Back in the early 1930's Granddad bought a Remington Model 24, a licensed version of Browning's semi-auto .22, in .22 Short. (The year of manufacture is 1931.) As a kid in the 1950's I enjoyed shooting it whenever I could. Knowing that I would likely be a senior citizen before I would inherit it, if ever, my first major purchase after getting out of the service in 1974 was a Browning SA-22 in .22 LR.
In the 1980's I purchased a Browning scope mount for it. During installation I found the rear (longer) screw provided with the scope mount was too short and would engage only one thread or so. If I tightened the screw much it would pop loose. I tightened it just enough to keep it engaged and called it good, thinking I would fix it later. I put thousands of rounds through that rifle with the scope attached and it shot well enough that 20-ish years later Daughter #3, by then a teenager with a driver's license, was able to hit 11 clay pigeons at 200 yards with 12 shots. Over the years I forgot all about the screw problem.
The "later" in "fix it later" turned out to be about 30 years later. A couple weeks ago I removed the scope and, when attempting to reinstall it, rediscovered the screw problem. Rather than live with it again I called Browning. Customer support for Browning rifles transferred me to Browning corporate and a lady there (Leslie) sent me 4 screws for free. It was a nice gesture but they were too long for the front and too short for the rear. A second call to Browning was fruitless - they could not even provide the thread pitch and insisted the screws I received were the correct ones, knowing that my rifle had been built in 1974 (something I ascertained with them based on the serial number) and having the model number (8517) for the scope mount. Another lady said she would contact the Product Manager regarding the screw issue to see if more information could be provided but in the end their only additional "help" was to take the rifle to a gunsmith.
Since another scope mount lists for about $70 and a properly sized end mill needed to deepen the rear screw hole would be about $60, I kept digging and found a reference to the screws being 6-48. For $3 I ordered 4 screws at 9/16" length and this morning I carefully cut and ground one with my Dremel so that it would be just shy of bottoming out when tight. Now the rear screw is tight and the scope is back on the rifle. Unless I get it wet and need to remove the scope mount to clean and oil underneath it, the scope will probably never come off again.
While the problem with Browning service and the screw was a minor issue, I was disappointed no one at Browning could provide any information about the screw except the length, and that turned out to be wrong. This is my third experience with Browning service and the others were even less satisfactory.
Back in the early 1990's Browning introduced the 9mm BDM with 15-round magazines. I purchased one and quickly discovered hitting a 5 gallon bucket at a few yards was a challenge for everyone that tried it - including Granddad who used to shoot ground squirrels and other burrowing varmints with a .22 Short pistol when out on his tractor. Eventually I contacted Browning and sent it in to be checked. Browning put the pistol in a Ransom Rest (or something similar) and shot a nice 25-yard target. Great, I thought, all I need to do is carry a mechanical rest with me.
My next step was to take the BDM to a gunsmith, who measured the trigger pull weight as "off the scale" using his 12-pound gauge. After a trigger job by a local smith it became an excellent shooter. I guess a trigger pull weight of 12+ pounds met Browning's spec?
Another Browning pistol, a .22LR Challenger, was also sent back to Browning, this one for repair because it often failed to fire. Browning quoted $50 for the repair, which I assumed meant a new firing pin and/or spring. Sometime later I got contacted by Browning and they wanted to sell me a new Buckmark for several hundred dollars. My response was no thanks, please just fix and return the Challenger. A few days later I get a box from Browning. The shipping papers in the outside box had the Challenger name and serial number but the cardboard box inside had a mismatch in the model and serial number (I forget which was wrong). Inside the interior cardboard box was a plastic pistol case with a label that said "Buckmark" and had the correct serial number for the new Buckmark that was inside.
While the Challenger was nothing special as a pistol, it shot well when working and had considerable sentimental value that the new Buckmark was lacking. Before Browning swapped the pistol they should have contacted me and given me the choice of a swap or having the Challenger returned without repair. I ended up contacting them again and asking for a letter explaining what they had done, to include the pistol descriptions and serial numbers. They did provide the letter, which I still have.
When I look back on them, none of the three experiences with Browning service resulted in the desired outcome. Two left me disappointed and the third, when they swapped my pistol without permission, left me angry. Although I've come to like the Buckmark, it still has no particular sentimental value.
As I worked on modifying a screw for the scope mount this morning I couldn't help thinking about and contrasting my experiences with Browning and Ruger service. The differences are like night and day as my several experiences with Ruger service have all had very positive outcomes.
