Are the boss systems recommended or just a gimmic fad?Anyone like/dislike them?Are they easy to learn and can they be taken off/on when desired?Have they been discontinued/not as popular anymore?I have looked at a couple rifles that have the boss,but just dont know anything about them good or bad...

I have two Model 70 Stainless Classics with a BOSS & CR, a .270 and a 7mm Mag. They both shoot beautifully and I love them. After finding the sweet spot for a load and using the gun's favorite bullet weight my BOSS equipped guns outshoot my rifles without the BOSS and they also let me shoot better with a bullet wt. that isn't the gun's favorite. That's sometimes handy. I usually hunt from a tree stand so the extra wt. at the muzzle end is no problem. When I'm going to be moving around much I use one of my lighter guns without a BOSS. But, I suspect an A-Bolt Stalker with it's shorter barrel would be handy enough for me if it had a BOSS. I've got one I wish I could add a BOSS to. Another advantage is the ablility to switch from the BOSS to the CR. If I'm in the woods and want to be able to hear will I use the CR. If I'm hunting at longer ranges over a soy bean field I use hearing protection and the BOSS. I've discovered that early in the season at ranges as close as 125 yrd.s whitetail can't locate the noise of a gun with a BOSS, or can't associate it with danger. I can usually take the two a day I'm allowed out of a herd before the others spook. Given the numbers we have on the coastal flatlands of VA and MD it's a pity I can't take 3 or 4 legally.

milton,

For factory ammo the Boss makes more sense. One may want to shoot a particular bullet, and why not, and the Boss will allow you to tune it. I would obtain a Boss CR. While the recoil of a 300 mag is up there the blast of a muzzle brake will deafen you.

I have a Browning A-Bolt II w/BOSS in 7mm Rem Mag and although ugly as sin, it is very accurate. Yes it does work if you spend the time to tune it and the brake cuts recoil by 30-40% pending on load. Yes, if you have the muzzle brake version (like mine) it is quite loud. You can get an unported BOSS and install it to tune the barrel harmonics but the recoil is there (not a problem in most cases). They can be taken off for cleaning, but to shoot one so equipped without it on is self-defeating and I wouldn't chance screwing up the exposed brake threads. If you don't want the increased noise/blast, get the non-ported BOSS and swap it out.

A Boss adds 3" to a rifle and four ounces more weight. In general a well made rifle will shoot just as well without a Boss.



I picked up a used M70 Supergrade in 300 WM with the Boss and Boss CR. So far it shoots just as well with or without the device. I get it out and play with it once in a while. Otherwise the rifle is way too heavy and long to carry in the field. Later this winter I will make a cover for the threads as mentioned above.



Similar devices are used on .22 LR match rifles as handloading is not an option. The Boss idea got started at Browning when BAR's were sent back for poor accuracy and changing the barrel length on them became a fix.