Browning B80 opinions

[Milkmaster]

I got a guy who needs money and wants to sell me his Browning B80. This is a model I admit not knowing a lot about. You don't hear a lot of discussion about these semi-auto Brownings. Anyone here got one and can share your experiences? I read up about them on the web, but I would like to hear from you guys or gals here on THR. He is asking $350

 

[berettashotgun]

Kinda' high at that price about 5 years ago, or a year ago. Seems to be a steal nowdays.
The shotgun is more (not less) a beretta 302.

Some used invector choke tubes, but that barrel says PB in a circle on it -a beretta (sweet)
The basic design of the shotgun is the best engineered setup ever IMHO. I have used a Beretta AL-2 magnum my Dad bought new in 72-73. Never has had a hiccup, but is very,very well (ab)used.

I have always had a fondness for any Browning ANYTHING, but the clearcoat glossy stock coating is pretty until it gets a single scrape - then it looks like something brownish-yellow in a clean diaper.It goes downhill from there.
Nothing a little stripper and polystain cannot fix.

I would get this shotgun in a heartbeat, if it was a 20ga I'd not have even thought about writing a hot check and letting the wife cover it
I'm just guessing, but would bet $100 the thing would get an easy 10k rounds thru it without any problems.

 

[Milkmaster]

bump

 

[Pete409]

The Browning B-80 was made by Beretta. It's basically a Beretta with a Browning name on it. I forget what the model number Beretta was putting on their autoloading guns at that time (perhaps 301 or 302), but whatever it is, the B-80 is essentially the same gun.

I have heard that some of the B-80's had aluminum alloy receivers while others had steel receivers. If a magnet will stick to the side of the receiver, it is a steel receiver.

The price of $350 sounds fair (but not cheap) to me if it is in good condition and you like it. Many people would consider the fixed choke barrel to be a drawback.

 

[waterhouse]

12 gauge?

I've got one of the Beretta 30Xs in 20, it is a great gun. I think I paid about that for my 20, seems like a fair price.

 

[sargenv]

I used one of these exclusively for hunting and target shooting up until the point that I bought my Browning Gold Hunter. The B-80 was fun to shoot, but it requires full power loads to run it. It never liked anything ultra light. 3 dram 1 1/8 ounce loads were standard fare, and it would run 3 1/4-1 also. It would not run anything lighter. I used this gun for several years for waterfowl, dove, and a very large amount of clay targets. I finally upgraded to the Gold since it was able to expand magazine capacity while the B80 was unable to by design. I might consider a 20 gauge if I found one today. I'm still looking for that altogether elusive 20 guage gold..

 

[Rembrandt]

The B-80 was Browning's replacement for the troublesome B2000. It was actually a copy of the Beretta A303. One side of the barrel may read assembled in Portugal the other side may be stamped with Italy. This was because Beretta was making some of the parts while FN was making others and assembling in Portugal. These were later discontinued in lieu of the A500.

 

[Pete409]

The B-80 was Browning's replacement for the troublesome B2000.

I have to take exception to the word "troublesome" when used to describe the Browning B2000 shotgun. Everyone I've talked to who owned one had only good things to say about it.

I've owned a Browning B2000 for about 25 years and have nothing bad to say about it. It has never malfuntioned and has very soft recoil.

It is my understanding that the reason the B2000 was discontinued was due to the cost of production, not because of any defects in the gun.

Winchester stopped making the Super X-1 shotgun in about this same time frame for the same reason....... too expensive to produce.

When a company stops making a product, it's not always because something better came along. Often it's because something cheaper is being made and the quality product can't compete on the basis of price which, unfortunately, is all that many people look at when considering what product to buy.

 

[Rembrandt]

....I have to take exception to the word "troublesome" when used to describe the Browning B2000 shotgun. Everyone I've talked to who owned one had only good things to say about it.....It is my understanding that the reason the B2000 was discontinued was due to the cost of production, not because of any defects in the gun.....

The problems with the B2000 are documented in Matt Eastman's book "Browning, Sporting Arms of Distinction".

This was Brownings first attempt at making a gas operated semi-auto, things didn't go well. The model didn't sell well because of manufacturing and design problems which should have been ironed out before release to the public. Gun folks are like a bunch of hens, when one has a problem with the gun they all hear about it. By the time the engineers solved the problems the gun had such a bad reputation people shied away from it.

Browning extensively advertised that it could shoot either a 2 3/4" light load or a 3" magnum if you changed the barrels. This was only true on the field gun. Shooting different loads did not apply to the trap model.

It came out in 1974 and was discontinued in 1979.

 

[Pete409]

Why would anyone want to shoot a 3" load in the Trap model?

I guess that I and the people I've heard talk about their Browning B2000 must not have been in the inner circle with the "hens". Again, all I've heard has been good.

Click here for a few more opinions from people who owned a Browning B2000. Nothing bad here that I can find.

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-229854.html

Just curious. Did you ever own a B2000 yourself?

 

[Rembrandt]

My brother had a B2000 when they first came out, numerous cycling and jamming problems....sent it in but never did work well. Ended up trading it off for a B-80.

Not sure why anyone would shoot 3" for trap either.....but that's what Eastman's book describes. Sounds like Browning engineers eventually got the problems ironed out but the public relations damage had been done.