Any Browning BAR owners out there?

BlueWater · 06-28-2002, 03:16 AM

I will be getting a new rifle this year to replace my 50 year old mauser and the BAR is on my list.
My questions are this:
How accurate are they? (sub minute, 1-2" , lucky to hit a 10" plate?)
Are they idiosyncratic or hard to maintain?
Do they hold up well under stress of mag cal. 300wm or 338wm.
How well do they handle a rough week in the rain soaked NW?

Thanks in advance for the help.

BlueWater.
:smile:

[ 06-28-2002, 04:20 AM: Message edited by: BlueWater ]

Zen Leecher aka Bill W · 06-28-2002, 10:27 AM

I can answer a couple of your questions for you, but not all of them. I worked on a couple of BARs for other guys and did some loading for them.

They seem to be accurate enough.. shoot 1" groups or slightly larger. One I'm thinking of was a .300Win.. and it shot good.

They do have a couple of odd things that go with auto's. If you handload you might have cycling problems in cold weather. Only happens with some powder/primer combinations. Couldn't duplicate this problem with factory loads as the powders they used were unaffected by colder temps.

Rest of the questions I'll let others handle... but accuracy doesn't seem to be a problem with BARs.

Beer Waggin · 06-28-2002, 04:16 PM

I have had a .338 BAR for about 7 years. No problems with consistent groups, as long as I shoot Federal Premium ammo, and no mechanical issues. The only draw back is the weight, but you get used to it. I don't take it when I backpack hunt though, to much weight on my back as it is when I do that. One of my hunting partners had a .338 BAR that was great for about 4 years until it twisted a Leupold scope. He sold the gun in favor of a .300 mag.
As far as calibers go, I really like the new .300 WSM, but you'd be lucky to find one in a BAR. I had to settle on a A-Bolt that my Dad found at Cabelas on his last trip back to Nebraska. Nice gun. I really like the WSM when you put it up against the .338. Much more range without the bullet drop. If I had to do it all over, I would have gotten a .300 and left the .338 on the shelf, but it was to sweet of a deal to pass on.
If you go with the .338, get ready for some kick. It is very hard to go bang, bang with that gun. I've never been able to do it, but can with the .300. My bud went bang, bang with his .338 one year and was only about 4 inches high on his second shot, but he also puts about 10 boxes of shells through his guns every year. Practice paid off for him.

TH · 06-28-2002, 06:51 PM

I have the 7mm and the 300 Mag in the Belgium grade models, both about 12-15 years old and they are great.
I have only had the 7mm jam on me once.. the 300 Mag is a great gun, my wife actually hunts with it now, I had the BOSS put on the 300 and she shoot they heck out of it!
I now have the 300mag in an ABOLT, w/ the BOSS.. my dad has another 7mm in the BAR (he's a lefty) and loves it...
As you can see we are a Browning family!
Good luck!

TH

Artwo · 06-28-2002, 11:40 PM

My dad shoots a Browning BAR 338wm semi-auto for elk hunting. I really like the way this gun shoots, real smooth, tight groups and seems to be well made. It operates very well in the cold weather of eastern Oregon during elk season but don't know about the wet weather. My only complaint about the gun is that it is heavy, makes for a long day packing around all day.

JK

BlueWater · 06-29-2002, 03:56 AM

Thanks for all the good input.
Zen- I never thought about the handloads and cold weather thing good point.
Artwo- My current rifle is at 10 lbs. Anything would be lighter for me at this point. But good tip.
NRDave- I agree with you on the 300 wsm but I also agree a deal is a deal and hard to pass up. In my rounds looking for a rifle it seems the gun dealers are using the laws of supply and demand in there favor in pricing the WSM rifles. :depressed: At this point I think I could get a better quality rifle in a "old" 30 cal for less. But we will see. I don't buy many rifles so I try and make them good ones.
TH- I have one line for you. B.o.s.s. + ears+ no ear plugs while hunting+ big bang at elk = Pain and ringing for days. :shocked:
Browning on the other hand is happyness.

Thanks for all the input so far. Any one else have .02 cents to spare?

Joel

TH · 06-29-2002, 08:23 AM

That is for sure.. the Boss is sooooo loud.. incredible!
The first time I shot the Boss was in a tin shootin shed.. my dad and father inlaw were both inside the shed.. all three of us came rnunning out of there saying, huh, huh all week.
but they do reduse the recoli.

TH

Mr. Fisherman · 06-29-2002, 01:54 PM

My brother has the BAR .338 and I had a 300 BAR Winchester Magnum.
My brother was a sniper for the Bingham County Sheriffs Department and loads his own shells and taught me to do the same. As far as I know he has never had a problem with jamming with his hand loads. I'll have to ask him about that as he does a lot of experimenting.

I personally never had any problems and hunted in Idaho in snow that was too deep for a horse more than once. I have hunted all types of weather and never had an issue with jamming. When I was sighting it in, however, I thought I had a problem with my grouping, as I couldn't keep my group tighter than about 3 inches. My dear older brother showed me the error of my ways and shot a group that was covered with a dime.

. Yes, I'm sure he has forgotten :tongue: by now [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] .

Anyway, the 338 is his rifle of choice but in my opinion the 300 is by far one of the most versatile rounds made. Learn to hand load and you can use it for everything from ground hogs to Moose.

Let us know how it turns out :smile: .

Ray

Washington Hunter · 06-29-2002, 07:30 PM

My dad has a BAR in 30-06 and one in 270. I've reloaded for the 30-06 for years and never had a problem. Extremely accurate...groups are always between 1/2" and an inch. He just recently got the 270, and I sighted it in for him with the same handloads I use for my Browning A-bolt, and it shot just under 1 inch groups also, and let me tell you those are hot loads. He's had the 30-06 in Alaska and British Columbia moose hunting, elk hunting in the Bob Marshall wilderness in Montana, mule deer and antelope in Montana, mule deer in Utah, and it's killed quite a few deer here in Washington also...and never jammed or a problem whatsoever. Great rifles. A BAR in 300 Win Mag will be awesome.

BlueWater · 07-03-2002, 08:09 AM

I just wanted to thank you all for your input again and give an update.
Believe it or not I actually found a BAR in 300WSM to look at up close.(At All's gun shop if you where wondering.) A very fine rifle I must say but after a little thought, and trying several other rifles, I decided to go with the A bolt in 300 WSM. The balance on the BAR seemed a little to far forward to me. I am sure this has to do with the gas system that is in the forend. The A bolt seemed to just pop right into place when I picked it up.

I will update on the 300WSM proformance after I have a chance to break in the rifle and put some lead down range. But if what they say is true I don't think I will be dissapointed.

Joel :grin:

Fish Hunter · 07-03-2002, 10:50 AM

Please do report back. I bet it drives tacks! I'm a big Browning fan. Next year I may get into a 270 WSM Abolt for Antelope and Deer. Did you get the boss or not? The boss on my 338 makes the gun loud, especially at the bench for folks nearby. I allways use plugs and muffs at the bench. Probably took at least 15 shots at game without hearing protection over the years, no pain or ringing for me. Never even notice it's louder under those circumstances. Sure helps w/recoil shooting the 250gr bullets. My only complaint is the rifle is so dam long.
Now for a scope! The Leupold rings and bases work well on my A-bolt, but they look goofy in my opinion. Too close together. The bases crowd the action a bit too much for me also. Hopefully Leupold added more options to what they offer for A-bolts since then.
Have fun with your new rifle.

Beer Waggin · 07-09-2002, 02:30 PM

Fish-
Leupold has not added any options as of yet. I noticed that my bolt hit the rear mount after I installed it on my new A-bolt. Called Leupold and they said to turn the rear mount around and it would clear. Seamed kind of hoaky to me and does look different, but they're the experts. He also mentioned that the same thing must be done on a Rem. Model 700, but I have a one piece base on that one so I never saw that problem.