Browning B325/2

Browning is probably the mass producer of guns with the longest association with the OU.

It started with the B25, which although the dream of John Moses Browning was really the work of his son, Val. Patent applications for the first designs appeared in 1925, but unfortunately John Browning died in 1926 and the work was taken up by Val, with the first guns being offered for sale in 1931.

Many processes went into the production of a B25, perhaps a little too much, and although today, the design has been refined, the quality and time that it takes to build a B25, has elevated them into the custom gun class. However, from a value for money point of view, they are still one of the cheapest hand made guns on the market.

That said, they are probably out of the reach of most of us. Browning, realised this too and had to bring guns onto the market that would appeal to a wider audience, simply in terms of affordability if nothing else.

To do this they turned to their friends in Japan; Miroku.

In the early seventies, miroku had made a gun for Browning, that was sold mainly in the USA, called the Citori.

  In the mid 80’s this was revived on the current Miroku action, which mechanically had drawn a great deal of influence from the B25.

These guns were quite heavy, both in action and stock, but was available in all grades and found a good deal of favour on the market. But although not a problem the weight was a minus point.

So with some help from Browning UK, the gun was redesigned from a cosmetic angle. Throughout the range, even today the mechanics have remained unchanged, and I think that there is little that could be done to improve it.

In initially the gun was produced in only one grade and was introduced to run along side the Citori range. The single grade remained as the grade 1, and the citori range was replaced by further grades of 325. namely grades 2, 3, 5 and 6. although I have seen a few Miroku’s in grade 4, neither 325 or 425 range had them.

The obvious differences between the 325 and the citori was the weight and the stock length.

Where the citori was about 8lb, a 325 was approx. 7 ½ lb. This was achieved with a much slimmer action and stock.

The stock dimensions were noticeable longer; 14 7/8” at centre, and finished with a polymer heel plate, against the citori’s rubber pad at about 14 5/8”. And it was also much slimmer at the hand affording   better grip. The chequer pattern was different at the time to anything else seen at that time on a Browning; with crescents forming the borders rather than vees. This is still the same on the 425 . though not on higher grades which have a more conventional pattern. The forend wood followed the popular schnabel shape, and is still current today.

Barrels on the 325 followed the same method of constructio that had always been used on a Browning or Miroku; chopper lump,where the lumps that join the action are an integral part of the barrel tube.

  The main feature of the 425, that in effect created it as another model, was the fact that it was the first gun Browning to be made on the mono-block principle where the two barrel tubes are fixed into a separate ‘lump block’.

The first 325’s appeared on the market in 1988 and the gun ran until superseded by the 425 in 1995.

To start with all the guns were made with conventional bore diameter barrels and the standard Invector choke system. In the early 90’s a choice was then made available between standard or plus boring. This ‘plus boring’ had started with the GTI, which was a purpose built clay gun for 1991. Basically this is where the bore diameters are made bigger; 18.8mm as against 18.4mm on the standard gun. This over-boring, as it is known, simply has the effect of reducing pressure in the bore so that there is less recoil. Because of the larger diameter a new invector choke system was developed, which utilised a longer tube. Having a longr taper this was also designed to reduce recoil, and became known as invector plus.

Problems.

None that I would say are particular to the 325 range; any Browning/ miroku built over the last 20 years or so could suffer from them, and it is true to say that the older they get, having done more work, then so problems are more likely to show up.

Top lever springs can become weak; this may cause the lever to jump when the gun is fired and block the second barrel from firing. This is a safety device coming into play.

It could be that the top lever spring retaining assembly has come loose; it screws into place. And simply may need tightening up. Or it could be that the gun is loose and needs to be tightened in the action. Depending on the amount of movement between action and barrel, the locking bolt could be built up and reshaped, or a new bolt fitted.

Misfiring could be down to a badly pitted striker nose; this is more prominent on the bottom barrel, and happens surprisingly quickly, but it will usually be a considerable amount of shooting before this manifests itself into a misfire problem. Strikers rarely break on Brownings

Or it could be weak mainsprings that need to be replaced.

Safe spring will occasionally break or become weak.

Sear lifter and the sear arms can become worn and cause trigger problems, though a gun has to do a considerable amount of work for this to happen.

Ejector trip rods can break at the head and are easily replaced.

Extractors can become worn in their slots and may allow a cartridge to get behind them; this can be cured by fitting new extractors, but it may be that the chamber has become through lack of gun care, and there is little that can be done to cure this other than sleeving the chamber, which is only cost effective on a high grade gun.

You do need to keep a Browning very clean to keep it at its best. Thorough cleaning after use, particularly on wet days is essential to stop bores and chambers becoming stained and marked

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