Sometime in the late 1970s, when I was an engineer on the F-16 program at General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas, I visited a company called National Water Lift somewhere in the Great Lakes area. What we bought from NWL had nothing to do with water (they made the F-16’s hydraulic accumulators). It’s a lead into this story, which is about my Browning B78 rifle. You see, every time I had to visit one of these distant places on my business travels, it was an opportunity to check out the gun shops in the area. Which I did, and the one that stuck in my mind had a Browning B78.
The Browning B78 Rifle
The B78 was a competitor to Ruger’s No. 1 single-shot rifle, and the design was basically a resurrection of the old Winchester High Wall. Ruger did surprisingly well with the No. 1 back in the 1970s (the idea of a single-shot rifle was intriguing to me and many others), and I guess Browning wanted in on the action (pardon the pun).
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Rugers outsold Brownings probably 10 to 1 (or more) in those days because they were less expensive and Ruger’s marketing was better. But the Browning was (and still is) a very elegant rifle. I saw one at that store (I want to say it was in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but I can’t remember for sure), and it was nice. It was a 30 06 and it had an octagonal barrel, which was all very appealing. But the Browning was a good $100 more than the Ruger and in the 1970s, that kind of money was out of my reach.
Good Deals on Gunbroker
Fast forward 40 years, the Great Recession was upon us, and all kinds of exotic and collectible rifles were popping up on Gunbroker.com (a firearms auction site). I saw what appeared to be a nice B78 on Gunbroker, with an octagonal barrel, in God’s caliber (that would be .30 06), and I pounced. I paid too much, but we never say it that way. I bought too soon. Yeah, that works. I just bought too soon.
After I bought the B78, I wanted to put a period-correct scope on it (you know, from the 1970s) and I found a nice Weaver
My B78 is used, and it’s got a few nicks and dings on it. But the metal work is perfect, and the walnut is (in my opinion) exhibition grade. Take a look, and you tell me.
Preferred B78 .30 06 Jacketed Loads
I’ve owned the B78 for about 10 years now, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve never seen another B78 on the rifle range, and I’ve certainly never seen one with an octagonal barrel. It’s just a cool firearm. But it is finicky. It likes heavier bullets and with the right load it’s accurate, but getting there took a lot of experimenting, a little bit of forearm re-bedding, and a lot of load development. I’ve got two loads that do very well in it…one is a heavy-duty jacketed load, and the other is a cast bullet light load. The heavy load is with a 180 grain Remington jacketed softpoint and a max load of 4064 (I’ve shot three-quarter-inch groups with this load at 100 yards). That load has big recoil, but it’s tolerable. I tried 180 grain Nosler
A Preferred B78 Cast Load
My cast bullet load is a short-range low power load, and it’s recoil is almost nonexistent compared to the jacketed load. It’s a 180 grain cast lead bullet (with a gas check) and 17.0 grains of Trail Boss power. After zeroing the Browning for the jacketed bullet load mentioned above at 100 yards, I had to crank the scope up a cool 85 clicks to bring the cast bullets back on paper at 50 yards (I was surprised there was that much adjustment in the scope). But wow, those cast bullets at 50 yards cloverleafed consistently. It was essentially putting them through the same ragged hole. At 100 yards, getting the cast bullet load back to point of aim involved another 25 clicks of elevation on the Weaver, and again, I was surprised there was that much in the scope. At 100 yards, the cast load groups opened up to about 2 ½ inches, and that’s still okay. What’s nice is I can shoot the cast bullet load all day long. The barrel doesn’t heat up and the recoil is trivial. As you might imagine with a load like this and the gas-checked bullets, there was virtually no leading.
When I go for deer later this year, it’s going to be with this rifle. One shot. I think that’s all I’ll need. We’ll see.
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Targets
We load with Lee
Old school – one shot on target. Only amateurs need a second round. When I was a kid and just learning about shooting that was how a lot of old guys felt and taught us youngsters. That philosophy kind of forced marksmenship skills. Its a bit lost in a 30 round mag kind of world. Nice to see some people keeping it alive.
Amen, Brother.
My dad bought an octagon barrel Model 78 30-06 back around 1982 or so, and I loved that rifle from the get go! I was hoping to eventually wind up with it, but he decided when my nephew (his only grandson) was born that it would go to him. So, like any good rifle loony, I went out and found one of my own! I have several Rugers No. 1’s and while they shoot a little better than my Model 78, that old Browning sure does feel a lot better compared to those Rugers!
That pretty much sums up my experiences, Forrest. Thanks for posting!
Great article about a great rifle. The first time I saw one of these, an 1885 version, it was love at first sight. I knew I just had to have one. I located one on display at a sporting goods store that was going out of business. It also was a 30-06. The first and only bullets I have ever shot from it have been Remington core-lokt, 150 grain. Since there is seldom any paper separating a five shot group at 100 yards, there is no reason to search for other loads. This was some 30 plus years ago, and since, I have collected a ridiculous amount of these rifles in various versions and calibers as well as a few ruger 1’s. And I can tell you that almost all of them have shot moa or better, with only one being a 1.5 to 2” “disappointment”. These rifles have always exhibited the kind of accuracy that people I know, spend thousands in a custom build to achieve. Thanks for your story.
Thanks for your kind words, Ronnie. They are indeed elegant rifles.
Can’t speak for how it shoots but that is one beautiful weapon. I was a fan of the Remington 700 BDL but waited too long and the late 70s/early 80s version is no more (New anyway). Again, that is one nice looking rifle.
Thanks, Steve. I agree; it is a beautiful rifle.
Had 2 Ruger #1s, 7mm Rem Mag and a 7×57. Both beautiful guns with OK wood. Was in the military at the time and found myself heading to California for a training assignment. That was bck in early 80s. Sold em. Fast forward 37 years and here I sit in north central Montana wishin I had em back. Buuuuuut, went to a recent local gun show and saw 2 guns that adopted me on the spot, a B78 in .45-70 and an H&R Trapdoor Officers model in .45-70. Also dabbled in Black Powder and have several smoke poles in .45 thru .54 cal. The BPs are pussycats compared to what the B78 can handle in .45-70 but, alas, these old bones and arthritic joints have me shooting light loads in the trapdoor and B78. Also have a few Thompson Centers in modern calibers .30-06, .300 Win Mag, .460 S&W and a .405 win. Would liked to have had a B78 in .30-06 or .405 Win had one ever been built. But at my age, sometimes just handling them shooters and remembering the gret times and good friends whose faces sometimes seem to be looking back in those shiny muzzle flats/surfaces are what makes life interesting.
Hey, great comments! Thanks for telling us about your guns. I had a B78 in 45 70 and sold it (wish I still had it). Always wanted the H&R Officer’s Model.