New guy so please bear with my dumb questions. Always had A-Bolts ,and BPS's never a BAR ,so I am learning before I plunk down and hard eared cash. I'm looking for an older BAR They seem to have a better fit for me ,then the short or long trac's. It isn't gonna be a safe queen it's gonna be hunted, everywhere from Tenn. to Wyo. Antelope ,deer . My question is ,and maybe it's been asked before and I just can't find the thread ,so forgive me if I missed it. What is the difference through the years ? Like with the A-Bolts ,we had the first one's ,then the AB II's ,now the AB III's . (which again, not liking the III's or the X-Bolts, just me ). I've settled on a .270 , I've had ton's of success over the last 40 some years with that caliber. It will be topped with a Leopold, just like my A-Bolts . Why mess with a good thing right ? But what are the difference's through the years ,when were the change's made ? Belgium ,Portugal ,Japan , BAR II, not worried about the cosmetic change's, I'm a hunter not a collector . What ones were the most reliable ,accurate . I have noticed some threads where guy's just can't get them to group or jamming. Even Browning's history page's don't go into mechanic's of the different years. OK so why if I have turn bolt rifles now ,that work flawlessly, why am I looking for a BAR ? Old age and major shoulder problems. Won't go into that long story ,but doc's and nurse's have told me and the wife (who's an avid A-Bolt user) no more hard shock to the shoulder, and I cannot shoot lefty. So thanks for any input .
Here's a link to the Discontinued BAR's: http://www.browning.com/products/firearms/rifles/bar/discontinued.html Then Current Production: http://www.browning.com/products/firearms/rifles/bar/current-production.html Then Limited Availability: http://www.browning.com/products/firearms/rifles/bar/limited-availability.html Best I could do as far as your above question... "What is the difference through the years..." and " But what are the difference's through the years ,when were the change's made ? " As far as " What ones were the most reliable ,accurate. "... I'm NOT an end user. Never owned a BAR...but, if I did...it would be a M1918. ...chambered for the.30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge and designed by John Browning in 1917 for the U.S. Expeditionary Corps in Europe.
Best way I can think of to see some of the non-cosmetic (and cosmetic?) changes over the years is to download the owner's manuals from Browning, and look at the expanded parts schematics. Unless they've changed recently, they have a couple or three different manuals for different timeframes for the older models, and at least one for the ShorTrac/LongTrac. Brownell's may also have some expanded parts schematics at their site.
