Thread: BROWNING BLR LIGHTWEIGHT 20″ – 223 REM discussion

After shooting a few thousand goats in the bush I’ll confidently say the AR was fastest for multiple targets followed by BLR 223 then bolt action. Tried Troy pump lost it in confiscation before I could get used to it, didn’t particularly like the Troy anyway. Get about 30% the number of animals with b.a. compared to AR these days.

Originally Posted by woods223

After shooting a few thousand goats in the bush I’ll confidently say the AR was fastest for multiple targets followed by BLR 223 then bolt action. Tried Troy pump lost it in confiscation before I could get used to it, didn’t particularly like the Troy anyway. Get about 30% the number of animals with b.a. compared to AR these days.

Would you be able to do a similar estimate for BLR vs AR as your 30% figure AR vs b/a?

I wonder how long it will be before the huge difference in pest control capability makes it too the wider public consciousness?

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

Would you be able to do a similar estimate for BLR vs AR as your 30% figure AR vs b/a?

I wonder how long it will be before the huge difference in pest control capability makes it too the wider public consciousness?

Sold the BLR to a mate after he kept pestering me for it, stupid decision. I would say it was maybe about 1/2 second per aimed shot slower
than AR. Didn’t have the mag capacity and was slower to reload, that was all. Also had slower twist barrel if contemplating heavy projectiles. Planning on getting another one, pistol grip model, shortening and suppressing.

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

Any chance of getting you post a video of yourself firing a pump faster than an equivalent semi? I would really like to see that. Or did you mean faster with a pump than with a lever?

Semi auto is the logical way to go with goats in the bush but you do still need a moment or two to accurately acquire your secondary targets so I understand many people will do this almost as efficiently with an alternative action... which is why I asked about the BLR with the 10 rd detachable mags.

I have sold my pump shotgun...the string that sticks in my mind..sitting on kayak with my son behind me...5 ducks flew overhead coming directly towards me.5 shots took 5 ducks,there were 3 dead in air at same time.I felt a million bucks.....its all about timing,the recoil starts the movement of forend and when it comes back to front you locked on target again....you can be very fast with a BLR.... but 6 well aimed rounds are better than 10 sprayed around.... the very best gunfighters werent always the fastest on draw,that split second more to aim makes a big difference.... my days of emptying most of mag before aiming are over.

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

Would you be able to do a similar estimate for BLR vs AR as your 30% figure AR vs b/a?

I wonder how long it will be before the huge difference in pest control capability makes it too the wider public consciousness?

change the record...actually change the how you hunt and be more effective about it... flyblown wrote a really good article on this very thing some time back...how long range made deer spookier....and a change of tactics makes a huge difference.
the wider public dont give a shit.... green rain doesnt worry then as they are drinking the green parties coolaid....

As MD states above, it’s not all about speed. You’ve got to be accurate as well. I’m a tightarse with ammo so don’t shoot unless I’m on target. Possession me off if I have to shoot something twice and f!!ks me right off if I miss completely.

Originally Posted by woods223

As MD states above, it’s not all about speed. You’ve got to be accurate as well. I’m a tightarse with ammo so don’t shoot unless I’m on target. Possession me off if I have to shoot something twice and f!!ks me right off if I miss completely.

Friggen spell check. Above should have read “Pisses me off etc.”

Mike Bennet wrote something to the effect that he shot as many or more deer with a bolt action 303 out of a flying machine than the bloke he was competing against shot with a semi. So a good man with a bolt beats an average man with a semi auto. My uncle has a photo of ten 7x57 rounds arcing in the air as he works the bolt of the BSA Hunter back and forth

Another BLR note is the balance point is on the receiver which is Aluminium which is cold.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Mike Bennet wrote something to the effect that he shot as many or more deer with a bolt action 303 out of a flying machine than the bloke he was competing against shot with a semi. So a good man with a bolt beats an average man with a semi auto. My uncle has a photo of ten 7x57 rounds arcing in the air as he works the bolt of the BSA Hunter back and forth

I'd love to see that photo if you can get a copy of it. After reading this I went and got my #4 mk 1 and attempted to move the bolt fast enough to achieve the same result, I very much doubt I could do it even with emptying unfired rounds. Certainly not while actually firing them, and no way at all if putting an accurately aimed shot into place each time. I'd also be very surprised if many of us could put 10rds from a semi auto accurately on target fast enough to have 10 cartridges in the air at once.

The q. I put to @woods223 was only in relation to his experience with BLR vs AR, not suggesting everyone should use semi autos and just fill the air with lead without bothering to aim. I asked because I've spoken to commercial pest guys (some on this site) who have told me the feral pest numbers are building up massively, but also becoming harder to shoot as they are becoming more gunshy with inadequate control from guys who have lost their semis. I don't have personal experience so just asking the question. A local guy who manages pest control in carbon forestry tells me his guys are shooting 2-3000 feral animals every month from some of their forest blocks, come back next month and the numbers have built up again, which strongly suggests recreational shooters and hunters are not adequately controlling the populations. I'm sure many people on this site can shoot equally many with b/a, levers etc as with semi auto but alas it does not seem to be getting the job done right across the country.

those said same forestry blocks are shut to said same recreational guys.....and 2-3000 animals will include rabbits,hares and possums. open them up to fellas plucking fur and watch those numbers plummet.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

those said same forestry blocks are shut to said same recreational guys.....and 2-3000 animals will include rabbits,hares and possums. open them up to fellas plucking fur and watch those numbers plummet.

agreed entirely, I don't know why they are not open to the public for hunting etc, maybe they are protecting their own jobs. The 2-3000 he said was goats deer and pigs and his guys all use ARs to shoot them wiht, not the small animals. He said it was because the pests were coming in from the neighbouring DOC land where presumably the public should be allowed to go and hunt.

Proper pest control works. 30 years ago willow cuttings from our farm were used in a HBRC demonstration as an example of severe possum damage. Lots of 22 rounds and feratox later I have not even seen a possum for at least 2 years.

it must be a HUGE forestry block to hold 2-3000 dear ,goats n pigs......think about it for a second.....if you put 2000 sheep in there...... and another a month later..and another a month later....the stock trucks would be running constantly even at 500 head per trip thats a truck load each week.....
the cullers shot 1400 goats off our place in the early 80s..that was 5000 acres give or take...and shot similar numbers of neighbouring properties of similar sizes.... that a hell of a lot of animals to just "walk in from next door" and keep doing so...... something doesnt add up here.

One area I shoot covers maybe 800 hectares of native and regen bush, mostly doc estate and fringe residential. Since late 2014 till present time have shot nearly 2000 goats plus numerous pigs etc. Certainly not high numbers about now but with infiltration from neighbouring areas they’re still there. Just sitting in the sun waiting for more to make themselves known after spending 2 hunter hours for 5 goats. The AR certainly made it far easier to take out a mob than it is now, 7 in less than 7 seconds on a good day compared to 3-4 in total out of mob with luck with ba., simply no comparison.

Originally Posted by woods223

One area I shoot covers maybe 800 hectares of native and regen bush, mostly doc estate and fringe residential. Since late 2014 till present time have shot nearly 2000 goats plus numerous pigs etc. Certainly not high numbers about now but with infiltration from neighbouring areas they’re still there. Just sitting in the sun waiting for more to make themselves known after spending 2 hunter hours for 5 goats. The AR certainly made it far easier to take out a mob than it is now, 7 in less than 7 seconds on a good day compared to 3-4 in total out of mob with luck with ba., simply no comparison.

so thats 2000 from 800 ha in twelve months...B.W. is talking 2-3000 per MONTH and again the next month. maybe they breed faster up in sunny north???? that 1400 from our farm NEVER got back up to that number again....and I didnt shoot that many....