Browning A-bolt .300

Hey guys,

New guy here but I have been reading the forums for a few months. This is my first real post and if it gets lengthy I apologize. I have a few questions about a particular factory rifle/setup as it pertains to what I am looking for in another big game set up.

I have had several good experiences with Browning A-Bolts in the past. None better than with the current .270 I have. With factory Winchester 130 Ballistic Tips it will stack them in one ragged hole at 100yds all day long. My dad (who is admittedly not a marksman) can do the same. I had a 5 shot group @ 200yds a few years ago that I could cover with a quarter.

I say this to simply state my reason for wanting another A-bolt. I have come to realize that they are not a favorite for custom setups because they are not as easy to replace barrels for. However, I am looking for a factory set-up for big game hunting out to 800 yards, not a multi-thousand dollar setup for shooting knat hairs at the same distance.

The particular rifle that I am looking at is a Browning Long Range Hunter in .300 Win Mag. It was a Shot Show item and sports a 26in Med/Heavy contour fluted barrel. One of the reasons that I am leaning towards this rifle is because it seems to be geared toward longer range shooting without the added weight in the stock (no beavertail forend etc..) I plan to use this for just about everything from deer hunting here in Tennessee to hopefully some Mule deer and Elk hunts in the future. I like the idea of being able to pack this rifle in with the hope of keeping the weight under 10lbs.

Any thoughts on this set up would be appreciated. I am still wet behind the ears when it comes to putting a set-up together that I can be confident in taking extended range shots. I do realize that this will require the proper optics and for that I would really appreciate some suggestions.

Thanks for any input,

Jake