Faulty BLR?

[Mozz]

Good morning guys.

I have a great BLR in 233, match 1in8 barrel and configured to take mini 14 magazines- great set up.

I am having missfires and I have tracked it down to the bolt not being fully home, when it happens i can feel the bolt being shunted forward and when i re cock it fires without problem. I am sure the lever is in the correct position.

So next steps why

Very dirty chamber?
Incorrectly cut chamber? (Unlikely, as built by a well respected gunsmith)
Worn parts?
Out of time?


Any other suggestions would help me get this great rifle back to the firing line and start enjoying using it.

I look forward to your interest

Regards

Dave

[dg31872]

Are these reloads, or factory ammo? I have a BLR 81 in 223 and if I have the seating die out of adjustment I have to give the lever an extra squeeze to fully close the bolt. I would suggest checking the sizer or seating die.

[Mozz]

Good call DG, They were reloads,and sit high as there were 77 grainers, maybe a few thou in may help...

[snowwolfe]

Make a dummy round then "smoke" the bullet and shoulder. Chamber and notice where the smoke is rubbing off. This should show you where the problem is.

Seems like an interesting rifle. How does she shoot? Was giving some thought to buying another BLR in 22-250 and having it rebarreled with a 1-8 tube 22 inches long.

[dilly]

I hope it's a simple matter of getting the ammo to completely chamber. I hear messing with the timing on a BLR is one of the hardest things to do.

Just out of curiosity why did you rework the magazine well?

Are you in a country that won't give you semiautomatics with decent capacity?

[starmac]

I don't know his reasons, but some of us would much rather shoot levers than semis.

[Geezer in NH]

Problem in assembly a BLR can be put together with the lever timing off.

[dilly]

So Mozz, what's the verdict? When you seated them a bit deeper did everything work out?

I'm still curious why you did that modification to the BLR, but I also think it sounds really cool.

[Mozz]

I will give the smoke method a go after Christmas and new year has gone past.

She shoots really well, sub inch at 100mtrs... I also have other BLR in 243 and thinking of having rebarrelled to either 308 or 260...


Make a dummy round then "smoke" the bullet and shoulder. Chamber and notice where the smoke is rubbing off. This should show you where the problem is.

Seems like an interesting rifle. How does she shoot? Was giving some thought to buying another BLR in 22-250 and having it rebarreled with a 1-8 tube 22 inches long.

[Mozz]

Agreed i don;t want to touch the timing...

I live in the UK - no Semi autos and there are few competitions that we shoot that reworking the magazine well makes sence.


I hope it's a simple matter of getting the ammo to completely chamber. I hear messing with the timing on a BLR is one of the hardest things to do.

Just out of curiosity why did you rework the magazine well?

Are you in a country that won't give you semiautomatics with decent capacity?

[Mozz]

So i seated them a little further in and no issues so far... happy days.

The Modifications were required due to lack of Semi Auto ownership and some competitions that i wanted to compete in.

Thanks for all your help guys great result...



So Mozz, what's the verdict? When you seated them a bit deeper did everything work out?

I'm still curious why you did that modification to the BLR, but I also think it sounds really cool.

[TXGunNut]

I love a happy ending! ;-) Thanks for checking back in, glad it wasn't a timing issue.
If you're dead set on rebarrelling that .243 you may want to look into the .358 Winchester, unless of course it's going to be a dedicated target rifle.

[dilly]

Mozz, that sounds like a really neat little rifle.

In the US, a huge portion of the market is driven by people who think an AR15 is the spiffiest rifle possible. As a result it draws the attention of a lot of gunsmiths, custom manufacturers, aftermarket parts, etc. away from lever actions (which in my opinion have their own irreplaceable charm).

What I would like as far as a custom lever gun is an integrally suppressed lever action rifle, probably in 44 magnum. Not very many gunsmiths do a lot of work on things like that so you don't see these types of things very often. If I were to work with suppressed rounds I wouldn't want to have to worry about getting the action to cycle reliably like with a semiautomatic. Upgrading the BLR to a standard capacity magazine is actually a very neat idea as well. I don't think an integrally suppressed lever gun with a tube magazine would probably be likely so if I ever do this it may have to be to a BLR or similar.

[Mozz]

Yep happy ending and will be out either later today or tomorrow for some practice.

As for the .243, i have been thinking of a few calibre's 308, 260 and a 45 auto mag... ideally all internally suppressed, dependant on how hard/easy it would be to turn a BLR into a switch barrel. Now your .358 has got my brain running on over time.

I wil post an undated when get make my decision...





I love a happy ending! ;-) Thanks for checking back in, glad it wasn't a timing issue.
If you're dead set on rebarrelling that .243 you may want to look into the .358 Winchester, unless of course it's going to be a dedicated target rifle.

[Mozz]

I have been thinking of a few calibre's 308, 260 and a 45 auto mag... ideally all internally suppressed, dependant on how hard/easy it would be to turn a BLR into a switch barrel and now your .358 has got my brain running on over time.

Similar to hear in the UK. As a norm Hunters either use a suppressed Bolt action or straight pull (Lync's type), AR's are frowned upon for hunting. Bolt Actions and AR's as straight pulls and lever release are used in for Target Shooting. We also have pistol calibre's under levers that have taken place of our pistol shooting.

I will keep you unto date with progress.



Mozz, that sounds like a really neat little rifle.

In the US, a huge portion of the market is driven by people who think an AR15 is the spiffiest rifle possible. As a result it draws the attention of a lot of gunsmiths, custom manufacturers, aftermarket parts, etc. away from lever actions (which in my opinion have their own irreplaceable charm).

What I would like as far as a custom lever gun is an integrally suppressed lever action rifle, probably in 44 magnum. Not very many gunsmiths do a lot of work on things like that so you don't see these types of things very often. If I were to work with suppressed rounds I wouldn't want to have to worry about getting the action to cycle reliably like with a semiautomatic. Upgrading the BLR to a standard capacity magazine is actually a very neat idea as well. I don't think an integrally suppressed lever gun with a tube magazine would probably be likely so if I ever do this it may have to be to a BLR or similar.