Tested: Browning B525 Autumn Silver Limited Edition

Words and Images by Lloyd Pattison

Imagine for a moment that you have access to a time machine with a destination of 1931. You can pop back and have a day's shooting with Winston Churchill, who having just resigned from the shadow cabinet probably has a bit of time on his hands. Winston turns up to the bothy in this little number. 

This is a Hillman Wizard Drophead Coupe, fresh off the line released in 1931. 

Also brand new in 1931, was the Browning superposed. The difference, of course, is that Hillman and the wizard in particular which ceased production in 1933, are relegated to the dustbin of history. The Browning superposed action, on the other hand, has been in continuous production for 92 years and shows no sign of stopping. 

Imagine showing the incredulous Churchill your phone, your smart watch, or your car, which would appear like toys from another planet. Your gun, however he would recognise and be familiar with immediately.

The test of time

There are a vanishingly small number of designs that are so good that they have weathered the test of time for as long as the Browning. The genius John Browning is well known for being responsible for some of these designs, famous even outside the shooting community due the the longevity and efficacy of the marriage of form and function inherent in the 1911, or the Browning HP.

In it’s current iteration the superposed action underpins a significant portion of the Browning and Miroku line-up, and I dare say there aren't many shooters reading this who haven't owned or at least handled one. I owned 2 myself and wouldn't hesitate to buy another if the need arose.

Autumn Silver

If I were of a mind to buy something for game shooting and was looking for a particularly pretty gun, I suspect my eye would be drawn by the Autumn Silver, announced at British Shooting Show this year, and finally in my hands this week for me to discuss here.

I’ve had a chance now, to give the Silver a good bit of exercise on a variety of targets and I am glad to say that from a handling perspective it’s a delight to shoot. The slim grip and fore end are ideally proportioned for the diverse gun handling required on the game field, providing control and surety of feel through the gun.

The controls are all where you expect them to be and the gun comes as standard with an auto safe, although this can be disabled if you feel the need. I find that once one gets used to an auto safe it’s rather like driving a manual car, the safety becomes an autonomous part of the shot routine, unless you are switching back and forth between auto and non auto safe guns. The trigger is standard 525 fare with a nice crisp break and not too much slop. 

The trapdoor action is iconic, and here on the Autumn Silver it’s prettily adorned by the engraving that gives the gun its name. Acanthus scrollwork and bordering surrounding a trio of game birds in silver on the fences and base of the action. The silver is subtler than gold whilst still offering a lovely contrast to the steel and I for one am a fan of this look.

The woodwork is a rather nice grade 5 American walnut and is gloss oil finished to a standard typical of Brownings of this grade, with hand cut chequering and tear drops on the nicely figured stock, as well as the slim fore end which feels well in the hand. The dimensions of the stock are pretty well dead on for an average shooter at 36/56 drop with a comb width most will find comfortable for big drives without feeling beaten up at the end of the day.

The barrels are nicely struck off and gloss blued with a solid mid rib, the top rib being a 6mm game rib with a steel bead but forsaking the recent vogue for solid top ribs, this one is ventilated which I think is a bonus from a practical perspective. I find that guns with a solid top rib tend to suffer from terrible heat haze and on this point I will always tend towards shootability over aesthetic. The gun is back bored 18.7, which will suit Superior Steel loads with biodegradable wads rather than traditional fibre wadded lead shot loads.

Flush Invector Plus chokes finish off these tubes and I have found them to pattern very well with my usual Hull cartridges. Recoil is nicely taken care of by the Inflex II interchangeable butt pad (which I admit, I prefer again to the aesthete’s choice of a wooden pad) and the stock is finished with a silver inset disk should you fancy getting your initials engraved as a flourish or identifier on your gun.

Overall handling is lively but not overly so on the test gun (30” barrels)  with beautifully neutral balance and great pointability. At 7 and half pounds more or less dead on it’s a good pound lighter than my normal clay basher, and while not as light as some game guns, I think this provides a nice weight to eat up the recoil of heavier loads whilst balancing the need for fast handling.

I have very much enjoyed my time with the Autumn Silver and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one to any shooter. Not bad for a design that is coming up on “telegram from the King” age. 

The Browning B525 Autumn Silver's RRP is £3,450 - Find out more here