Lots of advertising when Browning brought ot the Boss system on some of their barrels. Don't see as many today but a few still around. A couple questions ??
From those with REAL experience do they work ? can you fine tune a barrel to improve accuracy ?? How much of an improvement have you experienced ? groups down to _______ ? They add around 2 inches to the length of the barrel. The Boss must act like a break as well. How much is recoil reduced ?

back it up a couple steps...

when FN bought Browning, they brought over the WELL PROVEN boss system, from military sniper rifles.

there is no question that they worked, both as brake and solid format -- as they moved a weight around a harmonic to help having the bullet and barrel in the same alignment, most of the time.

did they work? oh yeah
did it matter in the hands of MOST hunters (the 1 box of ammo every 4 years guys) nope
are they loud? if perforated YEAH, solid.. nah
what is the best use case? a rifle that REALLY likes a single load, or specifically TWO, but poi drifts a bit when changing from say, 165 to 180s in your 30-06 ... you could move the poi with the boss ..

it worked, it's pretty could, and if i was REALLY worried about that last 1/4MOA, i'd likely do another one.

Guys send their barreled actions to me and exactly Zero want the Boss replaced on the new barrel.
Whilst they can be "made to work", they are not worth the cost and effort, over starting with a good barrel. For poorly stress relieved factory barrels, that is what they were made for.
I have no use for them.

I have a .270 with the Boss System. As jeffeosso stated, they do work. At one setting I will get 1.5” groups at 100yds. With a bit of adjusting the exact same load tightens up to about 0.7”. Other loads used show similar improvement. With the .270, was not concerned about recoil, but it does help.

Now to what I have found to be troubling. When you are tuning the system, the point of impact will change. It is not just affecting the group size, but POI as well.

Should the system come lose, you will need to get it back to the exact location to return to point of aim. In some loads a very small adjustment makes a noticeable POI difference. For whatever reason I seem to have troubles getting the system tight enough so that is does not loosen up at some point. When it is loose it really throws a shot.

To what dpcd stated. When I replace the barrel, it will be a quality hunting weight barrel without the Boss System.

All the best….Carl

I had a fellow tell me his 338WM was less noisy.

Because his Boss was a suppressor.

I just smiled some times it is best not to argue.

Thanks to all for the comments. Carl your information is exactly what I was looking for.

I have no use for a boss system on a hunting rifle, I can tolerate a detachable muzzle brake as it helps me shoot better at the range sighting in and working up loads, and I can take it off if I wish..mostly I didn't hunt with it on some years past but the older I get and the bursitis sets in Ive come to appreciate the muzzle brake more and more..

I think the BOSS is most useful on inherently finicky rifles. If I still had a 2.5 inch BAR, I might want to see if I could dial it into 1.5 inches or less with a BOSS.

Didn't Browning sue itself over Winchester using it.

(not being jerky here)
question wasn't about "do we install these on new barrels", it was do they work - and the answer is YES ...

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
Didn't Browning sue itself over Winchester using it.

I thought it was a licenses product, as FN was a player in both, and then FN bought the right to license the winchester brand

I have a brand new Browning take off barrel with Boss in 300 Wm. It came in a box of goodies I bought at a gun auction. Have never used one so I was thinking on installing it on an action and playing with it. However after hearing that they are prone to comming loose and changing the adjustment I've lost interest at this time. Thanks again for your comments

The story I got from a factory rep was that Browning found themselves incapable of producing BAR's with consistent accuracy. The Boss system was what they came up with to address that.

I dealt with a number of customers who were using rifles so equipped years ago. What we found was most Model 70's and BAR's with out the Boss were accurate with good handloads. But the occasional hunter with some off the shelf factory load could tune the boss equipped gun close to moa almost everytime. Providing he knew what he was doing. Several customers paid me to do it.

They are certainly as loud as any muzzle brake made.

I have a Brno .22 (Model 2 - 1982 ??) that was an absolute innacurate "pig"- not typical of these - I did everything I could think of with it and just before disposing of the thing........as far away from where I lived as possible...I tried a barrell tuner.

A mate commented on a Browning (?) with a Boss that he had experience with and reported the success he had at getting great accuracy out of it.

I took a peice of 3/4" (??) 4140 out of the chip tray on my lathe and built a barrell tuner out of it. I proceeded to shoot, test and adjust it for effect.

I had astounding results. My groups went from a 1 1/4" groups, at best, to .3" - .4".

I found that the better cartridges had a far greater "band" of adjustment than the poorer cartridges and would adjust to shooting a far smaller group than the poorer (I'm trying not to say "cheaper" as it wasn't the determining factor......always) cartridges.

While I hate the look of the damn things I can report that they work.

Bill Hambly Clark Jr in his book "Centrefire Rifle Accuracy - Creating and Maintaining it" has a chapter on tuners that is worth reading.

at least the boss isn't as useless as a blaser

I have a heavy varminter Browning in 308 with the boss and it's deadly accurate. The Boss does work. With the tuners it's tune your load/bullet to the rifle, not trying different powders and loads trying to get your particular load to shoot. One thing with the BOSS is in a sense not easy to tune. I have a friend that has company that makes tuners very unlike the BOSS. There is a dial on them you turn (and then don't turn so easily that they get knocked off the setting) and it's marked like a micrometer. Very easy and fast to dial it in.

I don't buy this quality barrel and gunsmithing and stress free barrel to get accuracy. A tuner will almost always tune even a good shooting rifle. One of the hardest barrels to stress relieve are hammer forges barrel.

Yes BOSS's do work!

I really don't see my customers suddenly start asking for $50 barrels and Bosses any time soon.

Unscrew it and throw it away, if your rifle shoots, have your Smith make you a nice thread protector, if it doesn't, have him re barrel it.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
I really don't see my customers suddenly start asking for $50 barrels and Bosses any time soon.

That's gun people are among the hardest people to give up old ideas. Look at the AR's. Not many of the old timers have fully accepted them. They are stuck on the old bolt action, blued steel, and wood stocked guns.

quote:

Originally posted by vzerone:

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
I really don't see my customers suddenly start asking for $50 barrels and Bosses any time soon.

That's gun people are among the hardest people to give up old ideas. Look at the AR's. Not many of the old timers have fully accepted them. They are stuck on the old bolt action, blued steel, and wood stocked guns.

i know i am! love em! especially levers.

Damn right on the wood and blued steel!
I wouldn't have a plastic pos if given to me.

George

all the tricked out wildly painted plastic guns with all the shiny bling remind me of the new fishing lures that come out every season. they may or may not catch fish but they sure hook a lotta fishermen!

Good on you two, I have no truck in SS and plastic in rifles or pistols, oh year Im considerd an old timer, a really old timer that is and my heads made up..If I was planning a Alaskan hunt or a swamp hunt I wouldn't mind a composit SS rifle, but those hunts are not on my bucket list anymore and Ive done dunnit,, so wherever I go I wil be packing a wood and blue custom or factory rifle of some sort and in the spring or fall, not winter, not summer..Age is my guide these days, elk and deer, maybe a moose or sheep if I can draw, but they better hurry and give me a tag..