Belgium · 1967–

Browning BAR MK 3

Landmark model

Specifications

Maker: Browning
Type: Rifle
Action: Semi-automatic
Era: Modern (1946–1999)
Produced: 1967–
Magazine: 4 rounds
Swedish class: 1, 2

Chambered in

.243 Winchester
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.300 Winchester Magnum

Stock

Wood
Polymer

What it is worth

$980–$1,820

Well-worn to unfired · priced 2026-08-05

Blue Book of Gun Valuesvalue guide$980–$1,440 2026-08-05
Blue Book of Gun Valuesvalue guide$1,365–$1,820 2026-08-05

Indicative only. A second-hand gun is worth what its condition, chambering and provenance say — these are published figures, not an offer.

Chapter 01

Overview

The sporting BAR was the idea of Bruce Browning, John Moses Browning’s grandson: his team worked under the code name Carbine 66 and the rifle launched in 1967, built in Belgium. It was the first popular semi-automatic offered in magnum chamberings, followed by the Mark II in 1993, the aluminium-receiver Mk 3 in 2016, and in Europe today the BAR 4X.

Chapter 02

How it works

A short-stroke gas piston under the fore-end cycles a seven-lug rotating bolt that locks into a steel barrel extension — an operating system that has stayed true to the 1966 design. The Mk 3 is long-action in every chambering and feeds from a box that detaches from a hinged floorplate, four standard rounds or three magnums; the BAR 4X adds hand cocking with a push-button decocker and the Super Feather trigger.

Chapter 03

Variants

Earlier generations split into the ShortTrac, for cartridges up to .308 Win, and the LongTrac for longer ones, alongside the walnut Safari — the only BAR with the BOSS muzzle brake and weight — and the Lightweight Stalker with iron sights. The BAR 4X line runs from Hunter through Tracks, Tracks Pro, Elite and Ultimate to the Platinum, engraved with a roe deer on one side and a wild boar on the other.

Chapter 04

In the field

Browning lists big-game driven hunts and tracking as the 4X’s uses, and its fluted, M14×1-threaded barrel is pre-drilled for a battue rib or a red dot; RifleShooter found the Mk 3 handles like a shotgun and points well. In .308 Win, .30-06 and .300 Win Mag it is a Swedish class 1 rifle for moose and boar; the .243 Win version is class 2.

Sources

Written from: Browning BAR — Wikipedia, The Browning BAR MK3 Delivers the Goods, Semi-Automatically — RifleShooter, BAR 4X — Browning International, BAR 4X Hunter — Browning International, Klassifikation av jaktvapen i Sverige — Wikipedia (sv) — read 2026-10-29

Cross-reference