BLR safety

Discussion in 'Browning BLR Rifle' started by cavmedic, May 29, 2016.

  1. cavmedic

    cavmedic Guest

    Does anyone else agree with me on this?

    Lots of people think that the hammer safety on the BLR is great. They say the folding hammer is an extra safety bonus.

    Frankly, I think the idea of having a safety any wear near a hammer is unsafe. Why would you put the safety on an area that you don't want to disturb?

    The folding hammer adds an extra noisy step to to an already bad idea (half cock safety) and really makes it more difficult to hunt and add a hammer spur.

    I really only have two positions with that hammer. Up or down. That's all I need to be truly safe.
    Last edited by a moderator: May 29, 2016
  2. BrShooter

    BrShooter .410

    My BLR only has the half cock safety so I am not too sure about the folding hammer on the newer BLRs. I will have to look at one the next time I get a chance. I have 4 lever guns and only one has a firing pin block safety. I like it because I have had my thumb slip off a hammer before. At first I was not sure about it but now I like it because my son hunts with that gun and with this gun I know he can let the hammer down without his thumb accidentally slipping off and causing a discharge.
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  3. TBoe

    TBoe .22LR

    I think it's a great idea
  4. MZ5

    MZ5 .270 WIN

    I like the folding hammer head simply because it's an extra I can use to help me prevent AD/ND (accidental discharge/negligent discharge). With it folded, the hammer does not impact the firing pin. Thus, in the unlikely event of a hammer hook or sear break/failure, or even if the trigger is pulled inadvertently, the fall of the hammer will not cause a primer strike.

    I actually dislike the fact that the BLR has no sort of safety to do any of:
    Lock, block, or disconnect the firing pin,
    Lock or block the hammer,
    Lock or block the sear, or
    Lock or block the trigger.

    The list is in order from best kind of mechanical safety to worst, and I wish they had at least one of them. Since they don't, the folding hammer head is at least _something_. It is a sort of very poor approximation of disconnecting the firing pin. Poor because it requires conscious, manual engagement by the operator.

    I believe the half cock notch on the hammer to be a very poor mechanism indeed, in terms of field carry, because some people try to cock and then lower the hammer to that notch with the trigger squeezed. Talk about inviting an AD/ND! The half-cock notch is good in terms of guarding against the hammer itself breaking at the full-cock hook, but I seriously dislike the use of half-cock as a safety mechanism people manually try to engage.

    So, that's why I think the folding hammer is a positive.
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2017
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  5. cavmedic

    cavmedic Guest

    As a general rule of thumb, you should never put a safety on the moveable pieces you're trying to keep safe. To me this is no different than a trigger safety on the trigger itself. If your goal is not to have the hammer inadvertently move, why put the safety in the movement of the hammer? Seems counterproductive
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  6. TBoe

    TBoe .22LR

    Maybe the goal wasn't to keep the hammer from inadvertently moving,but to just protect the firing pin from being inadvertently struck ?
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  7. Planetcat

    Planetcat .410

    I hog hunted with a new hunter about 20 years ago. We both had BLR's in .30-06, and he thought he knew everything about anything. His arrogance was ticking off our guide and me too. We stalked up on about 10 hogs sleeping at 80 yards away. The guide was telling us to hold off and get everyone in position, when my buddy pulled the hammer back and inadvertently fired the rifle. Pigs scattered before any of us were ready and we went home empty handed. I guess the hammer safety would be good for idiots like that. He blamed the guide saying that he was being confusing, but I was grateful no one got shot. I dont care much for the safety on my Marlin guide gun, but like the rifle and know how to deal with it.
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  8. cavmedic

    cavmedic Guest

    The thing is, you still have to pull the hammer back when taking it off of the hammer safety. That's my point entirely. The safety and the engagement of the trigger should be in two separate areas. Your buddy would have let off a round and you would have went home empty handed with or without that safety.
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  9. Planetcat

    Planetcat .410

    I just saw the hammer safety setup on the browning. Strange design. My BLR didn't have the hammer safety. I thought it was like my Marlin hammer safety, which is a bar that blocks the hammer from hitting the firing pin entirely. You can cock and slam the hammer all you want with that design, and it won't fire. To everyone's point in this thread though, seems silly to have a safety on the hammer of a lever gun. I always felt that cocking the hammer back was the safety, plus many have the half-cock safety as well. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
  10. mallardhunter

    mallardhunter Copper BB

    I have a BLR in 308 Winchester. I've been hunting with this gun for 3 years now. Neil Jones preformed trigger job on it for me. The folding hammer safety takes a little getting use to but, it works well for me. I feel that the gun is quite safe if you do your part.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
  11. Norske

    Norske .410

    I think the folding hammer is genius. I have other leverguns, and hate the safeties on all of them.

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