Ed Brown Damara: the new rifleman's rifle

The first centerfire rifle I ever owned was a sporterized, military surplus Lee-Enfield .303 British which cost me $17.88. I bought it mail order when I was 14. You could do that then. I had been putting in long days driving a tractor on our farm and raising my own calves for five years. Dad figured if you did a man's work, you earned a man's privileges.

It's been over 40 years since Dad took me to the railway station to pick up the long package and gave me a box of cartridges as a surprise. In those 40 years I've bought, sold, traded and borrowed hundreds of rifles.

I don't regret it. Plenty of times I've felt the same almost unbearable impatience, waiting for a rifle to arrive. And yet, the sad fact is I'm getting harder to please. Sometimes I find myself unboxing a test rifle with about as much anticipation as if it were a new socket wrench.

But the magic still happens. A few years ago I tested an Ed Brown 702 Ozark model for this magazine. Sending it back caused me severe emotional trauma. At the 2004 SHOT Show I stopped at the Ed Brown Custom booth, picked up the new Damara and it was like being 14 again. Here was a rifle that looked, felt, and handled as though the possibility of faults didn't exist.

"You must build me a rifle like this," I told Ed, "And before we start negotiating price, let me warn you I'm desperate and will pay anything." (I learned my negotiating technique from Homer Simpson.) Ed kindly allowed me to pay dealer price. For some reason manufacturers I deal with seem unaware of the popular belief that writers get guns for nothing. Most of the rifles I test are consignments on loan--this one is mine.

My Damara is a short action in caliber 7mm-08 Rem., with blued-steel barrel and action. Stainless steel barrels are an option, but I like blue steel. Other options (none of which I ordered) include left-hand actions, long actions, muzzle brakes and jewell triggers.

The Damara is Ed Brown's lightest offering, featuring a super light No. 1.5 contour Shilen match-grade barrel, 22" in standard calibers, 24" for magnums. The barreled action, with steel triggerguard and floorplate, is bedded in a McMillan Ultra Lightweight graphite stock. With Talley rings, bases and a Leupold 2.5-8x36 VX-III scope, weight is almost exactly seven pounds.

Good Bones

The 702 action is made from high-grade 4140 steel, heat treated before it is machined. Yes, it is much easier and cheaper to machine and then heat treat, but doing so can result in warped actions. The action is held on centers during manufacture so it will always be, in Brown's words "straight, true, and concentric." Scope bases, which Brown installs, are held with big 8-40 screws rather than the usual 6-48.

The bolt body is fluted, reducing weight and allowing a tighter fit without causing binding or dragging. The M16-style extractor is a strong hook which grabs a big chunk of the cartridge rim. The nicely contoured bolt handle is welded on, rather than brazed.

The recoil lug, sandwiched between the action and the Shilen barrel is big, strong and .30" thick. Bolt locking lugs are lapped for full contact in their locking recesses. Standard trigger is the superb Shilen adjustable. The safety is similar to that of the Winchester 70--a three-position wing type. In central position it allows the bolt to be operated for loading and unloading with the trigger inoperable, while all the way back locks the bolt closed.

Worth The Wait

The wait for the rifle to show up was almost unbearable, as was the anticipation of opening the box. And the Damara did not disappoint. It balances and handles so perfectly it seems even lighter than it is. Bolt operation, feeding, locking, extraction, and ejection are smooth and flawless. The Shilen trigger breaks clean at a consistent 44 ounces.

I used Winchester 140-grain Ballistic Silvertips and got three-shot, 100-yard groups running from a best of 1/2" to the biggest of just under an inch. No real surprise. If an Ed Brown rifle isn't accurate, it doesn't leave the shop.

I can't find a single fault with the Damara, nor a single feature I would change or add. It isn't cheap, but it is made to the highest standards by people who love fine rifles. A flawless rifle, one that makes me feel 40 years younger. I'd call it money well spent.

DAMARA

ED BROWN CUSTOM, INC.
P.O. Box 492, Perry, MO 63462
(573) 565-3261, www.edbrown.com

ACTION TYPE:     Bolt Action
CALIBER:         7mm-08
CAPACITY:        4+1
BARREL LENGTH:   22" Shilen
                 No. 1.5 Contour
WEIGHT:          7 pounds, scoped
FINISH:          Blue
SIGHTS:          Drilled and tapped
STOCK:           McMillan Ultra
                 Lightweight Graphite
PRICE:           $2,795

LEUPOLD & STEVENS

(503) 646-9171

www.leupold.com

TALLEY MFG

(803) 854-5700

www.talleyrings.com

WINCHESTER

AMMUNITION

www.winchester.com

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group