Browning MK 3 DBM

[GJM]

http://www.browningowners.com/forum/...mparison.5184/

[Dagga Boy]

FNAR mags are very heavy due to being all steel with a thick base plate and cost about $50 each. Generally regarded as reliable and available as 20-, 10- and 5-round (which is a blocked 10), all priced about the same. Do protrude out the bottom. Not meant to be disassembled, but some people press out the pins and replace them with bolts.

http://www.browning.com/content/dam/...b.835.835.jpeg

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/21...er-steel-matte

I think it was somewhere in the Scout rifle thread, @Dagga Boy mentioned trying to make the FNAR work as an AWB-compatible option and gave up. I'd be interested to hear him expound on the reasons why.

I wanted one, but talked myself out of it a few times. Seems like problems kept emerging and other solutions would come up. Most folks who do not live in heavily restricted states don't "get" a lot of these guns. Had I stayed in California, I can guarantee I would have had a Ruger Scout rifle by now as that is where I was headed before the move.

With all that said, like the R1, some of these guns are looking really good as general purpose rifles. Like the shotgun world, the semi auto stuff is finally "getting there" in replacing pump shotguns, the practical semi auto's are becoming contenders to bolt action rifles.

[OlongJohnson]

Thanks for posting. I had somehow interpreted your previous comments to mean you'd actually messed around with them and not gotten results you liked.

[jamautry]

The listed weight is 6lbs. 10 oz so seems relatively light for a semiauto 308.

The R1 thread is what lead me to the Browning. I am looking for a lightweight rifle to use around the ranch to dispatch varmints and hogs as the opportunity arises. An AR10 or M1a would work but I wanted something slim and trim. This Browning seems to fit the bill. If the R1 was made in a short barreled 308 it would work too.

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[GJM]

How does the Browning Short track compare to the new MK 3?

[OlongJohnson]

Darn you for activating my answer-finding OCD.

I've been googling and watching videos for a couple hours now and can't find any concrete description of any actual mechanical upgrades or differences in all the marketing. Everything from Browning just talks about details that come down to trim and furniture. There are some comments on 24hourcampfire about consolidating to all long-action receivers but with short-action guts inside, but it's not really clear. Maybe someone should call Browning and get an actual technical download.

[GJM]

Darn you for activating my answer-finding OCD.

I've been googling and watching videos for a couple hours now and can't find any concrete description of any actual mechanical upgrades or differences in all the marketing. Everything from Browning just talks about details that come down to trim and furniture. There are some comments on 24hourcampfire about consolidating to all long-action receivers but with short-action guts inside, but it's not really clear. Maybe someone should call Browning and get an actual technical download.

I am confused as to whether these two models share the same mags, or does the new DBM use FNAR mags (or something else)? Also, can the Short Trac use ten round mags, or does it have a hinged floor plate that must be opened?

Right now, I see the R1 as a better AK walking around gun and possibly caribou/moose rifle in bear country, and the Browning better as a practical rifle/course gun.

[GJM]

Sure seems like disassembly of the Browning is hard -- wonder how necessary that is in lower 48? For AK, the R1 seems better, since I believe it comes apart like a M2 shotgun.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...-box-magazine/

[OlongJohnson]

My understanding is that the ShortTrac / LongTrac use the same mags as the BAR MkII, which clip into a hinged floorplate. You're thus limited to typical hunting rifle capacity. They are different than earlier BAR mags, which sometimes can be found very inexpensively.

The new DBM appears to use the FNAR mag system, which is an additional component attached to the bottom of the receiver, adding bulk and weight. The mags slide out when a button is pushed, kinda like an AR (but the button is not reachable without changing right-hand grip). Mags look the same, receiver looks the same. It's also been marketed on the ShortTrac Hog Stalker and a Winchester variant, both with the FNAR's pistol grip. Would be weird if they didn't just plug and play what was already in production.

Not sure the FNAR and variants have been or will be available in long-action cartridges.

I thought FNAR mags were expensive...
http://www.benelliusa.com/shop/magazines/r1-magazines

It's also kinda neat the the R1 is available in .300WM and .338WM. Like they were actually aiming at competing directly with the BAR for bear defense use.

You could always put together a Fightlite lower in .375 or .458 SOCOM for a non-AR-looking bear country solution. Might end up a little lighter and more compact, although it may not be as high-quality and turn-key as either the Browning or Benelli.

[Lester Polfus]

I am confused as to whether these two models share the same mags, or does the new DBM use FNAR mags (or something else)? Also, can the Short Trac use ten round mags, or does it have a hinged floor plate that must be opened?

Right now, I see the R1 as a better AK walking around gun and possibly caribou/moose rifle in bear country, and the Browning better as a practical rifle/course gun.

They've actually dropped the Short-Trac and Long-Trac designation, and now they are just BAR's. They all have the hinged floor plate. Handy for unloading the gun so you can put in the truck whilst hunting, but not what we need in a "practical rifle."

I can't figure out the FN-AR and Mk3 DBM magazine comparability question. Brownells sells the FN-AR mags, but lists them just for the FN-AR. They have part #3108929200 for the 10 round mag.

The 10 round mag for the MK3 DBM is listed as Item Number 112025056 and UPC 023614486589 on the Browning website.

Making them a common part is exactly the sort of thing that Browning is known for not doing.