My newest aquisition ... Browning BLR

[MtJerry]

I found this gem at a local gun shop/range where I shoot on my lunch breaks. The owner has quite a collection of vintage and rare firearms as well as new stuff for sale.

I bought this littel darlin' yesterday - a Browning BLR Model 81 chambered in 358 Winchester - the serial number indicates that it was manufactured in 1979 and it has a steel receiver.

I thought about it a few days and after some good information from Old Soldier and Popeye, I went back this week and made the nice man an offer. He was asking $699.99 for it and after some gentle haggleing, he agreed to $575 and he threw in a box of Winchester Silvertips (200gr.) - the box was priced $33.00 for 20!!!!! :eek: :OMG:

It has a straight stock which brings the sights right to my eye with ease.

The BLR series also has an interesting bolt design for a levergun. It has a toothed roller that guides the bolt back with a smoothness that is absolutely unreal. In the picture below, you can see the teeth on the bottom of the bolt that engage the roller.

When cycling the action of the BLR, you can see in the picture below that the trigger group moves with the elver reducing the pinched finger syndrome that many levers have.

It also has NO SAFETY:D !!!!! Which is how a levergun is supposed to made ... it has a half-cock hammer for safety.

I have done some reading about the 358 Winchester and what ahs surprized me is how it was overlooked before the magnum craze started. It is truely a sleeper round. It will fire .357 pistol bullets and larger up to 250gr. The 250 grain bullet traveling at 2400fps still have over 1100fps of energy at 300 yards with barely 10 inches of drop.

I am hoping that I can get a nice Deer load worked up for it using a cast Lyman 358315 (200gr RNGC HP) that I have. I think will look at a larger bullet for Elk and Bear. Time at the range will tell if that particular bullet will work.

I've got her home, ran some patches down the absolutely pristine bore, and am waiting to see if this nasty 50mph wind will settle down today so I can put some rounds downrange.

In the meantime, here are some pics ...

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/MtJerry/2007_0311Winter0002.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/MtJerry/2007_0311Winter0007.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/MtJerry/2007_0311Winter0009.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/MtJerry/2007_0311Winter0010.jpg

[Lloyd Smale]

nice looking rifle and it looks like one of the old belguim made guns. My dad hunts about exclusively with one in 308 and its a good little rifle. Id love one myself in 358. I shoot a win. 356 and they hit animals with athority and im sure ill get jumped for this but i think hunting rifles with cast bullets for deer sized game starts with the .35 calibers. Ive taken deer and wild boar with 35 rem and 356s using cast flat points and i cant see where jacketed bullets would have worked any better. Nice thing with them too is that you can load cast pistol bullets and make real neat plinking loads with them. I shoot lee 150 rfs in my .35 rem with 8 grains of unique and its like plinking with a .22.

[MtJerry]

Sorry Lloyd, it's "Made in Japan." They stopped making the BLR's in Belgium in 1972.

[onceabull]

MtJerry:Fine catch there,I'm using it's twin except I haven't ever checked DOM.(It's steel rec.,Japan Made). If you can find that Lyman 358627 mould you will have a fine light recoiling deer stopper,as you don't need to run that one at anywhere near full speed in a 358W. Saeco 352 loaded up will do fine for larger game. Enjoy, Onceabull

[MT Gianni]

Jerry, What you have is called a Pre-81. I have one in 308 and love it. The magazines are getting hard to find and e-bay examples go about $100 or so. The 81 has a flat plate on the magazine and it fits flush. They are really great guns. gianni.

[Marlin Junky]

I wouldn't mind having one of those in .358 Winchester, but what is that tubular magazine looking thing and barrel band for if it feeds from a box magazine?

MJ

[Lloyd Smale]

shows you how much i know. I thought that all of them with the extended magazine were belguim made guns. Oh well open mouth insert foot!
Sorry Lloyd, it's "Made in Japan." They stopped making the BLR's in Belgium in 1972.

[Diegokid]

Mine is in 270. It is the most accurate out of the box rifle I have ever seen. I was stationed in ND when I bought it. With Remington green and yellow 130 grain sp bullets I could shoot just under 1 MOA at 150 yards from a bench. I haven't even tried to reload for it yet. My oldest son will end up with it sooner or later.

Now that I am doing this casting thing are there any recomendations for this caliber and cast?

[26Charlie]

Diego Kid, The .270 bullets I like best are the RCBS 27-150-SP and the Lyman 280642. Here's a link to some .270 stuff I put up:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=3394

[jim4065]

I'm stumped along with Marlin Junky - what is that thing sticking out of the front of the forestock? Sure looks like a magazine end cap. :???:
Jim

[MT Gianni]

That thing out the front is a screw that holds the fore end in. A sling swivel is also attached there on mine. It looks like a smaller shotgun plug access screw if that is easier to picture. Gianni

[Diegokid]

Thanks Charlie, I just wrote Uncle Sam a large check so once I recover I will buy some molds and get started.

[Marlin Junky]

That thing out the front is a screw that holds the fore end in. A sling swivel is also attached there on mine. It looks like a smaller shotgun plug access screw if that is easier to picture. Gianni

Then why does it have a barrel band?

MJ

[Pilgrim]

I think for "looks". I took the barrel band off of mine when I rebarreled it. I mentioned this a year or so ago and was asked to post a picture of what it looks like now. I didn't then as my digital camera was not behaving nicely. That problem is behind me and I will post a picture as soon as I open the safe again. Prolly tonight. I believe the band more than likely more often interferes with accuracy than it does anything else. The forend is supported by a tube sticking out from the front of the action and the bolt keeps it from sliding off of the support tube. FWIW Pilgrim

[MT Gianni]

I agree, I think it has a bbl band because levers are "suppossed to".

[PatMarlin]

Nice rifle and great price really. I looked and looked for a deal close to that on a 358 and never found it, so I got a bolt... :drinks:

[JDL]

MtJerry, I have one of the same vintage. I use 358156 HP for a plinking load with 10 or 11 grains of Unique and this is just about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on! Mine does well with a hunting load circa 2000 fps with RCBS 35-200 and a Mountain Mold of 225 grains. Haven't tried heavier. -JDL

[omgb]

I had one of those back in 78-79. I used it for deer in MT and took a few with it. I found it liked the 250 grain bullets a whole lot better than the 200 and it did not shoot the 158 grain stuff well at all. Mine proved finicky as to accuracy. I mounted a 4X Weaver on it (the old steel tube model) and worked with it quite a bit. I had to be satisfied with 2" groups at 100 yards with the 250 grain bullets and 3" groups with the 200. Of course, that was with the powders we had 30 yers ago and with fire-formed 308 cases. I'd be willing to bet you can do better today. At any rate, I sure wish I hadn't sold mine.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I see them on sale every now and then out here and they bring mega bucks. trouble is though, the one's I have seen on sale are always 22/250s and one 243, which looked like it had been rattling around under a truck seat for 20 years. If I saw a 308 or a 358 I would have grabbed one. never had the bucks earlier when the steel ones were on sale.

There is one for sale on consingment at a gunshop I frequent and compared to most it is a bit cheaper but it is in 22/250. It is a bit too dear to rebarrel and I made an offer on it, but the guy won't budge. It is a like to have for me, not a must have, so I'll take a punt on it. I think it would be a nice rifle in 338 Federal. But really, to use all the deer rifles that I have I would have to hunt every other week :D so, its a low priority.

[MT Gianni]

I had one of those back in 78-79. I used it for deer in MT and took a few with it. I found it liked the 250 grain bullets a whole lot better than the 200 and it did not shoot the 158 grain stuff well at all. Mine proved finicky as to accuracy. I mounted a 4X Weaver on it (the old steel tube model) and worked with it quite a bit. I had to be satisfied with 2" groups at 100 yards with the 250 grain bullets and 3" groups with the 200. Of course, that was with the powders we had 30 yers ago and with fire-formed 308 cases. I'd be willing to bet you can do better today. At any rate, I sure wish I hadn't sold mine.

That sounds just like the one I am still kicking myself for not bying at Brady's Sportsman Surplus in Missoula about 1988. I hope it went to a good home. Gianni.

[MtJerry]

MtJerry, I have one of the same vintage. I use 358156 HP for a plinking load with 10 or 11 grains of Unique and this is just about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on! Mine does well with a hunting load circa 2000 fps with RCBS 35-200 and a Mountain Mold of 225 grains. Haven't tried heavier. -JDL

What was you load for the Seaco 200gr? I have a Lyman 358315 HP that I want to try with it.

[JDL]

MtJerry, I use 40.5 grains of H-4895 with the 200 grain RCBS boolit which is about 20-22 BHN(1-3 lino-lead water dropped). Lately, I've used plain air-cooled w/w which are softer and probably to be perfered for hunting. You may want to decrease the speed with that HP boolit for hunting to 1600 to 1700 fps. -JDL