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
Hi Jake. Welcome to Len's website. I could be wrong but it sounds like your mind is made up on Browning. Personally I don't have a problem with them but I know some do. It was my understanding that Browning was pillar bedding their factory rifles, but I heard that somewhere. Never verified it. The 2 I'm familiar with that belonged to a friend and my brother shot very well. Just a guess but I think most on this site would likely opine that Savage would be your best bet right out of the box for an accurate factory rifle. I believe they come with button rifled barrels. Good luck to you.
Buy the browning and dont look back. Everyone has their favorite (ford chevy dodge) I have had 3 A-Bolts rebarreled. While not every gunsmith will work on them you can find competent gunsmiths that will.
I agree with Team Roper, I have 5 A-bolts they all shoot 1 moa or less. Here is a video of the custom Browning A-bolt 300 RUM I built. [ame]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BZFiXn_90w&context=C3dfb7f4ADOEgsToPDskK9dAbUpt-lmsbz5VQrFQY5[/ame]
I was just cracking rocks yesterday afternoon w/my 325 WSM ssabolt. Stock w/4-14 leo 7-6 oz. It jumps a bit when you shoot as light weight. I was making good hits w/ reticule holds to 725 and dialed to 835.
