Browning BAR.

denjahn

denjahn

New member
I am looking for information from anyone who has shot or owned one of the newer model BARs.

I came across one locally that is a long track synthetic version chambered in 30-06 that is priced very attractively.

From what I have read the reviews are mixed. Some say they are reliable and sub moa accurate while others say they are prone to jamming and have accuracy issues.

I live the fit and the feel of the gun. But my other option is to buy a Thompson Center Dimension. I can buy one of those in 30-06 and buy the extra bolt,barrel and Clio to convert it to .204 which seems like a nice feature and a good friend already has one in 204 so I have access to dies for reloading
 
I don't have a longtrac but I have had four shorttracs, three 270wsm and one 7mm/08. They were all synthetic except one 270 wsm that had a walnut stock. They all had adequate accuracy except the walnut stocked one so I got rid of it. The only reliability problem was with one 270, occasionally the bolt would not come back far enough to pick up a shell from the magazine even with factory loads. That problem was easy to fix.
 
My absolute favorite weapon ever is my bar in 308. I reload for all my weapons but after many hundreds of dollars and hours of time I cannot find a load that I can make that shoots under a inch. However when I shoot federal fusion ammo I can literally shoot the same hole over and over again. My dads is the same way. cant load for it but it shoots factory ammo just fine. I have tried crimps, various lengths, various powders,bullets, and just about every combo you can thing of and nothing shoots like factory stuff in ours.
 
I have a BAR LW Stalker(previous model to Short-Trac), in 308 Win, that puts my handloaded Barnes 130 gr. TTSX loads into sub-MOA groups. It wasn't even hard to find it. I had the same load shooting sub-MOA in a Savage Striker, and thought I would see how it shot in the BAR...The first group was .5 MOA. OK, that was easy. I have tried tweaking the load, and tried different brass, and it doesn't improve the groups, so I just stay with that load...It is a hammer on whitetails. I have only hunted the rifle a time or two for coyotes, and no victims showed up. The autopsy on whitetails suggest it won't be fur friendly on coyotes.
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So the reliability of them is in line with what you would expect from an autoloading shotgun? Keep them clean and oiled and they will be reliable?
 
The TC dimension idea is very tempting as well. For the same money as the sale priced BAR I can get a dimension in .204 and buy the components to convert it to 39-06 when I feel the need.
 
I am sure there are some dud BAR rifles around here and there. However you couldn’t prove that with my experiences. I have two BAR's and have shot and loaded for another 3 or 4 BAR's over the years. Never seen one that shot over 1 ½” with ammunition that suits it and most will cut under an inch with loads it likes. Sometimes a lot under an inch! My Lightweight Stalker .243 is one of the most consistently accurate rifles I own. I’ve never personally experienced a malfunction with one of my BAR’s. Maybe that is because I keep them clean and well maintained. The well known writer Craig Boddington relates a story about a hunter he is acquainted with that has extensive world wide experience and only has one big game rifle – a Browning BAR in .30-06. With that rifle this guy has hunted all over North America, Europe, Asia and Africa and collected all manner of exotic game trophies. The interesting thing is this fellow swears he has never cleaned his rifle even one time! I wouldn't adopt that idea for my rifles because an occasional cleaning just isn't that big of a deal and I kind of enjoy fiddling with my guns anyway. The only negatives I see with the BAR is that it is just a bit portly in weight and has a bit of a spongy trigger. If you can manage that, it's a fine rifle.
 
Thanks for the information. I am leaning strongly towards the BAR. There is just something about the fit and feel that suits me.

I saw my first BAR probably 30 plus years ago in 30-06 and for the longest time I had no interest in either the gun or the caliber but things are changing.
 


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