Gun
Test:
Browning Ultra XT
This article was published in the May 2000 issue of Clay Shooting Magazine.
TOPS FOR
TRAP?
Browning's
new Ultra XT is the trap companion to the XS Sporter. Richard Rawlingson
puts it through its paces.
We tested the
XS last summer when the guns first appeared in the shops and found it
well specified, even if the new look divided opinion somewhat. The trap
model also looks to have plenty to offer, not least at around £1800 in
the shops sound value for money.
Specification
Mechanically there is very little to say about the XT that has not been said many, many times about other Browning/Miroku models. So well-proven and so reliable is the Miroku factory's basic interpretation of the classic Browning action that we are all guilty sometimes of taking it for granted. In this case familiarity really should not breed contempt for this really is one of the great guns of the 20th century. It changes very little for there is so little that is wrong with it.
One small change will delight everyone who has had to search around for a very large screwdriver in order to remove the stock from a Miroku-made gun. No longer does the heel plate or recoil pad have to be removed before said screwdriver could be applied to the head of the bolt. Instead a hexagonal key is inserted through the pad, allowing the stock to be removed in seconds. It is a system many rivals have been using for years and one wonders sometimes why it has taken Browning so long to follow suit. Routine maintenance should be much simpler as a result.
The XT is available in two barrel lengths - 30 and 32 inches. We opted to test the latter which is likely to prove marginally more popular for Down The Line where the volume sales are in this country. It also gave me a chance to directly compare the new gun in action against my venerable Miroku 3800 and see what, if anything, had changed in the thirteen years that separates the two guns.
The most obvious difference between this and the B425 or Gti trap models that preceded it is the fitment of an adjustable comb to the stock. It is a feature shared with the sporter and on that gun it smacked a little of gimmickry. On a trap gun however I would class it as genuinely useful, as the results of some experiments we conducted show. These are discussed in more detail in the test section later.
The mechanism itself is neat and works well. It uses two Allen keys to effect the vertical and lateral adjustments (one small point - why two different sizes. Would it not have been more efficient to use just one with one less to lose as a result?) The range of movement is quite generous. Laterally 7mm is about the maximum adjustment whilst vertically up to 10mm is possible. The drop at comb can therefore be set anywhere between 28 and 38mm. The process takes just a few seconds and locking is positive. I tried to lower the comb with significant downward pressure and it did not move. Once secured therefore it should need just the occasional check to see that the original drop is still correctly set.
Elsewhere on the stock we see the familiar Browning/Miroku style ventilated trap pad which gives a secure mount and it is interesting to note that the company have elected to fit a palm swell to this gun. I confess that I do not like these devices on production guns because I feel they inconvenience as many shooters as they assist. They have a place on a well designed custom stock but I believe guns which will be shot 'off the peg' are better without.
As we have become used to on higher grade Brownings, the trigger blade can be set to one of three positions and three different blades are supplied with the gun. As is normal on a trap gun, the trigger is non-selective, firing the bottom barrel first in the usual way. The normal Browning full beavertail trap fore end is fitted.
The specification lucky dip has decreed that all Ultras will feature over-bored (or back-bored as Browning call them) barrels and the catalogue repeats earlier claims for reduced recoil, increased pellet velocity and improved patterns. Call me an old cynic if you will but I find the scientific evidence behind this pretty shaky and Browning themselves don't seem to be able to make up their mind about it because it appears or not on new models seemingly at random. While not convinced it does good, I don't think it does much harm either so perhaps it is not worth getting too steamed up about.
All XTs will have fixed chokes, nominally three quarter and full. With the bore gauge I found quite a difference between the two tubes - the bottom barrel measures .737" and the top .742". This is of no real concern on a fixed choke gun because it does not impact on the relative constrictions of interchangeable chokes. The actual degrees of choke as measured were 33 and 46 thou respectively, suggesting that the top barrel in particular might be a touch tight. Again, more of that later.
The barrels have
ventilated top and side ribs, the top rib tapering from 13-10 mm with
a grooved centre channel. White mid and front beads are fitted.
Cosmetics
I confess the new livery of the X series has grown on me somewhat since I first saw it. I still don't like the gold edging and lettering but the greyed background finish to the action is rather smart. As always it is difficult to find fault with the way the gun is presented. Miroku, along with Beretta, set a very high standard of fit and finish for a production gun and it is rare to find anything more than minor cosmetic quibbles on any of their products. Again this is something which perhaps the market takes almost for granted without fully appreciating how good the guns are for the money.
All the XS and XT guns I have seen have had a similar dark finish to the wood, which sets of the grey action nicely, and all have had some character - about 'grade three' for those of you who still, like me, think in those terms. The wood is given a traditional oil finish which earns an extra brownie point and the grain on this particular gun was less open than many. With time, care and use it will come up very nicely. Similarly the finish on the barrels, both internal and external was well up to par.
There is one other area of presentation in which Browning have made great strides with this new series of guns. For too long all you got with your gun was a cardboard box and the later plastic cases of recent times were of modest quality compared to other makers' offerings. All that is put right in spectacular fashion now because the guns come in a splendid aluminium travel case with fitted foam interior. Having given Browning stick on this issue in the past I am happy to record a worthy improvement. As an added bonus you also get a free trigger guard lock with every gun.
On Test
This XT is not a lightweight gun, which adds to my feeling that its natural home is DTL or American trap shooting. The catalogue specification shows 3.6kg for the 32", a touch under 8lb. On my scales it went 8½, with the barrels contributing 3¾lb of that total. Weight is no bad thing in a DTL gun, Krieghoffs for example routinely scale considerably more than this gun, and provided the balance and handling is there all should be fine. In this respect the gun does pretty well. I feared it might prove excessively nose heavy but in fact the balance is much more neutral than that and the handling is steady but not ponderous. Just right for the job in fact. That weight also helps soak up the recoil and I found it pleasant to shoot in this regard.
I nearly wrote down 4 and 4½lb for the trigger pulls before I got out my gauge, so consistent has the factory been in this respect over the years of testing. Happily they did not disappoint! The actual pulls exhibited that characteristic Browning small initial motion followed by a slight but noticeable drag. Not bad, but not top drawer.
I took the gun to the pattern plate, looking to check the choking and in particular that top barrel, and also to do some experiments with the adjustable comb and its effect on point of impact. Some earlier shots on a DTL layout had suggested that both barrels were throwing dense patterns, judging by the puffs of smoke I was getting at normal ranges, even with 24 gram loads. In fact there was little difference between the two, with both throwing almost identical and slightly better than full choke patterns - 71% at 40 yards. Extrapolate that to the normal range of 30 yards at which most targets would be shot, and the reason for those smoked clays becomes clear. The cartridges used were Gamebore Blue Diamond 28 gram 7½ shot . The effective spread in both cases was about 22" - that is the pattern diameter which would guarantee 100% kills. With this particular combination the gun is choked effectively full and full. As ever it pays to test any gun with the cartridges you intend to use and not rely on the choking stamped on the barrels.
The effect of
the comb adjustment was interesting. Shooting at 30 yards and aiming at
the same mark with the comb fully lowered and then fully raised, I estimate
that the difference in point of impact is around 9 inches. Again it shows
the benefit of using the pattern plate to test the effects of any changes
you make to the settings of an adjustable gun.
Summary
The XT is a competent
all-round package that delivers pretty good value, especially with that
fancy case taken into consideration. The specification is, on the whole,
well considered and the adjustable comb probably of much more use here
than it is on the sporter. Buyers on a sub-£2000 budget, looking to make
progress in competition trap shooting, should certainly put it on their
short list.
Distributors: Browning Sports 01235 444100
