First new lever in a while

No the weight was not altered enough to tell, but the shorter length of pull made the rifle handle MUCH faster. BLRs come fairly long. A stock that's too long, in either a rifle of a shotgun is always slower to get on target with.
In making custom stocks I have learned that a slightly short stock is never bad unless scope cuts are a problem, but a long stock is always a bit un-handy.

If you look at the LOP on the old US Krag, the M-1 Garand and the M14 you may be a bit surprised at what they measure. But even tall men had no problem with any of them.
Long LOPs are what factories do today to keep scopes away from your head. But even then it's not needed in most cases until the recoil gets to the 300 mag level or greater.
 
nice

I've always had an itch regards the BLR's, but never scratched it. The straight carbine style grip looks far better than the pistol gripped models, and the long action/magnum versions look clunky too.

Congrats on buying yours.
 
Thanks Wyo and bama. I'm obsessing over a few AR projects at the moment--but I'll get back on working up some handloads for this new gun this week--all the reload stuff just came in for it. As pretty as it looks--I can live without the high-gloss stock (which you also have to be careful not to get any cleaning solvents on)--I may just look into getting a replacement stock and then cutting down the LOP. I wonder if browning would be willing to sell unfinished stock and foreend components? The recoil pad is nice--but IMO not necessary for the retively mild recoil of this cartridge IMO.

The advertising for the BLR on their website claims a triggerpull of around 4.5 lbs and smooth pull. My trigger is anything but that--gritty travel to a stiff 6 to 7 lb break. I don't know if all BLR's are like that--but that advertising is clearly at odds with the reality of the gun I was sent.
 
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Wyo--I just measured the LOP on the BLR and compared it to both my Rossi and marlin 336--it does appear to be about an inch longer. I'm thinking about buying a replacement stock and machining it down. I'm also wondering if there is any way I can improve the trigger--to tell the truth I'm a bit peeved about it and don't feel browning's advertising comes close to the reality of it's performance.
 
Stag, if you can buy a new stock you may be just as well off to cut the one you have. If the wood of the for-end and the butt match and you buy a new stock you can save the old one (for collectors 40 years from now I guess) but the rifle will have different looking wood front and rear. And once you make it fit right, you'll never go back anyway.

The chipping of the finish can be eliminated by cutting a line with a fine tooth saw around the perimeter of the stock through the gloss finish. A new 24 TPI hack saw blade is good. Cut the line about 1/32" away from where you want the final surface to be, and then use a disk sander to bring the surface to that line. Doing it that way results in a perfect cut and an unmarred finish. You may need a new pad however. I find the Browning Pads often will not allow for grinding down to the new level. Try it if you want, and if you cut through to the washers you can buy a pad to replace it. When I cut mine down I was not able to re-use the Browning pad, but sometimes you get away with it.
I cut my BLR to a length of Pull of 13-1/2". The shorter you cut, the more you have to take off the pad.

The trigger in my BLR 30-06 is not too bad. But having pull weight over 5 pounds and rough is a problem with them many times. I got lucky with mine. Many times they seem to defy the efforts of gunsmiths to make them nice. I have improved some of them, but I do not believe the design will allow for what many would call a "good trigger pull". But I have shot enough original Military rifles over the years that having a heavy and somewhat gritty pull is not a huge problem for me. Others can't live with them. That's just something you need to deal with, and if you can't make the trigger work for you, it may be worth your time to take it all apart and polish everything to improve it. But no matter what, it's not going to feel like a Timney in a M700. That's one of the few down-sides to the BLR.
 
Great advice Wyo--thanks much for that. My LOP on my Rossi is only 12 5/8--the BLR is something like 13 3/4.

I can learn to live with the trigger--but I wonder how many purchasers have been sucked into Browning's advertising of "smooth around 4.5 lb pull" and then had the nasty surprise I did.

I think you're right the stock--midwest gun works has them. I've been messing with my ARs too much lately and next week I'm turning my attention back to this "problem child." :D
 
If/when you cut the stock, it won't hurt anything to use tape, as well. Cut the way Wyosmith described, but cut through the tape to reduce/eliminate tiny splinters which can happen despite our best intentions. ;)

If the gun is new, and you don't have the 4.5lb trigger advertised, you could send it back. If they advertise X, they should deliver X.

My gun is older, comes from the days before Browning advertised anything about the trigger (other than it was gold).

The design of the BLR's trigger system makes it about impossible to get a "match grade" trigger pull, but they can be made into decent hunting triggers, with careful work (if they don't come that way).

Good luck with yours!
 
Stag;

Still practically drooling over the pics of your BLR. With the trigger, I would try a few thousand trigger pulls and see if it smooths out. Shouldn't be too big a deal while watching some boobtube (I mean, who can resist running a lever while watching some John Wayne). Just don't try the spinning part while sitting on the couch.

If it doesn't (or you're too impatient to deal with that), you might try one of these guys, both of whom are considered the best smiths anywhere for doing trigger work on BLRs:

Neil Jones in Saegertown PA

Bill Springfield in Colorado

Sorry I don't have their contact data, but I think you can figure it out from there.
 
LOL--thanks rangerrich--that brought a smile to my face on an especially bad day.

It is a sweet rifle--I've only fired it once and already put a dent in it's showroom Ferrari finish stock. :eek: I tend to be rough on things. I did call browning and they said they would be glad to take a look at the trigger--but by the same token made no firm statement to the effect 6.5 lbs "was outside the norm" for the pull on the BLR 81. Legal semantics I guess, but they did offer to see what they can do.

In the meantime each day that goes by I'm getting less and less thrilled about the scope being on a lever--I should know better--every time I've put scopes on other levers I eventually took them off--it offends my lever Feng-shui. Finding replacement alternatives is proving to be very difficult for the stock irons--which are great--but I can't see them.
 
Hahaha. Glad I could help in some way, even if it's just comic relief. I agree with you; scopes/red dots or whatever just look weird on a levergun. Maybe go on something like "browningowners.com" or similar forum and see what others have done (you can't be the first/only one that's ever had an issue with the stock sights).
 
Well--latest report--and it's not so good. I ordered Willaims peep and firefights--the peep is simply too high even with a front sight height of .5"--so I ditched the rear peep and put the stock semi buckhorn--tootsie roll back on. Tried using it; but because of the gloss finish of everything it's impossible for my already challenged eyesight to get a fix on anything due to reflective flash.:(

So, gave up and decided to put a loopy scout scope on--which helped me see things better--but I just can't overcome the 7 lb trigger pull to get any kind of repeatable accuracy.

So I have crowned her safe queen to rule over the kingdom of over-priced paperweights while I decide what to do--though wasting any more time and money is not part of the future plans.:rolleyes:
 
It should be fairly easy and inexpensive to have a good gunsmith clean up and lighten the trigger pull. I've heard horror stories about Browning service, so wouldn't use recommend sending back.

If it were a few years ago, I'd have volunteered to fix the trigger pull for you, but I'm cutting back. (Live near Augusta)
 
It should be fairly easy and inexpensive to have a good gunsmith clean up and lighten the trigger pull. I've heard horror stories about Browning service, so wouldn't use recommend sending back.

If it were a few years ago, I'd have volunteered to fix the trigger pull for you, but I'm cutting back. (Live near Augusta)
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I'm up on Mt Desert--do you know anyone in Maine that you honestly think has the real expertise to do this?
 
Several people I know used Jud Bailey for re-barreling and other work. "The Workshop, 368 Todd's Corner Road, St. Albans ME 04971. He's a custom gunmaker in St. Albans, but, does repairs/improvements as well. He's done some very nice work for me also.

Cleaning up a lever-action trigger is NOT rocket science. Any decent gunsmith can do it.

I haven't done work for a fee in many years, have just worked for friends/acquaintances free, so there's minimal liability. After a few difficult jobs on poorly-maintained guns lately, and considering my age, I'm done with that also.
 
Thanks for that. I once took apart my Rossi 92 to improve it's trigger and succeeded no problem--but I've read that it's easy to botch the BLR's pinion timing.
 
Update--a couple weeks ago I talked to Browning and they said they would be happy to take a look at it--except that I have to download their return form, pay for the shipping both ways as well as insurance and if anything happens at all along the stream it was all on me. Hmmm. Decided to give Davidson's a call ( they have a pretty good guarantee) and they said no problem we'll get you a new one. Said new rifle arrived today and is exactly the same as the first I returned--the trigger breaks between 6.5 and 7.5 lbs. Browning still advertises the trigger as breaking around 4.5 lbs http://www.browning.com/products/firearms/rifles/blr.html but the reality is way out of line with this claim IMO. I'm sorta stuck trying to make my mind up--I guess I'll tough it out and track down an advanced smith with experience working these triggers to reduce the pull.
 
Have a BLR in 308, and had the stock cut down for shorter LOP. Huge difference in balance and quick pointing. One inch is a lot when dealing with LOP.

Careful with the trigger, they are NOT like working on anything else and easily screwed up and expensive to replace.

Would try breaking in the trigger before finding a gunsmith familiar with BLR triggers who guarantees his work.

My BLR is very accurate till the barrel heats up, and the chamber is tight.
 
Using a comparator I'm coming up with a freebore length of approx .7" +/- . The magazine unfortunately tapers so that the the cartridge COL allowed is right around 2.8. Kinda surprised that there's no room for longer cartridges--does anyone know if in general all the BLR's use the same general magazine size? I would guess that might be the case since there is a significant taper to the magazine on my short-action 7-08.:confused:
 
I've tried a few different reloads (and some factory ammo) and have more or less gotten used to the stiff pull--I kinda "sneak up on it and pull fast and hard." Even so, I can't anything to group worth beans. My first--and probably last Browning being 0 for 2. In contrast--I've never had any savage or ruger gun that couldn't do MOA or better right out of the box--and usually did pretty well with most types of loads and ammo. I still can't quite understand the exceedingly short magazine box with a long freebore chamber.
 
stagpanther said:
Well--latest report--and it's not so good. I ordered Willaims peep and firefights--the peep is simply too high even with a front sight height of .5"--so I ditched the rear peep and put the stock semi buckhorn--tootsie roll back on. Tried using it; but because of the gloss finish of everything it's impossible for my already challenged eyesight to get a fix on anything due to reflective flash.:(

So, gave up and decided to put a loopy scout scope on--which helped me see things better--but I just can't overcome the 7 lb trigger pull to get any kind of repeatable accuracy.

So I have crowned her safe queen to rule over the kingdom of over-priced paperweights while I decide what to do--though wasting any more time and money is not part of the future plans.:rolleyes:
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If they make them for your gun, you might try fiber optics. I have a couple of marlins, 357, 30-30 that
just got too hard to see as I got older. The fiber works good in the daylight, I use something else for low light. The one draw back, the front sight is too thick, wish I would have gone with a smaller thickness. But even with the ones I have they are great for hunting, the 30-30 anyway, the 357 is just for fun.
By the way, that is one good looking gun, hope you get the trigger worked out.
 
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