Browning Mtn Rifle

[david58]

Does anyone have any experience with the Browning Mtn Rifle (Hawken)? I have admired them for years, and one is for sale in a local gun shop, tempting me. Would appreciate your opinion. BTW, rifle is in pristine condition, but no knowledge of how many rounds, etc.

 

[nit wit]

I have one in .45 and it's a tack driver. They only made 1000 of them. Check the bore just to be sure!
Nit Wit

 

[user 36911]

I had one. I guess i'd still have it if I liked it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The Browning Rifle is a solid and accurate on target rifle. The single set trigger can take some getting used to. The major drawback is that the rifle hasn't been manufactured for many years. Spare parts are for all practical purposes, nonexistent.

 

[Grimord]

I have one that was originally a .50 with the iron furniture. It was very accurate, but somewhat heavy. I had Bobby Hoyt bore it out to .58, and now it is my "go to" deer rifle. It shoots better than I can hold it with open sights and my failing eyesight. I like the single set trigger, especially for gloved hands, but many don't. As said, the gun has been out of production for many years now and parts are difficult to find but it is a good solid rifle.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I saw the first one I have ever seen up close at a pawn shop the other day, brand new in the box. It was nice looking, they collected Browning stuff and planned to hold on to it.

It was a handsome rifle but looked a little heavy (chunky) in the wood and barrel.

 

[jsb30]

I have a recently purchased 50 cal. When I received it the hammer would not hit the cap but drop into the half cock notch. I pulled the lock and there was a gap between the bridle and the hammer letting the fly miss the sear. The bridle was so soft I bent the corner of it in to hold the fly in. Works fine now and I like the rifle but think the lock is a little lacking. I may make a new bridle and refit everything later. I like the set trigger and basically like the rifle. Would like to find one in a heavier caliber. Setting the trigger is the way to fire it, trying to fire without setting trigger it has about a 50 lb pull.

 

[Hillbilly Delux]

I have one however, have the trigger replaced with a double...love the feel just haven't got it to hit well past 100 yds. PRB 490.18 patch with 80g FF Goex.

 

[vintovka]

Old news, but assembled a 2 barrel (.45 and .54) hawken copy using what looked like unfired JMR barrels i picked up at a show. I have always wondered why the barrels (sans plugs) would be found like that. Best guess is someone replaced them with others and reused the plugs and other parts.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I don't own one. I remember when they first came out, causing a bit of a stir in the blackpowder community. It was big news when manufacturers like Browning and Ithaca decided to make muzzleloaders. I liked the fact that Browning did not call it a "Hawken," but instead chose to honor their own namesake. I couldn't afford one of those rifles at the time, and when I reached the point at which I could, they were out of production. Since then, I've passed up a few... Either due to condition or price. I've been too late to connect on a couple of deals, too. These rifles seem to be coming up for sale a lot more now. My guess is that a lot of the original owners held on to them, but have now reached "a certain age" and the old rifles are now up for sale.

The three complaints I keep seeing about these rifles are 1) weight,2) the single set trigger, and 3) difficulty getting parts for the lock. Maybe L&R should consider adding a Browning JBMR replacement lock to their RPL lineup. The weight is less than most original mountain or plains rifles, and I guess you either like the trigger or you don't. In his post above, @Hillbilly Delux said he replaced his with double triggers. Sounds like a good solution for one who likes the rifle but not the trigger.

Anyway, if you type "browning mountain rifle," in quotes, into the search box in the upper right of your screen, you'll get ten pages of links to posts discussing the JBMR on this forum. Probably more information than you would want to read in a day, but it might help you with your questions.

I'm not a hard-core collector. Every gun I get is with the intention of shooting it. The going price for a JBMR on the collector market is one thing, but the price you are willing to pay for a shooter is another. I will say that if you hire a custom builder to produce a rifle comparable to a JBMR in pristine condition, you're looking at a price tag somewhere north of $2,000.

Best of luck to you!

Notchy Bob

 

[52Bore]

I’d say buy it if you like it.
I have a Centennial edition (1000) as I’ve never seen documented how many non-centennials they made.
From my understanding they were built by GRRW for Browning.
Best of luck and enjoy.

 

[vintovka]

Based on advice here i did some very rudimentary research on JBRs. All are just unverifiable comments so don't delaminate over them. Apparently parts for these are very, very scarce. There were many complaints about the lock mechanism especially the softness of the sear. The rifles in .45 are somewhat scarce but reported to be be excessively heavy ( I can attest to that one). They are reported as very accurate with ,50 and ,54 being the most popular. That very early ones (sub #200) may have been made by Cherry corners and may be worth a premium. That their higher cost negatively affected When the rifles were discontinued some dealers had real difficulty selling them off resulting in low prices. I did not find any reference to them ever being sold as kits or individual components being available. This may support the theory that the .45 and 54 barrels i acquired were take offs despite appearing as NOS. (Still wondering why someone would do that but they showed up at McManns show in Sacramento CA) That the factory sights did not appeal to everyone. That the Ithaca Version was better made and better looking. Feel free to chime in

 

[Notchy Bob]

Based on advice here i did some very rudimentary research on JBRs. All are just unverifiable comments so don't delaminate over them. Apparently parts for these are very, very scarce. There were many complaints about the lock mechanism especially the softness of the sear. The rifles in .45 are somewhat scarce but reported to be be excessively heavy ( I can attest to that one). They are reported as very accurate with ,50 and ,54 being the most popular. That very early ones (sub #200) may have been made by Cherry corners and may be worth a premium. That their higher cost negatively affected When the rifles were discontinued some dealers had real difficulty selling them off resulting in low prices. I did not find any reference to them ever being sold as kits or individual components being available. This may support the theory that the .45 and 54 barrels i acquired were take offs despite appearing as NOS. (Still wondering why someone would do that but they showed up at McManns show in Sacramento CA) That the factory sights did not appeal to everyone. That the Ithaca Version was better made and better looking. Feel free to chime in

That's a good summary!

Notchy Bob

 

[Davey Boy]

I do not fear lack of parts as long as I have a good file to make another part.

I would also not hesitate to buy a well maintained black powder fire stick regardless of the number of times it was fired.

There is also fun to be had resurrecting the aged and broken into something desired.

 

[Prairieofthedog]

They were built for Browning, by a small company in Utah. Look up Midway's Larry Potterfields stories. The Browning rifle worked out pretty good for him and his dad!