Anyone with experience with the Browning Bar please help. My daughter who shoots left handed requires a rifle for moose hunting this fall. A Browning Lightweight 30.06 in new condition is available. She is not a big girl so recoil is somewhat of a factor and for that reason I tend to lean toward an auto-loader for her. Past personal experience with Remington 740 & 7400 jamomatics leaves me cold but I have no experience with the Browning. The decision has to be right the first time because the stock will have to be shortened to fit her so resale afterwards would not be easy. I know other options are available, i.e. left hand bold and recoil pad etc. etc. but for now I want to explore this Bowning option. Any information or advice on this rifle would be appreciated. Thanks. gg.

i too had problems with the rem 7400's and left a bad taste in my mouth and did not know if i should spend all that oney for a BAR. well i bought a MKII safari w/ iron sights in 30-06sprg and she shoots 2" at 50yds w/ iron sights standing up shooting with rem 180gr. sp's. never jammed on me at all and easy to clean.

well wortht he money spet for the BAR, recoil like most gas systems are light. i would go with a premium 165gr. if she has a problem with the 180gr's

I owned a BAR II in 7mmremmag several years ago.It had the boss system and was quite accurate for a semi auto .During the short time that I owned the rifle it functioned well.I sold it after firing one round without ear plugs while hunting deer and having my ears ring.(the cr was not yet available).The new owner was happy with it until it jammed twice while moose hunting in very cold weather.He then sold it.

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I have always liked the BAR ,But I think Otis has the right idea.

Otis has good advice, look at the BLR. I used a BAR for one year, and I really disliked the inability to chamber/clear the chamber without that loud "WHACK"! of the action. I wouldn't want my little girl wandering with a round chambered all the time, or scaring the game out of the unit every time she safed her weapon.

Stubblejumper, Down here in the south it doesn't get that unGodly cold as you know.Couldn't the lubrication used on that BAR have contributed to the jams?I always understood in extremely cold weather you need to use a dry lubricant.If that's the case and the wrong lubricant was used,the gun can't be held in fault.
I'm asking because I don't know. The coldest I've hunted in was around 15 degrees in Georgia.Then again I wasn't using my BAR either.


Ruger Redhawk

I have several BARs. They will and all have jammed on me when in cold weather, that is below 15 deg. They just become single shots and can be manually operated. Dry graphite lube might fix the problem. I try to get as much lube out of the gas piston and bolt as possible and go on. If I were getting a BAR for a youngster, I would absolutely get the boss system but either use the cr when hunting or use ear plugs. Hunting and ear plugs don't make good pals.

I've hunter WT, Mulies and elk with a .30-06 BAR. It was capable of about 1 inch to 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards with a Redfield Accutrac scope. I neve had it jam on me regardless of the temperature. I upgunned to a 300 RUM a few years ago for really no logic, pure magnum lust...

I've had very good luck with the BAR.
I second Otis' idea of the BLR in .308. One of the guys in our elk camp uses this rifle - pretty foolproof and functional.

The gas system was kept dry and unlubed as is recommended and a lubricant rated for well below the actual temperature was used on the rest of the gun.We live in a climate where the temperature often drops down to -20 degrees or colder during our late hunting seasons and we are very familiar with preparing our equipment for these cold temperatures.All of the people that I hunt with now use bolt actions.We degrease the firing pin assemblies and have never had a bolt gun fail to function due to climate conditions..