BLR Long action

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
brno602
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 383
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:03 pm
Location: Alberta Rocky's

BLR Long action

Post by brno602 »

Okay in the time I have been here I never seen a post about them.
Just thinking 30/06 in a modern lever with a scope on it = bolt action. I thought they made it in .300Win too, I should really try and read up on it lol!
User avatar
Hobie
Moderator
Posts: 13902
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:54 pm
Location: Staunton, VA, USA
Contact:

Re: BLR Long action

Post by Hobie »

Do read up on the Browning BLR....
Sincerely,

Hobie

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
M. M. Wright
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 4296
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:57 pm
Location: Vinita, I.T.

Re: BLR Long action

Post by M. M. Wright »

Back in my army days, I had an operations sergeant who said "life is too short to hunt with an ugly rifle." Bolt actions are ugly! The long action BLR is beautiful and really shoots good. My 16 year old grandson gilled his rifle season limit yesterday with his 30-06 shooting the 165 grain Nosler solid base. A couple of weeks ago he did the same thing on the first day of the youth hunt.

Oh yeah, old sarge shot a winchester 88 in 308.

M. M.
M. M. Wright, Sheriff, Green county Arkansas (1860)
Currently living my eternal life.
NRA Life
SASS
ITSASS
jimincolo
Levergunner
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:36 pm

Re: BLR Long action

Post by jimincolo »

The long action BLR does lack some of the quickness & ease of carry that is associated with its short action brother. It's a full size rifle, & should be properly compared to a full size bolt action. I have shot the L.A. model in 30-06 & .270. They were accurate, quicker on target & followup than most bolt guns, & much easier to carry in a scabbard. Recoil was far less than my .358 with heavy handloads. I don't know if I could comfortably handle one in a magnum caliber. The butt end is very small, which would concentrate recoil into a small area.

I also consider a BLR to be a very safe weapon. To unload, simply pull the clip & open the lever. No accidental discharge here. The same with carrying a chambered round. I love the tilting hammer half cock arrangement.

Jim
BenT
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2716
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin

Re: BLR Long action

Post by BenT »

I had one in 300 WSM. It kicked like a mule, the rifle is too light for magnums in my opinion. My buddy has put alot of meat in the freezer with his BLR in 30-06 and I have with mine in 308. I also had one in 7mm mag. I didn't care for that one because of the 24 in barrel. It just isn't that handy. I traded it for the300 wsm and then got rid of that also. The only 2 other calibers I would buy a BLR in is 358 win and 257 roberts. Of course you need one in 30 caliber first, 308 or 30-06.
Bruce
Levergunner 3.0
Posts: 536
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:31 am
Location: North Florida
Contact:

Re: BLR Long action

Post by Bruce »

I support the above comments. Stay with the standard LA or SA calibers and you will be real happy. Cailber choice would be determined by what you plan to do with it - hunt with it. The available takedown feature is real nice also.
http://www.pumprifle.org/
Bruce Hamlin's Pump Rifle Forum
User avatar
Huntermb
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 129
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:28 pm
Location: Manitoba Canada

Re: BLR Long action

Post by Huntermb »

How's the accuracy in the 7mm Mag ones?
brno602
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 383
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:03 pm
Location: Alberta Rocky's

Re: BLR Long action

Post by brno602 »

Hobie wrote:Do read up on the Browning BLR....
Thanks for link!
I am a 99 guy so no stranger to extra lever performance I have a 99 in 250, Two 300s, a 284 and a 358.
The long action BLR is more of a thought not yet willing to give up one of my big .300 mag bolt guns yet :lol:
But I know I could do 90% of my big game hunting with a .300 savage or .284
blackhawk44
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:06 pm
Location: San Antonio, Republic of Texas

Re: BLR Long action

Post by blackhawk44 »

Handle the long action and the short action in the store, one after the other. Keep trading back and forth to confirm the differences in handling. Then take a moment to ask yourself whether the game you hunt can be handled with 150 and 165 grain bullets or do you truly need 180 and 200 grain bullets? The ability to better handle certain bullet weights is the true difference between .308 and .30-06, not velocity, at least in factory ammo. Another thing to consider is that with today's premium bullets the true "need" for heavier bullets weights is fast disappearing, allowing use of a shorter, more efficient cartridge.
BenT
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2716
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin

Re: BLR Long action

Post by BenT »

Huntermb wrote:How's the accuracy in the 7mm Mag ones?
Accuracy was great. It was one of the most accurate guns that I've owned. In fact all of the BLR's have been accurate .If it had a better trigger would of been nice though. The trigger is the only weak part of the gun. I wish it were adjustable.
jimincolo
Levergunner
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:36 pm

Re: BLR Long action

Post by jimincolo »

The Blr trigger has never bothered me in a hunting situation. Honestly, I cannot recall a single case, where I could blame a badly placed shot on the trigger. If I could make changes in the design, I would tone down the gloss finish, & enlarge the trigger guard & lever to better accomodate heavily gloved hands.

Jim
User avatar
Huntermb
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 129
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:28 pm
Location: Manitoba Canada

Re: BLR Long action

Post by Huntermb »

jimincolo wrote:The Blr trigger has never bothered me in a hunting situation. Honestly, I cannot recall a single case, where I could blame a badly placed shot on the trigger. If I could make changes in the design, I would tone down the gloss finish, & enlarge the trigger guard & lever to better accomodate heavily gloved hands.

Jim
A buddy of mine stripped his BLR 243 a few years back and refinished it with a rubbed finished and to me it looks 10X better than the original high gloss.
jimincolo
Levergunner
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:36 pm

Re: BLR Long action

Post by jimincolo »

I may bring my Blr into the shop for refinishing after the upcoming late season elk hunt. The Browning gloss is much tougher than most others I have seen. It's really quite scratch resistent.

Jim
Wes
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 266
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:24 pm
Location: Wyoming

Re: BLR Long action

Post by Wes »

I shot a 270 BLR this fall sighting it in for a friend who was too busy. That was a very good shooting rifle. I fed it some 140 grain Accubond handloads as well as some 130 grain Rem factory loads. Shot very well indeed. With those Accubonds and IMR 4831 that gun will shoot 7/8" for three shots all day long. It is a long rifle, but it grew on me after a while. He used it to shoot a 330" type bull elk in Nevada this fall.
His trigger is shootable, better than most BLR's that I've shot, and that helps a lot. When the shot's get longer the trigger matters more to me.
BenT
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2716
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin

Re: BLR Long action

Post by BenT »

My 7mm mag had an 8 1/2 pound trigger, while the 300WSM had 6 1/2 lb and the 308 5 1/2 pound. I did figure out how to lighten the 308 to 4 1/2 pounds. I got rid of the 7mm mag because it was controllable from the bench, but in the field the trigger made me miss a buck at 175 yards. Not just any buck but a three legged buck hobbling across a field. The gunsmith told me $75 to $100 to lighten the trigger. I decided to trade it off , which was good since I paid $450 new and they gave me $425 trade in.
jjames
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 171
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:27 pm
Location: San Diego

Re: BLR Long action

Post by jjames »

With regard to BLR triggers. Awhile back someone on the forum mentioned that Niel Jones Custom products could tune them up. I sent my two BLR out to him and am very happy with the results and the quick turn around. My 30-06 TD version shoots 1.5 inch groups at 200 yards with Hornady Superformance 165 gr condor bullets
blackhawk44
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 273
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:06 pm
Location: San Antonio, Republic of Texas

Re: BLR Long action

Post by blackhawk44 »

While they will never equal a fine boltgun trigger, most good gunsmiths (not parts changers) can make serious headway with the BLR trigger, making it far more "shootable". The BLRs respond to handloads. My .223 and .257 will hold five shot groups but my .308, with its thinner barrel wall, prefers three shot groups. Within those perameters, they can be scary accurate.
farmer44mag
Levergunner
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:38 pm

Re: BLR Long action

Post by farmer44mag »

I like my 30.06 just fine!!! With 2.5x Leupold. Shoots very nice little clusters just leaning my elbows on the local shooting bench. Started using Hornady SST 150gr loads this year and am very happy with the performance and accuracy. Shoots tighter groups than my ruger m77 30-06 with a 6x.

I find the pistol grip version easier to shoot- the same goes for my marlin 336c over my winchester 94 strait grip. Here is a pic of one of my kills from this year posted in another thread.

Image
Post Reply