I've been wanting a lever action rifle ever since I shot my roommate's .30-30 in college. When Kevin started harping about it, and then Kim went out and bought one, I figured it was time to seriously consider taking the plunge.

So, I went to the gun show down in Dale City today, and got a pretty good deal on this beauty. It is a Browning BLR in .308 Winchester that was made in Japan (there are also Belgian models). I'm not sure what year it was made, but according to Browning, this model came out in 1971. This one doesn't have the folding hammer feature, so I'm pretty sure it is one of the earlier models. It has modest wear, but no major scratches, and the wood is in excellent shape. As you can see, it came with a scope, but what you cannot see is that it also came with three boxes of shells and a hard side case.

The best part is that I got a terrific deal on the rifle. I only paid $325, and as you can see by these auctions, they usually sell for $500 or more, sans scope, case, and ammo. Of course, I bought it from a private owner, so I got to utilize the evil gun show loophole as well.

As an aside, I also considered a pre-'64 Remington 1894 like this one. It was a .32 Special made in 1940, and had some war history to it, but the seller was asking too much for it.

UPDATE: After doing some research, the RT in the serial number indicate 1976 as the year of manufacture.