Beautiful B15 Beauchamp is Getting Plenty of Attention in the International Gun Press
Beautiful B15 Beauchamp is Getting Plenty of Attention in the International Gun Press
When the subject is over and under shotguns, the terms “Browning” and “Beautiful” are often mentioned in the same sentence, and usually right at the start of the conversation. After all, it was John M. Browning who, working at Fabrique Nationale in Belgium in the early 1920s, created the over and under shotgun almost a century ago with his original B25 Superposed.
Recently, the Beauchamp -- one of the new John Moses Browning Collection models of the B15 -- received high praise from the UK's The Field magazine. If you have an appreciation of fine firerms, then the article is well worth reading. A synopsis is below.
Shown is a reproduced version of the primary drawing from the original John Moses Browning Superposed Shotgun patent.
Fast-forward some 90 years and Browning has a new presentation grade over and under shotgun, the magnificent B15 Beauchamp. (Insider’s hint: It’s properly pronounced “bee-cham”) Offering perfect balance, a silky-smooth swing and the precise action lock-up designed to last a lifetime, the B15 is exactly what John M. Browning would design, were he still alive today.
While its roots stretch back almost 100 years, the B15 is as modern as tomorrow. This timeless gem includes all the latest performance features like the Fire Lite mechanical trigger, Invector-DS interchangeable choke tubes and chrome-lined back-bored Vector-Pro barrels. This is the over and under shotgun for discerning shooters who appreciate style but also prize function.
Yet at the same time the level of care and craftsmanship that’s invested into every B15 harkens back to an earlier time – back to the time when the gentle touch of a master gunsmith brought fine wood and polished steel to life in the form of a bespoke shotgun. The B15 is a true modern classic, with hand-engraved decorative surfaces, hand-fitted select walnut furniture and carefully assembled and hand-fitted metalwork.
“We set out to build the perfect shooting machine that’s hand finished,” Lionel Neuville, the production director over the 15 craftsmen (and women) in FN’s John M. Browning Collection custom shop, said in a recent interview for Britain’s The Field magazine. “And we think we’ve succeeded…. (Most of) the work – the jointing, chequering, finishing and engraving – is carried out here in Liège (Belgium).”
“Our craftsmen spend 50 hours engraving the B15 grades D and E,” concluded Neuville. “And it’s our view that, at this price, the B15 has the highest degree of hand finish of any comparable shotgun currently on the market.”
You can read more about the time, materials, care and craftsmanship that go into every Browning B15 at: http://www.thefield.co.uk/shooting/the-genius-of-browning-37157
The Browning B15 is currently available in four magnificent grades, ranging in retail price from $12,999 to $20,499. As you can imagine, B15 production is, by the gun’s very nature…rather limited.
If you want to add such a timeless Browning to your classic shotgun collection, one that is most worthy to be passed down within your family for generations to come, please visit The John M. Browning Collection web page.
Photos by Browning. Written by Browning staff writer Scott Engen. Copyright Browning 2017.