User manual BROWNING BAR SEMI-AUTOMATIC HIGH POWER RIFLE

KEEP THIS RECORD FOR FUTURE REFERENCE Browning Model Serial Number Caliber Purchase Price Purchased From Date of Purchase Please fill out and mail the Market Survey Card at the back of the booklet. Printed in USA · PP890 73.5 have endeavored to incorporate the very finest in materials and craftsmanship, and with just reasonable care, this gun should provide you with many years o pleasure and dependable f service. Please feel free to write us immediately if you have any observations regarding its performance and operation. Also please take a moment to complete and mail in the brief attached marketing survey card found on our back cover. It helps us considerably in our constant effort to provide you with better service. Thank you. We are pleased that you have chosen a Browning BAR Rifle. In its manufacture, we 1 Please let us remind you that, as a gun owner, you accept a set of responsibilities of the most demanding nature. Firearms are, and should always be considered as, dangerous products and should be handled accordingly. PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING PROPER HANDLING AND INSTRUCTION PROCEDURES OUTLINED BELOW IN THIS BOOKLET BEFORE USING YOUR NEW FIREARM. ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE OF YOUR FIREARM POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION even though you are certain the rifle is unloaded. Never point any firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot. Be extremely alert and aware of all persons and property within the range of your ammunition. DO NOT RELY TOTALLY ON YOUR FIREARM'S MECHANICAL `SAFETY'' DEVICES. AS AN ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURE ALWAYS ASSUME THAT A GUN CAN BE FIRED WITH A SAFETY ON. The word "safety" describes a gun's 2 blocking or disengaging mechanism for the trigger, sear, hammer and/or firing pin. Although mechanical devices place your gun in a SAFER status, no guarantee can be made that the gun will not fire even if the "safety" is in the "on safe" position. Safe gun handling does not stop with your gun's mechanical "safety" devices. It starts there. Always treat your firearm with the respect due a loaded, ready-to-fire gun. WHENEVER YOU HANDLE A FIREARM, OR HAND IT To SOMEONE, ALWAYS OPEN THE ACTION IMMEDIATELY, and visually check the chamber, receiver and magazine to be certain they do not contain any ammunition. DO NOT TRANSPORT YOUR FIREARM LOADED, WHETHER IN A SCABBARD, GUN CASE, OR OTHER CONTAINER. HUNTING FROM ELEVATED SURFACES SUCH AS TREE STANDS IS DANGEROUS and may increase the risk of handling a firearm. The following rules should always be observed by you and those you hunt with: Always make certain that the stand being used is safe and stable. Always make certain that your firearm is unloaded when it is being taken 3 up and down from the stand. Always make certain that your firearm is not dropped from the stand, or dropped while it is being taken up or down from the stand. Remember, a loaded firearm may discharge when dropped, even with the safety on. for the safety of both your gun and yourself. Mud, snow, and an infinite variety of other objects may inadvertently lodge in a barrel bore. It takes only one small obstruction to cause dangerously increased pressures that may damage your gun and cause injury to yourself and to others. BEFORE CHECKING FOR A BARREL OBSTRUCTION, BE CERTAIN NO LIVE ROUND IS IN THE CHAMBER AND THAT THE MAGAZINE AND FEED MECHANISMS ARE COMPLETELY EMPTY. PUT THE SAFETY IN THE "ON SAFE" POSITION (See page 19 for instructions on unloading). After assuring yourself that the firearm is completely empty, again, open the action and look through the barrel to be sure it is clear of any obstruction. If an obstruction is seen, no matter how small it may be, clean the bore with a cleaning rod and patch as described in "Cleaning Suggestions" on page 31. BEWARE OF BARREL OBSTRUCTIONS 4 ALWAYS UNLOAD YOUR GUN WHEN NOT IN USE. Your responsibilities do not end when your firearm is unattended. Store your gun and ammunition separately and well beyond the reach of children. Take all safeguards to insure your gun does not become available to untrained, inexperienced, or unwelcomed hands. ANOTHER CARTRIDGE INTO THE CHAMBER. Open the action and remove USE THE PROPER AMMUNITION. The barrel and action of this rifle have been made with substantial safety margins over the pressures developed by established American commercial loads. Nevertheless, Browning assumes no liability for accidents which occur through the use o cartridges f of nonstandard dimensions or which develop pressures in excess of commercially available ammunition which has been loaded in accordance with standards established by SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute). BE ALERT TO THE SIGNS OF AMMUNITION MALFUNCTION. If you detect an off sound or light recoil when a cartridge is fired, DO NOT LOAD all cartridges from the magazine, chamber and action areas. Glance down the barrel to make sure that a bullet or other 5 obstruction does not remain in the barrel. Completely empty the barrel before loading and firing again. EXAMINE EVERY CARTRIDGE YOU PUT IN YOUR GUN. Browning cannot assume any responsibility through the use of unsafe or improper arms and ammunition combinations. It is your responsibility to read and heed all warnings including those that appear in the instruction manual and on ammunition boxes and to secure the most up-to-dateinformation on the safe handling procedures for your Browning gun. DO NOT SNAP THE FIRING PIN ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER-THE CHAMBER MAY NOT BE EMPTY! Treat every gun with the respect due a loaded gun, even though you are certain the gun is unloaded. KEEP YOUR FINGER AWAY FROM THE TRIGGER WHILE UNLOADING, LOADING OR UNTIL YOU ARE READY TOSHOOT. BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND BACKSTOP, particularly during low light periods. Know the range o your ammunition. f Never shoot at water or hard objects. 6 mechanisms are designed to make a gun safer, the owner or user should be extremely careful while hunting or during any shooting activity, to avoid dropping a loaded firearm. ALWAYS UNLOAD YOUR FIREARM'S CHAMBER BEFORE CROSSING A FENCE, CLIMBING A TREE, JUMPING A DlTCH OR NEGOTIATING OTHER OBSTACLES. Refer to page 19 of this DROPPING A LOADED GUN MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE EVEN WITH THE SAFETY IN THE "ON SAFE" POSITION. Although safety instruction book for instructions on the unloading of your firearm. Never place any firearm on or against a fence, tree, car, or other similar object. IF YOUR GUN FAILS TO FIRE, KEEP THE MUZZLE POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION. Hold this position for a minimum of 30 seconds. Never assume that failure to fire means that the gun is empty or unloaded. Carefully open the action and remove the cartridge. If the primer or rim is indented, the cartridge should be disposed of in a way that cannot cause harm. If the primer or rim is not indented, your firearm should be examined 7 by a qualified gunsmith and the cause of the malfunction should be corrected before further use. WEAR EYE AND EAR PROTECTION WHEN SHOOTING. Unprotected, repeated exposure to gunfire can cause hearing damage. Wear ear protectors (shooting ear plugs or muffs) to guard against such damage. Wear shooting glasses to protect your eyes from flying particles. Also, wear eye protection when disassembling and cleaning your shotgun to prevent the possibility of springs, spring-tensioned parts, solvents or other agents from contacting your eyes. BE DEFENSIVE AND ON GUARD AGAINST UNSAFE GUN HANDLING AROUND YOU AND OTHERS Don't be timid when it comes to gun safety. If you observe other shooters violating any of these safety precautions, politely suggest safer handling practices. EDUCATE AND SUPERVISE FIREARMS SAFETY TO ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY, especially to children and non- shooters. Closely supervise newcomers to the shooting sports. Encourage enrollment in hunting/shooting safety courses. NEVER DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES OR TAKE ANY TYPE OF DRUGS 8 BEFORE OR DURING SHOOTING. Your vision and judgement could be dangerously impaired, making your gun handling unsafe to you or to others. READ AND HEED ALL WARNINGS in this instruction book and on ammunition boxes. It is your responsibility to secure the most up-to-date information on the safe handling procedures for your Browning gun. Browning cannot assume any responsibility when unsafe or improper arms and ammunition combinations are used. PERIODIC MAINTENANCE-- UNAUTHORIZED SERVICING. Your gun is a mechanical device which will not last forever and, as such, is subject to wear and requires periodic inspection, adjustment, and service. Browning firearms should be serviced by a Browning recommended service station or by Browning's service facility in Arnold, Missouri. Browning cannot assume any responsibility for injuries suffered or caused by unauthorized servicing, alterations or modifications of Browning firearms. IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS TO ALTER THE TRIGGER, SAFETY OR OTHER FIRING MECHANISM OF ANY FIREARM. 9 In conventional gun terminology the position and movement of gun parts are described as they occur with the gun horizontal and in normal firing position; i.e., the muzzle is forward or in front; the buttstock is rearward or to the rear; the trigger is downward or underneath; the sights are upward or on top. 10 Your new Browning is a gas operated, semiautomatic repeating rifle. With cartridges in the magazine and the chamber and the safety in the OFF SAFE or FIRE position, the rifle will fire a single round with each successive pull of the trigger until the magazine and chamber are empty. When the last round has been fired, the bolt will be held in its rearward, or open, position by the magazine follower. To close the bolt, pull slightly to the rear on the operating handle and at the same time unlatch the floor plate, allowing the magazine-floorplate unit to swing downward and forward. Then release the operating handle and allow the bolt to move forward to the closed position under its spring pressure. During this operation, exercise care that your fingers do not enter the ejection port in the receiver. CAUTION: THE "SAFETY** SHOULD BE KEPT IN ITS "ON SAFE" POSITION AT ALL TIMES EXCEPT WHEN ACTUALLY FIRING THE RIFLE. The crossbolt type safety is conveniently located on the trigger guard just rearward of the 11 trigger. (See Figure 2) This is an ideal location for easy manipulation of the large safety head with the index finger of either hand. 12 With the safety pushed completely to the right the rifle is ON SAFE and rearward movement of the trigger is completely blocked. With safety pushed completely to the left the rifle is OFF SAFE and ready to fire. In this FIRE or OFF SAFE position a band of RED is visible on the safety where it projects beyond the left face of the trigger guard. Whenever a cartridge is chambered the rifle should be ON SAFE until it is ready to be fired. Note: If a left hand safety is installed these directions are reversed; i.e. the safety is pushed to the left to place the rifle ON SAFE and to the right to place the rifle OFF SAFE. CAUTION: Keep your fingers clear of the ejection port at all times when the bolt is locked open. The bolt will close with considerable force, if you should depress the magazine follower. The Browning semi-automatic high power rifle utilizes a unique detachable box magazine. The capacity of the magazine is four rounds (three rounds for Magnum calibers). Another cartridge may be carried in the chamber, providing a total rifle capacity of five rounds (four rounds for Magnum calibers.) To ready the rifle for loading, first insure that the cross-bolt safety is in the ON SAFE position. Next, hold the rifle in a natural position with the barrel safely pointing at the ground. If the bolt is in its closed position, use either hand to hold the rifle at the forearm. Then, pull rearward on the magazine latch with the index finger of the opposite hand, allowing the hinged floorplatemagazine unit to swing downward. 13 In the event the bolt is in its open position, a slightly different technique may be used to swing the magazine open and close the bolt at approximately the same time. Again, the first step is to insure that the safety is in its ON SAFE position. Next, hold the rifle with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, with the left hand at forearm, as described before. Then, hook the thumb of the right hand over the operating handle and pull it slightly rearward while at the same time releasing the magazine latch with the right index finger. (See Figure 3) The hinged magazine-floorplate unit will swing downward. 14 At this point, allow the bolt to move forward to its closed position. A left handed shooter may hold the rifle as described above with his right hand at the forearm and the left thumb over the top of the receiver, hooking the operating handle and pulling it slightly to the rear, while the left index finger releases the magazine latch. Or, he may find it more convenient to grip the rifle around the rear part of the receiver with his left hand, with his left index finger on the magazine latch, in order to support the rifle in its downward pointing position. Additional support may be gained by gripping the buttstock between the left elbow and the shooter's left side. The right hand may then be used to pull the operating handle rearward, while the index finger of the left hand releases the magazine latch. If it is desired to load a round into the chamber prior to loading the magazine, the following steps should be taken. First, be sure the cross bolt safety is in the ON SAFE position. Hold the gun on its side with the barrel pointing safely downward with either hand at the rear of the forearm, as described earlier. With the rifle held in this position the ejection port in the receiver should be facing up. Next, with the magazine floorplate closed and the bolt locked open, insert one round into the ejection port, allowing it to drop completely into the chamber. Then proceed to close the bolt and open the magazine 15 for loading as described in the preceding paragraph. However, when loading the chamber, the bolt should be allowed to slam closed from its open position. If the bolt is not allowed to close in this manner, there is the possibility that it will not close completely, in which event the rifle will not fire. If this should ever happen, merely push the operating handle completely forward with the thumb or heel of your hand. Many sportsmen prefer to hunt with an empty chamber until in the presence of game. In this situation, quietness in chambering a cartridge is sometimes of prime importance. To accomplish this, cycle the action slowly and quietly, keeping the operating handle controlled at all times until the bolt comes to rest against the chamber and cartridge head. Then push the operating handle completely forward, as described above. It is both convenient and fast to load the magazine while it is attached to the floorplate in the open position. However, some may prefer to load the magazine after detaching it from the floorplate. Both methods will be described. 16 Always be sure the gun is ON SAFE, and the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction, since there may be occasions when you will want to load or replenish the magazine while a round is chambered. Next, hold the rifle in a safe barrel down position, using either hand on the forearm. Each cartridge should then be carefully inserted into the magazine against the pressure of the spring loaded follower, until it is retained by the metal rims of the magazine body. Care should be exercised in positioning each cartridge so that its base is to the rear of the magazine. If the nose of a cartridge protrudes beyond the end of the magazine, it could cause feeding problems or interfere with the closing of the magazine floorplate. (See Figure 4) 17 Once again, place the rifle ON SAFE and be sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction. With the magazine-floorplate unit open the magazine may be detached by merely pulling it away from the hinged floorplate. To do so, grasp the sides of the magazine toward its rear with the thumb and middle finger of either hand. Then, pull the magazine away from the floorplate while at the same time bearing against the projecting rear of the floorplate with the index finger. (See Figure 5) 18 The rifle may be supported in its barrel down position during this procedure with the opposite