B.O.S.S. by Browning

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saltydog452

New member
Is it 'snake oil'?

Understood that, maybe, it can be 'dialed in' to mate the barrel movement to a specific load.

The BOSS makes sense in a semi-logical first blush glimpse.

Is it a practical, worthwhile improvement, or not? The rifle is a .308 BAR.

Thanks,

salty
 
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reynolds357

New member
The system works in theory. That type system works well on bench rest .22 rimfire rifles and I would theorize that is where Browning borrowed the idea. The only problem is that the brake is not really heavy enough to work nearly as well with higher powered center fire as it works with rim fire. You might dial in a little accuracy improvement, but dont expect it to work miracles. I know the gunsmith I use has replaced a bunch of them with standard brakes. I personally would not care for one.
 
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bobn

New member
in my experience with a 280 chambered medallion they work quite well. also there is/was a version without the holes so the noise level wasn't a problem when in the field. bobn
 
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cws515

New member
I have one in 22-250. I traded another 22-250 without the system for it. I have to admit when I first bought it I was a little skeptical on the idea but it actually works. With the load I'm currently shooting I can for real tack drive with it at 100 yards and out at 200 yards its a can't miss on something the size of your fist.
 
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WillyKern69

New member
I ahve one on a 30.06 and if you dial it in properly you can see one inch groups at 200 yards. If you get the one with ports it can be pretty dang loud. rember to lock tight the numeral ring on the system at zero. I learned the hard way to do that.
WK
 
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jmr40

New member
It is one way to help improve a guns accuracy, but not the only way. They are generally shunned, most hunters and shooters won't touch one. When they show up on the used market they are hard to sell and usually go for quite a bit less than a comparable gun without one if they do sell.

That doesn't mean they don't work. They do help somewhat, but most don't think it is worth the ugly protrusion stuck on the end of the barrel and the increased muzzle blast. If you handload you can do the same thing by tweaking your loads instead of the barrrel.
 
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Magnum Wheel Man

New member
I get a huge kick out of everyone talking about increased muzzle blast...

no... they don't increase muzzle blast any more than taking that length off the barrel... if you have a 24" 338 Win Mag with a boss ( I do )... it's not any louder than a 21.5" non boss barreled gun... it doesn't amplify the noise

they do reduce the recoil pretty effectively... I don't think my boss equiped Stainless Stalker in 338 kicks any worse than a comparable 30-06... my 375 H&H is down right pleasant to shoot...

unfortunately, my 2 boss equiped rifles are too expensive to shoot, to really try dialing in the boss... however at last years local gun show, I picked up about 500 - 338 Win Mag cases that didn't have primer flash holes... that situation has been recified, & I plan on spending a good amount of next summer shooting 300 yards ( the limit of my personal range ) with the 338, & should have the chance to do some boss tweaking
 
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SSA

New member
Mine is on a Winchester '06. Shoots great. It's loud with the regular boss on it. I don't notice it when shooting, but it's loud off to the sides.

Was shooting once out in the sticks, a couple guys drove up, they had heard my shooting from where they were camped. Came over to see what kind of a magnum I was shooting that was so loud.
 
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Bart B.

New member
Browning claims their BOSS can be tuned so bullets leave when the barrel's straight out. Guess they don't know enough to see that barrels are shaped like the letter S when fired. And the best place for bullets to leave is just before the muzzle axis is at the top of its swing upward.

I've emailed Browning a couple of times asking if their barrels are on the down swing when straight, or up swing. No response whatsoever. If it's on the down swing, that's the worst time as bullets leaving faster (sooner) will depart at a higher angle than those leaving slower (later) at lower angles. Nor has Browning said anything about running instrumented tests proving the BOSS works as they say it does. I think it's just a theory, and a bad one at that.

The BOSS may help with factory ammo as similar things do with .22 rimfire ammo, but with handloads, you can do the same thing by changing charge weights a tenth of a grain or two to change where the bullet leaves on the muzzle axis' up or down swing. And their BOSS moving 1/10 inch on the barrel will only change its resonant frequency about 1/2 cycle per second. Most barrels' fundamental frequencys are under 100 Hz but the third harmonic frequency the muzzle whips at that's critical is 3 times that much.
 
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MMV.30

New member
I've had a 30.06 A bolt with a B.O.S.S for years now. Definetly reduces kick. I believe the pamphlet that came with the gun stated 24% reduction.
 
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reynolds357

New member
There is a misunderstanding about muzzle brakes and loudness. Muzzle brakes most definitely make the rifle louder from the perspective of anyone behind the rifle. This is most easily demonstrated using a brake with a very aggressive gas angle. Brakes in the 40% and up recoil reduction range make this trait quite obvious to the observer. A brake is not sending gas out to the side of the barrel at a 90% angle. The brake is sending the gas backward.
 
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CaesarI

New member
Popular Mechanics March 1995

You will have to go to your local library March 1995 Popular Mechanics (I can't find it online). They did a great article on this when they were new. Yes they really work, and no it isn't a gimmick. If you reload you can get similar effects by varying your charge (but its quite a bit harder and takes more time) but even with hand-loading you can see gains with the use of the BOSS.

-Morgan
 
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Bart B.

New member
CaesarI, did that article mention anything about how Browning says it works?

Or did they just theorize about it without doing any definitive and proper testing then publishing the test results?

And if you reload changing charge weights a bit, you will get the exact same effects, not similar ones. Both methods change the point in the muzzle axis whip arc where the bullet leaves.

reynolds357, some muzzle brakes do send gas out 90 degrees or less to the bore axis. Especially those that are holes drilled or slots milled straight into the bore a bit back from the muzzle. Check these out, but note some are flash suppressors only:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=muzzl...xIYe6qgHC6oDwDw&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1187&bih=552
 
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natman

New member
I get a huge kick out of everyone talking about increased muzzle blast...

no... they don't increase muzzle blast any more than taking that length off the barrel... if you have a 24" 338 Win Mag with a boss ( I do )... it's not any louder than a 21.5" non boss barreled gun... it doesn't amplify the noise
Click to expand...

This is technically true in the sense that the total amount of noise is unchanged.

HOWEVER, from the point of view of the shooter, more noise is sent backwards and to the sides than a conventional rifle and from the point of view of someone standing beside the shooter it's a LOT louder.

That's a WHOLE LOT louder.
 
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reynolds357

New member
Magnum wheel man, I have to disagree with you about a muzzle brake not "increasing muzzle blast." Technically, they do not increase muzzle blast. What they do is keep the muzzle blast in the vicinity of the end of the muzzle and send muzzle blast backwards and sideways. If you dont believe me. Stand 6 feet beside and 4 feet behind a 50 BMG.
 
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Keg

New member
It is amazing how much recoil is reduced on my 300 Win mag..and it's accurate too....It may be louder to someone standing off to the side..but who cares?
 
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Double Naught Spy

New member
A buddy of mine has this and I have shot his rifle a few times at the range. I am impressed with the system. I am not sure I would spend that kind of money for it as it seems to be a proprietary product, but it is still impressive.

He worked to 'dial in' the accuracy given his loads and then doesn't change the setting unless he changes loads. The change goes from good accuracy to very good accuracy on some loads he tells me. Whether it was the gun, ammo, BOSS, or combination, he was shooting cloverleafs at 100 yards just fine. No doubt other guns will do this with the right combination of factors, but apparently he feels like he can do it with more varieties of ammo than just a particular pet load.
 
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Picher

New member
Handloaders can tune loads to barrel vibrations, primarily by adjusting seating depth. Powder charge weights and powder burning rates can also make a difference, but I believe seating depth to be the major factor.
 
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Bart B.

New member
When one "tunes" their handloads to barrel vibrations, they're changing the point in the barrel's vertical whip cycle at the muzzle so bullets leave at different angles relative to the line of sight. Adjusting the powder charge weight is the best way as that has the greatest effect on muzzle velocity and barrel time without effecting accuracy for a given bullet seating depth.
 
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