New Browning BAR Range Report

[bshefa]

So I got the new BAR Safari 3006 set up. Mounted a 3x9x40 Leupold VXII (high gloss older model from the 80s) with Leupold base and rings.

I took it out today, and the wind was hell, but my father in law has a dry tank that has 200 yards in it and a backstop and it wasn't too bad in there . Plus it was at my back, no crosswind.

I am pretty impressed with this set up. I shot 40 rounds with a cleaning in between 10 and 30. I got it sighted in at 40 and moved out to 100. (40 because I want an inch high at 100 yards). It groups pretty well for a deer auto... but it isn't my ar 10 but it wasn't meant to be. The first two shots from bags are always within 1/4 to 1/2 inch of each other and the third being the flier. When I say flier the worst was 2 in away at 100 yards. My best group (3 shot) was .3/4 inch and the worst was just over 2 inch. Most were in the 1 inch to 1.5 inch range. I have a feeling if someone was really good they could do very well with this rifle. I consider myself a little above average.

I suspect the third shot flies as the barrel heats up as I shot two 5 shot groups and the first two were side by side and the last 3 were side by side about an inch away. Hell, it may just be me...

All in all, I am extremely happy with the looks and performance of this rifle. I know I will have it for the rest of my life! The only drawback is that it is a little heavy but I didn't buy it for a stalking gun, this is a still hunt gun.

[pythagorean]

That's the third shot thing I had with mine back in 1985. Mine was in 7mm Rem Mag.
Can't think of a better traditional style hunting auto to have to this day.

Yeah, those AR 10s can print really tiny groups!

[10mmAuto]

I have an FNAR H which is just a BAR action in an aluminum receiver, match barrel, magazine and pistol grip. Its very accurate and 100% reliable. My understanding is FN also makes the BARs so you should be pleased with it.

[bshefa]

I love the FNAR... I shot a doe at 550 yards down a highline and hit EXACTLY where I aimed... In the back of the head. My buddy owns one and hunts with it. He has a very VERY nice set up. I would never attempt a shot like that but it was his land and he said that he knew the rifle could do it if I could do it. Well he was right. By the way, the 550 yards is the minimum it could have been... My range finder only goes that far and wouldn't register the deer. We drove it off after the shot and found it to be 1/3 mile but there were hills and valleys so I call it 550 yards.

Yeah, I'm convinced that the FNAR is an awesomely accurate rifle. Just looks a little funny in pics beside a deer!

[Olympus]

I bought a new BAR Safari in .25-06 several years ago and I couldn't get the stupid thing to group worth a darn. I even used a lead sled when sighting it in. It would go from one side of the paper to the complete opposite. Probably one of the prettiest rifles I've ever owned, but I got rid of it because it wouldn't shoot worth a $2 pistol. I'm glad you're not having a similar experience. They're sweet looking guns!

[giaquir]

I"m stupid what the heck is a dry tank

[tulsamal]

He's from Texas. A tank is what those people "down there" call a man-made pond.

Gregg

[giaquir]

makes sense and thank you

[bamaranger]

I don't know about new BAR's, but I was in a deer lease for 10-15 years and the two most popular rifles were A-bolts in 7mm mag, and BAR's in '06.

Guy might drive a 20 yr old pick up and live in a shack, but he'd get out of the truck with a BAR.

Not rifle related, but the A5 shotgun seemed to have similar allegiance.

[OlCrip]

Had a BAR in .300 Win Mag for a time. It was my moose rifle. I used to take my 30 days leave every year and fly into Ontario. I'd spend three weeks hunting Moose and fishing for Walleye and Pike. Anyway, the BAR of mine was intensely accurate. I shot a bull one year across the Albany River. About a 350 yard shot. It was the only bull I've ever shot that went down with one shot. It just died right there on the banks of the River. It was funny, but afterwards, before I had got into the boat to go collect my Bull, a Raven flew down to the edge of the river. Shot him too. A magnificient puff of black feathers. Yeah, it was accurate.

[jammin1237]

have a bar safari 25-06... it is a little heavy for hunting, it is pretty, and it is an average hunting rifle when it comes to out of the box accuracy... it is not a bolt rifle, its a gasser and it needs to be fed proper reloads... feed it right and you will get rewards:)

[bshefa]

No deer with it yet, but I did kill a pig at 180 yards... Hopefully a deer will come around tonight! It isn't as heavy as I thought walking around with it. As for the tank comments... where I grew up they were ponds, but I have been around here long enough that I have picked up the lingo.

[556Isdeadly]

The FNAR is a wonderful gun, however it should not be in the tactical category. They need to lighten the gun, and fix the magazine feed to use FAL magazines. 308's are precision killers and should not be used as an AR would. The Fnar barrel is one of the highest quality, very impressed with it.

I would rather the BAR

[BILLDAVE]

Does it have a BOSS system? I have one with the BOSS and you can dial it in 200 yards and it will shoot one inch groups.
BILLDAVE

[10mmAuto]

308's are precision killers and should not be used as an AR would
Technically its a 7.62x51mm and there ARs out there chambered in both... is there some rule that full-powered rifle cartridges can only be used in manually operated weapons and only intermediate cartridges can be used in semi-autos that I don't know about?

[556Isdeadly]

The weight and power make it impractical in ARs, The Fnar works best with the 5 round. 20 round box magazines just make maneuvering a hassle. The thing is so long it got in the way of my sand bag rest because the mag was longer than the height.

I don't have one anymore but I can say I would prefer the BAR in hindsight. Fnar is the smoothest auto-loader I've ever fired but the weight and magazines are major downsides.

[10mmAuto]

The weight and power make it impractical in AR
There are thousands of owners of AR-10s, M1As, FNARs etc who disagree with you. There's also the British Army, the United States Army, the United States Marine Corp...

[556Isdeadly]

a 556 77 grn SP is a man killer , It's not the weapons fault the US is in bed with communist NATO and UN

Sure, some operators should have 762. After all they use less deadly ammunition. Civilians are free to use hunting ammo, so 1 hit drops are possible with a low capacity .308

Also for survival , 50 .308 should provide food for a year, do you really need 20 rounds in your gun for 20 weeks?

[10mmAuto]

That post is beyond ridiculous.

[556Isdeadly]

What's ridiculous? 55 grn Nato ball , 762 nato ball is somehow as effective as hunting rounds?

1 308 will kill 300+ lbs animals , so you eat over 300 lbs a week? 50 weeks do make a year.

[556Isdeadly]

1 308 bolt at 6.5 lbs is the most gun for the weight

I'd use the 556 for defense , that's my whole point.

308 is for precision killing , not for defense or suppression fire

[Sarge]

LOLZ

[10mmAuto]

1 308 will kill 300+ lbs animals , so you eat over 300 lbs a week? 50 weeks do make a year.
You're not making a coherent point. I didn't realize the one and only measure of the practicality of a weapon was whether or not it is overkill in some kind of hypothetical survival scenario where its your only means of acquiring food.

[556Isdeadly]

You need minimal 308 rounds for surviving, the most practical way. It counters your point of comparing military use with a need for a 20 round battle rifle. Clearly any realistic scenario would require only 1- 308 round be used per week. So again 308 is best in low capacity rifles.

[10mmAuto]

It counters your point of comparing military use with a need for a 20 round battle rifle. Clearly any realistic scenario would require only 1- 308 round be used per week. So again 308 is best in low capacity rifles.
Really? Because few thousand American soldiers stake their lives and their missions on their small arms every day, are that many people scratching and surviving Castaway style with their firearms on a daily basis?

Because the answer is clearly "no", an evaluation of the practicality of a weapon with military/law enforcement scenarios is probably the most valid one of all. Okay, thank you, I am done with this ridiculous conversation now.

[the blur]

I have a new BAR. 7mm-08.
Groups nicely.
Dialed in with 6 rounds, did 2 more to verify, and I havn't fired it since. :mad:
NO deer !!!

[Katophract]

Ignore 556issuperdeadly because he's either a troll or 12 years old.

I don't think the FNAR is supposed to compete with/be used as an AR would. I think its more for urban sniping, precision and target shooting. The gun is ugly but it is the most accurate semi-auto I've ever fired.

[bshefa]

Wow, this thread went off track

[Big-Foot]

I'll say. Anyway back to the BAR..

Mine is an -06 Stalker that weighs 7 3/4 lb scoped and slung. I was looking at it just last night wishing it was a pound lighter and got to thinking about those plastic stocks. I took them off and combined they weigh just about 2 lbs. Knowing that the lightest carbon fiber bolt actions stocks weigh 1 lb I'm wondering if I could lay these stocks up in fiberglass for molds and then duplicate the stocks in carbon fiber. A lot of work and I hate working with fglass but it might be worth looking into.

I wouldn't have thought that 1 lb would make that much difference but my 6 3/4 lb bolt gun makes this BAR feel real heavy in the hands, that light rifle spoiled me I guess. The BAR seems perfect for fast action shooting like hog hunting so it would really help if it were as light handling as possible.

[10mmAuto]

I wouldn't have thought that 1 lb would make that much difference but my 6 3/4 lb bolt gun makes this BAR feel real heavy in the hands, that light rifle spoiled me I guess
The more you use it the more you'll probably find you don't notice it. I went from using a ~8lb AR to using a ~14lb FNAR H and it was less noticeable as time went on. 2c.

[jammin1237]

just had another quick question/point ... how many of you have ever had a modern BAR fail... meaning failure to feed or fire... i paid a thousand hard earned dollars for mine and it always works and i mean always, is that worth it? to me, YES

cheers

[Big-Foot]

I'm afraid you might have killed the thread with that one Jammin.:)