Went out of the BLR business

[Les Staley]

Had an early Belgium 308 that had such a tight chamber even small base dies didn't phase it.. Sold it. Bought a Jap 358 that didn't have any issues..shot well..looked good..killed a couple of deer with it..but could never get warmed up to the wrist watch sized gears inside the thing...in the meantime found a good solid Savage 99 with a 4 power Luepold mounted low in 358 for less than half of current market.. Snapped it up!! Last gunshow, the BLR 358 went bye bye.. And a NIB Ruger Hawkeye blue walnut in 358 followed me home. Load development time again...it never ends...Les

[BrentD]

I had a similar BLR .308 from Belgium. Never shot particularly well, carried about as nicely as a small yacht anchor, and was ugly to boot.

I haven't gone the Savage route, though I get tempted from time to time. Marlins turned out be be my Achilles's Heel though at least so far as modern rifles go. The singleshots really killed me.

[BenT]

That's a great find because the last 99 Savage in 358 I seen was $1200. As far as the BLR. My Japan built BLR in 308 carries the same as my Win 94 and has killed a bunch of deer. I have not gotten used to the Savage 99 lock up, that last half inch of closing the lever. I have one in 308 and it shoots great. Enjoy the load development.

[Centennial]

I don't think you can go wrong with a Savage 99. Carry, balance, not many moving parts, sight options, and can be very accurate. They just don't come in long cartridges like the BLR does.

[AJMD429]

I keep thinking it would be cool to get a levergun in a 'potent' bottleneck cartridge like 7mm Rem Mag, but the main advantage of a levergun is handiness-of-carry, rapidity-of-fire, and neither is likely to be an issue for the type game I'd ever be going after with a 7mm Rem Mag.

If I can't kill it with a 357 Mag or 44 Mag or 45 Colt, which I'd use inside 150 yards, I'd look at my 30-30, 35 Remington, 444 Marlin, or 45-70 leverguns out to maybe twice that far, if I knew the range well.

If not, I'll just have to break down and use a side-lever (bolt action) of some sort.

If the BLR handled like an ordinary levergun, I'd want one more, but as it is, it seems a contrivance to make what is basically a rotary-bolt firearm a 'lever action', but seems (to me) to lack the handiness and short lever throw and so on of a real levergun.

NOT that a BLR is a bad gun - they are awesome, but they don't seem to fill a niche in MY firearms collection.

[Blaine]

BLRs could possible be the world's best rifle, but, to me they "look funny", so .....If I ever really need to reach out and touch something, I'll get the H&R single shot 25-06 scoped up and sighted in.

[M. M. Wright]

Most of you know that I'm a BLR fan/addict and have bought and gifted a little over a dozen of them to my Grandsons, (some now my sons). Over the last year or so I've encountered several problems with a couple of them having tight and/or rough chambers. One Grandson has ruined the gears in his because of a rough chamber not letting go of the brass stuck in the chamber. He could have waited a few minutes for it to cool and I think it would have extracted but he pulled hard enough on the lever to strip the gears. This says some good things about the extractor which didn't break but not about the gears which did. This is 2 out of 15 which is NOT an acceptable number for QC.
I guess this means that you must carry a bore scope to check the chamber finish of what you find at a gun show. Manufacturing defect which should be covered by Browning but I haven't asked them yet. Their suggestion to gunsmiths is to polish the chambers with no more than a 400 grit finish. Again NOT a 400 finish, (very rough) but with 400 grit, I guess, sandpaper. I made a hone by sawing a slot in a 3/8th inch wooden dowel and placing a strip of 400 wet or dry paper in it and attaching a drill to polish the chamber of one rifle. The chamber was sorta bellied out and tight at the back. It works now.
I find that when scoped the ones with the shad belly magazines are more difficult to carry than a Marlin or 99 Savage but they are still shorter than the 99 for the same barrel length. Even the Japan made guns are more difficult to carry than a 94 or even a 73 but if you want a 300 yard shooter in a lever action carbine I think they are the best around. I personally don't care at all for the long action versions but really like the short action versions.

[7.62 Precision]

I never liked the BLR because of the looks, mainly. It just looks wrong for a lever gun. Like it is almost right but some things are out of whack.

If I want a lever gun that shoots spitzer cartridges, I'll take a Winchester '95 or a Savage 99, just because I'm sort of a traditionalist.

On the practical side, I never really trusted the design of the BLR action.

[hightime]

I too sold my only BLR and I don't sell much. It just didn't quite do it for me.

Owen

[Lastmohecken]

BLR's are great guns, but the only ones I like are the short action, steel framed ones with the flat mag bottom, and I prefer the pre-folding hammer model. The .308 win in this version, carries well, and mine has always shot very well, outshooting it's share of boltactions, on more then one occasion.

But, while they may be OK, I don't like the long actions or the new aluminum actions, they are just not as handy or proportioned to suit me.

The other thing is: I always have to shorten the stock on a BLR by about 1/2 inch, or they are awkward to cycle from the shoulder.

[Boreman]

Good on you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Can't go wrong with a M-99. I really like the 4 of my 99's.............

[Canuck Bob]

I owned an early 243 BLR. I hated the cartridge not the rifle. However as many here noted I didn't replace it. Mine was accurate and functioned fine. I even learned how to safely field strip and reassemble, not recommended as it is tricky to time the action. I do find them an attractive rifle.

[tman]

BLR in .308 WCF is the answer to a long range Winchester 94

[7.62 Precision]

BLR in .308 WCF is the answer to a long range Winchester 94

1895 in .30-06 IS a long-range Winchester.

[tman]

BLR in .308 WCF is the answer to a long range Winchester 94

1895 in .30-06 IS a long-range Winchester.

Too Heavy

[Alan Wood]

BLR in .308 WCF is the answer to a long range Winchester 94

1895 in .30-06 IS a long-range Winchester.

Too Heavy

My problem with that theory is that the BLRs being made these days are just to light for 308! Granted my Savage 99 in 308 isn't really any better but...
Alan Wood

[tman]

BLR in .308 WCF is the answer to a long range Winchester 94

1895 in .30-06 IS a long-range Winchester.

Too Heavy

My problem with that theory is that the BLRs being made these days are just to light for 308! Granted my Savage 99 in 308 isn't really any better but...
Alan Wood

As you age, you begin to appreciate a lightweight hunting rig.

[KWK]

The singleshots really killed me.

I know how that is.