Browning Safari bolt action with pencil barrel

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Paul Rand

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I'm considering buying an older used Browning Safari in 308 ( sako action) with a pencil barrel. Does anyone have experience with this rifle
thta could comment on the pencil barrel. The barrel profile steps down and the lighter weight sounds appealing but I wonder about the accuracy of this
design. The seller bought it as part of an estate and has not fired it. I'd appreciate any experience you could share...
 
These are really fine rifles. Barrel weight is just fine for a sporting rifle. Might not be the best choice if a large number of rounds were to be fired in short order. Would heat up really fast.
 
My groundhog hunting buddy bought a Browning/Sako pencil barrel in .222Rem back in the 1960s. $225.00 New. Super accurate and a beautiful quality built rifle. I tried buying it from him recently but he’s keeping it in the family. It was a 1moa rifle all day long with factory CIL ammo.
 
I have a little Sako/Browning that I rebuilt from a wreck. Very worthwhile project. One rifle I regret not buying was a Browning pencil barreled small ring Mauser actioned .308 in as new condition.
 
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It is probably worth checking to see it it is a "salt wood stock" rifle.

You can google this but when Browning put these out they were manufactured by FN in Belgium and some were made by Sako. Both great rifles.

The problem was they couldn't get enough walnut for the stocks so they bought some that had been dried in an accelerated fashion using salt on the wood to help reduce and stabilize moisture content. These rifles ended up destroying the steel on the inside of the stock as the salt leeched out over time.

IIRC they didn't start using the "salt" stocks until 1967. So you check the serial numbers to see when this one was made. if it is 67 or higher you will want to peel the action out to see what shape it is in.
 
mark2015 said:
It is probably worth checking to see it it is a "salt wood stock" rifle.

You can google this but when Browning put these out they were manufactured by FN in Belgium and some were made by Sako. Both great rifles.

The problem was they couldn't get enough walnut for the stocks so they bought some that had been dried in an accelerated fashion using salt on the wood to help reduce and stabilize moisture content. These rifles ended up destroying the steel on the inside of the stock as the salt leeched out over time.

IIRC they didn't start using the "salt" stocks until 1967. So you check the serial numbers to see when this one was made. if it is 67 or higher you will want to peel the action out to see what shape it is in.
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A quick check for salt wood is just turn the screws out of the buttplate. If they're rusty may be a salt gun. I had one in 243, very accurate. I think the sako action Brownings were made too early to have salt wood. FN didn't make a short action so they went with Sako barreled actions.
 
by this time 60 year plus years if it was salt wood you would not have remove anything it would have leeched out around the bbl and action u will see around the metal close to the wood
the reason for the salt wood was they could not keep up with the number of rifles and shotguns being sold so it was supposed to speed the drying process up to 22% moisture content which was acceptable for stock making
As for the accuracy rifles are made today with lighter bbl's than the browning and they shoot bug size groups
 
Had a pencil barrel Browning Safari in .308. It was the older Mauser action, not the more recent Sako. It needed a bedding job to shoot well, but the barrel shot decent hunting accuracy groups once the bedding was fixed. 1" - 1-1/2" 5 shot groups with no particular load development. A very fine rifle, kinda sad I traded it.
 
Salt wood stocks can be an issue, if they haven't been dealt with, by the previous owner, before rust issues begin.

I've hand a couple, with some very minor pitting below the stock line, both rifles had never been disassembled, just sighted in, and locked in a safe for a couple of decades.

Tiriaq is right about these rifles. The accuracy starts to wander after 2-3 shots. Shooting "strings" of more will be disappointing.

Sight the rifle in for first two shots from an ambient temperature, fouled barrel, and it will do a great job.

The barrels are not like the "pencil" barrels offered by other manufacturers. They are "two-step" profile, a design known to stabilize harmonics.

The barrel will do the job well, but don't go to the range and shoot "ladders" without cooling period that allow the barrel temps to cool to ambient temps, or you're in for a confusing day.
 
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