Browning A-Bolt
- Thread starter dak0ta
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armsmaster270
Member
I have the A-Bolt Stalker in 7mmWSM and have had no problems to date I have owned it about 5 years. No BOSS System on it.
interlock
Member
a bolt
excellent choice.
My cousin's .308 win is a x bolt stainless and synthetic stock. He kills lots and lots of deer with it.
taking your recent post in to consideration about the .270 .... the x bolt in .270 would be a formidable hunting choice. they have a really nice low bolt lift and in my experience they are very accurate. with the low bolt lift your scope can be mounted lower.
when i eventually i replace my rifles i will go with an xbolt in 7mm08... but i dont see many bears in england. 7mm08 is capable of the biggest lowland red (like your elk) and boar.
The boss system is not really necassary.
interlock
excellent choice.
My cousin's .308 win is a x bolt stainless and synthetic stock. He kills lots and lots of deer with it.
taking your recent post in to consideration about the .270 .... the x bolt in .270 would be a formidable hunting choice. they have a really nice low bolt lift and in my experience they are very accurate. with the low bolt lift your scope can be mounted lower.
when i eventually i replace my rifles i will go with an xbolt in 7mm08... but i dont see many bears in england. 7mm08 is capable of the biggest lowland red (like your elk) and boar.
The boss system is not really necassary.
interlock
Hopkins
Member
The A bolt is a very good choice for a hunting rifle. The 3 lug design gives it a quick 60* bolt lift and the BOSS tuning system can almost be as effective as reloading for improving accuracy of a specific load.
The cons are a trigger that can't be tuned or replaced to target rifle standards.
The cons are a trigger that can't be tuned or replaced to target rifle standards.
Lloyd Smale
Member
ive got a 300wsm abolt and its a good little rifle. Light, accurate and smooth. Only thing bad i can say about it is it doesnt have the best camming action for extraction of cases when the loads get hot.
An excellent rifle. As accurate as any competition (they all are). The trigger is adjustable. It is good but not AccuTrigger good. It becomes excellent after the trigger spring is replaced with a custom one. The fit and finish are excellent. The 60 degree bolt handle turn allows for a lower scope mount. The bolt action has a smooth feel, I'd say par with T/C and a notch below Tikka (what isn't?). The hinged mag I think is great for easy loading but never getting lost. Top tang safety is another plus.
adelbridge
Member
I have a stainless stalker with boss. The tune ability of the boss system is pretty much a gimmick from my experience but the muzzle brake device cuts my 7mm mag down to about .308 level of recoil. The boss make the gun longer and not the greatest for hunting in blinds. I love mine but for less money you can buy equal accuracy from a tikka or savage. Mine shoots about .75 Moa with just about any ammo and the trigger is near perfect turned down to 3 lbs.
I've gone through more deer rifles than most regular fellas have seen, including a BAR... acquired a stainless stalker a-bolt for a ridiculous deal last year. by far, hands down the BEST rifle I've ever owned. action is slick and smooth, handles perfectly, and groups like nothing I've ever owned before. Had the new scope on it and sighted in with about 5 rounds, the last 3 I could easily cover up with my thumb from a 100 yard rest.
as said, there have been ALOT come and go through my hands, this one will stay. The only other .30-06 I may ever buy would possibly be a BLR, but I'd really want to use one before I spent that kind of dough.
My one and only complaint about the gun is that with the safety on, it locks up the action. I like to have the safety on when chambering and unloading my bolt guns. Not a big deal though. well, I do have 2 complaints, the synthetic stock on this stainless stalker is hideous, some sort of blue camo with skulls hidden in it, easily remedied with some camo tape though, one day I may buy a new stock for it, but for now it is doing fine and I kinda like the grip that the tape gives.
oh, and the other plus... for some great luck of the draw, the first ammo I put through it was the cheap federal blue box 180gr. 1/2-5/8 inch grouping with ammo that (when you can find it) costs 16 dollars for a box of 20... awesome. I can't shoot better than this gun can group, and I feel like a sports guy hocking the "newest" shoes, but I feel like I can shoot this gun better than any other I've had.
oh, and no BOSS on mine either. Sounds nifty, but mine doesn't need it and when I find a factory load I like, I just buy a bunch of them.
as said, there have been ALOT come and go through my hands, this one will stay. The only other .30-06 I may ever buy would possibly be a BLR, but I'd really want to use one before I spent that kind of dough.
My one and only complaint about the gun is that with the safety on, it locks up the action. I like to have the safety on when chambering and unloading my bolt guns. Not a big deal though. well, I do have 2 complaints, the synthetic stock on this stainless stalker is hideous, some sort of blue camo with skulls hidden in it, easily remedied with some camo tape though, one day I may buy a new stock for it, but for now it is doing fine and I kinda like the grip that the tape gives.
oh, and the other plus... for some great luck of the draw, the first ammo I put through it was the cheap federal blue box 180gr. 1/2-5/8 inch grouping with ammo that (when you can find it) costs 16 dollars for a box of 20... awesome. I can't shoot better than this gun can group, and I feel like a sports guy hocking the "newest" shoes, but I feel like I can shoot this gun better than any other I've had.
oh, and no BOSS on mine either. Sounds nifty, but mine doesn't need it and when I find a factory load I like, I just buy a bunch of them.
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I also have the stainless stalker in 06 with no boss. Groups about one moa for me, no complaints. Of all the criticism I've heard of a-bolts, the only one that I would agree with is the price. Where I live I could have gotten a Tikka for almost half the price. No buyer's remorse here, just saying that if money is an issue, then you can probably get by with a less expensive gun.
have to agree there, I wouldn't pay a new price for one. IMO no rifle that will be used for hunting is worth that much, got mine for $450 in one of those "once in a lifetime" deals...
fallout mike
Member
I've had 2 browning a bolts medallion editions in .270. One had the BOSS. The BOSS is guarnteed by browning to shoot moa. The BOSS also reduces recoil by 1/3 but at the expense of more noise. Both of mine were extremely accurate. I think the BOSS is worth the extra $100.
beatledog7
Member
I have two 1980s A-Bolt Medallions (7mm Rem Mag and .257 Roberts), neither with BOSS. Both are excellent shooters.
1948CJ2A
Member
A year or two ago I picked up an a-bolt chambered in .308 WIN for $100. It was missing the bolt. I perused through gunbroker ads for over a year and finally found a short action bolt. After the headspace checked out, I have a 308 Browning a-bolt (circa 1988 vintage made in Japan) all in for $167.
Only thing it needs is a scope and a sling. I've always been a hater of the 308 cartridge and all its spawn (243, 260, 7mm08, etc). I can't say I'm necessarily coming around on the cartridge itself, but the rifle sure is light and easy to carry.
Only thing it needs is a scope and a sling. I've always been a hater of the 308 cartridge and all its spawn (243, 260, 7mm08, etc). I can't say I'm necessarily coming around on the cartridge itself, but the rifle sure is light and easy to carry.
CountGlockulla
Member
I have an A Bolt Micro Medalion in .308. It is a very nice, smooth, accurate rifle. And this model with its shorter length of pull and 20" barrel make a very handy stalking rifle. Browning makes the nicest factory rifle out there.
bergmen
Member.
I've never understood why the bolt has to be locked when on safe. I am with you on this, I want the safety on when I am manipulating the bolt for loading/unloading.
This is where the X-Bolt shines. It has a push button release for the bolt while on safe. Works perfectly. I have both an A-Bolt II Medallion (.300 WSM) and an X-Bolt Medallion (.308 Winchester).
Great rifles both.
Dan
W.E.G.
Member
From the early 90's.
Never had one problem with it.
Never had one problem with it.
W.E.G.
Member
Japanese made them, and Browning imported though Canada and Utah?
SwampWolf
Member
I have to disagree with these opinions. I much prefer a rifle that has the bolt locked with the safety on. I don't want a chance of having the bolt inadvertently jarred open while hunting in heavy cover that can occur with rifles having unlocked bolts with the safety "on", rendering the rifle useless when a quick shot is afforded. And I have enough sense to keep the rifle pointed in a safe direction when unloading it with the safety "off". The best solution, of course, is a rifle having a three-position safety, like those on Savage, Winchester, MKII Ruger and other rifles.
I've always liked the Browning A-Bolt's unique magazine design. It's the best ever made for a bolt-action rifle imo.
I personally never use a safety on a bolt gun, I keep the bolt open till I'm ready for a shot, then push it down with my thumb.
Like I said though, not really much of a concern, just something that only slightly bothers me, and I can't come up with a great reason why haha. Honestly, if I'm using the rifle the way I like to, the bolt is never cocked and I can just remove the magazine and then open the bolt to clear the action.
Maybe I just don't like to be told "no" and that's what the safety/bolt interface is doing... A psychologist could probably get to the root of that issue I have
Like I said though, not really much of a concern, just something that only slightly bothers me, and I can't come up with a great reason why haha. Honestly, if I'm using the rifle the way I like to, the bolt is never cocked and I can just remove the magazine and then open the bolt to clear the action.
Maybe I just don't like to be told "no" and that's what the safety/bolt interface is doing... A psychologist could probably get to the root of that issue I have
bigred0383
Member
The new A-Bolt III has the bolt unlock button (same theory as the X-Bolt but in a different location):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNaxRGB_xfQ
Press Release:
https://www.browning.com/library/pressreleases/detail.asp?ID=272
Better Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__L8D3zO47E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNaxRGB_xfQ
Press Release:
https://www.browning.com/library/pressreleases/detail.asp?ID=272
Better Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__L8D3zO47E
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