308 Browning BLR

[pintail]

Got a used one a few months back that was a commision estate sale in the LGS, it came home with me.
Initially I had some issues with it that turned out to be self induced, suffice to say don't use brass that has been fired multiple times in other rifles.
I spent a little time cleaning the thing as the firing pin was all gummed up but now I have it squeaky clean. I noticed the fore-end wasn't free floated so took the fore-end off got a piece of platic plumbing pipe superglued some 400 grade wet and dry paper and cut the barrel groove out until a sheet of paper slides all the way back to the receiver.
I fitted a nikko-stirling 1x4 boar eater scope to it and sighted it in at 25 yards, it's amazing. I used handloads with bullets from 100 grain Speer plinkers through 130 grain Barnes tsx and ttsx, onto 165 grain speer BTSP and Speer 168 grn bthp then 180 grain gc cast.
The 165 grain speers shot best 3 into a ragged hole, the worst were the speer 168 grn shot into about 1 1/4" again 3 shots with the rest of the loads in between. I am one happy bunny.



For some reason I've lost the images for the better groups but am going to the range again next week and will shoot some more. I've also bought some 180 SP bullets and some Hornady 110grn CX to load up and try.

 

[AJC1]

Got a used one a few months back that was a commision estate sale in the LGS, it came home with me.
Initially I had some issues with it that turned out to be self induced, suffice to say don't use brass that has been fired multiple times in other rifles.
I spent a little time cleaning the thing as the firing pin was all gummed up but now I have it squeaky clean. I noticed the fore-end wasn't free floated so took the fore-end off got a piece of platic plumbing pipe superglued some 400 grade wet and dry paper and cut the barrel groove out until a sheet of paper slides all the way back to the receiver.
I fitted a nikko-stirling 1x4 boar eater scope to it and sighted it in at 25 yards, it's amazing. I used handloads with bullets from 100 grain Speer plinkers through 130 grain Barnes tsx and ttsx, onto 165 grain speer BTSP and Speer 168 grn bthp then 180 grain gc cast.
The 165 grain speers shot best 3 into a ragged hole, the worst were the speer 168 grn shot into about 1 1/4" again 3 shots with the rest of the loads in between. I am one happy bunny.View attachment 1191459

View attachment 1191462 View attachment 1191463

For some reason I've lost the images for the better groups but am going to the range again next week and will shoot some more. I've also bought some 180 SP bullets and some Hornady 110grn CX to load up and try.

Sweet rifle, I'd like to get one some day....

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Nice!

 

[lightman]

Nice rifle, and good shooting. If I'm not mistaken that is one of the rifles on RCBS's list for possibly needing small base dies. Just keep that in mind if you have any chambering problems.

 

[Nature Boy]

You’ll enjoy it. I’ve owned a BLR in .358 Win for the better part of 40 years. It’s deer slayer. Passed it on to my boy who hunts with it now

 

[Speedo66]

My Belgian made second year production BLR In .308 liked the old 165 grain Light Magnums from Hornady.

 

[pintail]

Loaded up a bunch of ammo for use this weekend, 50 30/30 with 173 grn cast bullets ahead of lovex D073.6 powder, 20 30/30with 150grain sierra flat points ahead of RL7.I've also refilled 30 308 with 180grn PMC SP bullets ahead of Lovex D0736 20 Speer 168grn bthp ahead of Do736 in various charges trying to get both weights to perform well or better rather.We'll see how it goes.

 

[Mercy Me]

Awesome rifle

 

[Rexster]

Congratulations! Enjoy!

I was a late-starter with lever-action rifles, buying both a BLR Lightning (.308 Winchester) and a Winchester 94 Trapper Carbine (.30 WCF) in early 1997, when I was age 35. Not having grown-up with traditional lever rifles, that had been designed in the 19th Century, my mind was a clean slate, regarding lever rifling. I instantly preferred the BLR, and since then, have added Take-Down BLRs, first blued, and then stainless.

 

[wetr78]

That's a sweet rifle. I had BLR 308 back in 70s. I had Weaver K-3 on it. Sited for 100yds. This was
not LW rifle, I had no trouble with it at all.

 

[pintail]

Thanks to all for your interest, I've started using cast bullets in it and it simply loves those, so do I. Cheap to load, accurate not as loud and easy on the shoulder, brass, rifle.
I use 10 grains of universal with 120 grn gc cast and 16 grains of 2400 for 165, 173 and 185 grn gc hard cast and it laps them all up. Velocity is around 15 -1600 with the three heavier boolits, 1700 fps with the 120 grns.
Trying to standardise on one weight but it's so much dang fun finding out which is the best!

 

[pintail]

I had a bunch of ammo loaded up for a range visit today but I've contracted man flu and, at 80 years of age, discretion is my better part of valor so I stayed home.
I have standardised on one cast boolit now, the lee 170-309 FN, this is good for my BLR and Win 94 30/30.
Right now I'm out of them but have some tin and antimony on order from e-bay to go with the lead I have laying around. I just can't decide whether I should powder coat or tumble lube in Lee's mule snot.
The alloying metals should arrive tuesday so, provided it's a sunny day (I do all my casting outside) I'll make a few hundred 30 cal and a few hundred TL158-358 lee swc for my rossi 92 and see how they go. That's if my headache, coughs and general crap feeling have gone by then.