Problems with my BOSS...

[tyee43]

Gentlemen;

A few years ago I purchased a stainless steel/laminated stock Winchester Model 70 chambered in .300 Win Mag, with Browning's BOSS system, which I thought at the time would be "the be all and end all" for accuracy...I had it mounted with a Leupold Vari-X III 4.5-14x40

I have been very stubborn, and have literally shot thousands of rounds through this gun, of all brands, weights and bullet types...I have always set the BOSS in accordance with the specific settings provided to me by Winchester...but all to no avail.

I was out to the range yesterday with my buddy and the latest offering for the gun was 180 gr. Winchester .300 Win Mag XP3...the same result as usual, the gun patterns, if you can call it that, all over the place, with absolutely no consistency...

I cannot, and have not hunted with this gun, as I do not trust it and have zero confidence in it - I've had it with this set up and I've decided, either to sell the gun and scope, or take it to a gunsmith for a thorough working over...

Has anybody had this type of experience with a BOSS-fitted Model 70?

I don't care how long it takes, but I want to take it to someone good to try to fix it. Or, am I wasting my time, and should I just sell it? Best offers?

I just need some good advice...HELP.

Thanks,

tyee43

[Bushrat]

If the gun shoots that badly it could be any number of things, not necessarily caused by the boss. Have you taken the boss off and shoot it without it? When its off check the crown. Usually when a gun shoots as bad as you say it winds up being the scope that is the problem even if it was a new one. Try another scope that has proven itself on another rifle. Are all the scope mounts tight. Are all the action screws holding the stock on good and snug. Are you using a good solid rest to shoot off. Be sure barrel isn't touching anything when your shooting. If another scope dosen't help and everything seems tight and as it should be go see a gunsmith and ask him to examine the gun and go from there.

[209x50]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

If the gun shoots that badly it could be any number of things, not necessarily caused by the boss. Have you taken the boss off and shoot it without it? When its off check the crown. Usually when a gun shoots as bad as you say it winds up being the scope that is the problem even if it was a new one. Try another scope that has proven itself on another rifle. Are all the scope mounts tight. Are all the action screws holding the stock on good and snug. Are you using a good solid rest to shoot off. Be sure barrel isn't touching anything when your shooting. If another scope dosen't help and everything seems tight and as it should be go see a gunsmith and ask him to examine the gun and go from there.

Good advice. I have 2 of these guns in 338 mag. I've since replaced the vented BOSS with the non vented (I hate the muzzle blast) and both shot very well. Not long after I replaced the BOSS the one gun kicked a Leu VXII to pieces - twice and I've since moved the scope to another gun. I do know a fellow whose BOSS wasn't threaded on straight (a problem Weatherby had with their recoil reducers one year). Shooting the gun with the BOSS off will tell you if this is the case.

[BrianWiley]

My 25 06 in an A bolt shot way better with the CR cap than the vented cap. But let me know if you want to sell it .

[Young Eldon]

If you have not done so - you should check the scope for parallax by setting the scoped gun solid in a rest and setting the cross hairs on a target out at about 100m. Then leave the gun rigid while you move your eye around in the vield of view. Watch the cross hairs relative to the target. If the hairs change position on the target when your eye moves - your scope has a parallax problem. The factory may be able to fix it for you???
Good luck

[vic1]

Maybe sealy, but, did you check a barrel for copper fouling?
Vic

[Dick284]

Hmmmm.
Another guchi gimick that was supposed to solve all the problems. And gee whiz it presents a whole host of other problems.
Take the damned muffler off the rifle and shoot it, then bed it, get the trigger tweeked, and try more than one brand of ammo to find out what it likes.
That simple, and that predictable.
So did having the noise maker on the muzzle actually save you any $$$?

X2 on the copper fouling.

Originally Posted by Young Eldon

If you have not done so - you should check the scope for parallax by setting the scoped gun solid in a rest and setting the cross hairs on a target out at about 100m. Then leave the gun rigid while you move your eye around in the vield of view. Watch the cross hairs relative to the target. If the hairs change position on the target when your eye moves - your scope has a parallax problem. The factory may be able to fix it for you???
Good luck

Thanks for that advice

[209x50]

Originally Posted by Dick284

Hmmmm.
Another guchi gimick that was supposed to solve all the problems. And gee whiz it presents a whole host of other problems.
Take the damned muffler off the rifle and shoot it, then bed it, get the trigger tweeked, and try more than one brand of ammo to find out what it likes.
That simple, and that predictable.
So did having the noise maker on the muzzle actually save you any $$$?

X2 on the copper fouling.

"The most significant advancement in rifle accuracy in my lifetime." - Browning Arms Co.'s new ballistic optimizing shooting system
Shooting Industry, Dec, 1993 by Jon R. Sundra
You're not calling Jon a BSer are you Dick? (grin)

[Dick284]

Ah Rich:
What can I say.
K.I.S.S
The B.O.S.S, IMO is a muzzle brake with a harmonic balancer attached, nothing new here, and too loud, and too easy to have something go wrong. That's all.
Another microwaveable remidy to actually practicing and finding out what works best. That's all.
I find that many shooters justifiably get lured into these sort of gimicks with our ever decreasing free time. The sad truth is many hunters spend an inadequate amount of time practicing shooting and believe you me, it shows.
Gimicks and quick fixes are not the answer. Time behind the gun is.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by 209x50

"The most significant advancement in rifle accuracy in my lifetime." - Browning Arms Co.'s new ballistic optimizing shooting system
Shooting Industry, Dec, 1993 by Jon R. Sundra
You're not calling Jon a BSer are you Dick? (grin)

What a farce!
"The boss system is something someone designed to sell to someone who figures they need it".
This quote was from a very well respected ballistics expert and World class coach.
I tend to quote him a lot, and he alsways made sense and took the voodoo and flimflammery( tech term) out of shooting.

Cat

[Kevin Dunn]

I bought a LH 300 wmag Browning S/S with the BOSS....I read a lot before I bought it and thought it was a need to have. Couldn't have been more wrong.....muzzle blast is brutal. It's OK if you're shooting in hunting conditions...but it still HURTS.....and make sure your buddy knows that you're gonna squeeze one off so he can bury his head in the dirt. Kinda nice if you're recoil shy at the range, it kicks like a 243....but ear plugs and muffs for sure!! Personally I think that they are pretty ugly.....I wouldn't by it again. For you varmint guys it might be the answer to help turn something that's close into a real tack driver.....but the way I shoot.....just happy to keep it on a pie plate

my 2c's

Kevin

I have always set the BOSS in accordance with the specific settings provided to me by Winchester...but all to no avail.

My experience with my boss equipped a-bolt in 7mmremmag taught me to ignore the suggested settings and rely on trial and error.I fired groups adjusting the boss 1/2 turn between groups to determine the sweet spot for a given load.I found that groups ranged from 3/4" to 2-1/2" just by adjusting the boss,and that the factory settings resulted in groups that were closer to 2-1/2" than to 3/4".When I finally discovered that my non boss equipped guns were as accurate or more accurate with none of the boss disadvantages,I sold the rifle.