Browning A-bolt Long Range Hunter info and advice for a new guy.

[sendit208]

Hello everyone, Im new here as you can see. I am wanting to set up, well, actually two LR guns this year. One for dad and one for my 14 year old son.

Im not in any way new to the rifle scene, but am fairly naive to the dedicated, LR rifle concept. I just stumbled across the new, Browning A-bolt Long Range Hunter, but cannot find any detailed reviews involving any real trigger time with the rifle. Have any of you any hands on experience with this rifle? If so ANY and ALL input will be well received by us.

Im wanting a new LR rig in 300 WM and my son is leaning toward a 7mm RM. Since I will be setting up two, the custom stuff is out of the question due to price. And with some of the out of the box offerings we are coming up with, factory, with some minor mods, will suit us just fine....for now anyway.

They'll be used for high country hunting ( mule deer and elk ), as well as big, open hay fields, and LR practice on steel. We are liking the Vortex Viper HS LR line of glass.

Again, any opinions, experiences with that particular Browning, or other options I should consider will be well received.

Thanks!

 

[ishootkittens]

OHHH no.. what have you done.. hahaha

You wont see many browning supporters on this site because of the lack of customization that can be done later. There is no super cool custom parts available. I am sorry but I didnt like the feel of the A-bolt so I went with an X-bolt for hunting. The handful of A-bolt supporters will more than support the accuracy and ruggedness of the A-bolts. I have never seen a browning that ISNT a shooter.

But I will warn you now.. You will be getting alot of savage recommendations and alot of Remington recommendations. I say go with the browning. I love browning but you wont find many supporters here.

I can give you a recommendation on glass. I think you have a good idea when talking about the vortex Hs line. I love mine. Its clear and the reticles are very thin which I like. Vortex has a lifetime warranty which is BOSS to say the least. Their turrets track perfectly and their glass is so nice.

In my experience.. go with your gut.. pick up the A-bolt... see how it feels, see how the action feels, and get what you NEED for the hunting situation you will be in. Dont get anything that is super cool and pretty... Go with your gut. Thats all I can say.

Goodluck and be safe.

 

[sendit208]

Thanks for your input. I have an A-bolt already, so I'm famiar with the action. I like it, always have. I've have and have owned lots of Savages and Remingtons, so no surprises for me there. I, personally, probably won't be tricking the new LR rig out all that much, but my son will I'm sure, so the lack of super cool add ons for Brownings doesn't bother me all that much.

Brownings have always been real shooters for me ( with two notable exceptions that come to mind ) and I'm not much of a brand loyalist...I like what I like when I find it and generally abide by your advice of going with my gut. The problem is that with this particular Browning, I cant find one and can't find much in the way of reviews. The purchas(es) will be in the spring after tax time, so I really want to get some input prior to that time so when I DO find one I can buy it at the time, or not, cause from what I'm gathering they are kinda hard to find. I want to have all my researching done when I've got the money ready to spend. Despite all my other Brownings always shooting reasonably well, if not really well, I always like to try and get the low down on specific models from others prior to buying when I can.

I've got nothing against Savages, Remingtons, Tikkas, etc., I own at least one of all of them, but this new Browning has just got "the look" that caught my attention.

 

[ishootkittens]

I own at least one of all of them, but this new Browning has just got "the look" that caught my attention.

Sometimes that is the straw that breaks the camels back...

 

[sendit208]

HAAA, I've already learned something here!! Mentioning Browning on this site is a lot like mentioning Bowtech on some of the archery related sites I go to!! LOLlightbulblightbulb

 

[ishootkittens]

HAAA, I've already learned something here!! Mentioning Browning on this site is a lot like mentioning Bowtech on some of the archery related sites I go to!! LOLlightbulblightbulb

HA... and now you know better. Shame on you. haha

 

[sendit208]

Gotcha', lesson learned. Won't happen again. LOL.

Soooo, got an opinion on the 111 LRH? I've read mostly good, but some surprisingly bad remarks. That's actually the rifle my son is liking.

 

[ishootkittens]

Gotcha', lesson learned. Won't happen again. LOL.

Soooo, got an opinion on the 111 LRH? I've read mostly good, but some surprisingly bad remarks. That's actually the rifle my son is liking.

HOLY HELL WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! YOU HAVE MENTIONED THE BREAD AND BUTTER RIFLE OF ALL "SEMI-CUSTOM" SHOOTERS! ahaha

Long story short, everyone loves the 111. I have never actually held one so I can not give you an honest opinion. Like I said, go with your gut. I say your son will love the 111 especially if he wants to customize later! Once he gets the itch.. he will have to scratch it! I dont like savage because they feel cheap in my hands. (which compared to most.. in terms of price THEY ARE VERY CHEAP! which may be the best thing for a 14 year old.) I am 21 and I still ding up and scratch my guns! I would puke if I scratched a 2000 dollar rifle! I think savage is a great company and they stand behind their products. Ask him how he likes it and if he enjoys the way it feels... give him the itch! Good luck to you sir. If you have any questions let me know. I may not be the BEST one to talk to you...but I am not going to church anything up for you. Ill let you know how I feel. haha

 

[sendit208]

Holy Crap! I found someone I can relate to right off the bat! I totally appreciate a man who doesn't pull any punches and gives me the opinion I asked for. Thanks man!

Well, since you said first, yeah, I agree with you about Savages. I own three, they shoot better than almost any other production rifles I've ever had, but they are ugly, feel clubby in my hands and life is too short to only own ugly guns, no matter how well they perform. I equate guns to women in that respect.

Thanks for the words and nice to meet ya'!

 

[ishootkittens]

I equate guns to women in that respect.

Thanks for the words and nice to meet ya'!

Ohhh sir.. We are going to get along just fine! Nice to meet you too. I just feel like im gunna break that **** savage every time i pick it up! Sounds like you know more about rifles than I do. Why do you need help? Hell you own one of everything! haha I'd say that boy of yours is more gun savy than half of the grown men I hunt with. Sounds like hes been around em his whole life. Was I mistaken when you said he wants a 7rem. The kid sounds like he needs a MAN gun! I say that 7rem is perfect! Im glad that your passing on the tradition and the skills to your son. It makes me proud that their are dads like you still left in this world. Its what keeps this extraordinary sport alive! Thank you for what you do! He will never forget the memories behind that trigger no matter what gun you decide to go with. Are you planning on getting him this for Christmas? Because that sounds like the best gift a dad could possibly get his son. I will always remember when my dad handed me my benelli supernova. Still the best shotgun I have ever shot. It has killed more critters than any of my other guns combined!

 

[sendit208]

Well, I wouldn't say I own one of EVERYTHNG...as much as I'd like to be able to, but over the years I've owned A LOT of everything out there brand-wise anyway. I used to be a true member of the rifle of the month club. Now, I've got my favorites in the safe, but my kids are all getting older and their going off to college has severly put a limit to my addiction. And, yeah, when it comes to this niche role of the dedicated long range rifle stuff, I do need some help.

Ive got rifles chambered in long range calibers, but none are what you guys on here are building and shooting. I want one too!! I know the basics of rifle building and what it takes to shoot accurately, past, say, 500 yards, but setting out with a rig and skill set to call that a chip shot is new to me. You know what I mean? I've always abided by the "get closer" rule. My dad would HAVE NEVER let me shoot at anything that far off when he was teaching me how to hunt. Times have changed....He once watched me shoot a deer at about 400,,,after I was an adult...and I still got "the look" from him. LOL. And this was from a guy who shot a 264 Win Mag!!

And the rifle I'll be buying for my son will be a birthday present, he's getting a new 870 for xmas. And yeah, he's had a rifle in his hands since he was about 4. One of his favorite stories is about how he got "scoped" by my old Sako Forester CHAMBERED IN 222 when he was 3! LOL. Now he's bigger than I am and wanting a 7 mag! He shot a buddies 30-378 a few days ago and, well, lets just say it humbled him a bit. I tried to warn him....But, yeah, I have really tried to instill "gun culture" in to all of my kids, including my nine year old daughter....thanks for noticing.

 

[roninflag]

SEND- the answer to most questions here are - remington sendero and leup 6.5-20. AND a good range finder. i have shot in f-class competition against savages. i like it. never shot against a browning or a .270 . i would like that too.

 

[Tikkamike]

Sendit,


I am all for the Brownings, I have an Abolt stainless stalker in 7mm I bought when I was 12 years old and I love that thing. it is a real shooter which for me means a great long range rig. Sure there isnt a lot of aftermarket support for them but there is some. and the way they shoot out of the box makes up for some of that. The only downfall I see is magazine box length for shooting those longer high BC bullets but even so doesnt take them out of the equation. Most of my LR shooting is done single shot. Sure sometimes you have a close quick shot but you can always load up a few shorter cartridges to keep in the magazine for those instances. I highly reccomend using your browning for LR. you are not going to find much info on your new rifle though as it is a shot show special. Very limited number of them around

 

[sendit208]

Thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, I'm not finding much on the new Browning as far as info., bummer. If it shoots as good, or better, than any of the past, or the current A-Bolt I have now I may just order one sight unseen if I can find one. I saw one, well actually three, listed on GunsAmerica the other day. The one I want, the stainless synthetic, went for $869, I'm not to keen on the laminant model.

As for Sendero's...yeah, I know they generally shoot and everyone seems to like them, but Remington has gotten a bit tooooo proud of them anymore for what they are. Not dis'ing any Sendero shooters out there in any way, but I've had one in the past and it wasn't all that as far as I was concerned. To each there own, I've become a bit disillusioned with Remington over the past few years.

What I REALLY WISH would happen, though, is for TC to put a 26" barrel on the ICON PH and chamber it in a few bigger rounds. I've got an ICON Weathershield in 308 and I think its the best built and just about the most accurate out of the box rifle I've ever had, sans a couple past Sakos ( fit and finsh ) and a savage or two ( accuracy wise ) after some very minor tweaking. Overall, though, considering fit / finish / accuracy and cost, the ICON has been the best for me taking everything about it into consideration.