Gun

Browning B425 Privilege

Grade numbers are out and Browning and names are in. Is Elite better than Prestige, and does the new Privilege give you special powers? We take a brief look at the latest in the long B425 line.

You have to admire Browning. Faced with the problem of having a product that needs little or no change, they work hard to keep the range fresh and maintain that all-important showroom traffic. After years of grade numbering on the Browning and Miroku guns to denote rising quality (and price) they have made the leap in recent times to names for all except the standard models, which retain the 'Grade 1' tag.

Students of Browning will have already noted that while the names have changed, the actual look of the Elite, Prestige and Ultimate models is much like the old grades 3,5and 6. The same cannot be said however of the new range-topper pictured here - the Privilege. The difference is obvious: this is the first B425 gun to be given sideplates, not only giving the engravers a much bigger canvas on which to work, but also giving the gun much of the look of the coveted - and expensive custom grade sideplate models from the B25 range. In fact the new gun has much of the look of the M2 engraving about it, if not the price tag.

Which is not to say that this is a cheap gun. Browning have put a recommended price tag of £5,300 on the Privilege, although you can expect to pay less than that if you shop around.

In theory this is a game model, it does not appear in the competition section of the latest catalogue. The differences are slight however. The gun gets the same stock profile as the regular sporters, but is available only with 28 or 30 inch, fixed-choke barrels (the usual Browning ¼ / ¾ combination) and a narrow rib. As many Browning users prefer the balance and handling of the fixed-choke guns to multi-choke models, this should not inhibit sales too much. The 30 inch gun in our photographs tipped the scales at exactly 7½ lbs, much the same as the sporting models.

The gun falls within Browning's 'Opaline' range, which means it comes with the latest handsome fitted case, as befits a purchase in this price range. Use of 'four-star' wood further justifies the hefty asking price. The sideplates are profusely decorated with game scenes - dog and pheasant on the left, woodcock on the right, all encased in exuberant scrollwork. Although nicely executed, I have to confess that it remains for me rather typically Japanese, with a somewhat lifeless feel to the birds and dog. This is one area in which the Miroku factory has never quite matched the best of the Belgian engravers.

That aside it is undeniably a handsome gun (although for over five grand they might have offered us something other than the standard hard plastic butt plate). It has a restrained air of quality about it and certainly will stand out from the crowd of B425 guns that is out there. Who will buy it? Those who shoot clays and game and like to use the same gun for both will certainly find they can take it to the most prestigious estates without embarrassment and there are plenty of dedicated clay shooters out there who just like to have a really good looking gun. They now have an alternative to the sideplate Beretta models to choose from.

More information: Browning Sports 01235 444100