BLR missfire

[dnepr]

Well I stuck my foot in my mouth again I agreed to look at the wife's boss's rifle for missfiring before I new what it was , I new it was a 30-06 by the cartridges that I was shown , Then I foumd out it was a BLR I have no experience with BLR's and everything I hear about them is DO NOT disassemble .

The exploded view I downloaded looks complex but not too terrible , but I don't want to get the timing wrong on this if I do dissasemble it

I am hoping that it is something simple like to thick of oil ( the rifle is WELL oiled ) and our cold Canadian hunting conditions but anyone having any tips or input it would be greatly appreciated

wish me luck

[gundownunder]

If you don't know how to assemble one then it is probably a good idea not to take it apart. We have a high number of them at the local lever gun club and I'm pretty sure everyone in the club takes theirs to the resident gunsmith when it's time to pull them apart.
I had one in .222 and when I first started loading for it I had a heck of a lot of missfires. I traced it down to my primers being just a few thou short of being fully seated. I was seating with a hand tool and my worn out slightly arthritic fingers were not applying enough pressure. As soon as I switched to a press mounted seating tool all my misfires disappeared.

[calaverasslim]

DO NOT DISASSEMBLE

do not disassemble this rifle yourself. Take it to a gunsmith. Try flushing the bolt with gun scrubber and then use Federal 210 primers. That should cure the problem.

[pipehand]

Great, now I find this out. Just bought one today at a local shop for circa 500. 1970's production made in Belgium, .308, steel receiver sans any safety besides half cock. Only way it could have been better would be if it was in .358. Will be a week or two before I can shoot it. Any truth to the rumor that they require "small base" dies to reliably chamber handloads?

[fireball168]

My 1982 358 does not care for anything other than brass that was originally fired in it.

Not a terrible situation, I bought a good bit of the Jamison 358 brass before their recent problems and can always make more from new 308 brass.

Brass life seems almost indefinate with moderate loads though, the Redding sizer doesn't do much to the case after firing.

It is not fond of much/any lubrication when cold.

[MT Gianni]

Great, now I find this out. Just bought one today at a local shop for circa 500. 1970's production made in Belgium, .308, steel receiver sans any safety besides half cock. Only way it could have been better would be if it was in .358. Will be a week or two before I can shoot it. Any truth to the rumor that they require "small base" dies to reliably chamber handloads?

I have loaded my Pre-81 blr with Lee dies since the late 80's. No chambering problems do to standard dies. It is in 308.

I had mine to the gunsmith when it started to missfire. Replacement pin as this one had cracked and a new spring. AARC, this was around 1999. It was late Sept before hunting season and the time in the shop was an 18 day turn around. I was pleased.

[pipehand]

From the looks of my new acquisition it was shot very little. All of the factory metal finish is present and there are a few handling dings in the wood. Did yours need a new firing pin after years of use? Was it dry firing related? Good to know about the Lee dies. That"s what I'll be using, or a Dillon die I have. Do you have yours scoped, and what bases and rings do you use?

[pipehand]

The small base thing is a non issue. Just took a fired case that came out of my Winchester model 70 and it chambered without a hitch in the BLR.