Browning T-Bolt - Any feedback

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lovesbeer99

Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
1,413
Anyone using the new or old Browning T-Bolt? This gun looks really interesting to me. Fit and finish look great, but it's expensive and I don't know how accurate or reliable it is.

Thanks in advance.
 
Have a new model Varmint/Target. Built quality is very good. Fit and finish, at least my sample is surprisingly, IMO, close, if not equal, to Cooper, Anschütz, etc. trigger is above average but well short of the higher guns mentioned.

Precision has shown very good potential the short time I've shot mine (.22 lr). I wanted to try it out for CMP Rimfire Sporter but the scope I have on it has too much eye relief and in prone position my eye is way too close. Took it off to put a new Weaver-style base on it to allow the scope to be more forward but have been waiting for my Warne bases from SWFA since April. The receiver is drilled and tapped but has no 3/8 or 11mm grooves. Getting proper fitting non-Talley (the manufacturer of the OE Browning bases/rings) requires a bit of a search. (The Talleys have a proprietary clamping system.)

The mags are pretty good. Snap into place and eject out when removing as there is a spring in the mag well to assist in extracting them.

Plan on getting the Varmint/target in .17 HMR and possibly another .22 lr.
 
The old T-bolt is THE FINEST .22 RIFLE EVER MADE. Of course this is just my opinion. The newer ones are well built but just don't have the feel the old ones did. I would love to find another one one of these days.
 
Fella's;

And, of course, you could obtain an original T-bolt in both left and right hand versions. Not so with the new T-bolt, and until they do, they have exactly zero chance of getting any of my money.

900F
 
HKSW - can you explain what you mean by non-talley rings and bases? Are you saying that it's hard to find rings and bases that fit the t-bolt that are anything other than Talley? Is there anything wrong with the Talley?


FYI, if I do get one, I might put lyman sights on it, instead of a scope.

Thanks
 
Nothing wrong with the Talleys. They are well built and very solid when mounted. They will work well if you are consistant in the distance from the scope to your eye.

The set-up I have works quite well off the bench. Where I have an issue is when I am in prone or sitting position where my eye is a bit closer to the scope. When you move out of your scope's eye relief range, that dark ring starts to intrude into your filed of view. To fix this for me, I need a set of base and rings that will allow me to mount the scope a little more forward than what the Talleys allow. A good solution is to get a Weaver type base that extends and/or allows Weaver-type extension rings.

The T-Bolt's receiver surface as all round and findin Weaver-type bases for that profile is a little difficult.
 
T-Bolt

I ran across my old T-Bolt in the safe and found this thread while looking for magazines.

I didn't realize that they had become so popular. Mine is almost pristine, only had a couple of hundred rounds through it. I think I even have the box & papers that came with it.

I bought it in an Oshmans store in Houston about 1979 (I think). They had found some in a warehouse and were selling them for the list price at the time Browning quit making them.

Jim
 
Jon;

I'm sorta sorry, but I just can't resist, so not really I guess. Therefore: Who do you shoot the sweat off of? Depending on the circumstances, hell, you might be able to sell tickets!

PS, I'm willing to buy the gun though.
 
Well I started this thread some time ago, but I still don't have a T-bolt.
I keep buying other guns, then selling them, then buying other guns.
(actually it's been fun)

wiggles - if you want to sell yours, just PM me.
 
T-Bolt

Lovesbeer99 here are some pics. So far, I have not been able to locate the box & papers. My wife thinks they were trashed when we moved from the old house.
 
Last edited:
Fella's;

Lookit that! Browning's quality control was in da pit's even back then. They only got about 5% of 'em with the bolt on the correct side.

That one there's a reject iffe'n I ever saw one.

900F
 
The old T-bolt is THE FINEST .22 RIFLE EVER MADE.
Click to expand...

I would politely disagree. I have one that I bought new many years ago, and, while it IS a fine piece, it is NOT imho the finest .22 ever made. That is a very bold claim you made.

By that statement, you're discounting the Winchester 52's, the Remington 513-T's (of which I have several). My (2) 513T's and (3) 52's shoot rings around my T-bolt. I have an Anschutz that will also shoot circles around the T.

Guess it's down to Chevy .vs Ford, as usual.... cuss the personal experience tainting all of our opinions. :) But I must take issue with a broad-brushstroke statement that the T-bolt is the finest .22 ever made without qualifiers. My wife's BL-22 octagon (24") Grade 2 lever is, imho a much nicer finish and wood-to-metal fit than the older T-bolt.. and it's a newer rifle.
 
T-Bolt

Darn it, at those prices I'm gonna have to put mine up for sale. Mine doesn't appear to be one with the salt cured wood so that's a good thing I guess.

Jim
 
I just put money down on one the Sporters today... It's a nicely balanced rifle and feels real good... I had to have a Browning in my safe... :uhoh:

CB900F: They do too make it in a left hand model... :neener: Matter of fact... four variants in lefty... :evil:
 
I really want one, but a used older one commands the same price as a brand new one. Go figure. Anyway, I'll just have to wait cause I picked up an SAA clone by cimarron so most of my money is gone.
 
I would be most interested in a T-bolt, new or used, except they are too much money. I can't even begin to think how many rounds I would have to fire to get my value out that gun, and to do that, I would have to ignore my other .22 rifles, which ain't happening.

Honestly, as cool as I think straight-pull actions are, if I am spending that much for a .22, the name is going to start with an "A" and in with a "nschutz". With the reputation that the Anschutz name carries, I think I can have a reasonable expectation of fine accuracy and excellent function. In other words, I know exactly what I can expect when I plunk down my cash. I don't know whether or not that is true with the T-bolt.

Of course, with that being said, the rotary mag of the new T-bolts evidently functions like crazy, and it is a really cool rifle. I can't justify the expense, but neither can I deny the coolness.
 
Cb900F & other wrong handers: :D

T-Bolt Composite Sporter LH

T-Bolt CompositeTarget/Varmint LH

T-Bolt Sporter LH

T-Bolt Target/Varmint LH


Right from the Browning website.... hot off the presses and now shipping to a gun distributor near your favorite gun dealer...

OK, for those who are not sure about the new T-Bolt... I had my first experience with one of these last summer at the range... One of the guys who is a staple there had just got one and I politely asked if I could have a look at it. He was kind enough to offer it for me to fondle, drool, and asked if I'd like to give it a try if I would let him try my (at the time) new Remington Model Five... well, needless to say, the T-bolt was quite impressive to me. Very well built, beautiful wood, great balance great trigger, and was extremely accurate. 5 shots at 50 yards in one hole... for me, that was incredible - (I don't know what ammo he had loaded in it though) - For the record, the next time I saw him, he was there with a new Model Five Remington... LOL

The T-bolt Sporter I put in the back room yesterday was $429.00 new... (shrug) I'm happy.. I will soon ba able to say.... "yep, I have a Browning.." :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

W
  • Locked
browning T-Bolt .22
Replies
8
Views
924
Horsemany
H
QuarterBoreGunner
  • Locked
Browning T-Bolt and 'salt wood'?
Replies
3
Views
3K
QuarterBoreGunner
QuarterBoreGunner
M
  • Locked
Need .22 Scope
Replies
12
Views
619
Clipper
C
A
  • Locked
Browning T-Bolt
Replies
4
Views
476
JohnBT
J
S
  • Locked
Browning X-Bolt Max Long Range Experience
Replies
1
Views
544
troy fairweather
troy fairweather
Back
Top