BROWNING BAR
 

I am very interested in purchasing an aoutoloading center-fire rifle for big game hunting. I am particularly interested in the Browning BAR in 7mm Remington Magnum. Despite the many positive aspects of autoloaders, they do not seem to nearly as popular as rifles as they are as shotguns. Am I missing something? I think I know what the pros are of such a rifle but I obviously am ignorant of the cons. Can someone with experience with a centerfire autoloading rifle give me their opinions on them?

Californiadoctor

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

Doc for the most part autos arent as accurate, strong or reliable as most bolt guns. BUT you are talking about the BAR and it is hardly what I would call "most autos equal". I know of many BARs that shoot well under 1.5" @ 100yds. There was a time when they were MUCH more expensive than the average bolt action. But today you can get a BAR of any variety in the $650-$800 range. The average bolt gun isnt that much cheaper. Most guys buying Rugers, Abolts, CDLs etc are paying about the same.

The only negative is that you must keep the autos cleaner than your average bolt gun. The more moving parts something has the more chances you have for a mechanical mishap. But again we are talking about the BAR. For my money I would get the new BAR Long Trac in 7mag if I were you. That gun is extremely accurate and MAN it is so much lighter, considerably lighter than even the previous BAR lightweight.

But if it were me I personally would select a Short Trac in 300WSM and be DONE with it! ;)
RA

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

The bar is heavier than most bolt actions and although it is quite accurate for a semi auto it is not on average as accurate as a quality bolt action rifle.I have owned a bar in 7mmremmag but after having it jam twice while hunting in cold wet weather despite proper cleaning and maintenance,I sold it and now only hunt with bolt actions.

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

Red Allison and Stubblejumper, thank you for the information. Since I live in California, really cold weather is not too much of a concern but wet weather would be since I live in Northern California. I was actually thinking of the BAR Sarari model since I consider weight in a gun to be a virtue. Hunting is my main form of exercise so I figure I get a better work out carrying a heavier gun. That is the main reason I bought a Remington SP 10 Magnum 10 guage shotgun for all of my bird hunting since it is the heaviest gun I could find. It is also a very fine firearm as well.

Again, thanks for the advice, you have given me a lot to think about. I think the accuracy issue is manageable but the reliability one is a cause for concern when hunting one of our favorite potentially dangerous big game animals here in California, wild boar.

Californiadoctor

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

Hello Doctor,
I'm a Californian too! My brother uses a BAR .243 for our coastal blacktails. He loves it, but when he switched to the BAR he started firing more (unnecessary) shots than he would with his bolt action. Also I've seen his BAR develop a loose buttstock and forearm as the season goes on. He doesn't seem to mind the weight and it sure seems accurate for most of his shots!

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

I had a BAR safari in .300 win mag. Beautiful wood but very heavy. KEpt breaking firing pins! Would never own another one. Got rid of it and got a Tikka 7mag bolt action and love it. No more BAR for me!

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

I have a BAR .270 Win. (not safari grade) and have had great success with it.

I bought it ~10 years ago, New. Attached a moderately priced but "good enough" 3-9X40 Swift scope.

The gun has killed +/- 15 deer, from ranges from 5 yards to 400 yards.

It has never, not once, not during a hunt, not while test firing, never misfired or jammed.

Magnums like the 7mm Remington and .300 Winchester (and .338 Win for that matter too), simply because the spent casings are larger would likely be a culprit.

I have a cousin with a BAR .243 Win. and he loves it. Of course, he's a little guy (5-8 140) so avoiding recoil is more important to him than others.

You need to figure out what you're going to do with the gun, thus figuring out what the gun needs to do for you. Autoloading rifles where I hunt (NE Arkansas) where shots are just as likely to be 20 yards in the woods as they are to be 500 in a hayfield certainly have their advantages. But if you're going to hunt in big hardwood forests with little undergrowth, why not another action? If you're hunting huge fields out west (where the magnum calibers have much more value) why not just get you a used Weatherby Sporter in the .300 Weatherby or 7mm Weatherby Magnum calibers? Similar in price but the accuracy in the Weatherby will be superior and any potential resale value with the Weatherby will be great. The A-Bolt II is a similarly high out of the box accuracy gun with excellent resale and quite attractive. I've heard great things on Tikka's, but have never owned one.

Unless I was in Svalbard having to watch my "6" for hungry Polar Bears (in which case I'd carry a Mossberg 835, alternating 3-1/2" 00 Buckshot and 1.5 oz. slugs), and I wanted a magnum for versatile hunting or shooting, I'd go with the bolt action of some sort.

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

I have a BAR in .300 Win Mag that I have had for 16 years now. I can't count the number of deer I've killed with this gun. I was young when I bought it and didn't take the best care of it and it has worked flawlessly afor 16 years. Now that I'm older, I'm embarrased to admit that it was 11 years before I had it sent to a gun smith and taken apart and really deep cleaned. The last deer that I killed with it were 228 yards and 346 yards, so I'd say it's still pretty darn accurate. I have acouple of bolt action rifles and a couple of single shot rifles and to me, I can't tell a bit of difference in the accuracy. Truth is most people can shoot a gun as accurately as it is capable of shooting.

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

Doc, a semi-auto rifle for hunting boar is sort of comforting if you are hunting them in thick brush at short ranges. If you are hunting in the usual California terrain of rolling hills, oaks and walnut trees, I am not so sure that I would agree that a semi is really an advantage. Most of the boar that I've seen in the wild were spotted from a loooong way off, and had to be stalked. I've not jumped too many that were close up. I took a nice boar (ok, it was a sow, ~220 lbs or so;)) 3 weeks ago, and I was quite happy with a bolt action, since I was able to spot and stalk from a safe distance. One well placed shot will usually do the job. In my most recent case, one very poorly placed shot at a ridiculously short range[:@] resulted in a second shot at 100yards, right behind the ear, that settled the job without further problems.[&o] SHOT PLACEMENT IS ALWAYS THE KEY.:eek:

I used to hunt in thick manzanita with a Remington 742. While I've never had it jam on me, I HAVE had the action load up with brush to the point where I had to stop and do some quick stripping and cleaning in case I did have an opportunity to shoot. I eventually came to the conclusion that the advantages of a semi-auto, i.e. a quick second shot and recoil reduction, were not worth the trade-off in accuracy or reliability.

If you have your heart set on a semi, you've certainly picked the right one. The BAR is a fine weapon whose accuracy potential is far better than the Remington 7400. ABout the only disadvantage that has not already been pointed out, is that semiautos tend to be hard on brass. If you reload, this may bother you, because you will have much shorter case life than you'd get in a bolt action. If you just like to hunt and aren't interested in reloading this is not a consideration.

Good luck, whatever you pick, and let us know if you bag a boar!:D

RE: BROWNING BAR
 

I use a BAR safari in a 7mm mag.the gun is great.It is a very pretty gun and very accurate.Mine has a boss which in my opinion is a waste.way,way to loud.the only problems I have are 1.the gun is a little to heavy and2.the gun looks so good that I find myself trying to be too careful with it.I am always worried the gun is going to get a scratch or something.My next gun will more than likely be a montana in a 270wsm.