browning medalist

[plinker]

has anyone got anything to say good or bad about the browning medalist as a cheap all rounder? they cost about £550 new, but i have not seen or used one.

plinker

[stupidsalmon]

Anyone??

SS

[dazza]

my mate has one and loves it, never remember anything going wrong with it

[Dunkield]

I know one that has done the rounds, it has been owned by 4 people I know so far and was secondhand (or more) to the first owner.

 

It shoots fine and has never let any of them down. I had it in for a 'service' well, a bit of a clean up really and wasn't that impressed with the quality of the metal, it looked pretty **** to me, and it had a cracked ejector. It still has the cracked ejector, but is still going strong - so I guess that say something about it.

 

Having that apart and then a Midland a week or so later, they are not in the same league as far a build quality, but you get what you pay for and the backup for the Medlist should be good through BWM.

[coupe312]

i personal dont like the medalist its not a terrible gun but ins know where near the same build quality as the other browning. i'd look for a second hand 325, 425 or a really battered 525. they should not be too far off that 550.

i feel taht there a lower quality gun with a browning badge on

[the hitman]

I have been shooting the same medallist for 12yrs ,mostly for pigeons and cannot fault it, cheap reliable

multi choke, i suppose its the skoda of shotguns. If this one packed in i would have another for sure.

[stupidsalmon]

Hmmmm

contrasting views,

Have you ever had a problem with the ejectors hitman?

Any other opinions before i set myself on buying one (either that or a bettinsoli diamondline)?

Thanks for the input nonetheless,

Cheers

SS

[the hitman]

I have never had a problem with ejectors , and i have put thousands of shells through it. If you want a solid knock about gun , go for a medallist.

[andy74]

what kind of price would you expect to pick up a good second hand medalist up for?

[stupidsalmon]

From what i've seen, anything from £350 to £500

any opinions on the diamondline??

Cheers

ss

[Lord Missalot]

Some folk, IMO, class the medalist as a budget gun, if they can afford better fair play to em',.....My first shotgun was a Rizzini, 30inch multi choke, cost me £350 brand new from The Sportsman in Paington, I shot well with it, it accounted for my best day on woodies which was 275, it was a "budget" gun, but it shot well for me, I have since sold it and purchased a second hand Beretta 687 silver pigeon, I havent done much with it to be honest but it shoots no better than my old faithful Rizzini.

 

So, back to the Medalist, its a good gun in my opinion, not too expensive but it will serve you well if you look after it!

 

 

 

Regards

[scaffman73]

i personal dont like the medalist its not a terrible gun but ins know where near the same build quality as the other browning. i'd look for a second hand 325, 425 or a really battered 525. they should not be too far off that 550.

i feel taht there a lower quality gun with a browning badge on

 

 

 

If you do a bit research the medalist was never made by browning.It was brought in as a cheap gun to keep browning in the market.

[dunganick]

i personal dont like the medalist its not a terrible gun but ins know where near the same build quality as the other browning. i'd look for a second hand 325, 425 or a really battered 525. they should not be too far off that 550.

i feel taht there a lower quality gun with a browning badge on

 

 

 

If you do a bit research the medalist was never made by browning.It was brought in as a cheap gun to keep browning in the market.

 

and i believe it can still be bought from the original manufactor at a lower cost, but it will be identicle to the browning (apart from warenty)

[stupidsalmon]

that original manufacturer being??

[dunganick]

i believe it to be http://www.sabatti.it/

 

or Fias but i cant find a site for them

[plinker]

they are made by fias i brought one after i started this thread (2 years ago) i sold it about 6 weeks later.

traded it for a 325 twice the gun imo

 

plinker

[Swanky Doodle Pigeon]

I seem to remember Sporting Gun Magazine did a used gun write up on it in something like March or April last year. It said look out for cracked ejectors and hairline cracks in the stock amongst other things. I think one of the reviewers said it was the worst gun he'd ever bought as every time he used it something went wrong. Another reviewer said he'd used his for years and never had a problem.

 

Sounds like there are good uns about but on the other hand there could be a few lemons aswell. Quality control an issue perhaps?

[Swanky Doodle Pigeon]

There's a review on the Trulock and Harris website that also mentions problems with the ejectors. It may even be part of the Sporting Gun review although it doesn't have the input from some previous owners.

[stupidsalmon]

I seem to remember Sporting Gun Magazine did a used gun write up on it in something like March or April last year. It said look out for cracked ejectors and hairline cracks in the stock amongst other things. I think one of the reviewers said it was the worst gun he'd ever bought as every time he used it something went wrong. Another reviewer said he'd used his for years and never had a problem.

 

Sounds like there are good uns about but on the other hand there could be a few lemons aswell. Quality control an issue perhaps?

 

 

There's a review on the Trulock and Harris website that also mentions problems with the ejectors. It may even be part of the Sporting Gun review although it doesn't have the input from some previous owners.

 

Are you talking about the bettinsoli diamondline or the medalist?

SS

[leeboy]

I seem to remember Sporting Gun Magazine did a used gun write up on it in something like March or April last year. It said look out for cracked ejectors and hairline cracks in the stock amongst other things. I think one of the reviewers said it was the worst gun he'd ever bought as every time he used it something went wrong. Another reviewer said he'd used his for years and never had a problem.

 

Sounds like there are good uns about but on the other hand there could be a few lemons aswell. Quality control an issue perhaps?

 

 

I also read that article and the meddalist did get quite a slating. The ejectors cracking or breaking seems to be a common fault. However my shooting partner bought his second hand 2 years ago for about £300. and has used it regularly for clays and game with no problems. It is difficult to get the action engraving clean though and the balance feels wrong to me, very front end heavy.

 

Leeboy

[straightshooter1]

Trulock harris review

 

Browning Medallist. - 22 January 2002

 

The name Browning Medallist is somewhat of a misnomer. It is not actually made by Browning at all, but is simply distributed by them.

 

Unlike all the other guns that are made by Browning, either in Belgium or via Miroku in Japan, the Medallist is made in Italy.

 

Today the guns are made by Fias, and have been for about the last 12 years or so. The medallist started life in the mid eighties and was originally made by another maker the name of which, escapes my memory at the moment.

 

I have seen a few of the early ones. And in fact I have one tucked away in my gun cabinet at the moment. I don't think they were dropped in favour of the new one because of any detrimental problems. But they were perhaps a little too complicated for their own good. And certainly the current Medallist is a simpler gun mechanically speaking.

 

In fact the Medallist could be said to owe some of its pedigree to Browning, in that the basic layout of the mechanism is loosely along the lines of the B25. That comparison starts and finished with the fact that the hammers pivot at the bottom of the action, and the sears are suspended from above. Also similar is the sear lifter come selector block.

 

As the B25 was the first mass produced OU gun, I guess it could be said that most modern guns borrow something from this original thinking.

 

The selector works in the same way as the other Browning/ Miroku guns, with the safe button itself being used to choose which barrel should be fired first.

 

The build up of the action, though is typical Italian, with a shallow action frame dictating that the barrels hinge on stub pins set in the side of the action walls. Lock up is provided by a full width locking bolt in the bottom of the action that engages with a bite cut in the bottom of the barrel lumps.

 

The barrels themselves are built on the now almost universal monoblock principle. The gun is available with either 28" or 30" barrels. And although most I have seen have been multichoke, I believe they were made in fixed choke as well. Certainly the 20 gauge version is available as fixed or multichoke.

 

The side ribs are ventilated to reduce weight and keep the gun cool. The top rib is approximately 8mm wide and is ventilated for the same reasons. It is cross cut with small crescents to reduce glare. A red plastic foresight is fitted and they usually had a small brass mid-sight added as well.

Chambers are for standard 70mm cartridges.

 

The extractors are directly coil spring powered, and provide good contact around the rim of the cartridge.

The action frame itself is covered in a very bold scroll engraving that is obviously done by machine and does add a fair bit to the appearance of the gun. The top lever, safe and trigger guard are all finished in silver to match the action frame. With only the barrels and forend iron being black.

 

Inside, the top lever spring is housed with a sleeve that is retained by a screw under the top strap. The spring powers a small rod that bears directly onto the top lever spindle. If required a rod can be fitted between the top lever spring housing and the safe button itself to make the gun return to safe automatically on opening the gun.

 

This spindle locates through the full height of the action frame to connect by a cam with the locking bolt at the bottom.

 

From the back of the action the strikers or firing pins pass through the spindle to appear through the breech face. The hammers are powered onto the strikers by large coil springs.

 

Independent levers for each side cock the hammers. And are retained back by a tooth in the bottom of the hammer. On firing these levers come forward and an arm on the side engages with the ejector trip. The cocking levers are pushed back on opening by a cam in the front of the forend iron.

 

As the gun is opened and the cocking levers are doing their task, so the extractor comes into direct contact with the front of the action, and is forced back over the trip until it fires at the point of the gun being almost fully open.

 

That basically how the gun works. So what's to go wrong?

Well for a gun at the cheaper end of the market the Medallist does have a fair bit of staying power and is generally reliable. Rarely do they misfire, as the strikers are pretty chunky and the mainsprings are big and strong. Though there are one or two things that do show up pretty regularly in my workshop.

 

The medallist's extractors are made from cast steel, and have the actual ejector rod hidden in a slot within them. This ejector rod is very strong and I have never seen one broken, but the extractors do break fairly regularly, largely, I think because they are cast. However, it is not too much of a problem to fit a new one. Though a little time is needed.

 

Another problem that found me on a couple of occasions last year was the cocking cam in the forend breaking. Although the area that contacts the cocking levers is quite chunky, where it locates into the forend iron is quite thin. New one of these I tend to make as I can then make them a little thicker and so as strong as possible to prevent a recurrence.

 

There is a screw just behind the safe that secure the trigger plate to the action frame strap, which can come loose on occasion, but this is easily remedied by tightening, and prevented from happening again with a little loctite or similar.

 

Woodwork is usually pretty plain and simple, though very functional. The stock has a nicely shaped pistol grip that is slim and comfortable in the hand. The forend is the popular schnabel shape and is a very attractive shape. Again it is very comfortable to hold.

 

The stock and forend are finished with a light varnish or laquer. This will mark very easily, and usually the guns appearance can be much enhanced by stripping this off and oil finishing.

 

Perhaps one small minus point with the stock is the comb height, which for most is a little too high at approx. 45mm; nearer to 55mm is better for most shooters. But this can be easily adjusted in most cases.

 

As an all round, more affordable type of gun the Medallist offers excellent value for money, and compares well with guns such as lanber and Lincoln.

 

My review

 

I have found this gun to be very reliable does what it says on the packet and has great balance and feel it's also what I would consider to be a light gun ideal for long days out in the field and is also at home shooting clays a great allrounder and fantastic value for money considering you can pick up this Browning for as little as £350 in reasonable condition

Edited May 4, 2008 by straightshooter1

[Devilishdave]

I have one, I gues I have put some where IRO 10K carts through it in the last 3.5 years. I have not had a sinle stopage and it shoots better than I do. Managed a 23 on skeet with it last wednesday. It is multi choke so you can shoot any thing from skeet to Olympic Trap or from grouse to geese. A friend of mine I was shooting in a competition with a few weeks ago with had two of the bertinsoli diamonds and had nowt but probs with them even from new with the selectors jaming and not firing!!

 

Dave

[2shots]

BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BETTINSOLI AND AFTER 7 SHOTS IT

FIRED BOTH BARRELS AND LOCKED UP SOLID,TOOK IT BACK AND

THEY FORCED IT OPEN, BOTH THE PINS HAD SHEARED OFF AND THE

ACTION HAD CRACKED, THE DEALER WAS THAT CONCERNED WITH

THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE HE GAVE US A NEW BROWNING 525 £500

QUID MORE, THAT WAS WITH 28G LOADS.

[Poacher]

younger brother has one, no problems ever, solid, reliable multi choked etc and well priced.

[Andy H]

The Medalist was also sold by Remington as the premier the only problems i have had are the ejector stop pins shearing off ($7-00 from Gunparts usa) , When they shear off the ejector either smacks you in the chops or goes 10-15ft into the only patch of stingers within 100 yds , otherwise not a bad gun to start with.