BAR comments

International Harvester

International Harvester

CGN Regular
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Location
Republic of Saskatchewan
Looking at a Browning BAR. Never shot one. Anyone have experience they’d like to share? Belgium vs Japanese. Was the action modified much over the years? Does it cycle standard’s better than magnums? I’m currently only interested in Mark II Safaris or its all steel hi gloss predecessors. Not into the alloy receivers.

Regards

IH
 
They were made and assembled by FN in Belgium, great shooters , I had a friend buy one from me on the spot when he saw it shoot a one inch group at 100m. They are currently made in Belgium and assembled in Portugal . I am not aware of any Japanese Bars . They are as capable though maybe less saught after in the used market .They work really well in magnum cartridges , really helps tame the recoil . I wanted one in 300 Win Mag but found it to be really heavy with scope and mounts and would not be a carry around rifle. They are getting somewhat harder to find though if you keep an eye on the EE you may snag one .
 
They are a nice rifle. Own a 270 Browning Bar Safari Belgium. It was unfired when I bought it. With handloads it shot its best group .27 of an inch at 100. My go to rifle.
Then next Browning Bar Safari was in 243 and with handloads it shot its best group of .21 of an inch at 100. She didn't want to hunt so I sold it.
My next will be in 300 wm caliber. Bigger critters live around me now. Seen a young cougar tonight.
 
I have one in 300wm with the boss brake on it . That thing works great to tune accuracy . Was my brothers for 10+ years no problems at all
 
Enjoy one in .243 Grade III Belgium....heavy for it's size although I do have a MilSpec glass on it.
Shoots comfortably. Have not taken shots past 120 yards thus I can not comment on accuracy beyond.
I feel it would group well at 200 yards if you do your part.
Simple to strip and clean, trigger group removes in one piece for simple cleaning.
Seems to cycle more reliably with a heavier hotter load IMHO.
A harder to find rifle (older Belgium's)....
Exceptional design. Get one and enjoy it!
View attachment 219514
 
I've had 4 over the years . All were older Belgian made models and were reasonably accurate and reliable rifles . They are a bit heavy , but in two of them , a 300WM and a 338WM , the extra heft actually made them more comfortable to shoot . If you're looking for a semi-auto hunting rifle , the BAR is a really good choice . I can't comment on the newer renditions as I've never owned one , I'll leave that to those who have .
 
I had a Belgian made version in .270 and my father had one in 7mm RM. I found them very comfortable to shoot - the .270 was near "recoil-less" :)

Two points to consider. The open sights are terrible in low light. The triangle on the rear leaf is situated such that in the heat of the moment you might not hold the front bead on the proper spot. Secondly, we used to use powdered graphite for lubricant. This seemed to help functioning in very cold weather.
 
I had a beauty in 30.06 that I paid $750. for about 12 years back. Great shooter, and I traded it for a IHC Garand which I still have. BAR still only worth $750., IHC Garand, Priceless. :)
 
I highly recommend one .....
Browning the best there is .....
A 25-06....I have and it’s flawless
.300 win mag .
A 7mm
I have three of them ...perfect in every way.....reliable....and accurate....less than 1” at 100 meters
Buy the best once and be done with
Like there saying
Browning the best there is
 
I had a Belgian/Portuguese BAR in 270 that was deadly accurate. Gave it to my buddy's son when he came of age to hunt.
I've had several over the years and have worked on countless others. The normal wear parts are getting tougher to source, so keep this in mind when considering one.
 
Had two BARs one in 300 Win Mag the other 30-06 early models late 60s early 70s, accuracy wise they were excellent, but had lots of feeding issues with both, sold them both.
 
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