New for 2012 is the Browning Leverage underlever air rifle. Currently available in .22 calibre, this single-shot spring action rifle has the added benefit of a fixed barrel which greatly increases accuracy and the underlever action aids in decreasing the cocking effort.
This model has been released by Umarex USA with the infamous Browning name attached and is the third product in their Browning line. The rifle is manufactured in China and is packaged with a decent 3-9x40 scope with adjustable objective and a set of weaver rings as the Weaver/Picatinny scope rail has replaced a standard 3/8" dovetail rail commonly found on airguns.
The rifle is also equipped with a nice set of fiber optic front and rear sights which is quite common on most guns these days.
Automatic safety is engaged once the rifle is fully cocked and is located just in front of the trigger.
The wood stock is ambidextrous but does have a raised right hand cheekpiece and a nicely fitted rubber recoil pad with a small Browning logo engraved on the left hand side is a nice touch.
As with most fixed barrel air rifles accuracy is improved and the same goes for the Leverage. Most inexpensive break barrel rifles packaged with a scope such as the Ruger Air Hawk, Crosman Quest, Gamo Varmint Hunter etc. tend to take a little work to get shooting right. It only took me 10 shots from the Leverage to get the scoped zeroed at 20 yards while it was still dieseling from the factory oil.
The 10 shot group below left me impressed with accuracy so far!
Velocity for the .22 calibre model is rated at 820 ft/sec with a standard lead pellet. We tested the rifle with JSB Exact 15.9gr pellets and received these results:
1- 717.9
2- 727.2
3- 722.7
4- 728.6
5- 732.3
6- 717.8
7- 715.5
8- 721.3
9- 729.4
10- 725.2
Overall the Browning Leverage seems to be a well shooting rifle that will most likely outperform other similar priced airguns. The 3-9x40 scope with adjustable objective is a nice improvement over 4x32 models with fixed objectives that are slapped on. We did find the fit & finish to be a little harsh in some areas but is typically expected on a Chinese produced airgun.
