BAR question

[Shep]

I just bought a Browning BAR Mk. II .30-06 that appears to have been Manufactured in 1982. Serial # 137PYxxxx.

The bore, receiver, trigger group and bolt appear like new, as though the rifle had been fired very little. Aside from a couple of small scratches above the trigger guard and a small 1/2" ding on the buttstock, the rifle looks brand new.

My question is, given it's age, (31 years old if I read the serial number correctly) whether there should be any limitations on shooting factory loads of 150- 200 gr? I won't be able to get to a 'smith for awhile and would like to shoot it before I can get to him.

Your opinions and info are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Shep
PS - Pics to follow

[Fishbed77]

A 31-year-old gun is a baby.

I plan on putting a whole lot of 150-grain M2 Ball through my 69-year-old M1 Garand this weekend!

[chris in va]

I know nothing about the BAR, but if it's anything like the Garand I would assume it needs special ammo, not just anything you get at WalMart.

[shootniron]

I have one that is about the same age and it handles anything like a walk in the park. Enjoy!

[CTS]

A Garand needs special ammo? I wouldn't hesitate to shoot anything off the shelf through the Browning.

[Slopemeno]

Considering the BAR is available in .300 win mag, you have no worries. Shoot whatever '06 factory ammo you please.

Nice gun, by the way. I had several through the shop back in the day and they never had a function issue- just things like recoil pads and mounting scopes. That's a very reliable rifle.

[RC20]

Garand needed standard military ammo, higher performance civilian loads for bolt actions and upper pressure handloads would exceed the OP Rod capability.

It was no issue for ht military as they designed it around their standard rounds, but it can be a civilian shooting issue so you need to know what the parameters are and pick your ammo accordingly.

I wold not think a gun deigned for the civilian market would have any issue with anything commercially available but I would get the mfg literature and or fine a BAR forum that could confirm that. Hand loads you definitely would want to check out what the allowed upper limits were.

I never bought a Remington or a BAR, but that was my ideal of an Alaska hunting rifle as it would work great on typical single shot for a Moose or Caribou and give you multiple shots if you ran into a bear. At typical charge distance a bolt action will get off a single shot, a semi auto maybe 3.

[Fishbed77]

A Garand needs special ammo? I wouldn't hesitate to shoot anything off the shelf through the Browning.

A Garand with a stock USGI gas plug should only shoot military (or similarly-loaded commerical) 30-06 ammo (such as M2 Ball). The reason why is that the pressure from some modern slow-burning powders can eventually damage the op rod.

However, the gas plug (which simply unscrews from the fron of the gas tube) can easily be swapped out with an aftermarket plug from Schuster or McCann that will allow you to shoot most any commercial loading.

[dean1818]

My 65 year old 24/47 Mauser eats almost anything

[TomL]

I would like some input on the BAR as to were there years of mfg that are better than others by date or serial numbering? I am interested in owning one in .308 Win. Thanks. TomL

[Shep]

What prompted the question - in part - is that the Owner's Manual specifically prohibits Hornady "high pressure" ammo by name. I guess "Superperformance" Hornady stuff is what it referred to, but I wondered about other non-magnum loads. This is my first Browning, so I don't want to screw it up.

Meanwhile, I bought some Remington 180 gr and Federal 150 gr Game King stuff to see what she likes - as soon as the temp gets above Zero for a couple of days so I can get out to shoot.
I bought the rifle from my LGS, so can't ask the former owner what ammo he shot.

Thanks for your replies, so far.
Shep

[Palmetto-Pride]

What prompted the question - in part - is that the Owner's Manual specifically prohibits Hornady "high pressure" ammo by name. I guess "Superperformance"

Hornady used to make a line of ammo called "Light Mag" which the "Superperformance" line replaced,

Per Hornady Website:

It wasn't until 1983 that Hornady Bullets, Frontier Ammunition and Pacific Reloading Tools were merged into one corporation. To signify the complete merger, Frontier Ammunition became Hornady Custom Ammunition, and Pacific Reloading Tools became Hornady Reloading Tools.

Hornady didn't even make ammo under the name Hornady until 1983 and I don't think the "Light Mag" ammo line came out until some time after. So if your guns owners manual mentions Hornady ammo by name it had to be made after 1982....

Per Hornady Website........found the answer

Originally developed and pioneered by Hornady in the early 1990’s, both Light Magnum® and Heavy Magnum® ammunition set the original standard for increased performance by providing higher velocity and energy from existing cartridges through a proprietary propellant and loading process. As revolutionary as this product was, it has now simply been eclipsed. Superformance™ ammunition is a 21st Century shift in ammunition technology. There’s no gimmicks, no compromises, only benefits. It’s faster (100 to 200 fps faster than any conventional ammunition on the market), extremely accurate, and there’s NO increase in felt recoil (unlike Light Magnum® and Heavy Magnum®).

[Shep]

I misspoke (mis-quoted) the Manual. It says: "Hornaday [sic] light magnum ammunition should not be used in a semi-automatic rifle such as the BAR. It may damage the firearm." (The msspelling came from the Manual.)
I wrote "high pressure" when I should've said "light magnum".

I downloaded the Manual from the Browning website; no telling when it was written. I didn't get it with the rifle when I bought it.

Shep

[Rainbow Demon]

Hornady Light Magnum ammo used a compressed blended powder charge, I would guess the propellent would cause high gas port pressure though chamber pressure remains within normal limits.

[buckslayer5676]

Shep - sounds like a nice BAR you picked up (where's the pics ; ). Doesn't sound like you have the MKII though...I think those didn't start being produced until 1993. The MKII are also known as the BAR II. The Safari models are probably the most popular. I actually have two BAR MKII's...one in 7mm and one in .270 (working on getting one in 30-06 as well).

For anyone wanting BAR serial # info, this is a great link from Browning's site:

http://www.browning.com/customerserv...tail.asp?id=18

Enjoy that Browning Shep!

[Big Pard]

Shep, you can shoot any factory ammunititon (other than Light Magnums by Hornady) in that rifle and she will be fine. You probably have a Grade II instead of a MK II since it was built in 1982.

If you'd like a little more info check out this sight

http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/...-rifle-history

[Ridge_Runner_5]

Am I the only one that gets excited every time they see BAR in a thread title, only to find out we're not talking about the WW2 LMG?

[kilimanjaro]

Yeah, I got a little disappointed, too.

Still, the new Browning BAR is a great rifle.

[smith357]

Sell my BAR MkII was a huge mistake, it ate all my hand loads from 150-180 grains without a hiccup and shot them all at right around 1 MOA.

[Shep]

Big Pard and Buckslayer, you guys seem to be correct about the model.
It must be a Grade II, not a "Mk II".

Here are some pics of my new-to-me rifle, exactly as it appeared when I bought it. I haven't cleaned or polished it as yet and I'm hoping to get out to shoot this weekend - if I can get my chores done

I've ordered a Weaver 2.5-10X50 MilDot scope and a set of rings from OpticsPlanet. Hopefully, it'll be here before the weekend. Meanwhile, it has a nice Williams adjustable sight - but I have to look closely to see how that rear sight is attached to the barrel...

The serial number is 137PY08xxx making it an August, 1982 build, I think.

Shep

[Shep]

A few more pics:

[603Country]

Dad (his was 308) and I (270) both shot Remington Corelokt factory ammo in our BAR's. Later I switched to small base reloads with IMR 4064 powder and 130 gr Nosler BT's. I got that 270 to shooting really well with the handloads.

[buckslayer5676]

Nice looking BAR!

[Vearl Brown]

I have worked on many hundred BAR's and if you can load it you can shoot it.
Your correct about the date on your rifle.