Browning BLR - Need some feedback

friend has a 450 marlin lever gun...much recoil. really not fit for most 84 year olds. it is a 45-70 loaded to P+ pressure.

The BLR and 99 both had detachable mag models.

I'm thinking a single shot in 243 win might be just the ticket; smaller over all length than the lever repeaters. a ruger #1 or #3 (30-40 krag) or the Browning/win 1885 lever single would all work, And they have the simplicity of the 94 lever, but are easier to load.

Great to see him still out there hunting; probably has something to do with having a nice son.

Edited by BEAR

Try to find ammo! Good luck!

How about the same rifle in .308 ?
   Kicks harder than a 30/30 but not hard , to my 55
yeard old shoulder.
   Don,t forget the 88 winchester, but its rather large
and clumsy. I have one in .308 i would sell.
   a 99c should work too. Not many around though.
But a 450 marlin for a 84 year old is not in my mind a
good idea.
    My 45/70 hand loads are serious thumpers.
Of course a 7mm08 260 or 243 are good too , but .308 is
one of the best huntin rounds out there for a lever gun.
        ...tj3006

the BLR-81 I have in 7mm-08 is very easy on my shoulder and
any others too. Hits as hard as a
.308 at the terminal end but not at the shoulder end.
Shop for one new or used. A very good deer cartridge too
and ammo is easy to find.

Late to the party on this one.
But if at all possible find him one of the steel receiver 81 models in 7mm08 or 308.

BLRs kick, a-lot, and a lot more than a bolt gun does.

Felt recoil w/a a 7-08 BLR and reduced load is more than a .270 bolt-gun loaded w/150s for elk.  I shot one and then immediately switched to the other (that is the Reader's Digest version).

Felt recoil in a my friend's ex's .308 BLR has been reported to me as being more than in his .30-06 Winchester M70.

If you are sold on a lever.   Get a .243 BLR, or a .243 Savage M-99.  The old guys bones will be much happier....or, if you can find one, a 7-30 Waters M94 (which you mentioned that he had trouble loading).

Never heard this stuff about BLR's kicking more
This gal doesn't seem to think so, she's been shooting one for about 20 years, now.. Couple of her girl friends have them as well.

78 that conversion seems like a good idea. Seems to me very possible. the existing tube might need to be changed to a larger diameter to house the inner tube, but should work. mag capacity would be reduced, but 3 in the mag would seem plenty.


in your quest for a 99 don't overlook one in 303 savage, a decent deer cartridge.

Edited by BEAR

OK, there may be some confusion on my post.

I did not mean to suggest that a 7-08 BLR would kick like a magnum, it will kick like a .308.

Here is what I know...

Way back when my daughter was in high school, I'd broke her in on a .30-30.  I got her a 7-08 BLR.  We went to the range and I shot it w/factory 139s and set the zero.  I then switched to some 120s that I'd loaded for my daughter to shoot.  They were loaded light, I don't remember the specifics, but at the time I was loading a lot of stuff using Unique.  I was using data from a Lyman manual for lead bullets and I bet that it was in the 2,200 fps area.  But, I know for sure that it was 2,500 fps or less.

I did not notice anything about the recoil, and if you shoot magnums, then you won't notice the recoil and will think that it is a pop-gun.

After I finished w/it, I handed it over to her and went to my .270 w/a hot 150s that I'd loaded for elk.  After about 5 shots, she says that it kicks....I think that, "I hadn't noticed."

So, I switch back to the BLR...yep, it kicks a-lot more than my Mauser  bolt gun...BTW, I was comparing the light 120s against my 150s at 2,800.  Then, I tried the factory 139s...they kick even more.

My friend that came to the same conclusion...he used to shoot a M70 in '06.  He now shoots a M70 in .300 H&H.  His ex's BLR was in .308 (a caliber that he used to de-test)  and I assume that he came to his conclusion in the same way that I did (in a side-by-side comparison).  If not, it came from years of experience shooting his '06, working up a load.

So, I've since sold that mule.  I now have a .243 and the same ole .30-30 for the kids and a.270 (all bolt guns) is on the horizon.

788.   been thinking. Not sure how old your dad is? But, I can tell you aging is NOT reversible. My fingers get worse every year. If you get dad a new gun, I'd think ahead maybe 5-7 years. Even the tube feed will be cumbersome, box mags aren't much better.

As we age we need to adjust. I'd get him a single shot, hammerless. that means either a Ruger #1 or a T/C encore. Hammer guns are dangerous for the young and the old. also I like my safety as my brain got older, one less thing to worry about.

Also I'd get him a smaller lighter cartridge, 243, 260, 250savage or 257 Roberts. all good deer cartridges. Maybe a leupold 1-4x var-2 scope.

My dad died in 1957, but if he was alive this is what I'd get him for his birthday. Time to make the 94 an heirloom.

Just further thoughts