.223 lever action?

[G. Blessing]

Ever been done?
Factory or custom?


Just seems with the plethora of new and original cartridges chambered these days, the "classic" .223 is an obvious one to do.

I'm really liking the idea... surplus and new .223 is dead cheap, and cheap to load. Good for almost all social applications, and with various loads you can hunt anything short of large dangerous game..

And, so, if its not been done, what action would you start with?

I'm thinking win92, or 94, but a side ejector like a 336 would be great for sight/optic options on the receiver... (Except I don't like 336es otherwise...)

EDIT;
Hmm. my brain skipped a gear or two... pointy surplus ammo in a tube mag would be a problem. But still, for cast loads, I don't see a problem with the right bullet(s).

seems the BLR is the only one ever done. That i can find, anyway.

G.

[SmuvBoGa]

Browning offers a lever action with a 4 or 5 round clip in .223. NOTE - my info is from 2 years ago, I opted for a 30-06.

JohnMc

[Bret4207]

Yeah, I was thinking Browning did a 223 some years back too. I think Sako did a FinnWolf or what ever their lever gun was in 222 or 222Mag way back when too.

If I was going to do it, I'd try and find a Savage 99. Take some bolt face and extractor work, but the 99C with it's box mag would work.

[Wheeler]

Browning still offers the BLR in .223. Be careful shooting 5.56 surplus through a rifle chambered for .223. They are NOT the same animal.

Oops, missed your edit. The upside of the BLR is it uses a detachable box magazine, so the pointy bullets are a non-issue.

[Stick_man]

I have a BLR in .223 and love it. I would prefer a not-so-glossy stock on it, but oh well. It shoots well with 55gr and 50gr j-words. I have not tried cast in it yet, but recently picked up a mould from a NOE GB and plan on checking it out soon.

Any tips on slugging a BLR barrel?

[W.R.Buchanan]

I was going to suggest a Browning BLR, but everyone has already suggested a Browning BLR.

You should probably get a Browning BLR because there is very few leverguns that are even suitable for the .223 round from a pressure standpoint. The BLR is. Plus that they are cool rifles, and on my list if one just happens to pass under my nose at the right time and price.

I kind of want a strait stock take down in .243. but there is no hurry.

I need a .243 because I still have ammo, dies and components, left over from my last .243 which I kick myself everytime I think that I sold a Sako Forrester for $485 that would put anything in a 1" hole for as long as you could stand to sit there. Ones I've seen in gun shows recently have all been in the $12-1500 range.

Makes me sick to think about it. A BLR in .243 would solve that problem for me.

Randy

[G. Blessing]

Yeah, I've developed a problem here, since all the BLRs come as take downs, and i reeeeaaally like the possibilities in portable fun, I can almost justify uses for about 2, maybe 3 of them right now...

I just can't justify the cost of 1, let alone 3...

G.

[Bret4207]

I always have wanted a "light weight, walking around" lever gun in 22 CF. My hope is to one day have a Savage in 219 Zipper or Wasp for walking and saddle use. A Marlin would work too, but I'm a Savage man at heart. A 22 Savage HP with a .224 barrel instead of the .228 might well do the trick too with no magazine spool issues.

[Rich Saylor]

Browning still offers the BLR in .223. Be careful shooting 5.56 surplus through a rifle chambered for .223. They are NOT the same animal.

Oops, missed your edit. The upside of the BLR is it uses a detachable box magazine, so the pointy bullets are a non-issue.

I have a 1990 BLR Model 81 .223 (steel receiver); it is stamped chambered for .223 and 5.56. The magazine holds 5 rounds, giving 6 total (one in the chamber).

[MT Gianni]

Welcome to the forum Rich. It is good especially with Browning to check past the current catalog. They are on again and off again with some calibers.

[1Shirt]

My idea of an ideal 223 Lever gun would be in a scaled down 99 Sav. There is about as much chance of that happening as there is of a second virgin birth I am afraid! One in the Browning would be great as well I am sure.
1Shirt!

[7of7]

I personally don't think it would be that big of an issue in a tubular magazine. The low recoil, combined with the primers designed for a semi-automatic, would minimalize the risk..
However, if one reloaded, or used lead or polymer tipped bullets, there wouldn't be an issue.
I have tried to fire off a primer with a bullet.. Taped the bullet in place on the primer, and hit it with a hammer, the lead tipped and polymer tipped bullets just deformed the tips.. but that is with CCI primers which are known to be on the hard end of the scale.. Round nosed bullets, provided the same result, a nice imprint of the primer on the bullet..

Would I do it? yes, but not with FMJ's...

[Jack Stanley]

I have a 1990 BLR Model 81 .223 (steel receiver); it is stamped chambered for .223 and 5.56. The magazine holds 5 rounds, giving 6 total (one in the chamber).

OK , please school me here fellas . When you say steel reciever , does that mean there are recievers on BLR rifles that are not steel ?

Thanks , Jack

[Te Hopo]

OK , please school me here fellas . When you say steel reciever , does that mean there are recievers on BLR rifles that are not steel ?

Thanks , Jack

Yup, the latest ones are made with an aluminum receiver to cut down weight.
I have to say my pre 1981 BLR in .308 has a steel receiver and it's a beast to carry but I find it hard to beat as a woods rifle.

[Jack Stanley]

Thanks

Jack

[PatMarlin]

I have a BLR in .223 and love it. I would prefer a not-so-glossy stock on it, but oh well. It shoots well with 55gr and 50gr j-words. I have not tried cast in it yet, but recently picked up a mould from a NOE GB and plan on checking it out soon.

Any tips on slugging a BLR barrel?

Send it to Ben. He'll do a first class finish for it. I've been wanting to have him redo my wife's BLR and my X-bolt.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Any tips on slugging a BLR barrel?

A lot of guys here will poo poo this procedure (and have in the past), but a lot of us load a round ball (sinker) or boolit and a primer with no powder which makes the 'slug' stick in the barrel. Then it is knocked back out with a rod that is close to bore size.

I (and no doubt many other members here) discovered this method by making mistakes loading pistol ammo on a progressive press. When I knocked the first one back out of the Bbl I realised that I had a perfectly engraved slug. I have been using that system ever since for sealed off breeches, such as levers and revolvers.

I have no experience of the brownings, but I assume that you could just remove the bolt, etc like you can do with a Marlin and push a soft lead ball into the barrel.

Finally, another method is to almost fill a cartridge case with lead, chamber it and then using a rod that is close to bore diameter, slowly and carefully hammer lead ball/s making them upset and fill the throat. When you pull these out You will have a very accurate mould of what the throat is like. Wjen you are done, drop the case into the melting pot and remove when th elead has melted out.

Personally, I LLA a bollit and shoot as cast. If that works well, my development program is ended.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

What about those old Remington pump actions that had a “twisted” tube which allowed for pointed bullets in a tubular magazine? I always wondered why no lever action was ever made with a magazine tube designed like that…

[Te Hopo]

I have no experience of the brownings, but I assume that you could just remove the bolt, etc like you can do with a Marlin and push a soft lead ball into the barrel.

I just want to say that unless you know these rifles, I wouldn't remove the bolt.
I've heard and seen the results of owners who have dismantled them to give them a thorough cleaning and it's very hard to get the lever/bolt timing perfect again when you reassemble.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I just want to say that unless you know these rifles, I wouldn't remove the bolt.
I've heard and seen the results of owners who have dismantled them to give them a thorough cleaning and it's very hard to get the lever/bolt timing perfect again when you reassemble.

Thats good to know!