Browning's entry into the already flooded budget rifle market. One of the nicer rifles in that category, but also one of the higher priced ones.
Don't confuse it with the older A-Bolt and A-Bolt II. They were Browning's flagship models of the time. The flagship model is now the X-Bolt. Evidently Browning's marketing dept was smart enough to keep the A-Bolt name around on the new budget line in hopes that buyers would assume they were getting the quality level of the older A-Bolt line, just at a lower price point. That's not the case. It's a completely new rifle that was designed from the ground up to compete in the budget market that the majority of new gun buyers seem to be drawn to.
Not saying it's a bad rifle, it just doesn't compare to the older A-Bolts.
Accurate assessment.
