I had a BRAND NEW Short Trac 270 WSM that came in my shop a month or so ago. The customer said he couldn't hit a pie plate at 60 yards with it. I normally won't work on anything but bolt guns, But I felt sorry for him after the beating he took on the price of this new gun. After looking at the crown, It looked like someone used a dull 16 penny nail to cut the crown. I put a new 11 degree crown on the barrel. I test fired it and the best it would do was 2.5 inches at 100 yards. Alot better than before. So out of curiosity I called Browning just to see what factory acceptable accuracy was. Like Shipster, they told me 5 inches at 100 yards. When I told them that I had this one shooting 2.5 they said "THATS A GOOD ONE" . The customer was happy with the way it shot it so I was too.
Boe
So here's where I am on this debate.........
5" is acceptable accuracy. For deer hunting I'll accept 5" groups AT THE LIMIT OF THE RIFLE'S RANGE. So, wherever the rifle hits the 5" barrier or runs out of energy, that's your maximum usable range.
SOOooooo, the Browning BAR could be considered a perfectly adequate and ethical 100yd rifle. It's right there with the 30-30 Winchester and quite a bit BETTER than the .410 shotgun. For only 10-15 times the money.
And money well spent IMO, for after all where else can you get a 'Buckmark' label?
Now with this in mind it seems the move should be toward more 100yd chamberings in this fine rifle. Things like the venerable 30 Carbine round. Resurrecting this old favorite would have historical significance if nothing else! Or how'sabout chambering for the 7.62X39? Beautiful 100yd cartridge. Mild recoil and you can buy cheap ammunition by the pickup load while supporting Eastern Bloc communist countries.... just a win-win there
Or 44magnum. Why leave this round to the shlubbish Win/Ruger crowd with their clumsy looking guns. Let's campaign for an inlaid version, maybe get the custom shop to run a special edition of the Zenith Prestige model in 44 or even 41 Mag for those who want something different.
The choices are endless once one has established the parameters of the rifle system. Could contract with Chief Green Feather or whatever his name was and make up a nice "Scout" version of the rifle.... bring the 2X and 4X scopes back into the forefront, we could all get into the "zen" zone, daydreaming of shooting dire wolves and mastodons and psyllopithicus's as we floated leisurely thru arid tundra and down into the musty lowcountry... all the while quaffing ale and nibbling crusts with cheese....
Just SOOO romantic this
"So where did you earn YOUR Buckmark??" Narnia or Mordor?
Truly a nice 100yd rifle
But why they'd chamber it in a thunderous mid-range cartridge like the WSM or even the 30-06????? Complete mystery to me! Even the .308 has an effective range 3-times the range of the RIFLE system.....
Browning, "The Best There Is"
out to 100yds
al