Browning BAR Safari

[dairyland]

My wife is looking at getting the Browning BAR Safari w/ BOSS in .30-06, but we have some questions about it.

1) How reliable is this rifle in cold weather? She will mostly be hunting with it in the Frozen Tundra (Wisconsin), and may eventually hunt out west in the mountains of Colorado.

2) How does the recoil compare to other actions in .30-06? She has shot a Remington 742 semi-auto and my Remington 760 pump to get somewhat of an idea of the recoil and something to compare against. The BAR will weigh about 8.4 lbs. scoped, so we don't want to add a mercury recoil supressor or other additional weight to reduce the recoil. She will be using the BOSS only at the range and the BOSS-CR in the field. We may replace the butt pad with a Limbsaver, HiViz, or other butt pad.

[bclark1]

i wish i had input on your gun - i've always been interested in them too, particularly in the magnum calibers, but i'm stickin with my bolt '06 for now. just on wisconsin though, frozen tundra would be easier to deal with. west-central where i hunt, i ate freezing rain at least a couple days last november during deer gun. so, just to snarl your analysis further, i'd throw moisture into your equation.

actually though you're from wisconsin, you know that, duh. i'd delete this post if i could :P

[Delynn]

I cann't comment on the cold weather here in the South. But, the recoil is very mild. I don't have a boss on mine and will never own one. The recoil is so mild on mine that that my nephew started deer hunting with my Bar 30-06 at 7 years old. He has shoot at least 10 or 12 deer with it in the last 3 years. Although he shoots more than most, that just shows you that a 7 year old can take the recoil and hit. We use mine and my sisters for deer hunting and deer depredation permitns and everyone seems to love those rifles that shoot with us. I have about 10 different people shoot mine for deer depredation each year and everyone of them comment on the rifle. Everyone seems to really like to shoot that rifle. When we go everyone always ask if they can shoot that rifle. So your wife should love the rifle. My sister also shoots one and does not like recoil, but loves that rifle. Your wife will love it. My advice is to not get the Boss and shoot 150 grain bullets. Let me know if your wife would like to talk with my sister and she will help her out. Great chose for your wife. The 270 would be another great pick. This is just my opinion. But, ask around and you will get many more. Hope this helps.

[Scorch]

The BAR will recoil about the same as the 742 in 30-06. Both are gas-actuated, rotary bolt designs, but the BAR is a bit heavier. Felt recoil will be very tolerable.

[dairyland]

I tried showing my wife different bolt actions, but she's not too fond of them. She likes the reduced recoil of a semi-auto and no messing around with follow-up shots. Of all the rifles she's shouldered, she likes the fit of the BAR Safari the best.

We are firmly set on the BOSS option. Our 13 y/o son bought an A-Bolt Stainless Stalker w/ BOSS chambered in .300 WSM last year, and we have found the BOSS quite effective and very useful. The use of the muzzle brake at the range reallly helps when he's unloading 50 rounds or better in a day. Most people seem to only think the BOSS is only useful for tuning factory loads while others think of it as nothing more than a muzzle brake. As a reloader, I use it to load lower velocities for plinking and higher velocities with flatter trajectories in the field and tune for groups of five the size of a dime. Most people seem to overlook this type of flexability with the BOSS. Of course the included BOSS-CR (Conventional Recoil) gives you the same tuning ability without the muzzle brake for use in the field.

We had considered the .270 Win, .270 WSM, .308, and .300 WSM. The .30-06 gives a great range of bullet options (from 55 gr. up to 220 gr), a flat enough trajectory, and good knock-down power without too much recoil for her.

[BUSTER51]

I have a BAR in 300 win mag and I have hunted in the cold (Colorado) I use FP10 to lube all my semi auto's and never had a problem. never had good luck with reduced loads in a semi auto .:p

[maas]

i have a bar 338 win mag without boss. as long as you oil it, it doesn't mind the cold. i wouldn't get the boss. that rifle wont kick enough for the need of that noisy thing. but if you are firmly set on it browning make a cover for it that takes the noise away, its $25.00.

[BusGunner007]

I've got a 1995 BAR MkII Safari w/BOSS & CR in 7mm Rem.Mag. I'll post a pic below.
I may end up with another BAR in .338 Win.Mag. if things keep going the way they are for my health.
In the link, you'll see my post as BusMaster007 and that aspect will become clear.
Hope this information helps you out. :)

Here's a quote and link for you regarding cold weather operation of the Browning BAR:
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8521043/m/663100615
For what it's worth-
In order for a BAR to reliably function in inclimate conditions (sub- zero cold) make sure your action is clean. As in dry. No lubrication AT ALL. The amount of times you fire it in this condition will not do permenant damage to the gun. If you must use lubrication, use a dry graphite or lithium based grease(sparingly).
A few years ago I watched two of my hunting partners try to fire their Remington 700's in sub zero cold on a 40 mile Caribou hunt in January. Click was what they got instead of boom. Keep your BAR dry (inside) and go for it if you like the gun. Just my .02.

My beast in 7mm. I'm going to put the nice wood back on it and if I get the .338, I'll use the B&C stock on that one.
http://www.hunt101.com/img/417796.jpg
Bell & Carlson stock.
7mm Rem.Mag.
Leupold 4.5-14x40/ 6" sunshade/ StoneyPoint target turrets.
Millet Angle-Loc base/'engraved' rings.
B-SQUARE Roto-Tilt Match bipod.
Browning X-cellerator sling.
Browning hearing protection.

[BusGunner007]

Since I like this rifle so much, I'll toss out some more pix to help feed the fire.
I'm sure there are others who have benefitted from seeing pictures on the internet to help make decisions on what gun they wanted or how they wanted it to look.
It's the ideas we get from Forums like this that make the hobby so much fun. :D

This is the .338 I was talking about:
http://www.hunt101.com/img/432645.jpg
I like black guns.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/432647.gif
Notice the eerily similar profile and locations of the fire-controls on the Beretta 1201FP shotgun when compared to the Browning BAR...safety location and bolt-release levers.
I mention this because I have a 1201FPG3 with the Choate-made factory Beretta pistolgrip buttstock.
If I replaced the buttstock with the rifle-type profile, I would have a great pair of hunting guns to take out.
Not sure if I can put the pistolgrip buttstock on the BAR, though...probably not.

Look at this wood-stocked, clean-barreled, .338 MkII:
http://www.hunt101.com/img/432646.jpg

[BusGunner007]

Check this out if you really want to change your BAR.
If you have the BOSS, you can add sights, too.
Browning did it!
This might help you make the decision to get a BOSS-equipped rifle and put sights on it --- just 'cuz you WANT IT THAT WAY.
:D

SCOPED ---
http://www.hunt101.com/img/432644.jpg

NOT SCOPED ---
http://www.hunt101.com/img/432649.jpg

:)

[dale taylor]

I have both guns in 30-06. Recoil, as stated by Scorch, is same and very tolerable. [email protected]

[JD 500]

Dairyland
I have the Bar Lightweight Stalker (Like BusGunner007 's pic of Black .338 above) in .300 Win Mag , and have hunted with it for years here in Colorado. I'll generally use Rem Dry lube (Aerosol) if it's really cold, or the rifle gets wet in the field. The rifle has never failed. It is extremely accurate for a semi-auto rifle. Not quite as accurate as bolt actions I own.