6/19/2023 0 Comments 308 browning automatic rifleThere are really only two other contenders in the sporting semi-auto market. The problem is that the BAR barrel and its associated gas system is exponentially harder for a local gunsmith to replace than a bolt action rifle’s is and you can’t get a factory replacement barrel so Browning literally “has you over a barrel.” When the owners received the quotes from Browning on the cost of barrel replacement, none of them were sent in for new tubes. None of those usual remedies cured these plagued rifles. I tried everything to get them back on target – scope mount screws, new scope, extreme barrel cleaning, even recrowning the barrels. I have seen a few reliable, accurate BARs that just all of a sudden turned into bullet sprayers that shot all over the target. This ruins the gas plug, necessitating it’s replacement. The problem with this is that the gas plug can get hopelessly rusted or stuck in place and the only way to get it out is to weld a nut to it in order to get enough purchase on the gas plug to force it out. The gas plug in these rifles is also caliber specific, which is no big deal except you’ll never find anyone who keeps a selection of them in stock. The weakened spring causes the recoil buffer to fail and also contributes to all of there timing latch/bolt problems mentioned above. The action/recoil spring gets weak and even most gunsmiths neglect to change it. The point on the bolt that the timing latch contacts can also get peened over very badly, even to the point of needing a new, expensive, bolt. The timing latch also gets peened and beat up, which hinders its function. This little piece has a fairly small pin that retains it and also pivots on. Some of the weak points are that there is a little flat bar timing latch that locks the bolt into the barrel’s locking lug recesses. The good news is many of the new rifle parts are compatible and to Browning’s credit they have kept may of the older parts available to gunsmiths. About a week ago the rifle’s owner finally found one. A bit over a year ago I tried to find a bolt sleeve for a customer, I never could find one and gave up. The older BARs are also getting hard to find parts for. They finally blocked his calls.Ĭompared to the Remington, I think the Brownings are better fit and finished for sure, but I wouldn’t say it’s overall a better rifle. The BAR is more complicated but also available in magnum calibers the Remington never has been. Somehow, this Lebanon logger got a hold of Browning’s 1-800 number and called them every morning before heading off to work to express his displeasure. I know for sure that many of the first couple of years of the Mark II Safari’s production in 300 Winchester Magnum had the same feeding problems. The customer contacted them and was basically told it was his fault the rifle wasn’t operating correctly and left it at that. Browning charged him something like $280 dollars to fix a virtually new rifle and it still didn’t feed properly. It never worked right and they returned it to the factory. Right before I bought out the gunsmith I apprenticed under, he sold a brand new BAR Mark II Safari to a customer, chambered in 300 Win. Unfortunately, the BAR is not one of them. The reason I bring this up again is that there are many Browning firearms that are well made and reliable enough that the chances are you will never have to deal with Browning directly. Ask virtually anyone who has dealt with Browning on warranty issues and they will have some unhappy experiences to relate to you. I think this hurts Browning customers because the company seems to think that since it didn’t actually manufacture “it,” they are not really responsible for “it” a few years down the road.Īlthough the customer service of most firearms manufacturers has taken a major dow turn in the last decade, the domestic gun makers, as a whole, seem to have more of a sense of responsibility for their products, for a few years at least.īrowning also seems to have the attitude that since they let you have the privilege of owning a Browning you should be more than happy to pay any price they deem fair for parts and service. It’s all made by other “vendors” and sold under the Browning banner. They don’t actually manufacture anything themselves (that I know of). It is second only to the Remington “4” series of rifles, which I went into depth on in my last article.Īs I’ve stated before, I’m not a big fan of Browning. The Browning BAR has to be the second most popular semiautomatic sporting rifle of all time.
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