Browning Serial Number??

74man

I took a friend to the range today and he pulls out a Browning Rifle in .243 caliber, made in Belgium. It has no model number on it and the serial number is L1397. I would like to know the date of manufacture and the model number. I looked on the Browning site but I couldn't figure out what they were talking about. I went to the browning manuals and couldn't find a picture of the rifle. It looks to me that it has a mauser action, safety is on the right side of the back of the bolt and the rifle has a hooded front site. Can anyone tell me when it was made and what model it is?? Thank you, Bob.

charliemeyer007

A good picture or two would help. Sounds like it was made on an FN Mauser. It could be a built up rifle. I have a 1906 Winchester that sports a Remington 510 Targetmaster barrel. I think it has been some time since any Browning's were built in Belgium

pic posting the sticky above
http://forums.GunBroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=259294

rufe-snow

Browning serialization can be very confusing. My take on the rifles DOM, is that it was made in 1959. I agree with forgemonkey that it's a Safari grade.

Here's where it's gets kind of sticky. I believe after 1959 there would have been a single digit number before the letter L. Ranging from 0 to 9. Denoting 1960 to 1969.

They marked their .22 pistols similarly. Although sometimes the date and product code were behind the serial number, instead of in front.

74man

It looks something like the picture but it has a hooded front site. The safety is on the rear right side of stock next to the closed bolt. The stock is about the same except it has a raised cheek stock area. The magazine opens up at the bottom and it has a catch on the front of the trigger guard which drops out the bottom on a spring plate and that allows the loaded ammo to come out the bottom of the magazine well. I don't have any pictures because it is a friends rifle. It sure is beautiful wood and blueing. The scope is a Redfield 2X7X and is slightly cloudy, can't tell if the blur is on the inside or the outside of the scope but I advised him to contact Redfield and see if they can recondition the scope because tring to move it from 2 to 7 power is really a chore. The rear lense is retangular shaped like a TV screen. The scope adjustments seem sticky also, hard and slow to move. Don't know if that is just the way the scope is or if a good cleaning inside and out will help. Wouldn't do it myself, let the factory do it. Thank you all for your information, you can see where I got confused.

gearheaddad

Is the trigger guard and floor plate engraved and "gold inlaid"?
I'm betting it's a Safari Grade also.
If it is indeed a Safari Grade it's a very fine rifle that will last for decades to come. I would suggest putting a modern Leupold, Swarovski, or Zeiss scope on that nice rifle!

74man

Gearheadad, the floor plate is gold inlaid but I don't remember if the trigger guard was inlaid or not. Thanks. I think he has an exceptional rifle. My prettiest rifle in my safe is my Remington model 4 in .270, and I would take his over mine anytime as far as the looks goes.

Forgemonkey: The rifle looks like the one in the picture with the hooded front site. It has "made in Belgium" on the right side of the barrel. The bolt doesn't look like the picture, its shinny, like chrome but SS I beleive. Thanks for the Picture.