Top Value COMBO for $200 – Browning Leverage

While there are many good air rifles under $200, we can think of no air rifle combo that brings the same level of performance, quality and value as the Browning Leverage. Ironically, it’s also hard to think of another combo that is less publicized!

Indeed, at a time when air rifle advertising is particularly fierce (and often deceptive), Browning has quietly released its Leverage Combo with essentially no promotion at all. As such, this is a true “sleeper” among other air rifles that anyone shopping for an inexpensive combo ought to strongly consider!

Please read on as we discuss in detail what the Browning Leverage delivers, as well as some idiosyncrasies you should be aware of before purchasing.

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Key Features & Benefits

Great Power For Small Game Hunting or Target Shooting

First off, you don’t need to worry about sacrificing power – the Browning Leverage is a hammer! The .177 and .22 caliber versions are rated reach velocities up to 1000 and 800 FPS, respectively, and we estimate that this rifle can produce muzzle energy (i.e., foot-pounds of energy or “FPE”) in the neighborhood of at least 15 FPE in the .22. This is lots of power for any pellet rifle, and makes the Leverage great for small game hunting (.22 version recommended), target shooting, plinking, spinning or whatever.

An Unusually High Quality Scope & Picatinny Rail!

We can’t tell you how many good air rifle combos come with crummy to mediocre optics – not the Browning Leverage! This combo is fitted with a very high quality 3-9×40 AO scope with a picatinny rail (hurray!) that would be considered equivalent to a quality upgrade scope for most users. How good is it? We are talking about a scope that is probably worth $80-$100 alone! It produces strikingly bright, clear images – even when distance shooting. In fact, some users claim that this scope is almost too good to be on a rifle under $500, and end up using it on their other (more expensive) air rifles too!

Exceptional Long-Range Accuracy Out of the Box

You will want to clean the barrel, get comfy with the scope, and put a bunch of rounds through it – but when you do, you will likely be blown away at just how accurate this rifle is. Withing 20-25 yards, and with the right pellets, you can shoot a ragged hole all day long with the Leverage. However, the beauty of this rifle is how it maintains laser-beam accuracy at considerably longer distances. So what are we talking about?  How about consistent half inch (or smaller) groups at 50+ yards. In fact, the tack-driving accuracy of the Leverage has led some to compare it with the downrange precision normally reserved for PCP rifles!

Solid Trigger That Doesn’t Need Upgrading

Yet another perennial weak spot of combos is their trigger mechanisms. Well, we can honestly say that the Leverage once again pleasantly surprises with a very decent single-stage trigger that most will enjoy using and never need to replace. And while it is not the lightest trigger out there (rated at about 5 pounds of pull), it is crisp and very predictable, which is really all we think a triggers should be. Kudos to Browning for not skimping yet again!

Fixed Barrel & Easy Underlever Cocking

We have a soft spot for fixed barrel air rifles, and the underlever design of the Leverage is another huge perk for us that seems misplaced against its extremely modest price tag. Fixed barrels have certain advantages, primary of which is they are immune from potential barrel misalignment issues that can develop after time due to the constant breaking/re-breaking of breakbarrels; for us, this provides a level of confidence that once everything is dialed in, you shouldn’t need to worry about shots wandering over time due to breakbarrel misalignment/droop.

In addition to the accuracy benefits of a fixed barrel, the Leverage is remarkably easy rifle to cock. Specifically, it’s rated to require just 28 pounds of effort! This is very low, and particularly impressive given the good power and velocity the Leverage generates. Consequently, even more slightly-built and/or  younger shooter should be able to cock this rifle. This is definitely one of those rare situations where you can have your cake – and eat it too!

Very Good Fit & Finish

Besides ticking all of the performance and quality boxes for us, this air rifle looks and feels like a model costing much, much more. It has an undeniably “beefy,” masculine design that is classic yet obeys modern ergonomic standards. At roughly 45 inches long and 8.6 pounds in weight, this is a larger, but very well-balanced air rifle. In our view, the slightly greater heft of the Leverage nicely offsets the longer barrel and provides a more solid base that you’ll appreciate when aiming for more distant targets.

The hardwood stock with ventilated buttpad is also quite good, and while not adorned with any checkering or other artistic touches, is very solid and should last a lifetime with only minimal care. What else can you ask for in a sub-$200 combo!?

Any Downsides to the Leverage?

Although just about everyone agrees that the Leverage provides ridiculous value in its price class (see amazon ratings), there are some issues to keep in mind to get the most out of this combo. Based on our own analysis and by scouring input from users, here are the following quirks to be aware of.

Likely to Come With a “Dirty” Barrel

As with many more affordable air rifles, there’s a good chance that your rifle will come with some residual “gunk” in the barrel from the machining/manufacturing process. While this is not a real drawback of the Leverage, per se, this residue could really make sighting in difficult, so we suggest buying an inexpensive Airgun Cleaning Kit and giving the Leverage a good scrub before using. Some users will even go so far as disassembling the barrel to clean it out, but this shouldn’t be necessary in most cases.

Factory Barrel Droop

Barrel droop, which simply refers to a barrel that is out of alignment to some degree (in any direction) with the scope, can affect rifles in any price range. In this case, rather than the misalignment that can occur in breakbarrels (from breaking/re-breaking), the Leverage often comes out of the factory with a very slightly downward pointing barrel (the most common droop orientation). Unlike breakbarrel-caused droop, the good news is that, once this is fixed in the Leveage, it’s fixed for good!

So how to deal with this droop? Browning is keenly aware of it and has included a rear shim at the back of the scope to attempt to compensate. The only problem is that this shim may be insufficient and is a bit soft in our view. Fortunately, you can easily fashion your own shims (there are many sources on line to instruct you how), or you can get a droop compensating scope mount if you don’t want to go the DIY route.

A Noticeable “Break-in” Period

Don’t be one of those people that expect an air rifle to shoot perfectly smoothly and accurately as soon as it’s fired. The Leverage is definitely one of those springers that will be a bit jumpy at the beginning, but should continue to get smoother, quieter and more consistently accurate the more rounds you put through it. Also, as with any springer, you will need to practice your hold to get the most performance out of this air rifle.

Awkward Breech Location

Many note that it can be hard to load this rifle, as the scope can get in the way and leave you precious little space to access the breech. This can be dealt with, for the most part, by simply mounting the scope on the picatinny rail towards the back, so the rear ring is on the last slot – with the front ring placed on the slot 4th from the front. By using this configuration, you should have enough room to load pellets, even if you have fat stonemason hands!

Quality Control Issues?

Invariably, some individual rifles may come out of the factory with more issues than others. Some users have noticed dents, crooked underlever mechanisms and extreme barrel droop. Again, this can happen to any rifle, and the chances of getting one of these “duds” is relatively low; however, we encourage you to clean and put lots of rounds through the rifle soon after your purchase to take advantage of any applicable return policy should it be necessary.

Concluding Thoughts on The Browning Leverage Combo

Simply put, we cannot think of another air rifle combo that delivers such well-rounded power, accuracy and quality as the Browning Leverage that is anywhere close to its $200-ish price tag. This rifle is a small game hunting machine that is equally capable of field target shooting, spinning and plinking. Moreover, its fairly quiet report and ease of cocking makes it a handy backyard rifle that is lethal to pests and other undesirable vermin around the home.

Finally, the Leverage is simply a joy to shoot and has more going for it out of the box than combos costing hundreds more. Indeed, even old-school air gunners that have a large collection of air rifles admit that the Leverage is the one they tend to pick up first – and is the combo that provides the most bang for their buck. With all this performance for your money, we suspect that the Leverage may be very hard to find once the secret of its stellar value truly gets out!!

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