Browning BLR Lever Rifle - Questions, Poll and Photos

[Ole Humpback]

There is no such thing as "aircraft grade aluminum". It does not exist.

Yes there is. 6061-T6 & 7075-T6 were both developed for aircraft applications long before they were used for anything else. 7075-T6 was developed first as it has the same strength as 4130 Steel, but with less stiffness, a higher modulus of elasticity, and more ductility. 7075-T6 was found to be prone to Stress Corrosion Cracking due to salt from carrier decks and 6061-T6 was developed as a replacement to 7075-T6 as it doesn't have the magnesium content of 7075 that promotes SCC. 6061 has the strength of regular mild steels such as A36, can be welded, but is more ductile and prone to elastic deformation than 7075.

Seeing as how the receivers are hard-anodized to provide the finishes, I'd bet they are made from 7075 as there is not much of a chance for salt to interact with the material. But 6061 is cheaper & easier to machine, with added bulk so its quite possible they are made from 6061.

 

[bergmen]

Yes there is. 6061-T6 & 7075-T6 were both developed for aircraft applications long before they were used for anything else. 7075-T6 was developed first as it has the same strength as 4130 Steel, but with less stiffness, a higher modulus of elasticity, and more ductility. 7075-T6 was found to be prone to Stress Corrosion Cracking due to salt from carrier decks and 6061-T6 was developed as a replacement to 7075-T6 as it doesn't have the magnesium content of 7075 that promotes SCC. 6061 has the strength of regular mild steels such as A36, can be welded, but is more ductile and prone to elastic deformation than 7075.

Seeing as how the receivers are hard-anodized to provide the finishes, I'd bet they are made from 7075 as there is not much of a chance for salt to interact with the material. But 6061 is cheaper & easier to machine, with added bulk so its quite possible they are made from 6061.

Even if these alloys were developed for use in aircraft, they do not have any "grade" that makes them any different for aircraft applications or receivers for rifles.

The words "aircraft grade" appear nowhere in the alloy specifications or source certifications for these metals. 6061-T6/7075-T6 (and all of the other temper designations) are identical in nature whether one uses them for wing spars or rifle receivers.

Dan

 

[wombat13]

Zeke, HenryD and unlearned69,

I agree, great idea to have chambering commonality with my other .308Win rifles! But earlier speedo66 said
That got me thinking that, since the .358 and .308 mags are the same, maybe the BLR in .358Win could swap barrels with a BLR barrel in .308Win. Actually, on the Browning web site, they show BLRs that "takedown" into two pieces, and obviously the chamber goes with the barrel (duh!). I wonder if all you need to change to change barrels/chambering would be the front section of the takedown, i.e., the barrel and forestock?
Here are the pics of one of the takedown models:





I do believe it would work! But how would you buy such a setup? Do you think the latch/takedown lock would work between the .308 and .358? Or would they be hand-matched rifle-by-rifle? Well anyway, I guess it would be a factory special order, unless they really were interchangable and I ordered two rifles, one in each chambering. The cost might be a wash....

I had the same thought, but AFAIK Browning does not sell just the front half of the rifle. I believe their reason is that it takes a gunsmith to fit the the barrel to the receiver properly. Perhaps you could have a gunsmith order a barrel assembly in your second caliber and fit it.

 

[Ole Humpback]

Even if these alloys were developed for use in aircraft, they do not have any "grade" that makes them any different for aircraft applications or receivers for rifles.

The words "aircraft grade" appear nowhere in the alloy specifications or source certifications for these metals. 6061-T6/7075-T6 (and all of the other temper designations) are identical in nature whether one uses them for wing spars or rifle receivers.

http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=4f19a42be94546b686bbf43f79c51b7d

http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=1b8c06d0ca7c456694c7777d9e10be5b

Believe what you want, there is a true difference between an aircraft grade aluminum and the other types you & I use on a daily basis. Look into the heat treatments, original design specs, applications, and the metallurgical composition and you will see that there is a wide range of difference from just 7075-T0 to 7075-T6, nevermind the almost 10 different types of 7075 that are developed for specialized applications. 6061 is even more diversified than that. Just because they can also function well as a receiver doesn't mean they aren't aircraft grade.

Whats next, you're going to tell us there is nothing special about the nickel super-alloys that were developed for aerospace applications such as jet engines? Let me guess, they are just special steels since it says nowhere that they are "jet engine grade"? Nevermind the fact that the design demands of the aerospace industry were the reason that these aluminum & nickel alloys were developed. Bet you think a receiver would be just as functional if it were made from 2024-T6 aluminum, since its just the same as all the others. Let me know how that one turns out when the bolt flys out the back of the receiver.

There are different grades of aluminum. Aircraft grades are in the 6000-7000 series. Bike frames and other low cost consumable aluminum alloys are 2000-4000 series. High corrosion resistant malleable aluminum is almost exclusively a 5000 series alloy. Same goes for the nearly 120 different grades of Titanium.

I've designed & machined parts for airplanes, missiles & the associate launcher, F1 cars, subs, and just about anything else you can think of. All grades of aluminum aren't the same and for good reason.

 

[bergmen]

I'm not going to go round and round with you on this. I've been an ME for a few decades as well. Just because an alloy is applied in an aircraft application it is not "aircraft grade" any more than cast iron is "engine block grade" if applied to a V-8 engine casting.

It is a marketing gimmic to make people think it is made from something special. If I make something from 6061-T6 that is exactly the same alloy that somebody chooses to make a rifle receiver from, is it "receiver grade" aluminum?

Dan

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I've got a steel framed .243 BLR. I like it big time. I'd prefer it be chambered for .308 but I've had great luck deer hunting with the little .243 and 100 grain bullets.

 

[788Ham]

Kleanbore, scramasax,

I share the feelings on the Savage `99's, I have one of each in .300 and .250. When my Pop passed on, I got both of these from him, still shooting strong.

 

[PedalBiker]

How do the take down versions hold up over time? I was wondering if they would develop play after repeated take down iterations.

Some take down rifles have tapered surfaces that progressively wear in so that the play does not develop as quickly. With an aluminum receiver I would wonder if the hole would enlarge pretty quickly if the anodizing wears off.

 

[RichS]

Such nitpicking! Aircraft grade, storm window grade, bicycle frame grade, cheap screwdriver handle grade.... who cares what the marketing types call it! Without getting specific data it doesn't really matter, and even then there's no real guarantee of suitability for the purpose or how well designed & manufactured each part in question is. So what it boils down to is this: What's the manufacturer's reputation (regarding quality & customer support), and what are the experiences of end users of the product? Not to mention do you have a thing for/against alloy vs. steel, etc., regardless of whether it actually works or not?

BTW something no one has addressed as an issue regarding the use of light alloy metal is this: the thermal coefficient of expansion of aluminum is about twice that of steel, so when a gun is fired a lot & gets hot there might be an issue here. No data to go by, just thought I'd mention it.