Browning Maral in .30-06 Spr: New hunting needs based on a certain sporting spirit have prompted the Herstal manufacturer to review a project by adding a new technical detail called assisted repetition.
di Emmanuel Tabasso
The House of Herstal in its dual role as a manufacturer of sporting guns with this brand and of the military ones with the well-known initials FN (the Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre) had started in 1966 the production of a semi-automatic rifled barrel still at the top of the category for the extreme balance of its components, from functionality to the proposal of many calibers, including very robust ones, from handling to cost. The BAR, like all its competitors equipped with the same operating system, have recently found themselves the way out in some areas, especially in Germany, where ungulates are hunted from the post office, but the use of simple repeating rifles and not semiautomatic is required.
Leaving aside for reasons that we are not here to examine the lever or pump mechanics, the alternative to the classic sliding rotating shutter is the in-line movement where the rectilinear path of the assembly activates the release of the head from the closing mortises. The system was the prerogative of military rifles such as Steyr and Schmidt Rubin, today it is the prerogative of very popular hunting weapons such as Blaser R93, Merkel Helix, Strasser RS05, while the Mauser Mod. 96 and the Acera of Browning: the new creation called Maral.
Let's take another step back by specifying that the base always remained that of the BAR from which the gas outlet had been removed by inserting a handlebar sized to make the shutter move to and fro with the hand: perhaps in the period it was not yet this recent need has been felt and today the excellent mechanics have been taken advantage of for a particular innovation. By unscrewing the Allen screws that hold the two parts of the stock connected to the castle, a milled Ergal extrusion, one immediately comes to understand the peculiarities and functioning of the mechanism. In the meantime, let's give a mention to the barrel lightened by functional grooves for about two thirds of the length, inserted in the ring and kept floating: excellent as always is the rifling made with the peculiar system of the head cutter, invented in FN and today almost generalized by others money order producers. A block similar to the one used for the gas intake is maintained under the barrel and likewise we find the two longitudinal rods for connection to the bolt carrier: the substantial difference lies in their front coupling base which is no longer the transmission piston moved by the gas, but a prismatic container in which two spools are placed in tandem on which as many spiral springs are wound, ribs 15 mm wide and 170 and 145 mm long, fixed one behind the other to the block placed under the barrel.
Another mandatory variant concerns theoperation of the shutter: the movements are those of the semi-auto BAR only that in the latter they are activated by the thrust of the gases that insist on the piston and hence on the rods, while in the Maral everything works with the traction of a long handlebar inserted in the side of the trolley. In this way, the first part of the stroke rotates the head with seven wings, releasing it from the seats, then continuing the traction, it reaches the end of the stroke by completing the expulsion of any spent case: in the meantime the container of the two reels has also completed the same stroke by stretching the two springs. At this point, in a normal in-line movement, the force is reapplied to the handlebar, sending the bolt back to close by taking any cartridge present in the magazine: here, instead, it is enough to leave the handlebar and the two springs rewind into their spiral shape, closing the shutter. It is interesting to note a few things. We cannot be silent on the lack of formal elegance of the handlebar, but the knuckle is positioned just above the guard and trigger so that the hand has minimal movements to make; the closed castle avoids any contact between face and shutter, does not distract the view from the sights and the target as well as giving greater safety in any eventuality; the smoothness of the moving parts is of the usual class made in Herstal therefore excellent; the return of the complex occurs at a constant speed, creating less imbalances.
All projects shooting test all these factors are fully appreciated together with the functionality of the other details such as the direct release calibrated at about 1350 g, constant and effective even with a jump engagement that is perceived without too much discomfort only in the targeted shot. The armament released from the movement of the trolley takes place via an external button, located on the upper tail, equipped with a release button: rather hard to operate, but with excellent safety, it requires a little attention to make it silent by placing a finger on the button, dampening the sound click. An eye to the loader in shaped sheet metal with a synthetic lifting sole: it is easy to fill and to slide into its seat; we allow ourselves to criticize only the release button, good grip for branches or operable with recoil if you put the weapon down without caring too much how. The repetition is really very fast, there is no imbalance and there are no deviations from the tappet. A glance at the whole shows the well-known and appreciated line with the pleasant contribution of the beautiful and carefully crafted grade 3 walnut woods.
After a few free-arm shots on 50 m to check the rearming speed, the return to the tappet and the sprint, we could not refrain from trying the weapon even over distances usually not suited to the movement shot, the one for which it is aimed. but a wild game still in a wide clearing can always happen and an FN barrel must have its say with authority: the half batting rib allows the assembly of optics with 40 mm front lens and a Miroku 3-9 × 40 did our case proving to be amply sufficient to bring out the qualities of the rifle. Using commercial grade ammunition such as the Federal Power Shok with 150 grs Soft Point bullet, in a caliber certainly not for shooting like the .30-06 Sprg., You can have magnificent confirmations such as 3 shots at 100 m in 15 mm and 3 to 200 in 34 × 13 mm. The tests have therefore shown the full correspondence of this combination born from the mechanics of the BAR, which boasts over a million pieces sold, and from a successful project to adapt the repetition to the formula today appreciated.