Browning BLR - thoughts?

marginality4life

marginality4life

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I'm considering a Browning BLR lightweight takedown stainless, in 308.

Living in coastal BC, stainless is a big deal - with our wet climate, it makes maintenance much easier and stress free. Takedown is also an advantage as it means it's easy to toss the rifle in a hiking pack for walk in trips and easier to store and transport in general.

I think 308 should be a suitable calibre as the ammunition is widely available, it has enough punch for deer and black beer, even moose or elk in a pinch, and could be relied upon for grizz deterrence in an emergency.

What do people think of this setup? Overall thought process?

My concerns are how well the rifle would hold zero with a receiver mounted scope if it's repeatedly taken down and reassembled. Also what the trigger is like - I'm used to bolt action rifles with very good triggers. Accuracy and durability over many years of use.

Curious to hear about other's experience with this rifle and overall opinions of it.
 
BLR in 308 is great rifle... until the first time you take the bolt out of it to do a deep cleaning. Then you had better know what you are doing or you will be sending a box of parts to a smith to reassemble it correctly ;)
 
I packed my BLR .243 all around B.C. for years (never did take it down)
set the zero now and again , it was always accurate enough to any animal .
It wasn't my target gun just my ''work'' gun.
 
"Work" gun makes sense and is kind of what I'm looking for. If I can get pretty consistent 1.5-2MOA without re-zeroing I'll be satisfied. I already have a Kimber bolt gun which is very accurate, I'd take that if I was going after elk in the rockies or some sort of big expedition, this is just something more for knocking around the BC lower mainland looking for blacktail.
 
BLR is a well made rifle, 308 excellent cartridge, good package.
Have not shot a take down model, but would think they would hold a decent zero, most likely not as precise as your bolt actions, that is the trade off.
 
Nice gun, terrible trigger. Have had a few and won't have another one unless it's an older version when light tiggers were not a concern.
 
skidderman said:
Nice gun, terrible trigger. Have had a few and won't have another one unless it's an older version when light tiggers were not a concern.
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Dad’s is late ‘70s, trigger feels like the safety is on. Like a climbing gym workout. I like them, but the trigger just doesn’t work for me.
 
skidderman said:
Nice gun, terrible trigger. Have had a few and won't have another one unless it's an older version when light tiggers were not a concern.
Click to expand...

well said....very very hard to do a trigger job....but its the best deal if a takedown is important....if you had several to choose from you could try the triggers....
 
Mag fed lever action.... no thank you! And 308 lever action 2 strikes... 3rd strike disassembly (a team of engineers put this together).

If you want a great stainless steel lever action go with a Marlin SBL 45-70, take down anything in North America all weather no problem and a great bush gun.
 
I had the misfortune of having to work on customers' BLRs.
Many owners like them. Smooth action, shoot well. Quite easy to rebarrel, assuming that the new barrel will fit the forend.
But they have mechanical quirks.
Reassembly has been mentioned. But there are other features. The hammer spring is a small diameter piece housed in the tube into which the stock retaining bolt is threaded. It is in the wrist. Rust or gummy oil in there and the misfires start. Getting at it requires removal of the butt. And recoil pad. Its screws are carefully hidden - beautiful installation, but a pain to remove.
 
Way easier to load and unload than any tube fed lever, better calibre/ammo selection and as a bonus they come without canted sights.
 
I'm a big BLR fan - Have takedowns in .308 and .358. Also have a .358 non-takedown pistol grip. On my .358 I have the scope mounted on the scout rail over the barrel. Excellent accuracy.

My .308 wears open sights currently however I did run it with a 3-9x scope mounted over the receiver for awhile and it maintained its accuracy very well @ 100m after taking it apart and putting it back together. Perhaps a POI shift of 1-2", but always tight groups.

Very handy and useful rifles, trigger is stout but it is a working / hunting not a bench rifle. Honestly the tigger is not a big deal, everyone complains because it isn't a 2lb glass rod kinda thing. But it shouldn't inhibit your accuracy if you have any kind of clue about how to pull a trigger.

The takedown makes most of the gun - Barrel, chamber, action - very easy to clean. But no you don't want to take it apart.

I'm sure you've heard the action is more akin to a bolt action actuated by a lever with a rack & pinion mechanism. Very robust, contributes to the accuracy. The action needs to be cycled with some umph to ensure proper ejection.

The takedown feature is incredibly useful during hunting season when heading out before light, or coming in after dark, or headed up into a stand as the rifle stows away so easily in a pack or little bag. Amazingly portable.

I carry mine into the field in a Skinner Folding takedown case. PM me if you have any questions.

My .358 lookin for bear:
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kUkjCMb.jpg
 
marginality4life said:
I'm considering a Browning BLR lightweight takedown stainless, in 308.

Living in coastal BC, stainless is a big deal - with our wet climate, it makes maintenance much easier and stress free. Takedown is also an advantage as it means it's easy to toss the rifle in a hiking pack for walk in trips and easier to store and transport in general.

I think 308 should be a suitable calibre as the ammunition is widely available, it has enough punch for deer and black beer, even moose or elk in a pinch, and could be relied upon for grizz deterrence in an emergency.

What do people think of this setup? Overall thought process?

My concerns are how well the rifle would hold zero with a receiver mounted scope if it's repeatedly taken down and reassembled. Also what the trigger is like - I'm used to bolt action rifles with very good triggers. Accuracy and durability over many years of use.

Curious to hear about other's experience with this rifle and overall opinions of it.
Click to expand...


I live coastal BC. Love my .308 take down blr. Accurate, light and powerful! Have taken deer and BIG bear with it with ease.
I’m in my 3rd season of hunting with it and it’s immaculate.
 
My 300WSM pistol grip stainless/laminate with a trigger job by rusty wood (I doubt he'll do another) would be the last hunting rifle I'd give up. Had the takedown been available at the time I'd have done that.
 
Had a 300 WSM BLR, really wish I would have never sold it. It was the wood, straight grip, non takedown model. Shot sub MOA no problem consistently. Was simply too much gun for what I was using it for. Would get another one in a heartbeat in 7mm-08, 308, or 358. I'd really like to give the 358 a try. I'm pretty partial to bolt guns now, my Sako A7 308 is my main carry. But like I said, when I do add another rifle to my arsenal there's a very high probability it will be a BLR. I like the stainless laminate as well, but I don't think I'd get a takedown. Just personal preference.

The trigger does take a bit of getting used to. There is a freeplay at the start and then a gradual pull. Almost have to shoot one to know what it's like.
 
I used to be in the army reserve in New Zealand, we had Steyr AUGs as our issued rifles and they had terrible triggers. You could still shoot them fairly well - usable, but not as quick or precise as something lighter.
 
Browning has one of easiest and functional takedown of all rifles. I like the straight grip better than pistol grip design in this action as had both. Find the 20” brl models to be more handy useable than the longer brl versions. Currently have 308 model. But if hunt moose elk and incase grizz showed up 358 might be better choice
 
I love the ballistics of 358 - seems like a fantastic cartridge. I'm worried about ammo availability though. I'm not in a position to reload right now and there seems to be a real dearth of factory ammunition in that calibre.
 
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