browning bt-100, any good?

[eastbank]

i just bought a bt-100 browning like new in the box from 1996, with adjustable comb,ported,invicta plus choke tubes. pop out trigger with adjustable pull. i,m shooting a browning cintori o/u now, and would like to hear pros and cons. thanks eastbank.

[BigJimP]

BT-100 is a solid gun / Browning replaced it with the BT-99 because its cheaper to make. There is no downside to the BT-100 / the removeable trigger is a big plus.

I've had a BT-100 for quite a few years / and I think mine was made in about 1993 - but honestly I shoot a Citori XT Trap 32" barrel better than I do the BT-100.

I don't know which model of Citori you've been shooting - but the BT-100 will probably feel and swing very differently. My BT-100 has the Invector Plus choke in it / not the older Invector - so check the markings on the barrel again.

[eastbank]

bigjimp, i checked and the bt 100 takes the invicta plus, barrel is 34 inches . my citori is a grade 1 with plain invicta chokes, i shoot 21-24 regularly. the bt 100 came up for sale quite unexpectitly at 800.00 and i thought that was a good price in the box like new with all accesseries. eastbank.

[perazzimx14]

Good solid gun. Only weak point was the firing pin is prone to breaking. There is/was a company in Trap&Field magazine that sold a titanium replacement.

Did you get a 32" or 34" barrel??

[JWT]

At $800 you got a real steal. It's worth at least twice that if it's like NIB. Very nice guns.

[LanceOregon]

i just bought a bt-100 browning like new in the box from 1996, with adjustable comb,ported,invicta plus choke tubes. pop out trigger with adjustable pull. i,m shooting a browning cintori o/u now, and would like to hear pros and cons


It is a really lousy gun for hunting. Also totally useless for skeet and sporting clays target shooting too.

You did get that at a steal of a price, though. As was already mentioned, this gun often sells used for twice what you paid for it.

-

[eastbank]

lance, i have seven other shotguns for hunting and two shot games, but i had no single shot trap guns, so i bought it to use for trap. perazz, it has a 34 inch barrel and three different lenth triggers. eastbank.

[perazzimx14]

LanceOregon,

The gun is also pretty useless as a home defense, cowboy action, military combat etc... Fortunately the BT100 was not built for any of the formentioned, it was purpose built for one and only one clay game...American Trap Singles.:rolleyes:

[Dave McC]

SBTs like the BT 100 are as specialized as space shuttles, nigh useless for anything but the specific mission intended.

The 100 has lots of happy owners. Few get decked out with PGOs, heat shields, side saddles and GR sights, but the owners still like them plenty.

Some heavily worn ones need a decent smith's ministrations to tighten them up, but that's many thousand rounds away.

Great price, great trap gun. Enjoy.....

[olddrum1]

Actually Browning came out with the BT-99 around 1968. They made it up to around 1995 or so when they replaced it with what they thought was a new and improved model in the BT-100. Due to poor sales Browning went back to calling their gun the BT-99 somewhere around 2001 I believe. I may be off a year or so on the dates. I think I have a chart in one of my reooading books that can date the older BT-99s and maybe the 100s up to a point. IM me the serial number and I can try to give a date.

[BigJimP]

Oldrum is right - the model was originally called the BT-99 / then came the BT-100 / and then it was dropped for the BT-99 again. It was my impression the reason the BT-100 didn't sell well - was cost / primarily due to the expense of the removeable trigger system. But whether you like the BT-100 or the BT-99 / they're both solid single barrel specialized Trap guns.

I think you made a great buy at $ 800.

My BT-100 is a little unusual / its a Leo's Special model ... and while I paid a lot more than $ 800 for it / mechanically its the same as yours. I don't think any of the BT-100's had upgraded wood right out of the factory / mine is fairly plain as well - at least by the wood I see on today's Brownings like the XS Skeet models in the Citori lineup.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=43552&d=1236365160

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=43553&d=1236365192

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=43554&d=1236365216

I like the BT-100 / but this is my primary Trap gun ( a Citori XT 32" ) with a gra coil system in it, etc. - maybe its the weight, but I just shoot it better.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=38068&d=1226348855

Be sure and let us know how you like the BT-100 after you have 15 or 20 lines of Trap thru it ... Good luck with it / good find.

[perazzimx14]

Remember Browning also made the following

BT99
BT99 Plus
BT99 Stainless
BT99 Micro
BT99 MAX
BT99 RT
BT99 Two BBL Set (before choke tubes came into vogue)
BT99 High Grade (several high grade models for different dealers like, High Grade Shooters Supply, Jaquas, Joel Etchen etc...)
then the BT100

The new BT99's are not the guns of old. They are a cheaper version with extractors only, choke tubes and lower grade finish.

[BigJimP]

Despite the fact that I have an older BT-100 that I think is a pretty nice gun / I have seen some of the newer BT-99 Gold models that I thought were pretty nice looking guns as well.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=009B&cat_id=017&type_id=057

but Perazzimx14 is right - I think Browning currently has way too many models of the BT-99 - and many of their other guns as well ....

[eastbank]

the serial number on my bt 100 is 02108 nt h99, i shot three rounds late yesterday afternoon, the first was a 17 with the comb up about .40 inch, i dropped the comb to .25-.27 for the second and third rounds and shot a 20 and a 22, i used a modified choke as thats the tightist choke i have right now. i didn,t adjust the cast off as it seemed ok to me, it,s is set at neutal. it is lighter and easier to swing than my cintori. i think i will like it, eastbank.

[RUT]

Great gun if your only interest is trap-singles.

[olddrum1]

Grade 1 bt-100 (Blued) It was the 1107th gun made in 1996. As per BJP a good usable gun for the money.

CB

[BigJimP]

You can't tell what your Point of Impact really is shooting birds - take it to the pattern board and test it - then adjust your comb based on what pattern you like ( 60/40 where its 60% high / 40% low ) or 70/30 or even 50/50 if that's what you want.

I personally like my Trap gun set at about 60/40.

Same issue on cast on or off - you can see if you want to move it or not.

Practice your gun mount at home - 40 to 50 times at nite / closing eyes, looking in a mirror, etc - so you get it grooved / then the pattern board - and it'll all pay off for you with consistent scores.

[eastbank]

last night i shot a 24 and a 23 with the bt 100, i did adjust the comb but have not adjusted cast off as it seems alright. thats the second time i,ve fired the gun. i think i just need to pratice now. thanks to all who replyied eastbank.

[Jimdo]

A very dependable and good shooting singles trap gun. The easy to remove trigger option is nice as is the extractor / ejector selector.
I would buy as many of them as I could afford for $800.00 (that is a steal even in the world of BT-99's , not even mentioning BT-100's)
You got a great gun for an unbelievable price. Kudos to you.