I've been looking at takedown rifles recently, and would like to pick one up, probably around the autumn.

I'm limited to a 5rd capacity due to ridiculous local laws, so takedown pistol caliber rifles are out, and most bolt action takedowns I've seen are very pricey.

Two rifles that stood out to me are the browning BLR and the Japanese-produced Winchester 1895 from a few years ago.

Does anyone have experience with these two? I'm wondering how they compare?

I can't help but love the look of the 1895, but is it an impractical design compared to the more modern BLR?

This would be a firearm for plinking & an easily packable centerfire long arm to take on trips.

I haven't had a BLR, but I had an 1895 Winchester, although it wasn't a takedown. I really liked the 95 but it was a carbine in .30-06 and didn't balance as well with the short barrel and the crescent buttplate kicked harder than I'd have liked. The action was very nice, extremely smooth and tight. The bolt closing sounds like rail cars being coupled up. The trigger was ok but not great and traditional scope mounting is difficult if possible at all. If I had gotten the full rifle in .30-40 I'd likely still have it. The strong point of the BLR is it's lightweight and that it can be had in just about any popular hunting caliber you want, from .223 to .325 WSM. It also has scope mounts. There are also used Savage 99 takedowns out there, but they tend to shoot loose. For a fun, historical rifle that I could use for hunting, I'd take the 95 any day of the week and twice on Sundays, for a serious hunting rifle, the BLR. That's my long winded opinion, worth slightly less than you paid for it .

I also had a 1895 and would echo .455Eley's comments.

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John
S&WCA Life Member

we collect Win 1886's & still have one Win 95... an old flatside. None of these are takedowns.. but I echo the comment on the crescent butts making the recoil feel much worse. If you get a modern 1895/95 or 1886... make sure you get the "shotgun butt" type of rear stock.. they are much more comfortable to shoot. We do have a Browning BLR in .358 Win & it is a flat out honey to shoot & easily groups less than one inch at one hundred yards.

The new BLR's can be had in even the serious .375Ruger & .416 Ruger calibres all the way down to .223 I believe...

If I was in better health.. I'd have 2 of the takedown BLR's made... with 2 barrels each from the factory...in .375 Ruger & .416 Ruger with the .375's having 24 inch barrels & the .416's being 18" or 20"barrels with a 3 leaf folding sight for the rear sight's on those barrels... with a quick detached 1X4.5 Leupold VXIII on each receiver... ( 2 rifles both with a .375Ruger barrel & a .416Ruger barrel).

With practice you can use a lever action rifle almost as quick as a double gun for a second shot .. & the 3rd & 4th shots are much much quicker... for dangerous game that is a must...they would be perfect for big bear, moose, lion, buffalo etc...

Then if I could convince the wife.. I'd also get two more of the takedown BLR's in .30-06 or 7mm mag...that action is incredibly strong & extremely dependable....You can tell I'm a huge fan of this rifle.... I'd urge you to get one of the take downs in your favorite caliber... with at least 2 extra mags...

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

I have an original Winchester 1895 Takedown in 30-06. Have carried it in good weather for deer hunting, but have not dropped a deer with it yet.

I much prefer the 1895 over the BLR. Frankly, I think the BLR is just too ugly. The 1895 may not win any beauty contests, but I don't think it's ugly.

I don't have a Browning 1895, though I looked for a carbine in 30-06 before winding up with my Winchester. I'd still like to get a carbine in 30-06 or 30-40 US (Krag). A carbine has the wood top piece on the forend and a barrel band.

I have a Browning 1886 rifle and carbine, and they are well made. The Browning 1895s are no different, and I would not hesitate to get one.

The modern Winchester 1895 is made in the same factory as the Browning 1895, using the same tooling. It has a rebounding hammer and a tang safety. I hate tang safeties because they make installing a tang sight difficult, but the 1895 design really does not lend itself to using a tang sight, so this might be a moot point. If I could not find a Browning 1895 I would not turn down a modern Winchester 1895.

One real advantage the BLR has is that it can be readily scoped. The 1895 is not a design that works well with scopes. A peep sight is probably the best you can do with it. At one time I wanted a older BLR in 243 strictly for whacking coyotes, but have plenty of other guns to do that. A friend has killed a lot of coyotes with a 243 BLR. Another advantage is the BLR is available in a wider range of cartridges, including magnums. The 1895 advantage is it is an old west lever gun and is a transition model between big game rifles using large blackpowder cartridges and powerful smokeless cartridges. A timeless classic.

Either gun will serve you well, but if you don't need optics, I think the coolness factor of the 1895 far outweighs the BLR.

Thanks for all the replies, there doesn't seem to be a clear favorite among the two.
You guys are giving me excellent reasons for owning either one or the other.
I'm thinking now, that maybe I'll be buying one with the plan to buy the other in years to come.

I'm a born and raised city-boy and have never hunted, but I'm interested enough in the idea that I took the hunters safety course, and have my license and permits for this year. So it would be nice to be able to use this for whitetail down the line. The 1895 might be fitting for that purpose, in honor that famous NYer turned hunter, Teddy Roosevelt. But as was mentioned, that would most likely be an open-sighted hunt.

I have the summer to try to track both models down locally in order to get my hands on them and see which feels better.

As far as chambering I'd like to keep it to the most common calibers available for each: .308 & .223 in the BLR, .270 & 30-06 in the 1895.

.223 won't be very practical for hunting deer, but would be more comfortable for my lady to shoot. Which would be nice, since I'd like to bring whichever rifle I end up buying along on our Honeymoon in the Rockies this fall and enjoy some target shooting on public land while out there.

I see someone mentioned Tha model 99 savage takedown. The 300 savage round is comparable to the 308. My brother has one that is probably 80 years old, and it's still as accurate as most bolt actions...I have one as well and it's prettier than either of the other two...

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760