Tested True: Browning’s New BAR MK 4

Published on October 1, 2025 by Jace Bauserman

My grandfather was a BAR man in World War II. I remember listening to his war stories, hanging on every word. Grandpa was my hero. The BAR Mans’ role was to provide suppressive fire, allowing soldiers to move under the cover of the gun’s automatic gunfire.

Grandpa told me many times, “I was so thankful that I had that weapon, and that John Moses Browning designed it. It saved my life and the lives of many men in my unit time and time again.”

Naturally, I was excited when I received a call from my FFL informing me that Browning's new 2025 BAR MK 4 Speed was waiting for me. A spring black bear hunt in Idaho was on the horizon, and the new BAR MK 4 Speed was going to be my wander-the-bear-woods rifle.

The BAR MK4

Short, compact, and stunning, the OVIX camo composite stock and Smoked Bronze Cerakote barrel finish jumped out at me. Like the X-Bolt 2 Speed models, I appreciated the rubber overmold on the grip and forearm. The receiver was drilled and tapped, and the barrel was fluted to reduce weight and increase surface area, which helps with cooling.

The stock is shim-adjustable for cast on/off and drop at the comb. Another noticeable design feature was the short-stroke, gas-piston operation. The robust design of the seven-lug rotary bolt locks securely into the barrel, ensuring an exact breech-to-chamber fit. The rifle features a recoil-reducing Inflex recoil pad, and the detachable box magazine is easily reloaded.

As with most Browning rifles, the design of the MK 4 builds upon past BAR models. Browning never has to start from scratch because they already have legendary blueprints. The manufacturer continues to strive for perfection by introducing new, purposeful features and technologies.

Available in a range of caliber selections, Browning went the extra mile to provide an ultra-accurate semi-automatic hunting rifle that will consistently fill the freezer.

What’s New & On The Range

While semi-automatic rifles have always had a place in the hunting world, some rifle enthusiasts’ frown on them due to accuracy and reliability issues. That’s why Browning went to great lengths to ensure the BAR MK 4 was hyper-accurate, quick-cycling, and dependable.

Topped with Leupold’s VX6-HD GEN 2 1-6x24, my BAR MK 4, chambered in .308 Win., placed a single 180-grain Browning Silver Series six inches left and two inches high of the 100-yard dot. This was my first-ever autoloading rifle experience, and the first round ever fired from the BAR MK 4.

This was a bore-sight shot, so I wasn’t concerned about the accuracy. What surprised me was the lack of recoil. At 6 pounds, 10 ounces and sporting a short 22-inch barrel without a muzzle brake, I expected the MK 4 to sting my shoulder a tad. It didn’t. The gas-operated system bleeds off the excess gas that doesn't power the action, thus reducing recoil. Add this design with the highly effective and proven Inflex recoil pad, and you have a recipe for reduced recoil, which leads to accurate shooting.

Two shots later, the BAR MK 4 put two bullets in nearly the same hole from 100 yards. With no CDS ballistic turret, I used the intel on the ammo box, took a few guesstimates, and plugged the numbers into my ballistic app. After making an elevation dial adjustment, I stacked four bullets in a sub-two-inch group from 400 yards. The shots were a touch low, but that was due to my not having all the necessary data for my ballistic calculator. Even still, with an Idaho bear hunt on the horizon and a likely close encounter, I returned the dial to zero and sent a few more rounds.

I shot Browning’s BAR MK 4 off a bench, from shooting sticks, and off-hand. When trailing behind a fine pack of bear hounds, you never know what the shot angle or the shooting position will be in. You must be ready for anything. It’s also critical that you can make a hyper-accurate shot regardless of the shot angle or shooting position. Bear hounds are amazing, and they deserve your absolute best.

Bears often bay rather than tree, which means a close encounter on the ground with hounds moving about. Off-hand shots are common, and while I always recommend toting a pair of shooting sticks, it’s crucial to prepare to make a quick off-hand shot.

The BAR MK 4 is short, lightweight, and easy to maneuver. It throws down like the manufacturer’s Maxus II and A5 — two excellent shotguns I use regularly for waterfowl and upland game. The more I shot the rifle, the more I grew to like it. It’s the perfect run-and-gun rifle for chasing bears, but it will also excel for whitetail hunters and those who prefer to stalk game in dark timber, where shots come quickly.

There’s Bear In Them Hills

I’ve killed multiple bears in the Gem State, and several of them have been behind the fine hounds of my good buddy and Table Mountain Outfitter guide Keedin Denny. Keedin is a true houndsman. He lives for the thrill of watching his hounds trail and tree, and doesn’t mind a long, drawn-out bear race that takes hours and hours. However, this race bordered on ridiculous.

I couldn’t tell you how many miles we put on Keedin’s Toyota trying to get more dogs on the race and pick up dogs that had dropped out, but I can confirm that at 4 p.m., we’d logged 12 hiking miles. If you’ve visited Idaho’s mountains, you know how steep and rugged they are. Twice, Keedin and I slipped in quietly while the dogs had the bear bayed. Both times, just before I could take a safe shot, the bear would run.

Anyone who thinks hunting with hounds is easy should’ve come along on this adventure.

Like Keedin, the more physically torturous a hunt is, the more I enjoy it. Not to mention, I was giving the new BAR MK 4 a full field test. I fell twice. The first time was against a log; the scope and ejection side of the receiver slammed into a pine. The next was over a root while we were working to stay behind the hounds, right after the wise old bear broke from a bay. The sling slid off my shoulder, and the rifle went into the dirt, filling the fluted barrel with pine-scented earth. Luckily, Keedin had a brass rod in his truck.

At 5:09 p.m., it was all but over. We’d lost too much dog power. Only Keedin’s older dog, Cash, and a few others were on the bear. That’s when the radio crackled. The man at the end of the radio was Casey Hileman. I’d hunted with Casey before, and like Keedin, he is a true houndsman, and his pack of dogs are real bear go-getters. Casey’s hunter had tagged out, and his Garmin device had picked up Keedin’s dogs. Casey was able to drop fresh dogs on the bear, and just like that, we were back in the game.

In total, Keedin and I walked 15.24 miles in hellish country. The bear and the dogs had done at least 40. No matter how steep or rugged the country, the BAR MK 4 carried well. Browning worked hard to design a lighter-weight BAR in an ultra-maneuverable length.

Finally!

I steadied myself on my knee. (My shooting sticks had fallen out of my backpack at some point during the race.) The bear, which turned out to be an Idaho whopper, was facing me straight on. The shot entered at the base of the bear’s neck and exited out the top of his back. The wise old dry sow had finally treed and was looking down on me.

Despite the tumbles, even filling the barrel with dirt, and bouncing around in the truck, the rifle/scope combo held up. The bear was dead the second the bullet hit, but not knowing and always thinking about the safety of the dogs, I followed the bear down the tree through my optic and stayed on it until Keedin said, “Amazing shot, my man. That bear is dead, dead.”

The next day, Keedin and I were at it again, this time with my good friend, Browning’s own Shaundi Campbell. Campbell is a crack shot, and she put her BAR MK 4 Medallion model to work on a beautiful color-phase black bear. Over a week of hunting, every hunter in camp made one-shot kills on bears.

If you’re looking for a fun-to-shoot rifle that builds shooting confidence quickly and carries around the woods like a dream, look no further than Browning’s BAR MK 4.