Does any one know if the Browning FN Safari models were ever produced in 375 H&H. I saw one recently in 30-06 and thought it might be a great base for a conversion to 9.3x62. Of course it would be far more cost effective if I could find one already chambered for the 375.

According to the Gun Trader's Guide.

Browing High-Power Bolt-Action Rifle, Safari Grade, Standard Action

Mauser-type action.
Calibers: 270 Win, 30.06, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 H&H Mag, 300 Win. Mag, 308 Norma Mag, 338 Win Mag., 375 H&H Mag, 458 Win Mag. Cartridge capacity: 6 rounds in 270 and 30.06; 4 rounds in Magnum calibers. Bbl. length, 22 in. in 270 and 30.06; 24 in. in Magnum calibers. Made 1959-74 by FN.

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
There is also a Medium Action and a Short Action Safari Grade in other calibers.

Please check Browning's European catalogue. They still offer them in Europe on old FN Mauser actions in calibers upto 375 and in bigger calibers on the Dumoulin action. From what I understood from the website Browning North America does offer them through it's dealers as personal imports.

Good hunting!

There is one at a gun store down the road from me as we speak.

DGK

I've got one. And another in .458WM.

I'd love to find one in .300 H&H.

If any one knows of one and wants to share a dealers email, phone # etc please PM me. Thanx for the tip on imports. I've done that once before. Aside from being a royal PITA it took forever.

Chuck,

I searched for over a year for a .375 H&H FN Browning Safari Grade, and finally found one in 100 percent condition and unfired, except for testing. I paid $1500 for it.

This was a custom rifle built with a Bishop A-grade stock and fitted with peep sights. I removed the peep sights and installed express sights. Unfortuntely, the peep sight appature had been mortised into the wood and removing it left a "scar" on an otherwise pristine rifle.

Bishop stocks. Now there's a name from the past. I remember oogling those glossy color photos of stocks when I was a kid.

You guys really have me curious... Can one of you post a picture of this rifle? I'd love to see one

quote:

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Originally posted by 458RugerNo1:
You guys really have me curious... Can one of you post a picture of this rifle? I'd love to see one

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Click on this link Guns America

chuckwagon, you have a PM ( I hope )

DGK

"Please check Browning's European catalogue. They still offer them in Europe on old FN Mauser actions in calibers upto 375 and in bigger calibers on the Dumoulin action. From what I understood from the website Browning North America does offer them through it's dealers as personal imports."

Mehul,
Is there a web site for the European catalog? I cannot find any info on this.
Regards,
Terry

Sendero,

Please go to http://www.browningint.com/customshop/intro.html

Under Services you can download the catalogue for the BMS rifles in PDF format under Rifle (BAR-BMS-BMM)

Good hunting!

T.Carr,

Thanks for the picture link, it's a good looking rifle and I'm sure being a Browning it's not of shabby quality.

Does any one know what a new one costs ?

I think you are likly to want one of the older ones that featured a claw extractor, later models did not, just someting to consider.

HBH

My brother has one in -06 that I refinished many years ago. Everytime I see that stock I want to try to talk him out of it. That gloss stuff they covered the stock with from the factory is ugly! A little sanding, Minwax and Watco does wonders.
Russ

I've shot -- but not hunted -- with two Browning Safaris. They belong to a friend who lent them to me to shoot.

One was a 30-06 on a Mauser action, and the other was a 22-250 "pencil barrel" one on a Sako action.

I like the Mauser-action 30-06. The metalwork on it is exemplary, and it has an especially attractive stock. It's a bit heavier than I would like for carrying in the field. It's not a great shooter, but OK for hunting. I got the best results from it with heavy loads of IMR 4064 and 150 grain bullets -- maybe 3-shot groups of about 1.25 inches at 100 yards.

I liked the 22-250 considerably less. I could never get it to shoot well with any of the loads I tried, and I eventually gave up on it. The Sako trigger is adjustable, but a pain -- I got it to where it is passable, but definitely not excellent. I don't know whether this rifle was a bad sample, or typical for the breed. If it was typical, I would not recommend it.

LE270,

The Browning BMS is ONLY made on the FN Mauser action. The FN factory discovered some unused actions a few years ago and make these rifles on them. They say that they would stop when stocks run out, though, seeing that they use Dumoulin actions for the 505 Gibbs and 416 Rigby, they just might eventually switch to Dumoulins in due course. They did offer 458s on the BMS (FN action) a couple of years ago but seem to offer the 375 as the biggest caliber on their own action now.

Good hunting!

quote:

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Originally posted by mehulkamdar:

The Browning BMS is ONLY made on the FN Mauser action.

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Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the BMS?

I'm certain that the 22-250 I worked with was also called a Browning Safari, and that it was on a Sako action.

It had a fake Mauser extractor. By that I mean that the bolt actually had a hook extractor, but it also had a Mauser-type extractor extension -- unconnected to the actual extractor -- that rode in the right-hand bolt lug groove, and that was mounted on the bolt and did not turn when the bolt was turned to open or close.

That is a gas baffle - not an extractor look-alike. Sako has used this system on a number of actions - at least up to and including the A series.
- mike

LE270,

The Browning BMS is what was sold as the Safari Grade in the US and also in Asia (including India) in the old days. I don't know the expansion of the abbreviation, but the rifle was based on the FN Mauser actions. About the early 1980s the Browning company discovered parts for a large number of Mauser actions as well as some for sidelock shotguns (though they were also selling Japanese sidelock shotguns under the Browning brand at the time) and they decided to offer these as a custom shop option. I used to be an ISU 3 position Standard Rifle shooter at that time on the Tamil Nadu state team and that was when I started collecting catalogues on a trip to Singapore. They later started sending me the catalogues direct and until I moved to the US I used to get these from several companies in Europe and from Dakota in the US along with press packs every year.

The sidelock shotguns with original Belgian actions are still available and Browning used to carry a list of Belgian "name" gunmakers who bought the actions from them including Pirotte, Francotte and Lebeau Courally in their European print catalogue.

Best wishes and Good Hunting!

quote:

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Originally posted by mehulkamdar:

The Browning BMS is what was sold as the Safari Grade in the US and also in Asia (including India) in the old days. I don't know the expansion of the abbreviation, but the rifle was based on the FN Mauser actions. About the early 1980s the Browning company discovered parts for a large number of Mauser actions as well as some for sidelock shotguns (though they were also selling Japanese sidelock shotguns under the Browning brand at the time) and they decided to offer these as a custom shop option.

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Saying that these were from the 1980s may clear at least some of the confusion. I understand that the two Browning Safaris I worked with were from sometime in the 1970s. Apparently Browning built some of what were sold then -- at least in the US -- as Browning Safaris on FN actions and others on Sako actions. The FN is, of course, a long action. Maybe they sought and used a short action, such as the Sako, for shorter length cartridges.