Hi guys,
I am a new guy who is planning for the hunt next year. My 45-70 Marlin has served me well BUT I need more range. I am very seriously considering an A-Bolt in 270. On the other hand I like lever guns and am also thinking about a BLR in 7mm-08 or 308. What are the downsides to a BLR?
Thanks Tim

As with everything else these days of "Mass Produced " you ""could "" have a few a few issues to work out. My BLR had a hammer rubbing on the bolt as the action was opened , then a chartridge that would momentary hang up in the reciever once a round was fired.

From the number of rifles sold my Smith reports that he has only sent two of the new alloy BLR's back for repairs in the years he has been selling the Browning line.

So I know from experiance , The Marlins are having problems with barrel restrictions and being overbored. My Guide in 45/70 thus shot minute of BARN for the above problems.

If Marlin Stopped the "B S" with the above barrel issues , I would probably have more Marlins.
I have one old 336? 35 RC made in the mid fifties , that can not be beat , but would like a bit more power than the 35 Remington.
Now Hornady Leverevolutoin might have an answer.

I liked the 1895 Marlin , but found the rainbow effect abit much to work with and too sold the guide and bought a BLR in 358W.
After I got the buggs worked out , I like the rifle.

The Area I am hunting constists of mixed farm and heavy bush. So for the most part shots are with in the 50 to 70 yard range and the 45/70 worked real well, but there are times I needed to shoot past 100 Yds accross a Hydro line or accross a farm field were the extra range of the 358 W would be better suited, For Moose /Bear and deer I well gunned.

The lever is quick to point and fast for the second or third shot in this type of country.
Then I like the idea of pointed rounds and the clip.
Fast to reload after emptying your rifle on a speeding buck in heavy cover.
Once I got the second one after firing a clip on the first.

But
We Also use a Ruger 77 in 3006 . Yes with these guns one needs the smith to polish the Lawyer trigger abit, (as with a lot of new rifles these days).
But over all, for the game at hand we can not pass on the virtues of the 3006.When we have done our part the 3006 has always delivered .I can not say that for the 308 in the bush.

So my advise, buy a new rifle well before the season . Spring - gives you enought time to sort through any buggs you might encounter.
Shoot the rifle often before the season and you will be ready for the hunt.

The BLR made by Browning is far from being a cheap rifle and sports a high luster finish which seems to be the major complaint. Then there is the cleaning from the muzzle thing as with the Winchester levers.
The plus thing the BLR is really a lever operated bolt , stong enough to handle the WSm rounds as well as the 7MM Remingtom Mag .
Now you can have the model in pistol grip and straight gripped stock as well as stainless steel along with the blued version.

Now you can buy a bolt a lot cheaper as the Savage "out of the box shooter" comes to mind" , as well as the Black shadow Winchester Model 70.

Remington also has some deals on the model 700 , but again the lawyer trigger.

Tikka is another out of the box shooter , but again as with the BLR your buying an overseas product.

Best first figure your shootin' conditions . Do you need a Fast Handling lever for shots between 25 Yards out to say 200yards ? (BLR)
Or more in the open country type shots.( BOLT)

Then factor in the game at hand ,and the price range you can handle.

So we have the older 336 RC for the deer hunt and the 3006 Ruger for the Moose as well as deer and bear.

Then the BLR does it all.

Harry pretty much covered it. Simply put, the BLR is a fairly complicated mechanism, but it is the most modern lever action out there and is capable of shooting any modern cartridge. The vast majority of them work fine and won't have any problems - same can probably be said of most manufacturers. With the 308 or 7-08 and plenty of practice, you should be able to reach out to about 300 yards or so. Besides, I think they look great. I love the glossy wood and the fit/finish.

The BLR is a very popular, well built rifle, with many happy users. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I personally find the BLRs to be poorly balanced. Too light at the muzzle end for me, that is. Be sure you heft a bunch of different rifles to see how YOU like the feel of them.

Most of the pros and cons have been mentioned already. You mentioned possible cartridges you might be interested in but not the game you will be hunting. If I were looking for a handy big game rifle, with intent to hunt up to brown bear sized critters, and wanted a lever gun that had some reach, I would seriously have a look at the BLR in 325 WSM.

Hi again guys,
I really thank you for your replies. I hunt in NW Florida so no great bears or great deer species either. A big buck here is 175 lbs so a 243 Win is all one really needs. Now we do have some hefty hogs and alot of thick stuff to hunt in. That is why I have used a 45-70 up until now. To be honest with you I had not seen a BLR until lately and became very interested. I am torn between 7mm08 and 308. I do want the shorter version of the rifle with the 20 inch barrel. Has to be fast in the woods. This is one area I don't think an A-bolt can compete. I use the safari sling from Cabelas and "walk" alot, stalking through the woods 1,2 or 3 steps at a time just off of trails. I do come out onto powerlines and long clearings so I need something with longer legs than a 45-70. I see as much or more game this way as in a stand. The scenery changes all the time and makes a hunt more enjoyable. This is why I want a BLR. Can a scout scope mount be put on a BLR? Thanks Tim

Sure you can put a scope on a BLR...I would'nt do it any other way IMHO.

In fact the way the BLR barrel tapers down out in front of the receiver allows you to mount even a large objective scope nice and low.

You could fit a 50mm scope with medium rings on my Lightning 30-06.

The action is smooth as glass and there is no comparison to a bolt action in speed of reload. The detachable magazine is nice too for a number of reasons....compared to other lever guns.

Don't get me wrong I love my Marlin 1895gs in 45-70 but it's just different.

The BLR is your only option if you want a lever gun in any of the more high powered cartridges.

In fact I just bought one in 7mm Mag which would typically be a bolt action choice...but I just couldn't give up the lever;>

Other than the copper fouling My BLR has performed flawlessly and killed a dozen or so deer in a variety of conditions. I'm not crazy about the high gloss finish...it scratches pretty easy. This seems to be a common opinion

my 2 cents...

Dean

I have a 1.5 X5 tube on my rifle and was thinking of going to the new Holosight Xlp 53-0021 and moulting it forward (90% of my shooting is under heavy cover and shooting with both eyes open will inprove the close in snap shot.)
I do not have a balance problem or the fouling some people report but every rifle is different .
Some people had issues with the older steel version of rifle , but I know of many 308 calipier rifles in use where there has not been any problems what so ever .
So the 308 W with bullets in the 150/165 gr.for the hunting stye your in , would probably be a good choice and would not limit you should you ever want to do for bigger game that deer :D

Negatives: Not made in the USA. As far as I'm concerned Browning and Winchester are in bed together over in Japan. :mad:

Positives: Marlin makes a 24 inch XLR that will reach out to 200-250 yards and kill a deer. Check out the new Leverolution ammo, its another bonus. And its made in the USA.

I don't want to muddy the waters Gila, but if you get chance to check out a used Win. Model 88 (.243, .284 [rare], .308, or .358 Win [rare]) you should. It's a top quality lever gun, very accurate, locks up like a bolt action, clip fed, and NO hammer. If $$ is a consideration, around here a good used 88 in .308 goes for around $600.00, which I think is less than a new BLR. Alot of guys like the old Savage 99 which also comes in a bunch of calibers. Confused? Good luck. Shopping for a new rifle is a great time, I hope you're enjoying it. Keep us posted.

I shoot left-handed so a lever gun in 30-06 was pretty much limited to the BLR. I like the clip feature on this gun, since it has no issues with "pointed bullets. Given the action, it functions flawlessly and shoots as well as any bolt action. I also shoot Marlin 45-70's and Winchester 45LC, 9422 mag and lr. No complaints on accuracy with any of them, except a used Marlin 336rc, 35 Remington, which still has some issues/bugs to be worked out.

I like mine & never had a hitch using it. Its much different than any other lever gun out there but I dont know if I'd call it complicated. Just a gear on the lever that engages teeth on the bolt bottom. I'v not found a reason to take it apart anyway in 10 years or so. It would be nice to simply pull the bolt like a Marlin for cleaning but I can live with that. Theres no lifter or cartrige stop to jam things up. Most of the complex stuff in a lever gun is replaced by a box magazine. Maybe its a down side having a light barrel that heats easilly but I hunt with mine so only the first couple shots really matter.

Hello,
I can find no negatives with the BLR. Design, quality, performance is outstanding. Some do not like the finish of the stocks and prefer straight oil, matte style finish, but that is a cosmetic, personal choice. It is a state of the art lever gun with the positive aspects of a bolt rifle. Not a bad combo to have in any sporting firearm.
dsiteman
Favor Center!!

Leverdude,
I think the gears are what makes the BLR complex. Try taking one apart sometime. Putting it back together and adjusting the timing would make even Job mutter under his breath. They make the Win 92 seem much less the metal puzzle that I first imagined even them to be. Now having said that, complex or not, I do like my BLR in 358 Win and look forward to picking up one in stainless when they hit the shelves.

The simplist to take apart and put back togeather is a Marlin. Lots of hogs taken with the 30-30 or 35 Remmington. Don't forget to look at a Savage as well.
Lots to look at and handle most are good, one will be just right.

I have 2 BLR's, one in 243 and the other in 7mm. I like both of them and I wouldn't hesitate one minute to take either one of them hunting. I've always been a fan of levers and these work for me.

Not that it matters all that much, but I can't get the fact that the BLR is actually a bolt-action rifle that is operated by a lever. I have never heard of any problems associated with the gear operation but it seems to me that it wouldn't take much to interfere with its proper action.

Perhaps I am just too much of a purist.

I left out the word "over" in my previous post. It should have read, "I just can't get ''over" the fact that the BLR is ...

Problems? There are problems? My biggest problem with my BLR is that I don't feel like I need my other rifles much anymore....

Cleaning problems? None. Non-chlorinated brake cleaner in the gears and firing pin then re-lube. Cleaning from the muzzle? Doesn't everyone own a brass bore guide to slip over the rod?