Tag Archives: browning

The Browning X-Bolt 2

August 12, 2025Product review, Shooting hardware308 winchester, browning, browning x-bolt 2, speed, spr, x-bolt, x-bolt 2coldboremiracle

Introduction

I grew up within a short drive of the original Browning factory where the man himself designed and built many of his masterpieces. In fact, I could see the factory from my hunting spots where many of today’s pictures were taken. I feel somewhat guilty for being less familiar with the brand and their products, but today I aim to change that. The Browning brand has long stood for quality and innovation, and today’s subject is a direct result of that process. The Browning X-Bolt has been around for over a decade, but the time has come for a new generation. Today we hit the range and field with the brand-new Browning X-Bolt 2, the next step in Browning’s bolt-action family.

Browning, x-bolt, x-bolt 2, x-bolt speed, 308 win, vector optics, continental, 2-12x44, — at 2X the **Vector Continental scope** was great for close engagements in thick woods

X-Bolt 2 Heritage

Drawing from its predecessor the Browning A-Bolt; the X-Bolt rifle brought some more modern features while holding onto what was best from the A-Bolt’s design. I’ve had a few experiences with both over the years and was impressed with their attributes. The smooth action and short bolt throw of these rifles makes them pleasant to shoot. And with easy feeding they are always ready for action.

The release of the X-Bolt 2 brings an incredible diversity of products. As you scroll through the website there are too many options to mention. But rest assured there is a model for everyone’s taste. Whether it be walnut or polymer, steel or titanium, there is a stunning array of X-Bolt 2 options. You can get it with carbon fiber barrels, McMillan stocks, AICS magazine fed and many other options. The family of the X-Bolt 2 has an incredible host of applications for nearly any shooter.

Generational Changes

Evaluating the differences between the original X-Bolt and this new X-Bolt 2 gives some insight into what Browning designers were after. Some of the changes in the new X-Bolt went beyond simply different configurations.

Browning, x-bolt, x-bolt 2, x-bolt speed, 308 win, grip, disassembly, bedding, trigger, safety, — replaceable grips, improved trigger, bedded action are all things to like about the X-Bolt 2

The X-Bolt 2 action at the heart of the rifle received a restructuring, adding material in various places to increase strength. Additional support of the bolt in its stroke to add an even smoother operation. Changing the bolt-knob for better purchase and adding flutes and other facets to bolt-body also helps improve the feel.

Also new in this new generation X-Bolt is the DLX trigger, which has adjustable weight with no creep or overtravel. The composite Vari-Tech stock is also adjustable and handsomely finished with Browning’s Ovix camouflage. The soft Inflex recoil pad will help with heavier recoiling calibers. Perhaps one of my favorite improvements of the X-Bolt 2 is the belled muzzle. With industry standard thread pitches allowing you to install your favorite muzzle accoutrements. My previous experience with an X-Bolt required a thread adaptor to use my suppressor. That wouldn’t be a problem here. The X-Bolt 2 Speed SPR model we tested today also comes with a radial muzzle brake to reduce recoil.

Specifications

Action Length Short Action	Caliber 308 Win
Barrel Length 18″	Overall Length 38″
Length of Pull 13 5/8″ Adj	Drop at Comb 0″ Adj
Drop at Heel 1/10″ Adj	Weight 6 lbs 10 oz
Magazine Capacity 4	Twist Rate 10″
Barrel Finish Smoked Bronze Cerakote	Stock Finish Ovix
Receiver Finish Smoked Bronze Cerakote	Chamber Finish Polished
Barrel Material Steel	Barrel Contour Sporter SR
Stock Material Composite	Recoil Pad Inflex 1.25
Checkering Textured Grip Panels	Sling Swivel Studs Matte Blued
Receiver Material Steel	Trigger Finish Gold Plated
Bolt Slide Finish High Gloss	Magazine Type Detachable
Muzzle Threading 5/8 – 24 SR	Trigger Material Alloy
Trigger Guard Material Alloy	Trigger Guard Engraving Buck Mark in Gold
Floor Plate Material Composite	Drilled and Tapped for Scope Yes
MSRP $1,569.99

Configuring the X-Bolt 2

The Vari-Tech stock of the X-Bolt 2 Speed SPR can be adjusted for length of pull and comb-height. Neither of them is what I would call quick or field adjustable. Both processes are done using tools and taking off the rubber buttpad. This is a small concern considering that you don’t really need to adjust those things very often. It’s also a great feature that not many other rifles this style has. Using the scope and mount I did, the stock was perfect as it came from the factory.

Browning, x-bolt, x-bolt 2, x-bolt speed, 308 win, vector optics, continental, 2-12x44, banish backcountry suppresor, — This rifle is perfectly configured for Rocky Mountain country, with the **Quake Sling** and the Banish Backcountry suppressor

Upon inspecting the X-Bolt 2 after disassembly, I was even more impressed. Aside from the adjustable buttstock, you can replace the rubberized grip from a sporter angle to a more vertical style grip. Pulling a screw from under the action they are easily swapped. I greatly preferred the vertical grip so it went in place for the duration of the test.

While apart I also noticed that there was a factory bedding job. This is a great way to improve the marriage of action and stock together, which generally helps accuracy. I also like the four-bolt attachment of the scope bases. Double what most scope bases use, for better connection.

Browning, x-bolt, x-bolt 2, x-bolt speed, 308 win,

Kitting Out the X-Bolt 2

I hunt the western deserts and mountains of the US, it can often be feast or famine when it comes to hunting. The Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed SPR seems to be made for just such country. Hunting these same mountains that John M. Browning himself used to traverse, I wanted to optimize the rifle that bears his name.

A Good Scope

A rifle like this one deserves a good companion optic. I chose to install one of my recent acquisitions, a Vector Optics Continental 2-12×44. The Continental offers very bright and clear images, a sharp focus, and an excellent turret system that would shine for long-range shooting. Using a pair of Nightforce medium 34mm rings, I attached the scope to the bases.

With hunting ranges around here varying from 100 yards to as far as you dare, these features would match the performance of the X-Bolt 2. And together I expected to push the limits to see how effective this combination would be.

Support

Additionally, I would install a Harris SL bipod for supported shooting. There are many bipod options, but I keep coming back to the simple option that keeps working for me. For transporting the rifle I also installed a Quake Industries rubberized sling. This simple and lightweight option makes carrying a rifle in the backcountry comfortable. And its rubber exterior keeps it from slipping off your shoulder.

Suppressor

With light seen at the end of the NFA tunnel, suppressors have become a commanding presence. Few practices benefit from suppressors as much as hunting, and I am a bit of an enthusiast.

Installing my Banish Backcountry titanium suppressor would make this Browning a bit more polite. The lightweight would also keep the rifle easy to move through these high Rocky Mountains.

Ammunition

For a little variety, I brought a spread of ammo from different manufacturers. Two options from Hornady, the 155 Black ammunition, and the 150 grain American Whitetail. To mix it up, I also brought some Barnes VORTX 130 grain, as well as some DTM 175 grain Match.

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Browning, x-bolt, x-bolt 2, x-bolt speed, 308 win, Eberlestock, just one, backpack — The Eberlestock Just One Pack was a good fit for the X-Bolt 2

Browning Citori Quail 16 Gauge

September 12, 2022Product review, Shooting hardware16 gauge, browning, citoricoldboremiracle

Introduction

You don’t need to be a shotgun connoisseur to understand a nice shotgun when you pick it up. I am neither a connoisseur nor even a serious shotgunner, but I’ve shot enough of the finer ones to know what it feels like. Today we’ll venture into to another story about a handsome double, the Browning Citori 16 Gauge.

browning citori shotgun — **Federal ammunition** was all we had available for the Browning

The Citori Quail 16 Gauge

The Browning Citori line of shotguns has long been famous for its quality and performance. A beautiful match of attractive wood and steel are the basis for the gun, matched with a pair of 28-inch sixteen-gauge barrels. The receiver has beautifully engraved patterns to match its clean and smooth lines. Like most over & under shotguns, the gun is opened with a lever on the spine of the action. The Citori features a full-width tapered locking bolt, this makes for additional strength in keeping the gun closed. The locking mechanism is also tapered, allowing it to seat ever deeper with the wear that will occur over decades.
Behind that, is the safety selector. Again, like most over & under shotguns, the safety doubles as a barrel selector. You can slide the safety left and right to choose which of the two barrels to shoot first, and fore and aft to select safe or fire.

The mechanical intricacies are beautiful, the ejector system utilizes a spring to drive up the impact of the ejector upon opening the gun fully. This ensures that spent hulls are thrown clear of the breach, allowing for fast and unobstructed reloads. The ejector springs are only actuated upon firing that chamber, so unfired shells are easily retrieved from the chambers.
This gun featured two and three-quarter-inch chrome-lined chambers, and an elevated rib for better sighting picture against the bead at the end.

Sweet Sixteen

I’d never been fortunate enough to play with a sixteen-gauge gun. I’d shot countless twelve gauges, twenties, .410’s and ten gauge shotguns. But the little sixteen was new to me, and new things are usually a little bit exciting. Being a little bit bigger than the twenty gauge, I figured the sixteen would be great for wing-shooting small birds like those portrayed in the little Browning’s engravings. Doves and quail seem like an obvious choice, but ducks and pheasants would also be a perfect target for this gun.
The first issue I ran into was ammo related, turns out that in our current ammunition situation, sixteen-gauge ammo is a little more difficult to find than others. But I was lucky enough to land a couple boxes of Federal ammunition, one was a fairly standard trap load of 1 oz 8 shot. The other was a hunting load, ideal for a pheasant hunt loaded with #4 shot loaded a bit quick at 1425 fps. I was going to shoot it all to see what I did and didn’t like about this little gun. Continue Reading Here…

grouse with a shotgun — a pair of Grouse taken with the Citori

A BOX OF ‘BIRDS’

With a box of clay birds in the back of the truck, I took the Citori into the beautiful green Rocky Mountains. Hand-thrown clays seem to be the most fun for me, surprises and challenges are much easier to present to the shooter. We began throwing targets among some aspen and pine trees to help add in a little bit of a hunting feel.

The first shots from the Browning were smooth and easy – It is after all just a shotgun. There was a noticeable difference between the two different types of ammunition, which was expected. The slower load was very pleasant shooting, and it would have been great for a young shooter learning the art of shotgunning. The faster load carried some more pep but still felt just like a normal shotgun push to me.

We hammered through the targets, scattering clay all over. The Citori was as smooth as could be, easy to open, and it fit me well enough to hit a pretty good percentage of birds. Everything about the way it worked just seemed so refined, from loading and shooting to ejecting empties. It all felt like it was on an assembly line timed with a chain.

The Invector choke system, like most others, is easily understood and quick to change for whatever your shooting regimen might require.

HUNTING REAL BIRDS

The upland game hunt had recently started here, so my next mission with the Browning was to find some upland birds. The cool air of a September morning always gets me excited, but I was even more excited as I crested the tops of the mountains and began spotting birds. It was a surprising number of birds, to be honest.

I worked my way into a little bowl where I had seen some large blue grouse working along a tree line. As usual, the birds are near invisible unless they move or pop out right in front of you with a startling outburst of feathers and noise. The Browning and I responded in kind, making our own outburst of feathers and noise.

We managed to take a couple of grouse and one dove during the hunt that day. The Citori was an excellent companion for such a hunt and granted a touch of extra class to it as well.

Browning Citori 16-Gauge Over-Under Shotgun — We were even able to bring down a speedy dove on our outing

CONCLUSION

Just as I suspected might be the case, I was quite enamored by this little shotgun. Despite not being a shotgun aficionado, I still greatly enjoyed my time shooting it. The 16-gauge chambering might be a little extraordinary for my high-volume taste, so perhaps another Citori with chambers for 12 gauge would better fit my shotgun needs. But if you like something different, this would be an easy bet to win on.

The flawless function of the gun, paired with the beautiful manufacturing and finish, make it an outstanding choice for those looking for a quality double. If I keep getting guns like this one, I may have to become a real shotgun aficionado.

-CBM

Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon 6.5 Creedmoor

November 1, 2021Product review, Shooting hardware, Uncategorized6.5 creedmoor, browning, hells canyon, xboltcoldboremiracle

Introduction

When I first saw the Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon 6.5 Creedmoor at SHOT Show, I remember thinking to myself that many folks were going to eat it up. And as years have passed it surely has become one of the most talked about hunting rifles out there. So when I finally got a chance to check it out myself, I was eager to see if all the hype was well founded. I had already been playing with a different X-bolt model, so I was pretty familiar with it before I even opened the box. What I didn’t realize was just how deep into Hell’s Canyon I would descend.

First Impressions

My very first impression of the rifle was not unlike my feeling when I saw it at SHOT Show, it was just a plain handsome rifle. A bronze colored Cerakote job and similar A-TACS camo pattern clearly sets this rifle apart on the rifle rack. The fluted barrel and it’s inconspicuous muzzle brake flow seamlessly into the receiver, all of which is set nicely into the camouflaged composite stock. A nice soft recoil pad at the back was a welcome feature, as was the detachable box magazine. And like other X-bolts I’ve shot, it was just smooth. The sixty-degree bolt design makes shorter and faster operation, and the gold-plated trigger breaks as clean as most any hunting rifle I’ve ever pulled from a shelf. The X Bolt action features a bolt release button to unlock the bolt when the safety is on, a very cunning and intuitive design. If this rifle shot as good as it looked, I was going be hard pressed to let go of it.

Setup

I wanted to get straight to the range with this rifle, but first I had to get a scope mounted. Selecting a one-piece scope base that uses eight screws to hold it down to the top of the receiver. I found this to be a superior mounting system than the traditional four screws that most manufacturers use to mount scope bases.

I tried a couple different mounting systems and riflescopes. First a Nikon 4-16 scope which worked great, but was too high. I ended up with the system that seemed to work the best, a Crimson Trace 3-12 mounted in Warne rings and bases.
I had a small amount of Hornady American Gunner 6.5CM ammo that I could test in the rifle, but I wanted to try more than one thing just in case the rifle didn’t care for it. So I sat at my loading bench to crank out another couple options. Hoping at least one of them would provide me with the exceptional accuracy I was hoping for. After that, I installed a Harris bipod so I could get this rifle into the field and shooting.

Continue Reading Here…

RANGE TIME

A hunter shoots the Hell's Canyon X-Bolt — The Hell’s Canyon X-Bolt is a good-looking gun, and it did well in our range testing after some honing.

I bore sighted the rifle before I left the house, so it was straight to the paper at 100 yards when I got to my range. It only took a few adjustments to get the rifle zeroed, and I was ready to start some serious shooting in earnest. My hopes for the Hornady American Gunner were not quite met. The groups averaged around an inch, which isn’t terrible, but not good enough for me.

Some of my reloads averaged around the same. I expected that the 1:7 twist of the Browning would stabilize them well, but perhaps it just didn’t like those loads either. Adding a suppressor to the rifle improved the shot pattern. Closing most of the groups down to sub-MOA and even half-MOA accuracy with certain loads.

The four-round magazine of the Hells Canyon rifle is fantastic. Its magazine is rotary, allowing for four 6.5 Creedmoor cartridges to be preloaded in the rifle. This is more than enough for your average big game hunt. If it’s not, I’m sure Browning will sell you additional magazines. The polymer magazine feeds flawlessly, probably in part due to its slippery surface. It fits snugly into the bottom of the rifle and is easily removed by pulling on a hinged catch at the front of the magazine.

Shop Browning rifles, that’s why you are here right?

Long-range Shooting

Shooting the Hell’s Canyon rifle out in the mountains where it would be used was my next task. With the rifle zeroed and predictable accuracy, I decided to take it out a little further. We first started with a target at 440 yards. Which is a very realistic shot in these steep canyons of the Rocky Mountains. With a spotter on the target and ballistic data estimated, I dialed the scope for my shot and put my finger on the golden trigger. Wind was coming from my left at about 4 mph. So I gave a slight favor to the wind and gave the trigger a gentle squeeze.

Browning Hell's Canyon X-Bolt and a dog in a field — The X-Bolt handled long-range shooting well, especially with a **suppressor**

A shooter with the Hell's Canyon X-Bolt on a hill — Even shooting from elevated positions, the gun was more than capable of claiming prey beyond 400 yards

Watching the bullet impact is a big part of shooting at these kinds of distances. The muzzle brake on the front of this rifle helps reduce the movement of the gun. This so the shooter can spot those impacts. Recoil felt behind this rifle was quite modest, and spotting shots as close as 400 yards was doable. We fired several shots at that target before we moved to another. And we managed to hit it over and over with very predictable results. Hitting a deer or elk properly at that range would be very likely with this rifle. But I wanted to see how much further we could shoot and get the same results.

Further Still

We took it further downrange just to see how it would do. Another target that would make a nice addition to the rifle’s envelope lay at 660 yards. I dialed the 3.6 MRAD indicated by my ballistic computer and again estimated the wind for the shot. Next up I picked a target that was about 10-inches wide. Which is about right for a kill zone on a deer and exactly what this rifle was built for. The 800 milliseconds it took for the bullet to get there were easily viewed through the scope as the trajectory arched into the target. As the bullet crashed hard in the middle, it created a puff of gray.

Over and over, we sent shots downrange. I imagined each one as a potential buck sneaking away, but the little Browning was just the right tool for preventing such a scenario.

DISLIKES

Browning Hell's Canyon X-Bolt on a hill — My only complaint is the non-common threading, though I was able to find a custom adaptor for my **suppressor**

I was very excited to find the muzzle was threaded on this rifle. Surely I was going to mount a different brake or a suppressor for part of my testing. To my shock and horror, Browning had gone to all the work of threading the barrel. But it wasn’t threaded in one of the common thread patterns used for muzzles. This meant that I wouldn’t be able to use any of my muzzle trinkets unless I wanted to recut the threads. Luckily, I found a thread adaptor made by X Caliber Firearms designed specifically for the X-Bolt. This allowed me to install suppressors on the rifle, which made it even more fun and accurate to shoot.

CONCLUSION

After having spent some time with this rifle, I can see why so many have chosen it. Besides its good looks and construction, the X-Bolt has all the quality features that your American hunter would like. It has a great trigger, intuitive controls, an excellent magazine feeding system, a recoil-reducing muzzle brake, and more.

It doesn’t surprise me that I like this rifle. Browning has a long, distinguished history of producing great rifles. What did surprise me was how hard it was to let it go.

-CBM

If you like this X-Bolt, here is another one you might like

Browning X-Bolt 6 Creedmoor

September 15, 2021Product review, Shooting hardware6 creedmoor, 6mm creedmoor, browning, mcmillan, x boltcoldboremiracle

Introduction

Even though I’m a bit of a rifle junkie, the Browning X-Bolt is a bit of a stranger to me. I’ve shot a few of them over the years, and even had good luck loading ammo for them for friends. That said, I’ve never owned one myself. Browning is a common name down our way, the man himself was born just a few miles north of where I sit as I write this.

The X-Bolt rifle has plenty of clout in the rifle world, so I knew not to underestimate it as I prepared myself for this project. I was giddy with excitement to get my hands on this one.

The Browning X-bolt Target

The Target model of the Browning X-bolt comes in a McMillan A3-5 stock with an adjustable comb, as well a a match grade heavy profile fluted barrel. The muzzle is threaded 5/8-24 to attach any muzzle devices. In addition to those add-ons, the X-bolt receiver has an extended bolt handle, and a 20 MOA pic rail mounted on top.

There are a few other little extras as well, such as QD sling swivel studs, and a bipod pic rail mount. I pulled the rifle from the black Browning box, and was instantly in love. The fit and finish of this rifle were superb, and as soon as I put the Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad to my shoulder I knew it was going to be a good match. I adjusted the cheek piece to fit my hold, and ran the bolt and trigger a few times.

I love the 60-degree bolt throw, it is shorter and faster than the alternative. And the smooth bolt stroke on the X-bolt feels much like a nice custom. The Trigger in this rifle is as good as any factory trigger I’ve felt, The Feather Trigger as Browning calls it, is adjustable from three to five pounds, and has a tang mounted safety. The detachable box magazine is Browning’s own design, it is an all polymer rotary magazine that holds four rounds. It fits flush with the bottom of the McMillan stock.

The **Warne Skyline bipod** made an excellent addition to the rifle

SETUP

After familiarizing myself with the rifle, it was time to get it ready for the range. I mounted a Trijicon Tenmile 5-50×56 scope on top of the receiver in a set of 34mm rings, perhaps a little more scope than normally needed but a great option for testing the performance of this rifle. I added a muzzle brake to the end of the barrel, with intentions of also shooting the rifle suppressed later. I then installed a bipod to the front of the gun. The only thing left to do on the rifle was boresight it and gather some ammunition.

Browning X-Bolt rifle on a bipod with scope — I adjusted the cheek rest to my liking and added a **Trijicon scope** and bipod before going to zero the rifle.

Under normal circumstances, finding 6mm Creedmoor ammunition would not be a difficult task. But times being what they are, I had to make do with what was available. I fashioned several boxes of handloads featuring Berger 105 Hybrids, which is pretty common on the firing lines this rifle would normally sit on. Once I had enough ammo to get a good shooting session in, I loaded up the truck and went into the hills.

ON THE FIRING LINE

With my rifle freshly bore-sighted and a clean target hung at 100 yards, I set to zeroing the X-Bolt. In just a couple shots, I had established a consistent zero and began shooting some groups. The smooth stroke of the bolt even when stripping loaded rounds from the magazine was very pleasing.

The all-polymer magazine has a slippery feel to it, surely this aids in the smooth feeding of cartridges. One complaint about the magazine is that it only holds four rounds, for a rifle that plays in the competition realm with the big boys, this is almost a deal breaker. A 10-round or even 12-round magazine would be much better suited for this rifle. But it shot so smooth I could hardly put it down.

The easily operated bolt made loading and reloading the rifle very fast, and I noticed another one of Browning’s very intuitive designs while running it. When the safety is engaged, the bolt is automatically locked. But there is a small button on top of the base of the bolt handle. This button pops up when the safety is engaged. You can depress the button to open or close the bolt while on safe, and the button drops out of the way and the bolt runs with zero inhibition when the safety is in the firing position. This may not be the most fascinating feature of the rifle, but I found it to be very ingenious.

Another engineering bonus I found on the X-Bolt was the mounting of the optics rail. Instead of using four screws (two in the front, and two in the back) like on typical optics rails, the X-Bolt uses eight screws. There are four in the front, and four in the back, giving the X-Bolt a very solid mounting point for your riflescope. Again, this may not be a revolutionary thing, but I can certainly appreciate the engineer’s thinking.

Sum-MOA group at 100 yards — The rifle is easily capable of sub-MOA groups.

The X-Bolt shoots just as good as it looks, and sub-MOA groups were easy with zero load workup. Half MOA accuracy was easily achieved with proper shooting techniques. I have no doubt that with additional load development this rifle would shoot better than half MOA.

The 6mm Creedmoor cartridge is an excellent round for target and long-range shooting. It has little recoil and is very efficient at escaping the winds effects downrange. This allows the shooter to see the bullet in flight and even spot his or her own hits and misses.

CONCLUSION

Browning X-Bolt with suppressor at the range

The Browning X-Bolt Target rifle is an immaculate gun. It’s well thought out and near perfectly executed. My only gripe is the previously mentioned magazine capacity, though it could probably be switched out for a different magazine system. But despite that, I think this rifle would make an excellent addition to almost any rifle collection. There are so many amazing competition rifles available today from manufacturers, and it’s nice to see Browning show up with their own.

-CBM

Continue Reading Here…

Browning Superposed 12 gauge

July 12, 2021Product review, Shooting hardware12 gauge, browning, shotgun, superposedcoldboremiracle

I’ve known for years that the Browning Superposed is a dream shotgun, a real clay buster if there ever was one. Maybe it’s because my father has always been a shotgun aficionado, much the same way I geek out with rifles. It was many years ago now, but I remember when dad brought home his Superposed 12 gauge. I thought it must have been something fancy because he was pretty excited. So when I got the chance to play with one myself, I was expecting to be impressed.

THE SUPERPOSED

Browning Superposed Shotgun — The over-under Browning Superposed is a beautiful balance of class and function.

The Superposed is a break-action over-under configured shotgun. It uses a single trigger to fire both barrels. It is said to be the last firearm designed by Browning himself, which may be part of why the gun has such a following. It was manufactured in various grades from the 1930s all the way into the 1980s.

UNBOXING

When I received the Superposed for this article, I was excited to see which one it would be. Upon opening the box, pure class came flowing out – intricate engraving, a shiny black finish, and beautiful wood grain as one would expect from a Belgian-made Browning.

This particular gun had been made in the early 70s, but it still appeared to be brand new. It still had all the telltale signs of a gun with a low round count. It was smooth and snug to open and close the action. Everything inside was immaculate and still factory polished. Both 28-inch barrels had been marked skeet, which immediately spawned images in my mind of me holding this classy piece of art on station looking up at the high house.

The craftsmanship of this shotgun was refreshing and reminded me of better times. Every mating surface had perfect alignment. The engraving was flawless as it flowed between parts. As the gun hinges together, parts almost seem to melt together and lines disappear. In a world where everything is mass produced, stamped, injection molded, and so on, it felt good to hold something that had been handcrafted by skilled gunmakers. It’s truly beautiful to see pieces of craftsmanship like this still available.

TO THE RANGE!

Despite the ammo situation we are currently enduring, I was able to get a few boxes of trap loads to shoot in the Browning. With a case of clays, we headed up to the mountains to bust a few.

The Superposed shoots just like it looks, smooth and with class. The fairly open chokes in this set of barrels make the gun extremely handy on those fast-moving and close birds. The first couple of clays we threw were instantly turned into dust and not very far away either. The barrels are shorter than many shotguns, which also made the gun very quick to get on and ahead of targets.

The chambers are 2 3/4 inches, which is all I would want in a skeet gun. But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t take this gun on some kind of a hunt. The open patterns it shoots and its quick handling would be great for the fast-moving doves that love to zip by me as I hike through these mountains. But the beauty of this fine firearm would probably keep me from taking it on anything less than a fancy cultured hunt.

The safety/selector is crisp and audible, giving the user the ability to select which barrel fires first. This would obviously be a little more relevant if the barrels had differing chokes.

Shop over-under shotguns at Sportsman’s Warehouse

One thing that has for sure gotten better since the Superposed was manufactured is recoil pads. The Browning has an old, hard butt plate on it. Not that 12 gauges are overwhelming when it comes to recoil, but the soft rubber recoil pads found on modern shotguns provide a much more comfortable experience.

The vented rib over the barrels was complete with two beads to line up your perfect shot, which we were able to accomplish repeatedly. The feel and flow when shooting this shotgun was perfect. It’s a shooters gun for sure. The trigger was clean both to break and to reset for the second shot, at least once I went too fast shooting in front of the target.

We fired two different types of ammunition from Remington and Winchester. Both were trap loads in 1 1/8 ounces. Both types performed as expected as long as I got the lead right. Shooting the Browning Superposed was pure enjoyment with flawless function and perfect performance topped off with a touch of class and a little history. Continue Reading here…

CONCLUSION

There is a definitive line between used guns and used guns worth buying. That line is of course defined by the individual doing the buying. Guns like the Superposed are hard to pass up, not only because of their high level of quality and prestige, but also because they don’t make them anymore. It isn’t only a collector’s item, but one you can enjoy and shoot.