Browning Mountain Rifle

S

Sharps '63

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Remember the Browning 'Mountain Rifle' of the 70s and 80s?

Anyone got any first hand knowledge or experience with them? They were pricey in the era and Browning dropped them in the mid-80s.

I'm getting mixed reports, mostly from people who never heard one but " ...know from a friend that had one ...."

I know they were made by Mark Cheney for Browning, had single set triggers and were offered with pewter nose cap and iron furniture in .50, brass in .45 and .54 calibre. They had a cool looking full curve ram's horn on the nipple bolster.
 
Browning Mountain Rifle .50 cal

Well, I have one..an even rarer Centenial model. I had 2 and sold one to my buds in NS.
They shoot great for what they are....I took a moose horn tine..hollowed it out so it would take a charge of 90grs of FFFG..and it will put the ball in a 50 yard pistol bullseye target, placed at 100 yards, all day long. The single set trigger helps with that....I love it..this one will be passed down to my boys. # 0913 oof 1000

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Jbmr

Long Bow

Beautiful rifle! Looks like everything I want in a ML hunting rifle.

The rear sight - dovetailed? Screwed in place? #10 or #11 caps? Do you remove the barrel every time for cleaning?

90 grs FFFg was my hunting load with my flint Green River Forge 'Astorian' with a .495 ball using a thin patch. 70 grs for paper punching.

Now I'd use a .490 and a thicker patch.
 
browning mtn rifle

i recall that mine used .505 ball with 12 thou patch and 55 grains for target use. never hunted with it but guess 90 to 100 grns ffg would be about right. i used fffg for target shooting and trail walks.
 
I had three of them 2 50 cal 1 54 cal loved them all very accurate made for round ball shot my 54 with 80 gr 2fg and with more powder the tighter the groups got , I wish I still had that 54
 
Jbmr

Thanks one and all for the comments!

I'm going to acquire the .50 MR. I only got one negative response from someone who never actually owned or shot one. Most (like me) rued the day they missed buying one or sold one.

I put more stock in what a happy owner says than the opinion of a net 'expert'.
 
I've got one in .54. I'll never sell it. I plink with 90-110gr ffg depending on wind. (I'm in SE AB). My hunting load is 130gr ffg with a hornady ball. With 130gr ffg shot from some kind of rest I can consistently hit a 6" circle from 150yds (if I don't screw the pooch). I'm also sure others could do it better justice.

I'm comfortable hunting with it from 100yds.

We also have a safari arms in .54, which is a great gun for hunting, it'll shoot 90yd bullseyes all day long but from 120 I can't hit the paper reliably. I consider it a 50-60yd hunting gun; Sure others will have a different opinion, I just mentioned that for comparison to the Browning.

Yes, they're pricey, but if you keep looking, you'll find a good one for a decent buck. IMO it's worth the effort to find one.
 
Jbmr

Thanks Suka!

My JBMR is on it's way to me from NS, having made it to Edmonton to date.
Going to be interesting to see it's route to the central interior of BC from there ....
Might go to Prince George, Vancouver/Surrey and thence back up-country to the Cariboo. CanPost likes to justify their big facility on the coast; to hell with logical customer service.

Good to hear that you don't regard your hunting MLs as 300 yard guns, like I hear from some on other forums. When I see how most guys shoot (from the bench) with their scoped 'hunting' rifles, I shudder to think how they do from a field position.
Just to bug these guys, I shoot mine off hand (at 100-150) and sitting beyond that, slung up military style. Never had a bench handy when hunting .....

Once zeroed, I'll be shooting my .50 JBMR off hand, from the sitting position or using any convenient rest. In the diary of "Ruxton of the Rockies", he reported that the Mountain Men often used their 'wiping sticks' as a rest for steadiness.
Hanson's book on the "Plains Rifle" says JS Hawken was known to offer hinged sticks long before they became popular with the buffler hunters.
 
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