I got one on a Winchester 270 the last yr. Winchester put them on their guns..it's a very accurate rifle..probably the most accurate I own..but I would never buy another rifle with a boss on it.

wow, talk about a lot of good advice........

I guess I have to be the kid from the other side of reality.

I actually own the Browning composite stalker 7mm remington magnum rifle. I should be really careful, as I've not noticed any of the potentially maiming and disfiguring problems all these experts have noted........ I must be really lucky!!! Thank you all for saving me!!!!

that being said for flame bait, I have owned the rifle since NIB on clearance at Wal Mart for $300.00 - 12/01/97. The rifle is LOUDER than almost anything else I've shot, but the recoil reduction is IMPRESSIVE!!! I understand all the hearing damage - I wear foam plugs andmuffs at the range.Of course, I also do that when qualifying with my .40S&W at work . TheBOSS allegedly makes the barrel able to be tuned to the ammo you are using, plus the brake version reduces recoil. I must say that it works VERY WELL for both applications.This is easily the most accurate rifle I own.

BUT.....in all honesty, For hunting applications, I doubt the BOSSis necessary, since I never notice the kick or the noise when hunting anyway.I usually only shoot 1 or two times anyway. I have emptied the gun a few times. It shoots far better than I do - operator error is common with my shooting. My ears do ring for a few seconds - but they ring when I shoot any of my high powered rifles without protection. No one I know wears hearing protectionwhen hunting - whether they use a BOSS rifle or not. I notice no extra audio effects over and above what any normal hunting rifle produces when in a hunting situation.

The Boss will help at the range when sighting in,developing loads, and developing shooting techniques AKA practice. Bear in mind this is with the aforementioned hearing protection firmly in place. If you use a little lock tite and replace the nylon washer once in a while - it will stay in place.

The Boss brake version also produces - as previously accurately described - MUZZLE BLAST - which I must say is excellent . It will blow dust and snow off the ground from a kneeling or prone position. It will blow stuff all over the shooting bench - better paperweight those targets!!! This is after all a full power MAGNUM CALIBER RIFLE!!! For you own saftey, Please check your cream puffs at the door.

Finally, the barrel length IS an issue with me. This thing looks like a tank barrel in the woods, lol. The only thing I would change about my gun is that I'd like a caliber with a shorter barrel to make it easier to wander the woods, as I'm prone to do.
The non-magnum class guns have a 22 inch barrel including the BOSS (which actually only protrudes "approximately" an additional two inches past the end of the actual barrel). My gun has the 26 inch barrel and that means that 24" is actually barrel, with the last two being the BOSS body. I doubt that anyone can show me an appreciable difference between hitting a deer with a 150 g bullet going 2700 FPS vs. 2800 FPS, depending on two inches of barrel length. Flame on ballistics chartworms, I know there is some difference. Either way - Deer drop like they were struck by the laser from the death star. I have never had the misfortune of having to chase a deer - last count was around 15 with this gun. Some of those shots were,I am embarrassedto say in such esteemed andprofesional company,"less than perfect" (you may read things into that statement such as "damn, got her in the butt", "oh crud, gutshot", "whoo hoo, aimed for the head, got the chest") This gun has NEVER seen one run away or even still draw breath after a hit, period. Tosay I have confidence in it is the understatement of the year, lol.

As you might guess from my diatribe, I'm happy with mine - if that guy still wants to give his .300 Boss away cheap - I'll put it to good use.The only thing about my rifle is that for deer inWV - the 7mm mag might be a little overkill- and the .300 is a LOT of overkill here, lol!!!

Overall quality of Browning Rifles - in my opinion - is very good.The detachable magazine system is well constructed and very handy. The trigger is adjustable and seems pretty good on my gun - far better than my stock encore ormy remington 7400. The composite stock is very tough and well constructed. I'm not crazy about the non glare dull matte finish. I must confess, it never looks "clean" no matter how hard I try. A NIB Boss rifle can be had off the auction sites for between $500.00 - 650.00 depending on style.

They are a somewhat specific product. I highly recommend going to a place with many different makes of rifles and fingering them all for comparison. Since many people who have never owned one (as well as some who have owned one) often run them down as dangerous due to the brake, they are often found as old stock/NIB at a reasonable price.

In the end, it is a personal preference. I guess I just prefer BOSS rifles as it seems to work very well for me.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY!!!

Now I'll leave the rest to the "experts" to tell me all about my rifle. If you would like any other information, please request it specifically and I'll do my best, I'm not an expert afterall, just an actual owner.

Hope this viewpoint helps.

Encore, that was a great reply to the questions! I think the Abolt is a great rifle and Browning makes a great product. I bought a .280 Rem A bolt Iin 1986 and have kicked myselfevery day for the last ten years for selling it. But the BOSS has to go. If you are in need of another one, let me know.

Good luck,
CE

My ears rang for several minutes after firing a single round from my boss equipped 7mmremmag while hunting.Luckilymy following hearing tests indicate that I suffered no permanent hearing loss.A friend of mine was not so lucky.A single shot from his braked 300winmag did permanently damage his hearing.The damage can be done in as little as a single shot.

I have owned2 rifles with muzzle breaks and they indeed do reduce recoil dramatically. It turned a .338 win mag into a .308 win recoil wise. What it also does is destroy your hearing and that can't be reversed. If you don't mind going deaf by all means buy one. I will never do that again.

I have the boss on a stainless stalker .270 that I have had for several years.I do not use the muzzlebrake I use the conventional recoil attachment.I have never experienced it coming loose.Ido not put a lot of ammunition through this gun though.Only 20 rounds a year or so.It is fiercely accurate though after dialing it in.

there is actually a great video about the dialing in of the BOSS system on - of all places - the browning website - surprise!!!

BTW - I'm looking for another BOSS rifle now - in 7mm-08 preferably stainless - if anyone happens to know where to find one.

Hey, it is a small world. I also had a friend, who knew a guy, who had a cousin, that delivered pizza, to a guy in a hotel room, that was cleaned by a woman, who had a son, that went deaf after picking up a riflewith a muzzle brake in a gunshop - he didn't even have to fire it, just picked it and BAM - damn thing made him deaf -He sued everybody - now he's a go-zillionaire.Funny thing is that now he owns all rifles with muzzle brakes. He says that since he can't hear them now anyway, he might as well get the ones he can shoot the best, lol!!! Be careful people - these gun thingys can be dangerous.


I guess the whole point I was trying to make was that gunfire is bad for your hearing, period. I'd say that if normal 7mm mag was X decibels, then for me, the 7mm BOSS would be X+20%. Either way, exposure to gunfire with unprotected ears is bad for you, but is X+20% really that much worse for you than X? Over the few sparse shots of a hunting season? Who knows - to each his own.

Nice job Encore Pete......7 posts and already you are acting your age.....Guess everyone should go home and pray in the direction of West Virginia.

This site is meant for poeple with an open mind who like to have educated discusions. For some reason you obliously feel otherwise. Might I suggest you lose the attitude.

The are numerous very educated shooters on this board. You may or may not be one of them. However, that won't really matter to most of the members if you continue to shoot your mouth off as much as you claim to you shoot your boss...

This board is about fun and education....not about attempting to mock other members and their opinions.....please keep that in mind when posting in the future.

Hey EncorePete,
Sorry I didn't realize you were a doctor. My doctor advised me to get rid of my muzzlebreaks ( he hunts & shoots ) and a close friend of mine who has shot breaks for years now has a hearing aid in both ears. At one point every guy I hunted with used them and now we have all sold them off. Not sure how old or how much hunting you do but hey you have the right to destroy your hearing and not listen to other experienced hunters mistakes. I hope you hunt alone as those things also damage whoever is standing next to you also.

I have a browning 300wsm and a 7 mag with boss.Would I buy another boss NO WAY.The first time I shot the 300 I had forgotten to put my ear plugs in and dang I actuall hurt and my ears rang for a 1/2 hour or more.I shoot a lot at least one day a week and sometimes 3 or more days a week .
Have found that the boss is good for someone that only shoots factory bullets but can be something else trying to get a reload to the sweet spot.
To me the 7 mag the recoil is reduced quite a bit but the 300 it isn't as much
And in my opinion the boss is much louder than most of the other type of brakes,think it is the direction the holes are drilled that make it so much louder.
I only shoot these rifles off the bench but if I decide to hunt with them I will sure have ear plugs with me.