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Old February 1, 2011, 08:00 PM   #1
Bloodroot
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To BOSS or not to BOSS?

Dear all,

I am about to purchase a Browning BAR Safari .300 Winchester Magnum and am debating whether to get the BOSS, BOSS-CR, or none at all. I would like to have the added accuracy on a non-bolt action rifle, as well be able to switch up to a heavier round should I come across a moose on my elk hunt. From what I can see in other forums, the muzzle brake BOSS reduces recoil noticeably, which is important for overall composure and comfort when pulling the trigger. The criticism is that people whine "Oh, it's so loud! Wah, wah, wah. I can't hear myself talk anymore, so I blog instead." I have to assume that these people do not wear ear protection when firing this weapon system - despite the repeated and obvious warnings against doing so by Browning itself?!? Can anyone who is a responsible gun owner and wears good ear protection before shooting while hunting tell me whether the muzzle brake noise is unbearable or truly jarring? If so, I would get the BOSS-CR and an improved recoil pad. The third option is of course to say, "to hell with fancy (and potentially fragile) accuracy improvements at distances less than 300 yards" and just get the regular barrel. What do you think?
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Old February 1, 2011, 08:03 PM   #2
teumessian_fox
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I think the BAR sans BOSS is plenty accurate as it is. Plus it's less "stuff" on your gun.

Personally, I'd buy one without it.
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Old February 1, 2011, 09:02 PM   #3
Bloodroot
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Thanks, but I have decided I will go with the BOSS-CR (meaning I will get the BOSS package which includes both muzzle brake and conventional recoil but only equip the conventional recoil.) I don't mind the extra length, and without the holes, keeping it clean will be easier. I found a great article on the subject here:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/muzzle_brakes.htm

Apparently the noise from the muzzle brake is deafening even with earmuffs.
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Old February 2, 2011, 01:47 AM   #4
themusgrat
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I've got a BAR in 300 winmag with the BOSS, and yes it is deafening. I've only ever shot it twice without hearing protection, different times, and both times I instantly regretted it and knew I had permanent hearing loss. With the brake, the kick is ridiculously little, it's less than a 12 gauge with buckshot by quite a bit. The brake makes it one of the most manageable 300 winmags out there, with likely just about one of the fastest recoveries. I can have a second shot off in maybe 2 seconds at 50 yards, and know it's a good shot.

I'm not even sure what you'd gain by having the BOSS-CR though, you'd gain alot of recoil that's for sure. And ya you wouldn't have as loud a gun, but I imagine it would still be loud enough that you would need hearing protection. I would not say that it's deafening even with ear muffs, loud yes, but there's no ringing or anything with ear muffs. Anyways it's all personal preference, my brother has a Savage 30-06 with a pad and then a limbsaver over the pad, and it kicks probably twice as hard as my BAR 300 winmag. To me, as irksome as it is to have to put on muffs in the middle of a hunt, the nonexistent recoil is worth it.
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Old February 2, 2011, 04:23 AM   #5
natman
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It takes a lot of time and ammo to dial in a BOSS. If you plan on changing loads often it might not be worth the trouble.

As far as the muzzle break aspect goes, you should NEVER fire one unless you and everyone nearby are wearing ear muffs. They are really LOUD.

For hunting I wear a pair of these. I've never worn them with the muzzle break, because my BOSS rifle is a 7mm-08 so I hunt with CR, but they change the BOOM from my 20" barrel turkey 12 ga to a faraway boom.
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Old February 2, 2011, 05:29 AM   #6
NWCP
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My BAR is a .338 Win Mag and it serves me well with a simple Pachmayr Decelerator Pad. I wouldn't use a BOSS on my rifle were it available (my BAR is an older Belgium model). It shoots just fine as is. A muzzle brake is loud, annoyingly so IMHO.
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Old February 2, 2011, 05:36 AM   #7
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Pericing loud loud no fun.
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Old February 2, 2011, 06:00 AM   #8
nate45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natman
As far as the muzzle break aspect goes, you should NEVER fire one unless you and everyone nearby are wearing ear muffs. They are really LOUD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIG P
Pericing loud loud no fun.
Six, or eight years ago, I can't remember exactly, my Dad owned a BAR with the BOSS. One of his friends and him were hunting together. My Dad shot a buck while using a fence post as a rest. His friend was standing beside him watching, neither of them were wearing ear muffs. Short story even shorter, it hurt his friends ears bad.

I've heard them as well and when we say they're LOUD, we mean LOUD.
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Old February 2, 2011, 07:40 AM   #9
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No BOSS for me
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Old February 2, 2011, 09:53 AM   #10
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I have one on an A-Bolt Varmint and it is LOUD! I don't even take it to the range. People down the line say it affects them... I still love the gun:

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Old February 3, 2011, 05:46 PM   #11
Bloodroot
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Accuracy?

Can anyone speak to whether the BOSS-CR improves groupings?
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Old February 3, 2011, 06:55 PM   #12
Bloodroot
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BOSS explained:

So I have thought more about the BOSS system, and it is a barrel tuner. However, if the barrel is whipping at a certain frequency for a certain bullet, then the same weight/cartridge bullet could still fly out at the same angle each time you shoot. Having bullets fly out closer to the center line will make your shots appear more accurate if your target is placed perpendicular to the barrel. Think about it. The groupings would be exactly the same if the barrel had a consistent whip.

Now, a second possibility is that the barrel's vibrations are somewhat different from one shot to the next. This means that the bullets exit at different angles and by simply reducing the amplitude of that vibration by tuning the barrel, the groupings would be much tighter. I think this is probably the case with the BOSS system - it acts to dampen the vibration for a given round and cartridge.

So, the question is, does the Browning BAR, well maintained and in the hands of a good shooter (with proper sight mounts) provide enough accuracy to hit the heart of an elk (say 3 inches across) at 300 yards? Second question is does the BOSS make your gun look ugly??
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Old February 4, 2011, 12:43 AM   #13
700sage
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Boss?

Naa...You should be handloading ammo and tuning it to the gun, not tuning the gun to the ammo. It's much easier and more reliable. As for the difference between moose and elk there really is none when it comes to gun reqirement. The .300 magnum with premium 180 grain bullets is plenty. Especially when you can handload them and get greater velocities and energy than factory ammo.
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Old February 4, 2011, 12:52 AM   #14
bamaranger
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he sold it

Guy I was in a deer lease with had an A-bolt so equipped on a 7mm Mag. He found the blast with the BOSS so offensive from the shooting houses that he was carrying 'muffs around w/ him. He sold it an bought another w/o the feature.

I have also read that some guides disdain them and others flat will not take you if you show up w/ one. They are darn loud at the range from adjacent benches, I think especially with mag calibers.
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Old February 4, 2011, 01:00 AM   #15
hexidismal
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Years ago I had in my keeping a stainless A-bolt chambered in .300 Win. Mag. that had the BOSS system brake on it. It does what it's supposed to, no question about it, and recoil was significantly reduced. I can also verify the reports though of the incredible increase in decibels. Even while wearing decent hearing protection, the volume of that thing was just downright unpleasant.
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Old February 4, 2011, 03:34 AM   #16
natman
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Quote:
Naa...You should be handloading ammo and tuning it to the gun, not tuning the gun to the ammo. It's much easier and more reliable.
Having done both, it's considerably easier to tune the gun to the ammo rather than the nearly endless search for a load that likes the harmonics the gun has.

I expect the ultimate method would be to develop a handload that is consistent, then tune the gun to it.
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Old February 4, 2011, 03:36 AM   #17
natman
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Quote:
Guy I was in a deer lease with had an A-bolt so equipped on a 7mm Mag. He found the blast with the BOSS so offensive from the shooting houses that he was carrying 'muffs around w/ him. He sold it an bought another w/o the feature.
You can just buy a center section without the muzzle break. Browning calls it a CR (conventional recoil).
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