BL-22 ™ RIFLE OWNER’S MANUAL
Important operating instructions for: BROWNING BL-22™ RIMFIRE RIFLES If you have any questions about your new firearm, this owner’s manual or other Browning products, contact: Browning Consumer Information One Browning Place Morgan, UT 84050-9326 Phone: (801) 876-2711 www.browning.com Please use the space below to record information about your new firearm.
C O N T E N T S P A G E State Warning............................................................................................2 WARNING: You are Responsible for Firearms Safety............................2 General Description and Operation......................................................10 Nomenclature..........................................................................................10 Serial Number.........................................................................................
S TAT E WA R N I N G According to state law, California requires that firearm manufacturers, distributors and retailers include conspicuous, specific warnings with firearms sold in that state. Firearms must be handled responsibly and securely stored to prevent access by children and other unauthorized users. California has strict laws pertaining to firearms, and you may be fined or imprisoned if you fail to comply with them. Visit the Web site of the California Attorney General at https://oag.ca.
Please read and understand all of the cautions, warnings, notices, proper handling procedures and instructions outlined in this owner’s manual before using your new firearm. 1 ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE OF YOUR FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE CERTAIN IT IS UNLOADED. Never point any firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot. Be extremely alert and aware of all persons and property within the range of your ammunition. 2 NEVER RELY TOTALLY ON YOUR FIREARM’S MECHANICAL “SAFETY” DEVICE.
3 WHENEVER YOU HANDLE ANY FIREARM, OR HAND IT TO SOMEONE, ALWAYS OPEN THE ACTION IMMEDIATELY AND VISUALLY CHECK THE FIREARM’S CHAMBER TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE FIREARM IS COMPLETELY UNLOADED. Make certain the firearm does not inadvertently contain any ammunition. Remember, merely removing the magazine does not mean the chamber is unloaded. Always keep the chamber empty and the “safety” in the on safe position unless shooting is imminent. 4 ALWAYS WEAR EAR AND EYE PROTECTION WHEN SHOOTING.
HUNTING FROM ELEVATED SURFACES SUCH AS TREESTANDS IS DANGEROUS. Doing so may increase the risk of mishandling a firearm. The following rules should always be observed by you and those you hunt with. Always make certain that the stand being used is safe and stable. Always make certain that your firearm is unloaded when it is being taken up and down from the stand. Always make certain that your firearm is not dropped from the stand, or dropped while it is being taken up or down from the stand.
10 BE ALERT TO THE SIGNS OF AMMUNITION MALFUNCTION. IF YOU DETECT AN OFF SOUND OR LIGHT RECOIL WHEN A CARTRIDGE IS FIRED, DO NOT LOAD ANOTHER CARTRIDGE INTO THE CHAMBER. If your firearm fails to fire, keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction for a minimum of 30 seconds. Rotate the ejection area of the firearm away from you, carefully open the action and remove the cartridge from the chamber.
assume no liability for incidents which occur through the use of cartridges of nonstandard dimensions or which develop pressures in excess of commercially available ammunition which has been loaded in accordance with standards established by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute (SAAMI).
20 BE CERTAIN YOUR FIREARM IS UNLOADED BEFORE CLEANING. Because so many firearm accidents occur when a firearm is being cleaned, special and extreme care should be taken to be sure your firearm is unloaded before disassembly, cleaning and reassembly. Keep ammunition away from the cleaning location. Never test the mechanical function of any firearm with live ammunition. 21 TEACH AND SUPERVISE FIREARMS SAFETY TO ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN AND NON-SHOOTERS.
25 DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ALTER THE TRIGGER, “SAFETY” OR OTHER PARTS OF THE FIRING MECHANISM OF THIS OR ANY OTHER FIREARM EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE DESCRIBED IN THIS MANUAL. We reserve the right to refuse service on firearms that have been altered, added to or substantially changed. Removal of metal from the barrel, or modifications of the firing mechanism and/or operating parts may lead to a refusal of service on such firearms.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION A N D O P E R AT I O N FIGURE 1 The Browning BL-22 is a leveraction repeating rifle capable of firing a single cartridge fed from a tubular magazine each time the finger lever is cycled and the trigger is pulled. Operation of the finger lever is through a short arc which ejects the empty case, cocks the The finger lever in the fully down position. hammer and chambers a loaded cartridge (Figure 1). The rifle is then ready to fire the next cartridge with a pull of the trigger.
FIGURE 2 Buttstock Hammer Rear Sight Receiver Finger Lever Barrel Bolt Forearm Trigger Tubular Magazine Muzzle Front Sight Loading Port Magazine Cap Buttplate INITIAL CLEANING Various exposed metal parts of your new firearm have been coated at the factory with a rust preventative compound. Before assembling and firing your rifle, clean the anti-rust compound from the inside of the barrel, receiver and action/chamber areas.
FULL-COCK POSITION FIGURE 3 The hammer is in the full-cock position when it is fully to the rear (Figure 3). At this point, any pull or force on the trigger could allow the hammer to fall, firing the rifle. The hammer can be placed in this position in either of two ways: • • Every time the lever is cycled, the hammer is placed in the full-cock position. The hammer shown in the full-cock position.
FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 The hammer shown in the half-cock position. The hammer shown in the dropped or fired position. DROPPED OR FIRED POSITION In this position the hammer is fully down (Figure 5). This is the position of the hammer after a cartridge is fired and it is the recommended position when carrying the rifle in the field and for storage. Using your thumb the hammer may be easily and quickly moved to the full-cock position from the dropped position whenever desired.
In order to move the hammer from FIGURE 6 full-cock to the dropped position, the trigger must be depressed during the entire forward travel of the hammer. A little practice with the rifle unloaded will enable you to become adept at using your thumb in this manner. If a cartridge has already been chambered, you need only thumb the hammer back to its full-cock position to prepare the Use your thumb as a cushion when lowering the hammer from the full-cock position to the rifle for firing.
ADEQUATE VENTILATION AT ALL TIMES. WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY AFTER EXPOSURE. DO NOT USE AMMUNITION OTHER THAN WHAT IS INSCRIBED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BARREL. EXAMINE EVERY CARTRIDGE YOU PUT IN YOUR FIREARM. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. The barrel and action of this rifle have been made with substantial safety margins over the pressures developed by established American loads.
FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8 Depress the latch and pull the magazine tube out. Pull the magazine forward until the follower clears the loading port. DO NOT CARRY YOUR RIFLE WITH A CARTRIDGE IN THE CHAMBER TO AVOID ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE. WHEN FIRING IS NO LONGER IMMINENT, IMMEDIATELY UNLOAD THE RIFLE AND LOWER THE HAMMER TO THE DROPPED POSITION. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. LOADING THE MAGAZINE The BL-22 utilizes a tubular magazine positioned directly under the barrel.
muzzle, allowing them to slide toward the receiver until a cartridge is visible in the loading port (Figure 9). The magazine is then loaded to full capacity. FIGURE 9 6 Reinsert the magazine assembly until it locks in place. LOADING THE CHAMBER FROM THE MAGAZINE 1 Open the action to make sure the chamber is empty. The magazine is full when a cartridge is visible in the loading port. 2 Close the action and lower the hammer to the dropped position. 3 Load the magazine as explained previously.
5 Unless shooting is imminent, immediately lower the hammer to the dropped position. 6 Load a single cartridge into the magazine as explained previously. SINGLE-SHOT LOADING 1 Open the action to make sure the chamber is empty. 2 Close the action and lower the hammer to the dropped position. 3 Load a single cartridge into the magazine as explained previously. 4 Load the chamber by cycling the finger lever fully down and returning it to the fully closed position.
4 Close the action by returning the finger lever fully up. This picks up a loaded cartridge from the magazine, chambers it and leaves the hammer in the full-cock, ready-to-fire position. You may continue to load and fire the rifle in this manner until the magazine is empty. 5 If you wish to continue shooting, repeat steps 2-4. If you are finished shooting go immediately to step 6.
UNLOADING THE RIFLE USING THE LEVER 1 Carefully unload the rifle by cycling the finger lever fully down and returning it to the fully closed position repeatedly until all cartridges have been individually ejected. Take care to prevent damaging the cartridges or dropping them on the ground. ALWAYS WORK THE LEVER SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THE LAST UNFIRED CARTRIDGE HAS BEEN EJECTED TO MAKE SURE NO CARTRIDGES REMAIN IN THE CHAMBER OR MAGAZINE.
5 Reinsert the magazine assembly until it locks into place. 6 With the rifle pointed in a safe direction, open the action by swinging the finger lever fully down. Keep the bolt open and the lever down and visually inspect the rifle with the action open, to be certain the chamber and magazine are empty. ALWAYS WORK THE LEVER SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THE LAST UNFIRED CARTRIDGE HAS BEEN EJECTED TO MAKE SURE NO CARTRIDGES REMAIN IN THE CHAMBER OR MAGAZINE.
2 Move the plate with the “U” shaped notch up or down as necessary. • To raise the point of impact move the plate up. • To lower the point of impact move the plate down. FIGURE 10 3 Tighten the two screws lightly, but firmly. RIGHT OR LEFT WINDAGE ADJUSTMENTS Use a small blade screwdriver to make vertical corrections to the rear sight. Windage adjustment should be correct at the time you purchase your rifle.
MOUNTING A SCOPE BEFORE MOUNTING A SCOPE, SIGHT OR OTHER ACCESSORIES TO YOUR RIFLE, ALWAYS OPEN THE ACTION, MAKE CERTAIN YOUR RIFLE IS COMPLETELY UNLOADED AND LOWER THE HAMMER TO THE DROPPED POSITION. KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. The receiver of the BL-22 is designed to accept 3⁄8" groove or tip-off type scope mounts and receiver sights. These mounts are available for ¾" or 1" scopes.
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE SUGGESTIONS BEFORE PERFORMING CLEANING PROCEDURES, ALWAYS OPEN THE ACTION, MAKE CERTAIN YOUR RIFLE IS COMPLETELY UNLOADED AND LOWER THE HAMMER TO THE DROPPED POSITION. KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN DISASSEMBLING AND CLEANING YOUR RIFLE TO PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF SPRINGS, SPRING-TENSIONED PARTS, SOLVENTS OR OTHER AGENTS FROM CONTACTING YOUR EYES, RESULTING IN INJURY.
FIGURE 12 2 Use a cleaning rod with a tip and patch large enough for a snug fit in the bore. Insert the rod and patch into the barrel at the muzzle and run it back and forth several times. Care should be exercised to ensure that the cleaning rod does not strike the crown of the muzzle, as damage to this area can affect the accuracy of your rifle. We Open the action slightly for cleaning. recommend purchasing a muzzle guard to prevent the cleaning rod from striking the muzzle.
DO NOT POUR LARGE QUANTITIES OF OIL INTO THE RECEIVER OR OTHER PARTS. IT CAN DRAIN DOWN TO THE WOOD AND SOFTEN IT, CAUSING PERMANENT DAMAGE AND LOOSENING OF THE STOCK. 7 Wipe all exposed metal surfaces with a lightly oiled cloth making certain that all finger marks are removed. Finger marks provide a place where moisture can accumulate. The metal of the gun should receive a light film of oil any time the rifle has been exposed to weather or handling.
MAINTENANCE OF OIL-FINISH STOCKS Keeping the oil-finished wood surface on your firearm looking its best requires only a small amount of maintenance. When the surface becomes spotted or dull, the affected area(s) can be treated using rubbing alcohol on a soft, lint free cloth and allowed to dry.
SERVICE OR REPAIR If your firearm should require service or repairs, we suggest you first contact a local recommended Browning Firearms Service Center. To locate a service center visit browning.com, contact our Customer Service Department or your Browning firearms dealer for the address of the Service Center nearest you. Otherwise, you may send your firearm directly to our Service Department in Arnold, Missouri.
BROWNING.
