesn't get much deflection while hitting little branches, leaves or grass on its path? The downside would be its flight trajectory/curve I guess. Probably it is good up to 300 yds - which is pretty much enough of what we need in the woods. How do you feel recoil?
 
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boxhitch said:
With my 308 we shot 6-8 factory rnds just to check zero with a scope I mounted, then went right to reloads
First bullet and powder was Hornady Interbonds 150 gr with 4064 powder that worked good enough I changed the scope to a 24x to do some testing to 300 yds. Found the best load for under 3" groups so called it good and put the 1.75-6 back on and there she sits....waiting

Not much help I know as Interbonds are now unobtainium
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I wish I had those reload tools... I'm not sure if I will be reloading and shooting enough to justify spending another $$$$ of cash for it.
I still have some 150g Winchester Copper Impact to try with this my latest setup. The copper bullets supposed to be 100% uniform.
Also, both of my rifles tell me that Sako makes good bullets at least those under "Gamehead" name. Let me see...
 
Testing factory loads can get pricey too, chasing that 'best' accuracy
I'd suggest not getting too exotic in what you try as it may not be available when you want more
Finding a good-enuff hunting load is easy, then buy up a good supply, it never goes down in price
also once you have shot it all off, you have good once-fired brass from your rifle which is a good place to start reloading if and when you do.

Good luck with the new rifle, I'm sure you'll get to like it alot
 
I have set up several with Weaver #54 bases, the scope can be removed to use the irons and will return to zero when re installed, I like a 2-7 x or something in the 1-4x range in standard Weaver rings.
 
boxhitch said:
Testing factory loads can get pricey too, chasing that 'best' accuracy
I'd suggest not getting too exotic in what you try as it may not be available when you want more
Finding a good-enuff hunting load is easy, then buy up a good supply, it never goes down in price
also once you have shot it all off, you have good once-fired brass from your rifle which is a good place to start reloading if and when you do.

Good luck with the new rifle, I'm sure you'll get to like it alot
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Now I can say that I start liking it :)
1724598262414.jpeg

And here is the baby )).
But this picture is more than 7 days old. It's to say that my rifle has no barrel band right now. I've also done partial bedding inside the forend cavity using plumbing epoxy putty, all the way from receiver end until about 3/4" in front of the anchoring point. Only the bottom of forend. The rest of forend doesn't touch the barrel. I pull a $5 note through there and it doesn't get stuck.
1724598854016.png
 
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boxhitch said:
curious about your barrel rework
any pics of the process?
Is the aim to reate contact between fore end and the barrel?
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Yeah I took a pic. Please see the 2nd pic below. The two darker spots - were already there by manufacturer. You can choose to remove those if you wish and put your own fresh putty in. I left them 'as is' as reference points.

1. Cut a 1x4" stripe out of fruit plastic package. Or source any other a similar piece of plastic sheet. It must not be too rigid, not too soft either. You will need this stripe to ensure a gap in between your barrel and the front of forend. It must be 0.3 ... 0.5mm thick, which is perfect as a gap.
1724604492587.jpeg

2. Read instruction of your epoxy putty.
Once having kneed it, mine has only 3 min cure time - I bought it at Canac: https://www.canac.ca/en/pc-plumbing-epoxy-putty-2-oz-5130003
So cut off, mix and kneed enough amount of putty. Do it quickly then form and put it down the forend cavity -- see the pic below:
IMG_20240824_102327.jpg
You also need to put about 1mm layer of putty inside the anchoring pit. OR stick a 1mm thick petal of putty right to the bottom surface of the anchor instead.

3. Quick assemble, put it all together: insert that 1x4" plastic stripe in between the barrel and forend at front. Screw in the anchoring bolt as much deep as you need. Remember the 1mm putty petal?.. It works as a regulator. So do not tight it up too much. At the end turn the bolt by small increments and observe your barrel to get seated properly. Remember, the putty is still soft, so make just enough effort to make sure your barrel is properly seated and aligned inside the forend. There must be no any significant amount of torque applied anywhere to the forend. Put the assembly aside for 24 hours, let putty cure up. Next day when putty is stiff cured you can tight the anchoring bolt up a little bit, but not too much, maybe 1/4 turn maximum. Insert a $5 note in between the barrel and forend to check the gap. It must go through with no friction. Inspect the gap all the way until the front putty pad.

4. Do not put the barrel band back on. Your job is done. Go test shoot your rifle and let us know your groups. ;)

p.s. If any reason the result of your 1st attempt doesn't look satisfying - unscrew the bolt, clean things up then do it all over again.
In reality it is not a too complicated process. It took me only about 15..20 minutes and worked from the 1st attempt.
 
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