opinions on the browning blr

[greyling22]

I have an opportunity to buy any rifle in the browning catalogue for 1/2 off msrp. I'm left handed, and already have a left handed xbolt, and there are VERY few left handed guns there (1), so I've been looking at other options. the BLR has kind of caught my eye. I love lever guns and have several marlins. I suppose a BLR in 308 would be a better hunting rifle than a 336 in 30-30.

does anybody have a BLR? how do you like it? do you have a straight or curved grip? I'd love to hear your opinions.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have only seen a couple in use. My neighbor the gunsmith's .308 was kind of a kicker but as a hunting rifle would be fine.
A club member's 7 '08 seemed milder but I did not get to shoot it.

 

[slicksleeve]

I have a BLR straight grip in .243. They have a gear driven bolt which is unique and cool. The trigger is fairly long and heavy. It will shoot on par or maybe a little better than most Marlins lever actions. Don’t expect it to be chassis type bolt action accurate. But for sitting in a ladder stand, looking through the hardwoods, ain’t no deer that I ever pointed it at that lived to tell about it.

 

[Frulk]

I’ve never owned a BLR but handled a few at the big box sporting goods store gun shop I worked at. They exude quality in fit and finish. As they should as Browning’s motto is ‘the best there is’.

Some versions come with a gold colored trigger. I never liked that style touch but that’s a purely personal opinion. As stated previously they are smooth when working the action.

Closest thing to them is the Henry Long Ranger. There are some style similarities when looking at them in side profile.

Also, BLR is one of the few current production rifles that offers .358 Winchester as an option. For me, at half off MSRP on a new Browning lever you can bet I’d be adding that to the rack.

 

[jmr40]

Browning makes quality firearms and the BLR is no exception. If you like pretty wood and polished blue you'll like the gun. Older BLR's had a steel receiver, current rifles are aluminum. It is lighter, but they can never make the receiver the same color as the barrel. That is a minor issue for me, maybe not for you.

I've handled a bunch of them over the years and have been tempted many times. But I could never pull the trigger. (Pun intended). They aren't a traditional lever gun, and anything I could do with a BLR I can do better with one of my bolt rifles.

But then again they are pretty and 1/2 off makes it even better. If there is nothing else in the Browning catalog that is calling your name, you could do a lot worse.

 

[qwert65]

I have a straight grip 308 takedown and love it
My only complaint is it didn’t come with sling swivels and I don’t trust myself to not mess up the stock- it shoots well and is pretty handy

 

[EIB0879]

I have a straight grip BLR in .243 circa 1971. Very sturdy, heavy steel.receiver, heavy trigger but manageable. Accurate.

 

[Rlafever]

browning offers their blr in .22-250 Remington, the .22-250 is not legal for deer in Colorado so I have no need of it and it would not be the best prairie dog rifle , still would like to have one

 

[GooseGestapo]

I have a BLR ‘81 in .358win.
It’s an early version with steel receiver. I’m fond of it but the trigger is atrocious! And due to action design, not easily corrected.
The ergonomics of the rifle as I acquired it were “bothersome” if handling it in a deer stand.
I removed the hard rubber 1-1/4” “block” of a recoil pad and fitted a Boyd’s 1/2” rubber recoil pad. Reduced the length of pull 3/4” and reduced weight by 1/2 pound.
The Leupold 2-7x compact was mounted in high rings because the front objective bell was over the rear sight. I swapped the scope with a regular Leupold 2-7x Vari-X II which allowed me to use standard rings.
The rifle handles MUCH better and doesn’t recoil as bad as some claim.
Accuracy wasn’t very good originally. Factory Winchester 200gr Silver Tips shot 3” at 100yds. Trying different bullets and powders didn’t help much.
I finally ran across a Ken Waters article and a similar article in Reloader Magazine. H4895 was the ticket. Also, I seated out a Hornady 200gr Spitzer as long as the magazine allows and still feeds. 48.0gr of H4895 was the final powder charge and gets 2,500fps from the 20” barrel. Accuracy has improved, the more I shoot it. It probably has 250rds since new so likely, the barrel just required “shooting in”.
I acquired it from the widow of my best friend. He really liked it. But, he wasn’t able to shoot it much, but hunted with it. Killed a few deer and pigs hunting in west central Alabama.
It’s really too pretty to take in the woods.
But that horrible trigger puts me off. My Marlin M336C .35 Remington has a superlative trigger and is even more accurate. With my handloads, it’s only 250fps behind the .358. With my 220gr cast bullets, it kills just as good. I’m not afraid to get it scratched as it was “distressed” when I got it.

 

[Speedo66]

I had an early made in Belgium straight grip model in .308.

Accurate, light, short, powerful, in other words a great woods gun.

I hear these complaints about the trigger, but mine wasn’t anything noticeable.

For half price you should have no problem getting your money back if you decide it’s not for you.

 

[d2wing]

I would consider a milder caliber if you have a choice but a great reliable rifle. 7-08 fan here. Love my 30-30 Winchester but if was to buy another lever, BLR would be my first choice. Box magazines are so much better than tubes in many ways. Far better cartridge choice, better quality engineering and finish. Hard to beat.

 

[Ks5shooter]

For deer laminate/stainless 7mm-08 gets my vote.Every deer Ive shot with 7mm-08 was dropped.using 139 gr SST.

 

[greyling22]

I hear negatives about the trigger and recoil. I lean to 308 since I'm already loading for it, but I am recoil shy and downloading it already. Maybe a 7-08 or even the 6.5creed. I'd like to thread it and run one of my suppressors on it.

 

[Piranha451]

I owned a BLR in .284 Winchester and really liked it. The trigger not being the best is due to that the shoe travels with the lever. I do not recall the recoil bothering me, though. I sold it when things were tight but wish I hadn't needed to.

 

[JumboJVT]

I've got one, early 90's steel receiver, 7-08. Only have it because it was a gift from on old(er) friend and I wanted a gun of his. Objectively, there is too much drop in the stock to work well with a scope; the gear driven lever lacks in primary extraction power (i.e sitcky cases stick); the trigger is heavy and creepy, and the lever itself is too small to accommodate a moderately sizes gloved hand. But my friend loved it: I'll not be getting rid of it in my lifetime.

 

[WVRJ]

They're pretty rifles as far as looks go.The gear setup can be a real pain if it ever jumps time.I have one on the bench right now that the owner loaded a round to long and stuck a bullet in the barrel.He yanked on the lever hard enough to pull the bullet out of the case and it dumped a case full of H380 into the action.The ball powder got in the very fine gear teeth and it skipped over the teeth and got out of time.I get it to my workbench occasionally and try to get it timed up without success.If anybody has a good method of timing one up,I'd love to hear it.

 

[greyling22]

yeah, I have mixed feeling about it, and I haven't even handled one. on paper, it looks great. I could replace my 336 with something that hits harder and is easier to thread for a suppressor. but then I hear that you really shouldn't take it apart much, and the trigger is mediocre at best. But I'm struggling to find something else in a browning catalogue that I'm willing to buy at half off msrp. A nice t-bolt? I recently compared one to my cheapo cz, and I liked the cz better. an xbolt, I have the only left handed model they make already. And I handled the long range version, and I liked the bergara hmr better. A shotgun? I don't shoot the turkish gun I have now. A buckmark? well, maybe. I have a ruger mkii stainless gov target model with VQ internals, and the same gun with a paclite upper on it set up for a suppressor. It's hard to justify a third 22 semi auto. I guess I could look closer a the bl-22.
but this blr sure is pretty .

 

[Nature Boy]

I’m very sentimental when it comes to my BLR chambered in .358 win. Traded a shot gun for it with my best friend back in the 80’s and it was my primary deer rifle for decades. Even with all the hard hunting I’ve done with it (mostly in Louisiana swamps) there’s not a speck of rust on it. Still looks great.



With my developed loads it’s a 1 MOA deer rifle. The trigger is perfectly fine for the hunting application it was intended for.

Passed it on to my son a few years ago and he killed his first buck with it.

Bottom line for me: it’s an aesthetically pleasing, handy, well designed, quality built, killing machine.

 

[WisBorn]

@greyling22 As a fellow lefty, I think you will enjoy the BLR! I had a 7-08 with the pistol grip. The advantage of a 308 win over a 30-30 and box magazine makes it a better all around deer rifle. I have a deep appreciation for the model 94, but the BLR is a more versatile rifle.

 

[EIB0879]

The only real problem with the older BLRs like mine is that they use the "guppy" magazine. I have one and I'm very careful with it because the replacements that I have found are well over $200.

 

[SwampWolf]

My only complaint is it didn’t come with sling swivels

Unforgivable for a rifle intended for hunting, imo. Also, to my eyes, a BLR with a pistol grip looks sort of "ungainly". If I were to get a BLR, it would be chambered in .358 Winchester and have a straight grip. Each to their own, of course.

 

[Bill_in_TR]

I have a straight grip, steel receiver BLR in .308. The trigger on mine is perfectly fine for a hunting rifle. I love mine and would not part with it. But as was pointed out getting a spare magazine will require a second mortgage.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Unlike most rifles I find the long length of pull not to my liking. Don't know if it's a Browning thing or just the blr.

 

[GooseGestapo]

The only real problem with the older BLRs like mine is that they use the "guppy" magazine. I have one and I'm very careful with it because the replacements that I have found are well over $200.

I bought my BLR-81 from the widow of of my best friend in 2014. She asked $750.00 for it.
I didn’t flinch!
It has “4” magazines and wore a Leupold Vari-X II 3-9x Compact scope!
I could likely double my money on it… but won’t!

 

[gralewaj]

Unforgivable for a rifle intended for hunting, imo. Also, to my eyes, a BLR with a pistol grip looks sort of "ungainly". If I were to get a BLR, it would be chambered in .358 Winchester and have a straight grip. Each to their own, of course.

Love this... I second the opinion!