matt_3479
Well-Known Member
I was just curious if anyone has customed a browning a-bolt or x-bolt even and have pictures. I understand the aftermarket parts are slim but has anyone done it. Mine shoots great and am debating if its worth trying.
Anyone custom a Browning A-Bolt?
- Thread starter matt_3479
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timmyatnop
Well-Known Member
Good luck with that. I wanted a gunsmith to do some work to mine. I went to the gunsmith section and asked if anybody could do some work to mine and never got a reply . Makes me think all gunsmiths hate browings!!!!
Team Roper
Well-Known Member
I have 3 of them in calibres 22-250, 6.5x284 and 270win. All are 1/4" guns. Yes it is hard to find a gunsmith that will work on them. They do not like the fact that Browning uses fine threads on their actions. There are not a lot of aftermarket parts for them but so what who needs them when you are using a Browning A-Bolt as your foundation?
When you dont need to put Jewell trigers in nor true your bolt or Sako extractors you can spend more on optics.
When you dont need to put Jewell trigers in nor true your bolt or Sako extractors you can spend more on optics.
I won one at an event, Browing X Bolt ultra-lite in 243 wssm, I was going to sell it but purchased a box of factory ammo and it shot into .65 first box, no break in. I put it in a B&C stock, skim beaded, EGW picatinny and 1 inch rings, Zeiss scope it shoots into .40 with factory and I just started loading for it. I am very impressed with the rifle and trigger, wouldn't change much. Would love to test in the bigger calibers. What kind of work are you looking to get done?
MT4XFore
Well-Known Member
Yes, I have an "old" A-bolt that I had tweaked a bit. It has a Lilja 1 in 9 twist barrel with a baby Painkiller brake. It's in a Lone Wolf "Howler" stock and I installed a replacement trigger spring by Rifle Basic. As you can see, it works well.
Mikecr
Well-Known Member
I converted a standard 223 A-Bolt w/BOSS to an Eclipse thumbhole & eventually rebarreled to 6br.
I'm very happy with the Browning action, and trigger with a reduced spring kit.
I also converted mine to single shot only, no eject, and bedded it myself.
Many gunsmiths hate browning rebarrel jobs, because Browning does not intend for their barrels to ever come off! They're epoxied in..
This causes gunsmiths to have to cut the barrel and machine extract it from the action ring..
Jim Kolbe did a fantastic job with mine, matching contour and black finish on a stainless Pacnor.
I'm very happy with the Browning action, and trigger with a reduced spring kit.
I also converted mine to single shot only, no eject, and bedded it myself.
Many gunsmiths hate browning rebarrel jobs, because Browning does not intend for their barrels to ever come off! They're epoxied in..
This causes gunsmiths to have to cut the barrel and machine extract it from the action ring..
Jim Kolbe did a fantastic job with mine, matching contour and black finish on a stainless Pacnor.
cohofishing
Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2011
- Messages
- 21
Hi,
My daughter hunts with a browning a-bolt that was built into a 264 win mag. It was a 300 win mag when I bought it twenty years ago. Put a shilen 1-9 ss 26 inch barrel on it; bedded the original stock; worked the trigger; custom brake and glassed a check piece on for her. It has a zeiss 6.5-20x50 on it and shoots a 1/2 inch five shot group with 100 grain noslers. It works great on coues whitetail.
My daughter hunts with a browning a-bolt that was built into a 264 win mag. It was a 300 win mag when I bought it twenty years ago. Put a shilen 1-9 ss 26 inch barrel on it; bedded the original stock; worked the trigger; custom brake and glassed a check piece on for her. It has a zeiss 6.5-20x50 on it and shoots a 1/2 inch five shot group with 100 grain noslers. It works great on coues whitetail.
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etisll40
Well-Known Member
That was a happy story, I like that.
I want to rebarrel my Browning 223 A-Bolt as it's a really good shooter, tight groups. That tells me the action is solid. I like the short throw.
Can I get the barrel off? heat, turn counter clockwise? They have metric threads too? Rebarreling then metric.
Thanks for any help or suggestions. I'd use a gunsmith if needed, and take a recommendation. I'd like someone to comment that works on A-bolts,
respects A-bolt's, they have been good shooters for me.
Thanks,
Ed
I want to rebarrel my Browning 223 A-Bolt as it's a really good shooter, tight groups. That tells me the action is solid. I like the short throw.
Can I get the barrel off? heat, turn counter clockwise? They have metric threads too? Rebarreling then metric.
Thanks for any help or suggestions. I'd use a gunsmith if needed, and take a recommendation. I'd like someone to comment that works on A-bolts,
respects A-bolt's, they have been good shooters for me.
Thanks,
Ed
etisll40
Well-Known Member
Zep,
Let's keep looking, some gunsmith out there must work on them. My gunsmith is good, but he is so busy and complains so much with the rifles I bring him, I've decided I need several gunsmith's... I want someone who is really interested and has taken the time to understand my Browning A-bolt's.
I like my A-bolt's but if there is no gunsmith that can customize them, I'm going to have to stick with custom actions, mauser actions and savages. I'm not a true Remington fan, PERIOD. If a Remington 700 clone is made by a Custom action maker, typically just the (footprint) is used, then you get the 700 done right the first time around. After market parts are plentiful on Rem 700 footprints. But no remington 700 is worth the price of a Custom Stiller Predator done from scratch. It's actually cheaper and better to just buy a Stiller Predator.
But I like my A-bolt's for their out of the box accuracy and strength and short bolt throw.
Find us a Browning gunsmith, or if I can't, I won't continue buying them! They do need trigger work and rebarreling occaisionally.
My theory is: if you get a gun you like, the action is good and then it's just the barrel and trigger, after that, the action must be good, so keep it and breath new life into it with barrel swaps.
My,
2cents
BUT, I will listen to others opinions, so hopefully someone will chime in here.
Let's keep looking, some gunsmith out there must work on them. My gunsmith is good, but he is so busy and complains so much with the rifles I bring him, I've decided I need several gunsmith's... I want someone who is really interested and has taken the time to understand my Browning A-bolt's.
I like my A-bolt's but if there is no gunsmith that can customize them, I'm going to have to stick with custom actions, mauser actions and savages. I'm not a true Remington fan, PERIOD. If a Remington 700 clone is made by a Custom action maker, typically just the (footprint) is used, then you get the 700 done right the first time around. After market parts are plentiful on Rem 700 footprints. But no remington 700 is worth the price of a Custom Stiller Predator done from scratch. It's actually cheaper and better to just buy a Stiller Predator.
But I like my A-bolt's for their out of the box accuracy and strength and short bolt throw.
Find us a Browning gunsmith, or if I can't, I won't continue buying them! They do need trigger work and rebarreling occaisionally.
My theory is: if you get a gun you like, the action is good and then it's just the barrel and trigger, after that, the action must be good, so keep it and breath new life into it with barrel swaps.
My,
2cents
BUT, I will listen to others opinions, so hopefully someone will chime in here.
Team Roper
Well-Known Member
Triple G Gunsmithing 254-965-6464 Stephenville, Texas
