Normally I don’t do things that I know that later down the road I may regret. I have a very good friend whose son has a Browning A bolt in 300 Win Mag. The son is small in stature and his father wants me to install a muzzle brake on his son’s stainless Browning A bolt.

I have been told that Browning A bolt rifles are made from extruded metal and not milled from a piece of billet metal. I have been told horror stories about these actions cracking and crumbling when someone tried to remove or replace the barrel. I have further been told that the barrels are put on with a glue instead of grease an/or anti-seize. I have been told they frequently seize up during the barrel removal process. I have been told that within the last few years that browning changed the threads on their A bolts from 20tpi to 32 tpi. This would significantly increase the surface tension greatly increasing the odds of a galling with stainless steel to stainless steel interface.

I contacted Browning’s service center in Missouri and they refused to provide me with any information saying that it is proprietary. There web site list approximately 25 independent gunsmiths are factory authorized Browning service centers. I called about a half dozen of them and asked if they removed any Browning A bolt barrels to install muzzle brakes and or replace the barrels. None said they had ever removed a Browning A bolt barrels. None stated they had removed any A bolt barrels from the action. Some indicated they had heard some of the same previously discussed comments about Browning A bolts. Some went as far as saying if one is buying a new rifle they should not buy a Browning. One stated he formerly worked for Browning in the Missouri service center. He stated that Browning only paid $85.00 for a barreled action and when one was returned to the service center that required it be re-barreled, the action was destroyed and replaced with a new barreled action.

I thought about making a mandrel to fit inside the action and an a collar for the barrel. Turning and threading the muzzle in the steady rest, (Without removing the action from the barrel). This goes against my better judgment. Brownell’s sells a Browning A bolt wrench head for their action wrench set for about $80.00. They too could not give me any advice on removing Browning A bolt barrels. I am of the mind to tell my friend that I cannot install the muzzle brake on a Browning A Bolt.

I believe John Mosses Browning would roll over in his grave if he knew the company that bares his name is making and selling products that cannot be serviced by a machinist/gunsmith.

If you have any experience or advice about removing and replacing Browning A bolt barrels I would appreciate hearing it. Especially if it was a later model Browning A bolt.

Nat Lambeth
nlambeth@embarqmail.com

You've almost got me scared to pull one and I have been rebarreling Browning "A" bolts for years and years. Back in 1980 something, I had one that seized as I was unscrewing the receiver but thanks to my powered band saw I got it off, completely rethreaded the receiver and went about my way.

Browning actions don't crumble unless you leave them out all night in the cold. Just kidding!

Nat,

I made a head for my Remington wrench that fits the contour of the Browning. The danger in pulling an A-bolt barrel, especially in stainless, is galling of the threads. Although I haven't had it happen to me, several of my gunsmith friends have stripped the threads from A-bolt receivers when pulling barrels, which of course requires new over-sized threads be cut in the receivers. Because of that, anytime a customer brings me an A-bolt I explain to them the risks and the possible additional cost before I agree to do the work.

quote:

I made a head for my Remington wrench that fits the contour of the Browning

I also did that and have not had any problems doing mine.Some with stainless and some CM.
John is giving good advise and ditto fer Wespac

I too have pulled barrels from A-Bolts and never had a problem, however I tell customer that it is possible to do so. Can you get the barreled assembly through your headstock? I typically dont pull the barrel for MB's. Could try propane torch heat to soften loctite a bit before removing barrel.

Could have the thread count wrong, but local 'smith tells me the stainless barrel A Bolts use something on the order of 34tpi vs CM barrels of 26tpi and problems do occur. I have found no serious faults with the A Bolts and most users think highly of them. Not my cup of tea, but they are a quality firearm from those I have seen and shot.

I had a call from Browning R&D engineer.

He stated Browning A bolts now use 32 tpi.

He did no know if they were investment cast but would find out.

He said they have pulled thousands of actions off barrels. He further stated if a proper wrenchs and and techniques were used the barrel would come right off.

He stated the bolts were put on with anti seize.

Nat Lambeth

32 tpi? that's fine as frog hair .. i used that to put the barrels on my 550 flanged double rifle!

I had one A-bolt (a stainless) pick up when I removed the barrel. The damage wasn't too severe and I subsequently started removing the scope mount screws, heating the joint with a heat gun, and injecting gear oil into the front scope mount hole.
Browning probably went to the 32 tpi thread to increase the chamber wall thickness for those stupid WSM cartridges. I've seen a lot of A-bolts with what appeared to be blue Loctite on the threads.
The thread galling problem is not unique to A-Bolts. I have seen the same thing happen on all sorts of rifles. Most recently, I had a Ruger #3 come in which had been re-barelled. The gunsmith had galled the threads and to "fix" the problem, simply removed most of the threads on the barrel tenon so the barrel was held in by all of three threads minus the relief cut. He then maximized the strength of the joint by loading it up with red Loctite. I'm here to tell you, recutting the threads on a Number 3 isn't all that easy! Regards, Bill

Unless policy and guidelines have changed, B rowning adivses NOT to take the barrel off an A bolt...Warranty is voided..This of course, gives the gunsmsith good reason to avoid working on these guns...HAR!