Re-barreling an A-Bolt?

I bought my first Browning last year an A-bolt II synthetic and getting it to shoot right has given me fits, best I can do is 1.25" average with handloads (by far the worst of my rifles) and all factory fodder loads look like a shotgun pattern, yes I know that is very rare for a Browning. Normally my first instinct would be to sell it and buy something else but I really like the feel of the rifle and the flipdown magazine is my favorite, so rather then continuing to drive myself crazy on the reloading bench and the shooting rest I wanted to look at the possibility of re-barreling the rifle possibly to a different caliber (7mm-08AI, 284win, or 6.5 Creedmore), I know Browning does not have the aftermarket of my Savages but they do have one I am pretty sure. How much should it cost to re-barrel/re-chamber a Browning and are there any really good barrels on the aftermarket anywhere?
I know Browning makes a long range hunter A-Bolt, is there any other reason why I could not make this rifle into a real shooter?
BTW I know about the lok-tight on the barrel threads, it is a pain from what I understand but some gunsmiths can do it I think. Why on earth do they do that anyway?

ER Shaw won't thread them? I thought they did, and you just had to have a gunsmith fit it? What brand barrel did you get on the X-Bolt and did it help? This A-Bolt has been a letdown I had such high hopes for it.