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I have not seen a TC Encore centerfire that would shoot MOA with factory or hand loads yet, I tried three Myself (all different calibers on two different frames) before giving up and I've seen at least four more of My buddies rigs and all were marginal at best in the accuracy department, but TC is paying out the bucks to these hunting celebs, I see a bunch of Encore rifles being used on the Hunting Channel but those guy's don't care what they use just who will pay them the most to use their product, I guess that's why TC Encores are a little pricey in My book especially for what you get.. I have zero experience with the Icon bolt action rifle it May be a different story and be a great shooter. I do know to My eyes they are an ugly beast..................547.

Last edited by 547; 12/21/08.
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I don't know about "dislike",but its a rifle that has no appeal to me personally..I settled on thee 98 Mauser custom and the pre 64 Win. a long time ago and have seen no reason to change...I am avid about using a control rifle and that's based on 60 plus years of observation and use of both CFR and pushfeeds. Won't argue the point as everyone has the option to choose their own rifles and this is a good thing.

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I forgot to mention that last year, I bought a Vanguard in .300WSM for an Oryx hunt here. Got my Oryx - one shot at over 450 yards.

Anyway, my younger son drew an elk tag so I traded a pistol for an A-Bolt Composite Stalker with BOSS in .300WSM for him. Shooting them side by side at the range, the A-Bolt is stunningly accurate and the BOSS works GREAT in reducing recoil, allowing longer practice sessions, etc.

I've sold the Vanguard and am looking for a Stainless Stalker in .300WSM W/ BOSS for myself. I've been at this shooting thing for about 40 years and don't find anything to complain about on the A-Bolt.


"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants - it is the creed of slaves" William Pitt
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my hunting partner, joe, has an abolt in .243... he farms a number of properties and thought that brownings box magazine would be "the answer" for a guy who was in and out of the truck a lot...

the magazine on his rifle had to ba carefully aligned with the floorpl=ate, and carefully and gently closed... he found it difficult to use... gloves and poor lighting made it worse...
it was a noisy operation and a bit flimsy....

i believe that he buried the rifle with a backhoe.....


"Chances Will Be Taken"


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i'd add that joe is a calm sort, by nature... never seen his wife or his kids fluster him as badly as that browning rifle.....


"Chances Will Be Taken"


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Mark,
Sorry I didn't answer earlier, but I've been busy running around for Christmas. You're right, I didn't have any breakdowns or malfunctions with the A-Bolt (the only functional gripe I can make is that the bolt could be difficult to place back into the action if you didn't take the time to align everything just right). It was just a matter of looking at the cheesy parts and the weird bolt design and losing trust in it. If my son had liked it, I might have kept it for him, but he preferred my 40+ year-old Rem 660 in .308, so the Browning went (happily) down the road.

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eastplace,
Now that's dedication, brother!

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I have a Browning A-Bolt Hunter in .270 Win that's close to 20 years old. Never had a single problem with it. I have no idea how many rounds have been fired in it, but I would guess it's around 800 rounds. It will still put 3, 130 grn Barnes right at a inch at 100 yrds. The only thing I ever did to it was to have the trigger replaced, as it was a DOG, and I also stripped the shiny finish off the stock and put a oil finish on it before I ever fired the first round thru it. I would guess It's killed somewhere around 500 deer and maybe 50 hogs.
( Before anyone flames me as a game hog, I shoot deer deperadition tags on my brother in laws farm every summer)

A-Bolts are quite popular around here. Light weight and 22" barrels make it a good "swamp" rifle, and they are still accurate enough to make those 250-300 yrd "beanfield" shots.

Browning does have a BIG following here in the South, and especially here in S.C. where dog hunting for deer is legal.
The "Humpback" A-5 was almost looked at as a status symbol when I was growing up. It was THE shotgun to own for for any serious dog hunter.

Granted, my A-Bolt is not as pretty, or as fun to shoot as my Kimber .260, but it's still a solid hunter that I have no problem taking to the deer stand.

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I've no love for an A-bolt, and find it amazing one would plunk down money when other choices are available.

I do, however, have deep love for Browning shotguns as well as take-down 22s.

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I can respect the toughness and durability of a Clitori, we have three in the house. The Buckmark is a slick pistol and we have one of them. The BPS is the single best choice for left-handed or left-eyed shooters and we have one of them. All of the above compete with their peers and win plenty often.

The A-Bolt is something quite different. We also have one of them and have had several come through. The model is responsible for more personally-witnessed in-field failures than ALL other models of rifles combined. Yet only a small fraction of my rifle experiences afield include A-Bolts.

Usually the trigger groups rust to a fixed mode and refuse to fire. Often they do it in just a day or two.

If you hunt from a vehicle and seldom get into serious weather and salty conditions the A-Bolt may work for you forever. I even know a few serious guys that have used A-Bolts in nasty conditions for extended periods without issue.

But if you are really going on a serious hunt there are better choices... Anything would be a better choice, actually.
art


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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A friend of mine used to be a Browning rep, and he is a fan of the A bolt. He has told me on more than one occasion that they are great rifles, but you may have to buy more than one to find a real "shooter". Case in point, he owns three A bolts in 300 WSM and only has one that shoot under 1.5-2" at 100 yards.

I am not an A bolt "hater", but that is not acceptable.

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Originally Posted by Sitka deer
there are better choices...


This is the bottom line.


"If all the good luck and all the bad luck I've had were put together, I reckon it'd make the biggest damned pile of luck in the world." Charlie Goodnight

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I owned an A-bolt bolt in .280 but traded it off after it failed to fire for the second time with fur in the scope. It had light primer strikes on two occasions and both occasions was when I was shooting at deer.

I figured it was a good gun for an amimal rights nut, so now I just stick with Remingtons.

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It's good to see the folks that dislike the A-Bolt present their arguments in a civil fashion for a change. Folks will usually listen if a negative point of view is presented in an honorable manner.
Thanks for the insights "Sitka Deer" and "1fstdsl".

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Originally Posted by 1fstdsl
I figured it was a good gun for an amimal rights nut, so now I just stick with Remingtons.

Now that's funny right there.

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Wow - What a list of divergent views- While I am in the camp of having an a-bolt micro hunter and 3 blr's that shoot and carry great - one has to believe that there must some fire behind all this smoke. I guess I have been lucky and quality must vary at times.

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I love Brownings, the real one's made in America and Europe.

The Miroku is NOT a Browning. It's an Asian copy.


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Not here to badmouth A-bolts or any other rifles.

In 1971 I bought my first Ruger. Bought many more since then, along with many other brands.

Over the years the Rugers stayed and the others went. For me, they fit right, work well and don't cost a fortune.


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With the current high level of competitiveness in gun sales and manufacturing, and the frequency at which people sue for little reason, I find it somewhat hard to believe that Browning could continue to manufacture a firearm - much less a thumb tack, that has the potential for such carnage.

Now I'm not saying others may be less than candid in their comments, but the day will come when they want to sell their 7, 70, 77, 700 +, and they'll want top dollar for such stellar machines.

On the other hand, if any of you have A-Bolts, I'll be glad to send you a shipping box and pay freight, so that I can take them out of circulation and make our ranges, fields, forests, mountains, plains, swamps, and hollows safer for all of us by putting all of these A-Bolt ticking time-bombs in a place where they can do no harm.

I urge you A-Bolt owners to do your part for the betterment of our sport. Now IS the time for CHANGE, I hear. sick


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Originally Posted by SU35
I love Brownings, the real one's made in America and Europe.

The Miroku is NOT a Browning. It's an Asian copy.

Too bad. It's a known fact that most all of the Miroku Browning firearms (shotguns and rifles) have better fit and finish, both inside and out, than the Belgium/Portugal ones.
And the Asians have also produced a better car for years...

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