Browning Challenger II
Browning Challenger II
Browning Challenger II
ing pin block mechanism or sear block mechanism. Please read and practice the following cautions:
These are all mechanical devices used to place your
gun in a safer status. No guarantee can be made CAUTION
that the gun will not fire even if the "safety" is in the
"on safe" position. 1 . ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE OF YOUR
PISTOL POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION
Like any mechanical device they can sometimes even though you are certain the pistol is un-
fail; they can sometimes be jarred or inadvertently loaded and "on safe." Never point your pistol
manipulated into an unsafe condition. These me- at anything you do not intend to shoot. Be
chanical "safeties" merely aid safe gun handling and extremely alert and aware of all persons and
are no excuse for pointing your muzzle in an unsafe property within range of your ammunition.
direction.
Your responsibilities do not end when your gun is
unattended. Never keep a loaded gun unattended.
2 . NEVER TRUST YOUR PISTOL'S MECHAN-
ICAL "SAFETY" DEVICES. The word, "safe-
ty," describes a gun's trigger block mechan-
Store guns and ammunition in separate, locked ism, sear block mechanism, hammer block
areas. Whenever possible, store this pistol with the mechanism or firing pin block mechanism.
slide locked back and the magazine removed. (This These are mechanical devices that place your
does not harm the recoil spring in any way.) Take gun in a SAFER status. No guarantee can be
all safeguards to insure your gun does not become made that the gun will not fire even if the
available to untrained, inexperienced or unwelcome "safety" is in the "on safe" position.
hands.
Like any mechanical device a safety can
There is no excuse for careless or abusive handling sometimes fail; it can be jarred or inadver-
of any firearm. At all times handle your gun with in- tently manipulated into an unsafe condition.
tense respect for its force and power. Mechanical "safeties" merely aid safe gun
handling and are no excuse for pointing your
pistol's muzzle in an unsafe direction.
5
While it is a good idea to "test" your pistol's then glance through the barrel to be sure it is
mechanical "safeties" periodically for proper clear of any obstruction.
i
function, NEVER test them with a loaded pis-
tol or point the muzzle in an unsafe direction. 6. DO NOT S N A P THE HAMMER O N AN
m n CHAMBER-THE CHAMBER MAY i
Safe gun handling does not stop with your NOT BE EMPTY! Treat every gun with the !
gun's mechanical "safety" devices. It starts respect due a loaded gun-even though you
there. Always treat this pistol with the respect are certain the gun is unloaded.
due a loaded, ready-to-firepistol.
7. KEEP YOUR FINGER AWAY FROM THE
3 . ALWAYS REMOVE THE MAGAZINE, LOCK
THE SLIDE OPEN AND VISUALLY CHECK
TRIGGER while unloading the pistol or re-
moving the magazine.
THE CHAMBER OF YOUR PISTOL WHEN
YOU PICK IT UP to be sure it does not inad- 8. BE SURE OF YOUR BACKSTOP. Know the
range of your ammunition and be certain
vertently contain any ammunition. there is no chance of damage or accident.
4. WHENEVER YOU HAND YOUR PISTOL TO Never shoot at water or hard objects. Handle
ANOTHER PERSON always remove the your pistol at all times with deep respect and
magazine, lock the slide open and be sure alert consideration to all within its range.
the chamber is empty. Be sure the muzzle DO NOT CARRY YOUR PISTOL WITH A
also points in a safe direction when handing 9. ROUND IN THE CHAMBER. We recommend
the pistol to another person. you do not chamber a round until immedi-
5. BEWARE OF BARREL OBSTRUCTIONS. ately before the pistol is to be fired.
Before the first firing of your pistol clean the 10. ALWAYS UNLOAD YOUR PISTOL WHEN
bore using a cleaning rod and patch. Wipe NOT IN USE. Remove and unload the maga-
away any anti-rust compounds present in the
zine and be sure the chamber is empty. Store
action-chamber areas. Before you load your
your pistol and ammunition separately-be-
pistol, remove the magazine, lock open the
yond the reach of children. Whenever possi-
slide, BE SURE THE CHAMBER IS EMPTY-
Challenger 11 22 Automatic Pistol Challenger 11 22 Automatic Pistol
ble store this pistol with the slide locked back 15 IF YOUR PISTOL FAILS TO FIRE DUE TO
and the magazine removed. (This will not A MALFUNCTION O F EITHER PISTOL OR
harm the recoil spring in any way.) Take all AMMUNITION keep the muzzle pointed in a
safeguards to keep your gun away from un- safe direction and hold this position for a
trained, inexperienced, or unwelcome hands. minimum of 30 seconds. Carefully open the
11 ALWAYS UNLOAD ANY GUN'S CHAMBER slide and remove the cartridge. If the rim is
indented, it should be disposed of in a way
AND MAGAZINE BEFORE CROSSING A
FENCE, CLIMBING A TREE, JUMPING A that can not cause harm. If the rim is not
DITCH or negotiating other obstacles. Never indented, your pistol should be examined by
lean a lbaded gun against a fence, tree, car a qualified gunsmith and the cause of the
or other similar object. malfunction should be corrected before
further use.
12 BE SURE O F YOUR TARGET. Be sure no
persons, livestock, buildings or other objects 16. BE DEFENSIVE. BE ON GUARD AGAINST
are behind or near your target. Be absolutely UNSAFE GUN HANDLING around you and
sure of your target particularly during low others. Don't be timid when it comes to gun
light periods. safety. If you observe other shooters violating
the above safety precautions, politely suggest
13 FOR EYE AND EAR PROTECnON we rec-
safer handling practices.
ommend that you always wear shooting
glasses and hearing protection when shooting. 17 EDUCATE AND SUPERVISE. Stress firearms
safety to all members of your family, espe-
14. IN GRIPPING THE PISTOL, NEITHER cially to children and non-shooters. Closely
HAND SHOULD BE IN A POSITION supervise newcomers to the shooting sports.
WHERE IT COULD BE HIT WRING THE Encourage enrollment in hunting-shooting
REARWARD MOVEMENT O F THE SLIDE. safety courses.
You should also avoid unorthodox sighting
methods where the pistol might be held close
to the eve.
GENERAL OPERATION
CHALLENGER I1 22 Your new Browning is a recoil operated, semi-auto-
matic pistol. With the chamber and magazine loaded
AUTOMATIC PISTOL and the safety* in the off safe or fire position, the
NOMENCLATURE pistol will fire a single round with each successive
pull of the trigger until the magazine and chamber
In conventional gun terminology the position and are empty. The slide of the pistol is designed to stay
movement of pistol parts are described as they occur open after the last cartridge has been fired.
with the pistol horizontal and in normal firing position;
i.e. the muzzle is forward or front; the pistol grip is
rearward or rear; the trigger is downward or under-
neath; the sights are upward or on top.
DESIGN FEATURES
The Challenger II incorporates a thumb operated sear
block "safety*." To put the mechanism on safe the
slide must be fully forward. The thumb safety lever
AMMUNITION is then pressed upward into the recess provided for
Your pistol must be used only with 22 Long Rifle it in the slide. (Note: This may require firm pressure.
Cartridges. The barrel and action of this pistol have Be sure the lever travels its maximum upward move-
been made with substantial safety margins over the ment and is completely engaged in the recess.) Al-
pressures developed by established commercial though the sear is now blocked, abusive handling
loads. Nevertheless, Browning can assume no re- such as a sharp blow could still dislodge the hammer
sponsibility for incidents which occur through use of or otherwise cause the firing pin to move forward and
cartridges of nonstandard dimension or those devel- discharge a cartridge.
oping pressures in excess of SAAMI' established When the slide is drawn rearward a Stop Open Latch
standards. can be raised to lock the slide in its open position.
With a magazine in the frame, this latch is automa-
'Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturing Institute tically actuated to lock the slide open after the last
'See handling precautions at the beginning of this booklet.
Challenger 11 22 Automatic Pistol Challenger 11 22 Automatic Pistol '
UNLOADING
THE PISTOL
To remove the cartridge remaining in the chamber,
raise the thumb "safety*" lever to its "on safe"
position and withdraw the magazine from the pistol.
Then move the "safety*" to the off safe position
and slowly pull rearward on the slide to extract and
eject the cartridge from the chamber. Inspect the To move the point of impact right or left, the
action and chamber to be sure that a live cartridge rear sight must be moved a very slight amount
does not remain in the pistol. in its dovetail slot. This accomplished by
1 With the magazine removed, the Stop Open Latch
must be raised manually to hold the slide open.
lightly tapping the rear sight in its dovetail in
the same direction you want the bullet impact
to move. A small wood dowel or comparable
1 SIGHTS non-metallic object should be used to bear
against the sight during tapping to avoid mar-
The Challenger I1 is equipped with a precision rear
ring the finish (Fig. 2).
sight which is screw adjustable for elevation and drift
adjustable for windage.
CLEANING
The slide assembly may be cleaned with any good
gun cleaning solvent or light oil and then dried with
a clean cloth, or preferably blown dry with air pres-
sure, if available.
The barrel may be cleaned with a good quality pow-
der solvent such a s Browning Liquid Gunsmith.
Ordinarily a light lubricating oil will suffice for this
purpose. Use a small brush to remove dirt or other
foreign matter from other parts of the action. Lubri-
cate the pistol with a good light gun oil. All moving
parts should be occasionally lubricated. Use oil spar-
Challenger 11 22 A u t o m a t i c Pistol
PRINTED W USA.
You Are Responsible For Firearms Safety
As a gun owner, you accept a set of demanding responsibilities. How seriously you take
these responsibilities can be the difference between life and death.
Never point any firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot. Be extremely alert and
aware of all persons and property within the range of your ammunition.
The word “safety” describes a gun’s blocking or disengaging mechanism for the trigger,
sear, hammer and/or firing pin. Although mechanical devices place pistol in a SAFER
status, no guarantee can be made that the gun will not fire even if the “safety” is on the
“on safe” position.
To fully unload your handgun, you must first remove the magazine, open and lock the
slide rearward, and visually inspect the chamber to be certain it does not contain a
cartridge. It is vital that you remove the magazine from your pistol so a cartridge is not
automatically chambered when you close the action. Always keep the chamber empty
and “safety” in the “on safe” position unless shooting is imminent.
5 DO NOT TRANSPORT YOUR FIREARM LOADED.
When preparing to shoot your pistol, check for a barrel obstruction as follows: first, fully
unload the pistol by removing the magazine, locking the action open and inspecting the
chamber. BE CERTAIN NO LIVE ROUND IS IN THE CHAMBER. Then glance
down the barrel to be sure it is clear of any obstruction. It takes only one small
obstruction to dangerously increase pressures. Before the first firing, clean the bore with
a cleaning rod and patch, and wipe away any anti-rust compounds in the chamber and
around the action.
If you detect an off sound or light recoil when a cartridge is fired, do not load another
cartridge into the chamber. Fully unload by removing the magazine and removing the
cartridge from the chamber. With the action open, glance down the barrel to make sure
that an obstruction does not remain in the barrel. If there is an obstruction, completely
clear the barrel before loading and firing again. Failure to follow these instructions can
cause extensive damage to your gun and possible serious injury to yourself and others.
Because so many gun accidents occur when a firearm is being cleaned, special and
extreme care should be taken to be sure your gun is unloaded before disassembly,
cleaning and reassembly. Keep ammunition away from the cleaning location. Never test
the mechanical function of any firearms with live ammunition.
Your responsibilities do not end when your firearm is unattended. Store your pistol and
ammunition separately and well beyond the reach of children. Take all safeguards to
ensure your pistol does not become available to untrained, inexperienced or unwelcome
hands.
10 USE THE PROPER AMMUNTION.
The barrel and action of this pistol have been made with substantial safety margins over
the pressures developed by established American commercial loads.
Browning cannot assume any responsibility for the use of unsafe or improper arms and
ammunition combinations. It is your responsibility to read and heed all warnings in your
instruction manual and on ammunition boxes.
Treat every gun with the respect due a loaded gun, even though you are certain the gun is
unloaded.
Take additional care during low light periods. Know the range of your ammunition.
Never shoot at water or hard objects.
Be extremely careful while hunting or during any shooting activity, to avoid dropping a
loaded firearm.
16 ALWAYS COMPLETELY UNLOAD YOUR PISTOL’S CHAMBER BEFORE
CROSSING A FENCE, CLIMBING A TREE, JUMPING A DITCH OR
NEGOTIATING OTHER OBSTACLES.
Hold this position for a minimum of 30 seconds. Carefully open the action and remove
the cartridge. If the rim is indented, the cartridge should be disposed of in a way that
cannot cause harm. If the rim is not indented, your firearm should be examined by a
qualified gunsmith and the cause of the malfunction should be corrected before further
use.
Unprotected, repeated exposure to gunfire can cause hearing damage. Wear hearing
protectors (shooting ear plugs or muffs) to guard against such damage. Wear shooting
glasses to protect your eyes from flying particles. Always keep a safe distance between
the muzzle of your firearm and any persons nearby, as muzzle blast, debris and ejecting
shells could inflict serious injury. Also, wear eye protection when disassembling and
cleaning your pistol to prevent the possibility of springs, spring-tensioned parts, solvents
or other agents from contacting your eyes.
Don’t be timid when it comes to gun safety. If you observe other shooters violating any
of these safety precautions, politely suggest safer handling practices.
This is especially important when children and non-shooters are involved. Closely
supervise newcomers to the shooting sports. Encourage enrollment in hunting/shooting
safety courses.
Your vision and judgment could be dangerously impaired, making your gun handling
unsafe to you or to others.
22 PERIODIC MAINTENANCE – AVOID UNAUTHORIZED SERVICING.
Your firearm is a mechanical device which will not last forever, and as such, is subject to
wear and requires periodic inspection, adjustment, and service. Like all Browning
firearms, your firearm should be serviced by a Browning Recommended Service Center
or by Browning’s service facility in Arnold, Missouri.
Read and heed all warnings in your owner’s manual, on ammunition boxes and
with all accessories that you install on your firearm. It is your responsibility to secure the
most up-to-date information on the safe handling procedures for your Browning gun.
Browning assumes no liability for incidents which occur when unsafe or improper gun
accessories or ammunition combinations are used.
Do not, under any circumstance, alter the trigger, safety or parts of the firing
mechanism of this or any other firearm. Failure to obey this warning may result in injury
or death to yourself or others.
BE CAREFUL!