I have vary little first hand experience with Browning A-Bolt Rifles, except for a 12 gauge A-Bolt Slug Hunter I recently bought that had never been shot and was N.I.B. As a matter of fact it came to me in its original box. After a painfully close inspection I came away quite impressed. About all I know about A-Bolts are thay come with an adjustable trigger, and a free-floated barrel.

I have desided to buy a dedicated deer rifle in .280 Remington, and Browning makes several rifles in .280.

I am particularly interested in a Stainless Steel Stalker in .280, and wish opinions from people who are what would be considered quite knowledagable buy members of this website how Browning A-Bolts in SS/SYN compaire to (as in are thay equal to, worse, or better than) other rifles in the same price range like Remington, and Ruger. Do A-Bolts have any short commings or bad points inhearent to the A-Bolts overall design or manufacturing process?

I have always read that A-Bolts were a well made accurate rifle, and Gun Tests Magizine has always given A-Bolts at least good reviews, if not vary good.

I would greatly appreceiate the any and all honest and un-biased informations on A-Bolts, based on personal, first hand experience.

Regards,
Bigfoot.

For me, I prefer remington or weatherby's because they are at least made in america. look on the browning barrel and it says made in japan. to some people that doesn't matter, but to me it does. they are really nice guns though, but to me if i was to choose between a toyota tundra or a dodge ram, i choose ram.

The 7mmWSM A-Bolt I got last fall is the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. Beats my Rems. and Weatherbys hands down. Accurate AND consistant.

If I buy another rifle it will be a new A bolt. Because of the low lift bolt.

My Browning BBR made before the A bolt is similar to an A-bolt,It is nicely accurate and the low lift bold is nice. I do not like the fact that the box magazine could be lost, then it would be a single shot.

I recently purchased Browning A-bolt 7mm rem mag
26" barrel with composite stock. It is the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. I have Win mod 70 in .270, rem 700 BDL 30-06,Browning lever action 7mm rem mag, and Browning safari grade .243
(second in accuracy) to the A-bolt. I like the
detachable magazine and the adjustable trigger.
I have obtained 1/2 MOA accuracy with both factory
and handloads. I was looking at Savage bolt actions when I found this rifle on sale. The savage would have required trigger work and probably stock work which would have pushed the price and time up considerably so I chose the
A-bolt instead and have not regretted it. I still
plan on trying a Savage .308 someday because their
barrels are very well made and I believe they are more accurate than Winchester or Remington. I just can't deal with Wal-Mart's gun experts if
you know what I mean. Try an A-bolt; you won't
regret it! BLR7

I Love them A-Bolts.
I find only 2 things that I don't like about though.1- Made in Japan.2-they don't offer a 24" barrel in the 270Win,280Rem,or3006 like some others do.But heck nobodys perfect.

I own a LH stainless stalker in 375HH. It has proved to be a dependale and accurate rifle for me. I like it because of the 60 degree bolt and it's light weight.

My son-in-law has an A-bolt in .270. It is a well made rifle and very accurate.

Rusty
We band of brothers!

The 308 with the "boss" that I used shot little bitty groups.

There's 2 A-bolt Stainless Stalkers in my safe. A 300Win Mag and a 7mm Mag. Both shoot sub MOA with hand loads. The only bad thing about my 300 is that it WILL NOT shoot bow-tails. Flat base spitzers are tack drivers, bow-tails are every where. Wouldn't hesitate too buy another!!!

I own three of them! I have a 7mm Remington, a 300 Winchester mag, and a 338 Winchester mag. I'm still working up loads for the last two, but the 7 shoots groups under an inch with 162 Hornady's going 3000. I've only killed two deer with it, but that's because I own a lot of rifles and like to switch. My only complaint is that the triggers are more difficult to adjust and that you can't get replacement screws for the action that are allen headed. I like to torgue my actions and it's more difficult with slot head screws because of slipping. Other than that, great rifles.

Bob257

The people who won't buy Japanese made rifles make me laugh.....

I don't have a single American made rifle. Imagine that.

My dad has one in 257 Roberts, and I just got back to the house with my new A bolt Medallion in 375 H&H.....they are great rifles....

I have a new A-Bolt in 7mm wsm and just love it. It is the most accurate rifle
I own. I wouldn't take two remingtons for it.

Only one I have ever shot was a stainless stalker in .375H&H that was my Uncles. First time I ever shot it, I sat down at the bench and put 3 shots into 1.2", so I would say they are a pretty decent rifle. My personal preference is for Ruger bolt guns, I just like them the best.

I feel like a broken record. My A-Bolt Medallion in 300 WSM is a great looking and great performing weapon. It followed me to Africa last year and it will follow me to the Canada (NWT) next year.

Every time I pull it out at the range, people wander over to admire it. (I'm old school. No stainless, no synthetic, no muzzle-break.)

.338 Win Mag A-Bolt Composite Stalker with Leupold 2x7 Sscope. .75" MOA, all day long !!! I love the short bolt lift and the safety location on the tang. One of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned.

bowhuntr

Bigfoot: Get the 7 mag....Boss or Bossless.....it'll be a shooter.

I have been shooting my wifes (she doesent know about it yet) a bolt 7mm 08 and its a nice rifle. I would not put it in the same class as a mauser or model 70. Its not that a mauser has a real advantage over it that can be measured while hunting. But they are very different. the detachable magazine is hard to load from above compared to any conventional rifle I have used. It shoots well, the trigger is better than average for a factory trigger that I havent fooled with. I think the finish is very nice. The serial numbers and specs on the barrel are very finely and precisely stamped, and the rifle is fairly user friendly with the short bolt lift and tang safety. Its OK, I wouldnt use one myself for hunting because thats not what Im used to and I think that the pinacle of bolt action design was about 100 years ago. If you like the rifle Im sure you will be very happy with it.

I have the 280 in the stainless stalker it one of the most accruate guns in safe. Just picked up a 300 WSM, haven't had a chance to see what it does but if the 280 is any indication the 300 won't be disappoinment.

Everyone I've seen was accurate, they are lightweight, the bolt has a 60deg lift. What I don't like, is the flimsy aluminum magazine, and the very stiff bolt lift. I sold all my Brownings, and switched to M98's, I've been happy ever since.

all of mine have always been great. all shot very well. very smooth bolt. fit and finish has been excellent. the only problem is i cant leave anything alone and the brownings dont have much in the way of aftermarket stuff. i guess that's a good thing as they dont really need any help.
if you like the look and feel then by all means buy it. no question. i am sure you will be very happy with it. we all are......
woofer

Had one in 300WM that was very accurate and, to me, heavy. After a whole bunch of rounds had been shot thru it, the stock started to split behind the receiver. I drilled a couple of small holes into the split and pumped epoxy into the split and clamped it. After the epoxy had set, I epoxied two pins thru the wrist. And continued shooting it until the barrel was total trash. I would not hesitate to buy another.

Although I think the winchester model 70 featherweight is better looking, generally my abolts are more accurate than my winchesters or remingtons. Their also lighter. When hunting conditions are tough, I usually take a stainless stalker.

I'm a Winchester man but my 2 Browning A-Bolts, one in .300 Win Mag and the other in .300 WSM (don't ask 'why two 300's'!!!), are the most accurate, out of the box rifles I own....both are sub MOA. When people ask my opinion on a rifle I tell them I am a Winchester nut but, for the out of the box accuracy and great looks too, you can't ever go wrong with a Browning A-Bolt!

[ 02-17-2003, 07:05: Message edited by: TXPO ]

My A-Bolt "experience" is limited the 300WinMag Stainless Stalker, with BOSS. Like everyone else, I've had excellent accuracy. I set the BOSS at 8.5 and shot a wide variety of bullets, factory and handloads. All of them shoot well. I've also gone back and forth between the brake and non-brake BOSSs with no effect on accuracy.

I'm not disputing Iams' results, but I've seen the best accuracy with Boat tail bullets. The Sierra GameKing and Match stuff has been mind-blowing.

Get to the store ASAP. You won't regret it for a minute.

My one and only A-Bolt is a Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem. After some tinkering, it has become the most accurate rifle I've ever owned. Sold it once three years ago and just bought it back last month....

3 of five touching shooting factory ammo... Federal Premium 160gr. Partitions.

I have, or have had, one of just about every type of rifle except Sako and Tikka and the rifle that always comes out when I can't decide what else to take hunting is my Micro-Medallion in 308. Used it again this year and I have another 10-pointer. I even took it over three custom rifles I have, so to me that is saying something.

Personally I think they suck!

Never owned one but I extracted this review from another site where the author used one in a 270 to hunt African game.

" The rifle I used in the hunt described was a Browning A-Bolt II Classic. Its virtues are pleasant appearance, light weight, fast bolt cycling, good trigger and fine accuracy. So what more is there? Well it is made the newfangled way, which means a bolt which is a collection of little pins, sleeves, wire and hollow stampings. Not very confidence inspiring if you�ve had the misfortune of trying to disassemble (and reassemble) the bolt. And adding some plastic here and there doesn't help the traditional-minded amongst us fall in love. It's a good rifle, but I've gone elsewhere lately."

He went on to say he now uses a fiberglass Weatherby Mark V in 270.

They are an average rifle at best. They usually shoot decently out of the box, but I don't know of anyone who has ever built a customized rifle based on the A-Bolt action (although I bet I soon will).

Oh yeah, all the "traditional minded" hunters I know use fiberglass stocked weatherbys.

Bowhuntrrl,
What load are you using in that 338? I'm just working up loads for mine and I'm looking for something to try.

Bob257

Hi, Bob257:

I am using 65 gr. of IMR 4350 behind an SGK 250 gr. with WLRM primers, and can touch two holes out of three at 100 meters.

Seating the bullets was a PITA. To get the best OAL for accuracy, I have to push the limits of the magazine.

I have just ordered an RCBS precision mic. to see if I can work around this problem. I have been blackening the bullets and cycling them to find the lands.

Anybody: is there a decent way to extend the length of the magazine in an A-Bolt to accommodate a shallower seating depth?

kk

I've had an A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 280 Rem for several years now. It is a very accurate rifle with 5 shot averages of 0.7" using 160gr Nosler Partitions. It has a very short bolt lift and is very lightweight. I do like the magazine that attaches to the floorplate. Several things are not as wonderful. The stock is kinda cheep. The fore end will flex vigorously since it is just injection moulded plastic. The bolt is rather stiff to open, but has smoothed up somewhat with the last few hundred rounds. It is sold as having a 22" barrel, but that includes the 2" of the BOSS. Sort of misleading. Oh and the BOSS is very loud. One shot with it was enough to convince me to get the BOSS CR. Much better now and shoot the same. I would buy another. With a BOSS? Not sure, although it does make it easy to tune my loads.

KK,

The standard length magnum magazines have a fairly thick aluminum spacer/ramp at the front. You can hog this out with a grinder or Dremel tool and you'll gain a fair amount of length. Since you'll be grinding the rivet that holds it on you'll need to replace that rivet with a small screw. I did this on my 300 Win. It's not that difficult but it is kind of a PITA.

Or, you could simply buy a 375 H&H replacement magazine from Browning and slap it into your rifle.

Jon:

Thanks. I don't need much, just a couple thousandths. But it makes a difference. The best groups come from loads that are just a hair too long to fit in the magazine.

I think I'll try the .375 idea if you say it'll work.

kk

kk, the 375 magazine should work, or you could just file the inside front wall of your magazine box a little. If all you need is a few thou, a file and ten minutes of your time should fix the problem. - Dan