All Browning Rifles & Shotguns Exposed – A Full List from a Top Firearm Brand
Originally established as John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company in 1878, Browning Arms Company is one of the oldest firearm manufacturers on the market. The company has gained notoriety for the Browning rifles and shotguns, but it has also designed pistols.
To fishing enthusiasts, Browning is a reputable manufacturer of fishing gear, but the brand is also associated with bicycles, knives and sport bows.
John Browning is known as one of the most innovative firearm inventors and many of his designs were borrowed or produced under license by other big brands, from Colt and FN Herstal to Winchester and Remington.
These days, Browning Arms Company works as a subsidiary after being acquired by FN Herstal. All in all, here is the Browning models list and what made each firearm stand out.
Rifles
Although it was mostly concentrated on shotguns, the proprietary production also brought in a series of rifles that are still in use today, from Browning lever action rifle models to pump rifles.
- X-Bolt was produced under license by Miroku Corp, in Japan. The production began in 2008. It uses multiple cartridges, including .300 WSM, .270 Win and .308 Winchester, among others. It’s one of the numerous guns produced by other manufacturers under an official license. Popular variants are Target McMillan A3-5 Ambush, Pro Tungsten, Hunter Long Range, Hells Canyon Speed, Mountain Pro and White Gold Medallion. Available in 6.5 Creedmoore, .25-06 Rem, .300 Wim Mag.
- A-Bolt was made between 1985 and 1994. Browning A bolt models and variants stood up with the impressive accuracy. Also produced in Japan, it was widely available and extremely popular.
- BLR is chambered in numerous cartridges and still in production today, since 1971. Made in Japan, it has numerous variations, but it stands out with the detachable box magazine.
- BAR is a gas operated unit using both long and short action cartridges (7mm-08 Rem, .308 WIN, .308 WIN Mag, .30-06 SPRG, .270 WIN, .25-06 Rem, .243 WIN). It’s currently made in Belgium. More variants were produced, but the one from 1966 stood out with its upgrades. All models used to load from a detachable box magazine. Popular variants include Safari, ShortTrac and Lightweight Stalker, Mark III, MK3, among others.
- BPR is a pump rifle introduced in 1997. It was only produced until 2001. A few different variants were released, with slight differences between them.
- BBR came out in 1978 and was chambered for more cartridges, including .245 Win, .308 Win, .270 Win and .30-06 Sprg, among others. It was discontinued in 1984.
- BL-22 is a lever action rimfire rifle that went through quite a few transformations since its introduction. Differences are mainly about size.
- SA-22 stands for Semi-Automatic 22. It’s produced by FN Herstal since 1914 and comes in .22 short and long rifle calibers.
- T-Bolt came out in more cartridges, .17 HMR, .22 WMR and .22 LR. It came out in 1965, but it was only produced for a decade. In 2006, it was reintroduced with some upgrades.
- B-92 came out as a special edition firearm. It was introduced in 1978 and only in the .44 Mag caliber. It was very similar to Winchester Model 1892.
Shotguns
The brand is better known for the Browning rifles and shotguns, but particularly for the Browning 20 gauge shotgun models and the Browning 12 gauge shotgun models. Shotguns represented Browning’s main line of production over its long history.
- A-Bolt is one of the classic Browning shotgun models and although it’s discontinued now, it still represents one of the most dependable and accurate shotguns ever made.
- A5 is one of the top rated shotguns produced by Browning. It’s also known as Automatic 5 or Auto 5. The recoil operated shotgun is semi-automatic and despite being designed by John Browning, it was produced by FN Herstal between 1902 and 1998. It was used in most major wars throughout its lifetime.
- B-2000 stands out with its reliability. It works wonders with multiple shells and is often considered an indestructible workhorse.
- Silver is among the most versatile Browning shotgun models and can fire numerous factory loads under all kinds of conditions.
- Maxus is another reference shotgun, primarily used by hunters. It’s been made in more variants, with Maxus 2 representing a serious upgrade from the first generation.
- BPS is a pump action shotgun boosting durable components made of steel. It’s rugged and works wonders in all kinds of conditions.
- BSS was made between 1971 and 1987 in a few different types, 12 gauge, 20 gauge and sidelock.
- Cynergy covers more types of shotguns introduced in 2004. All of them feature break action operation and iron sights. They’re made in Japan, by Miroku Firearms Manufacturing. It brought in a massive upgrade from the classic over and under shotgun design, so it gained popularity as soon as it came out. Populat variants are Wicked Wing, Field, CX and CX Composite.
- Citori has been made since 1973. Browning Citori models come in different barrel lengths. They can be stacked barrel or over and under in design. Calibers include .410 bore, 28, 20, 16 and 12 gauge. Available in CXT, CX, CXS variants,
- Browning 725 is a Citori variant. It’s one of the highest performance shotguns produced by Browning and represents an evolution from the classic B25 Superposed. To a lot of users, it’s a serious upgrade.
- Superposed was produced in two different sections, but discontinued in 1960. It was made in Belgium and introduced to the USA just after the Great Depression.
- BT-99 has a few different variants. It’s considered one of the best Browning shotgun models for trapshooters.
- BT-100 was introduced in 1995. A few variants came out, but the shotgun has always been a single barrel trap model.
- Recoilless came out as an innovative model. But like other guns that brought in something different, it didn’t catch on.
- Gold is a semi-automatic gun that’s been through numerous upgrades. It’s still available today as a special 10 gauge version.
- B-80 was a stop gap shotgun. Like the Recoilless model, it wasn’t among the most successful releases from Browning.
- A-500 has a semi-automatic profile and a single trigger type. It’s a popular piece among firearm collectors.
- Lightning is an over and under shotgun, mainly popular among hunters and sports enthusiasts. It’s known for its rugged profile and durability.
Pistols
Like other firearm manufacturers, Browning has also tried its luck with pistols. A few successful models came out, but they failed to overcome the brand’s shotguns in popularity. Here are the Browning pistol models.
- BDM is a semi-automatic unit made between 1991 and 1998 only. It was in tests to become the standard pistol for the FBI, but it failed to get that far.
- Hi-Power is a single action model made since 1935 and used in most major wars since then. It’s chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W and 7.65x21mm Parabellum cartridges.
- Buckmark is in production since 1985 and uses the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. There are quite a few Browning Buckmark models produced under the same name, with light differences between them.
- 1911-22 is known for the super low recoil, as well as its quiet profile. It’s not intimidating, but extremely powerful for its size.
- 1911-380 is a mix of two of the main innovations coming from John Browning, Model 1911 and the 380 ACP caliber.
- BDA 45 is also known as SIG-Sauer P220, yet similar pistols were based on the same model and marketed under different names.
- BDA 380 was made by Beretta, yet FN Herstal has also joined the production. It used the .32 Acp and .380 ACP calibers, depending on the variant.
- BDA9 was marketed under different ways in North America and Europe. The production began in 1983 and came in a few different versions.
Bottom line, these are the Browning rifles and shotguns that made the firearm manufacturer a world renowned power. Over the past years, it’s expanded its operations and has gotten involved with numerous business ventures, but firearms represent its main line of production.