Does the gun fit? Browning B525 Liberty Light - review

What’s the most important thing to consider when you’re buying a gun? Is it the length of the barrels? The shape of the grip? The grade of wood that the stock is made from? Whether its a side by side or an over and under? Well, all these things are important, but probably the most important thing is that the gun fits you correctly. If you’re buying a bespoke piece, this is obviously not an issue, but few of us have such deep pockets.

Most of the time, says David Stapely of IS Brands, the UK distributors of Browning, Miroku and Winchester, even off-the-peg guns can be adjusted to fit most people, using adjustable stocks, cheekpieces, variable trigger positions and interchangeable recoil pads. However, historically finding a gun for slighter than average blokes, kids, or ladies, has been more of a challenge.

 

 

There are several factors to consider here. Not only is the height of the purchaser important, but so is their weight and strength. A gun that is too big or heavy may not only make swinging the gun harder, but recoil could actually make it painful to use. When we consider that only 2% of respondents to the GunsOnPegs and Lycetts Game Shooting Census were women, and the importance of encouraging young people into the sport, it is vital that there is a gun designed for ladies and people of smaller than average stature.

Happily Browning offer a model that is just that. The B525 Liberty Light is a gun “designed for women, youngsters, and hunters not fully satisfied with regular buttstocks.” Browning took about two years to develop the Liberty Light, having done extensive market research among lady’s and young shots’ groups.

 

 

The Liberty Light has a shorter than average stock, with three interchangeable recoil pads to help get the perfect length of pull. There’s also a smaller distance between the pistol grip and the trigger for a more comfortable pull for smaller hands. The stock is ‘Monte Carlo’ style, giving a higher comb which better suits smaller shooters with higher cheekbones.

 

To keep the weight down Browning have used a special high-grade aluminium action frame. The barrels are also vented to save weight and fitted with a low density walnut to further improve handling and balance. The total weight is 2.95kg, or just under 7lb, However, any fears you may have about the extra recoil can be put to one side. The barrels are back-bored which reduces recoil, says David, and the interchangeable directional recoil pads (Inflex II) take the force down and away from the face during shooting.

 

 

David also explained that it is a common misconception that ladies and young shots should be automatically directed towards a 20 gauge or a lightweight gun. "Many ladies are perfectly strong enough to control a full-weight gun and actually prefer the feel of them," he said, adding: "However these shooters may still benefit from non-standard stock dimensions, so Browning also offer the Liberty model in a steel variant using exactly the same stock shape as its lighter sibling.  Now the smaller shooter can have the best of both worlds!"

 

The Liberty Light is available as a 12 bore, with 28 or 30 inch barrels. The gun also comes with Diana chokes of ¼ , ½, ¾ and full. To see the full specifications visit the Browning website. But, says David, the best way to get a feel for the gun is to visit your local Browning dealer, or better still get down to a clay ground to give one a try.