Owner's Manual

English
10
Browning BAR Zenith
Semi-automatic rifle
Thank you for choosing a Browning BAR Zenith rifle.
Congratulation on your choice of a Browning BAR
Zenith.
The BAR Zenith represents the latest generation of Brow-
ning semi-automatic rifles.
With a reasonable amount of care, your rifle should give
you many years of dependable, enjoyable service.
The BAR Zenith rifle you have just acquired is a part of the
extensive range of Browning products.
Its principle of operation is based on using a part of the
energy provided by the combustion gasses to activate the
semi-automatic operating cycle.
Your BAR Zenith rifle is the fruit of more than 40 year’s of
experience for Browning in semi-automatic rifles. Its per-
fect balance essentially results from the well thought-out
distribution of masses in movement, whilst the principle
of gas-assisted operation provides it with its extraordinary
smoothness and reduced recoil for the shooter.
The cold hammered barrel allied with the 7 lugs bolt gives
your rifle unmatched accuracy.
Operation of your BAR Zenith has been tested in our
factory with a wide range of cartridges available on the
European market.
HOWEVER, THE ACCURACY OF YOUR BAR
ZENITH HAS BEEN SET EXCLUSIVELY WITH
WINCHESTER AMMUNITION, WHICH WE
RECOMMEND YOU TO USE.
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
The extremely simple principle of operation is based on
diverting a part of the combustion gasses to a piston. Un-
der the gas pressure, the piston moves backwards and
pushes the moving parts (bolt and breech) towards the
back of the gun, which opens the mechanism and ejects
the empty case. Under the pressure of the recoil spring,
the breech and bolt unit is then pushed back forward and
a new cartridge is inserted automatically into the cham-
ber.
One original characteristic of the rifle is to be found in its
rotating bolt system: as the bolt lugs are based on the wall
of the barrel itself, the bolt and the barrel form a rigid unit
together, which adds to the rifle’s accuracy. (figure. 1).
Your rifle’s semi-automatic operation enables the cartrid-
ges in the magazine to be fired one after another. When
the last cartridge has been ejected, the bolt is held open.
To close the bolt, simply depress the bolt release lever (fi-
gure. 2). For obvious safety reasons, do not insert your
fingers inside the ejection opening.
Above and beyond its exacting mechanical design, incor-
porating the latest manufacturing techniques, the BAR
Zenith also possesses the following distinctive features:
- An ergonomic bolt release lever for simplifying loading
and unloading.
- Accurate adjustment of the gas system which will enable
your gunsmith to adapt the rifle to the ammunition you
use.
- A special rod and mass system, guaranteeing perfect
operation with the different types of ammunition used.
- A recoil pad.
- A system for adjusting the stock’s pitch and advantage
for a perfect match between the gun and its user.
- A gun-locking indicator (red dot) located in the ejection
opening, for making sure that your rifle is correctly locked
at just one glance.
- A sighting system that meets all the hunter’s require-
ments.
RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE USING THE
GUN FOR THE FIRST TIME
All exposed metal parts of your new firearm have been
oiled at the factory, please wipe off any excess oil with a
soft, clean, dry cloth.
Before firing your first shot, clean the bore and chamber of
the barrel thoroughly.
The bore must be dried to avoid any overpressure and any
variations in the point of impact. Fit a cleaning rod with
a piece of flannel and push it down the barrel, inserting it
from the barrel mouth.
If necessary, wipe off any excess oil from the other parts of
the firearm with a soft cloth.
AMMUNITION
Do not use ammunition of any other calibre than the one
specified on the right-hand side of the barrel
Examine every cartridge you put into your firearm.
Only use reliable commercially available cartridges of the
right calibre for your gun. The calibre is engraved on the
right-hand side of the barrel and on the back of the maga-
zine. We have designed and manufactured your rifle with
all the safety coefficients required. However, Browning
will assume no responsibilities for incidents, which occur
through the use of cartridges of non standard dimension
or those developing pressures in excess of CIP or SAAMI
established standards.
Browning recommends Winchester cartridges.
SERIAL NUMBER & MARKING
Your rifle’s serial number is engraved on the left-hand side
of the receiver. The calibre is marked on the right-hand
side of the barrel and the back of the magazine.
English
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
SAFETY
Your rifle is equipped with a transverse safety button sys-
tem. It is conveniently located on the trigger guard behind
the trigger. The large size of the safety button makes it
very easy to operate.
When completely pushed to the right (figure. 3), the sa-
fety is in the «ON» safe position with the trigger locked.
When completely pushed to the left (figure. 4), a red line
appears on the left side of the safety, the safety is in the
«OFF» safe position and the firearm is ready for firing.
Get used to leaving your firearm with the safety in the
«ON» safe position, no matter whether it is loaded or
not.
Only put the safety in the «OFF» safe position just when
you are ready to fire.
Note: If a left-handed «safety» is needed, the «safety» can
be reversed by a qualified gunsmith. In this case, the safety
must be operated in the opposite way. Therefore, when
completely pushed to the right, a red line will appear on
the right side of the safety, the safety is in the «OFF» safe
position and the firearm will be ready for firing.
LOADING
Depending on the legislation in force in different coun-
tries, the Browning BAR has a removable magazine moun-
ted on a hinged floorplate or a fixed magazine or a drop-
down magazine.
The magazine also has a capacity that directly depends on
the legislation in force in the different countries.
An extra cartridge inserted into the chamber beforehand
will increase the total capacity of your rifle by one car-
tridge.
To load your gun, we recommend that:
1. When loading your rifle, always keep the safety in the
«ON» safe position and keep the muzzle aimed in a safe
direction. Keep your fingers away from the trigger.
Open the mechanism and check that your gun is totally
unloaded, see Unloading section below.
Then proceed as follows:
2. Eject the magazine from the rifle by pulling the maga-
zine release rearward with your finger, located at the back
of the magazine. The magazine will either fall into your
hand or swivel. (figure 5).
3. Open the bolt by pulling the bolt handle completely
backward, while holding the bolt in its rearward position,
lift the bolt lever release in order to lock it into open posi-
tion, then insert a cartridge into the chamber.
4. Release the bolt by depressing the bolt release lever (fi-
gure.2).
5. Insert a full magazine on the hinged floorplate or refill
the empty magazine.
6. Close the floorplate or insert the drop-down magazine
into position until it locks into place.
N.B. Basic versions may differ depending on the legisla-
tion in force in different countries. Depending on legisla-
tion, the magazine may be fixed and non-transformable.
The rifle is now ready for firing just by moving the safety
in the «OFF” safe position and squeezing the trigger.
Changing magazines on versions with a hinged floor-
plate.
For removing the empty magazine with the magazine
floorplate open, take hold of the magazine by gripping
its side walls between thumb and middle finger and press
your forefinger against the back edge of the floorpate.
The magazine will come off the support easily. To put a
full magazine back onto the floorplate, insert the nose on
the front of the magazine into the corresponding slot and
push the magazine into position as far as possible on its
floorplate (figure. 6). If you do not possess a second ma-
gazine, or if the magazine is fixed in position, you can
directly reload the magazine in position on the rifle as
shown in (figure. 7). Whatever solution you adopt, always
make sure that cartridges are placed in the magazine cor-
rectly to avoid any cartridge feed incident when firing.
FIRING
When you are ready to fire, move the safety in the «OFF»
safe position, take aim and squeeze the trigger.
After firing, the bolt will automatically move rearward,
eject the empty case you have just fired and then return
forward feeding a new cartridge into the chamber.
If you want to fire a second shot, take aim again and then
squeeze the trigger.
When the last cartridge has been fired and ejected, the
bolt is held open rearward.
If you have finished firing, leave the bolt open, in the back
position, for inspecting the barrel bore chamber and the
magazine visually to make sure that there are no more
cartridges in the chamber or the magazine.
Put the safety back in the «ON» safe position immedia-
tely.
UNLOADING
When unloading your rifle, always put the safety in the
«ON» safe position and keep the muzzle aimed in a safe
direction. Keep your fingers away from the trigger.
1) Remove the magazine by pulling the magazine release
backward.
2) Open the bolt by pulling the bolt handle backward and