Author Topic: Browning Gold - Jamming Piece of Junk??? (Read 2453 times)

Bullseye · « **on:** March 10, 2003, 01:38:51 PM »

I have a Browning Gold Hunter that worked perfectly for about the first 300 shots. Since then it started jamming. It jams with heavy hunting loads, heavy target loads, light target loads, it really does not care what it jams with. When it jams the front part of the case is ejected out of the gun and the brass is still in the gun, acts like it does not want to eject properly. We was skeet shooting the other day and it did this about 1 out of every five shots or more.

I have taken this gun apart and cleaned and oiled everything I know to clean and oil. I know there has been other posts concerning these guns.

Does anyone know of a solution to this problem? My solution is to sell it and buy a Remington 11-87, but it is my wifes gun and she kinda likes it.

Any help would be appreciated.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2003, 08:16:01 PM »

Have you contacted Browning yet. With only 300 rounds thru it it's still a new weapon and should be covered... It takes a while but is the best course of action. If you have a problem with a new car you wouldn't take it to the local mechanic but to the dealership where it was bought.. I'd call Browning and let them know of your displeasure and the problems your having. And tell them 3 months is NOT acceptable turnaround time for repairs... Just to be sure, you have cleaned the gas ports and the chamber is not fouled with plastic or rusty?

mike3132 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 11, 2003, 03:45:50 AM »

There was a post about Browning Golds doing this on another site. It is a know defect. The guy who posted said thats why Browning had the rebate on them last fall to get rid of them. He is a guy shop owner and quit handling them because of customer complaints of jamming. Its suppose to only happen with the 3 1/2" models. I would sell it.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 11, 2003, 06:50:45 AM »

Firstly the gentleman said he was having problems while skeet shooting.. Any 3 1/2 will have some trouble while shooting skeet, especially if it get dirty. Also I never saw anything specifing it as being a 3 1/2 inch gun and lastly, I don't believe in telling someone to simply sell it on the hearsay of a few internet posters. All the individuals I have spoken with had nothing bad to say about the gun.. Since the weapon functioned OK for 300 rounds I would guess it has developed a problem. This is a fairly proven design and has no major known design defects. So it's either wear, breakage or dirt. My experience indicates that most likely it's dirt and the gas ports are prime plaves for carbon to build up. This is difficult to remove and will restrict gas flow. This can cause gas operated shotguns to short cycle and stovepipe a round, especially with lightly loaded skeet ammo. We should find a problem before we decide to sell the gun..

Bullseye · « **Reply #4 on:** March 11, 2003, 04:33:02 PM »

The gun is a 3" Hunter, not the 3 1/2". I have cleaned the gas piston on all the outside surfaces. Wondering if I should shoot a spray powder solvent into the holes in the gas piston (the manual is a little vague on this). I have removed the trigger and bolt and cleaned the receiver and put a small amount of oil in the grooves for the bolt.

You have me wondering about the two gas ports in the barrel. I clean the barrel regularly, but that really does not clean the gas ports. They are hard to get to, I suppose you could run a paper clip or metal wire through them to clean them out. Might try that next.

Have not contacted Browning yet, was trying to solve the problem myself first in case their answer was to send it to them.

This is the first Semi-Auto I have had. I prefer the pumps or O/U's. I personally do not see how they ever work reliably when you see the amount of soot that collects in the gas system from a hundered shots. I have a friend with a 1100 that I have seen jam in a duck blind. If I could just convince my wife that my other 870 would be perfect for her.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 12, 2003, 06:59:33 AM »

I wouldn't use a paper clip, the sharp edges may damage the prots. Use pipe cleaners. They're a bit diffincult to find today but can still be had.. The best thing to use to clean the ports is carb cleaner. It usually contains acetone (acetone by itself may be used) and will loosen the baked on carbon fouling in the ports better than anything else I've tried. I found that the preservative oils usually applied to 1100's after manufacture was almost never removed from the gas ports. If they were cleaned of this gunk, they would almost all allow 2 3/4 inch shells to function 3 inch barreled guns reliably.. assuming a clean well maintained weapon.. Caution-acetone is VERY volatile and probably should be used outsdie in a normal home environment.. and it WILL desolve almost anything. Acetone is a powerful solvent and demands respect. I have gotten glowing reports on the Gold from men I sincerely respect and have delt with Browning customer service. They are top notch.. Keep us posted!

Bullseye · « **Reply #6 on:** March 12, 2003, 01:50:38 PM »

Thanks gunnut69. I will try the pipe cleaners and let you know how it works.

I am CAL......... · « **Reply #7 on:** March 12, 2003, 05:00:32 PM »

Bullseye, I would suggest you clean the magazine tube.Most people don't think of cleaning this part of an auto and I have seen on occasion where trash will get in the tube and create problems. The auto is designed to function with constant pressure on the shell.Trash will cause this to vary and can cause any multitude of problems.I would take the spring and magazine follower out and clean the tube good. Hope this helps,I am CAL....

gunnut69 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 13, 2003, 07:14:11 AM »

Could be but not usually in a guns this new.. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!!

Bullseye · « **Reply #9 on:** March 15, 2003, 05:45:31 PM »

Well I followed the prescribed advice and the results are in. My wife put about 75 shots through it today at some skeet. The gun only jammed once and although I would like to see none, I will accept one since she was using some reloads that had hulls that were on about their 4th or 5th loading and heading to the trash after this round. Last weekend when it was jamming it was with factory rounds and reloads which really concerned me.

Anyway I cleaned it up again tonight and hopefully the good results will continue. I have to make it work since one guy we was shooting with today had a 1100. Since I thought I would sell the Gold and get her an 1100 if the problem continued, I had her shoot it. She did not like the way it handled at all and wants to keep the Gold.

Thanks for the help all. By the way gunnut69, when I cleaned those ports before shooting I got a lot of crud out of them. After shooting the crud was minimal so your theory about the rust preventative from the factory appeared to be right on track.

gunnut69 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 15, 2003, 09:01:58 PM »

I've never worked on a Gold but the 1100's were notorious for the gas ports being clogged. After cleaning up a couple of new ones I figured it out!! Course even a blind hog gets the occasional acorn. Hope all works out well. I nade a couple of calls to a couple of people I trust who shoot a lot of clay.. They say the 3 1/2 inch Gold's have a problem with the ultra lite loads but the 3 inch shouldn't. It was in one of them's words a decent gun, not an A5, but a decent gun. From this gentleman, that's a complement.

Zachary · « **Reply #11 on:** March 17, 2003, 08:28:47 AM »

The Browning Golds really should have been Browning "Bronzes." They really are not good shotguns and an insult to the Browning name. The most reliable semi-auto shotguns are the Berettas and Benellis - PERIOD.

Now, your oiling your Browning is not helping any. You should NOT use oils when lubricating your gas-operated autos because the oil collects the powder and dirt and clogs the ports quicker.

What you SHOULD DO is get a DRY-lubricant. Although the name of the dry-lubriacant that I use now escapes me, it is the ONLY lubricant that I use on gas.powered semi-autos. I don't use dry-lubricants on my Benellis because they are not gas-powered.

Zachary

gunnut69 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 18, 2003, 06:11:06 PM »

Zack--
Dry lubes are indeed a good idea but not really mandatory. Excessive oiling will cause problems as will a lack of maintenance. I've seen A5's that were fouled by oil and unburned powder also. Gas guns by their nature are dirtier but any autoloader is dirtier that a locked breech. Clean regularly and lubricate correctly and everything will work out.. I too like the Benneli's but they seem a bit over priced to me. Also the sybthetic stocked versions feel bulky, thick thru the stock... I've shot A5's and 1100's for years with few problems. I've worked on many of both and most of the problems I've found could be traced to poor maintenance. The Gold's are not perfect, neither are the Berettas and Benellis. If you wish to make a constructive remark I truly appreciate the input but please be a bit more flexible and a lot less confrontational.

I am CAL......... · « **Reply #13 on:** March 18, 2003, 07:14:34 PM »

:grin: I agree with you gunnut69.Like you I have shot many shells thru A5s,Franchis,and 1100s. Shot a Benneli once and didnot care for the handling quality.Bought a Beretta also and it shot full auto.I personally like the Franchi.Seems to me it is a A5 clone in some respects.I think if you shoot a lots of shells all guns will give problems sooner or later.My experience is "Clean more,less problems".All my jamming problems have been from uncleaned actions.Just my thoughts,I am CAL....

gunnut69 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 18, 2003, 07:26:06 PM »

Any gun can have a broken part but most of my gun work somes from a lack of maintenance. Some people just don't understand the need. I've never used a Franchi auto but had a wonderful little Falconet O/U that was just poison on quail. Unfortunately it was stolen and never recovered.. I totally agree 'clean more=less problems'. Good luck to you and yours..

Zachary · « **Reply #15 on:** March 21, 2003, 06:38:56 AM »

Quote from: gunnut69

Zack...
If you wish to make a constructive remark I truly appreciate the input but please be a bit more flexible and a lot less confrontational.

Gunnut,

Although I feel very passionately about many issues, I always try and remain as neutral as possible, especially since I too am a moderator. However, that notwithstanding, I do, at the very least, want to express my experiences to all the best way I can. Granted, perhaps my post may be bold, but it was not, or at least was not intended to be, confrontational. As such, to the extent that it was received as confrontational, I apologize.

However, that notwithstanding, my experiences with these and most other shotguns is well documented. Granted, you will always have people who swear by 1100s, and those who curse Berettas and Benellis. However, in my experience, these people are few and far between.

I have hunted with shotguns for over 25 or so years. Everything from dove and quail, to ducks and geese, to hogs to deer. Yes, dry lubricants are not necessary for gas operated semi-autos. However, they are so effective that I cannot understand why shooters would use conventional oils.

In addition, of all of the shotguns that I have shot, and they are many, the Berettas and Benellis have been the most reliable - and again, not just for me, but for virtually all other shooters that have shot numerous brands and models of shotguns. Whether the Benellis or Berettas are a little pricey has little, or nothing, to do with their actual reliability. Now, whether people can afford to have such reliability is another issue, but that still doesn't take away from their superb reliability. I must say that I am not the wealthiest of people, but I did manage to save some money and buy these Berettas and Benellis. As a result, I have never looked back. And again, granted that some shooters may not like the feel of a particular shotgun - that's perfectly understandable, but we were simply talking about reliability of shotguns, not their price, nor their feel.

Trust me, as an international attorney I deal with confrontation every day...that last place that I want to deal with it, or even initiate it, is here on this board - my favorite of all on the net. :grin: I just think that you took my post the wrong way. :grin:

Zachary

gunnut69 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 21, 2003, 01:14:19 PM »

Zack:
I perhaps mistook the 'The most reliable semi-auto shotguns are the Berettas and Benellis - PERIOD.' statement as an opinion. It sounded more like a pronouncement. I agree that dry film lubes are great and they've been used for many years. I first used graphite many many years ago, and yes I know there have been improvements. Browning Golds may not be the best shotguns but they are not bad. The Berettas and Benellis are great guns but I believe I gave the opinion that they were overpriced, and price, feel and handling is a part of the value equation.. In some ways I agree with you. Browning did itself a disservice when they discontimued the A-5, my nomination for the most reliable shotgun ever built. Gas operated guns are dirtier than recoil operated but oiling correctly will not foul the gas ports to any great degree. We never use that much oil in the bore and that's about the only place oil could reach the gas ports of a gas operated shotgun from. So oil will not foul the gas ports.. it may cause gumming of the piston assembly if not used correctly but used properly will have little material effect. Oils greatest effect is in the fire control mechanism. It collect the unburned powder residue and creates a real mess, in the fire control mechanism(trigger assembly). But the recoil operated weapons are as suseptible as the gas guns in the respect, since I'm sure you noticed that on most gas guns the gas system is issolated from the fire control areas. The key to the Beretta and Benelli reliability is the voilence of the action. It cycles very fast and abruptly. If correctly used oil or dry film will make little difference in the reliability of a properly maintained shotgun. Perhaps if we don't correctly maintain the weapon the recoil operated guns will function a bit longer but then that should not be a factor in our selection of a sporting shotgun...
My other objection was the bolding/highlighting and color used. I have come to consider this to be the internet equivilent of shouting and I find that to be counterproductive in a reasoning discussion. I've been hunting with shotguns for over 45 years and I too have fairly definite opinions but am always open to new things.. I always appreciate another opinion but prefer they be rendered in a civil and reasonable way. Your last post was much better other than the few inaccuracies. Good luck from the gunnut69

Zachary · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2003, 04:50:00 AM »

Gunnut,

Acutally, I like using colors and larger fonts because it simply allows a reader to highlight the key portions of a post. That notwithstanding, I can understand your point how others could, under certain circumstances, interpret use of colors and larger fonts as shouting. However, I can ensure you, as I believe you probably already knew, that shouting was not my intention. :wink:

Zachary :grin: