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I know, I said I was just going to read from my initial post on. I appreciate the posts descibing the closed trigger group issues, wasn't aware of this. As to some of the other, seemingly more isolated issues, I wonder if it isn't maybe a little more brand bias than a quality issue. I've seen at least a dozen model 70's go through my dad's shop that had issues with the floor plate latch, several Rugers that were inaccurate to say the least - tough to find a brand that hasn't had an issue or two. And that's what I was getting at, I like Browning and want to be aware of chronic issues that are found with A Bolts. As far as abusing a rifle and having it continue to work, I have a 20 year old A Bolt that has seen it all but salt spray and has yet to fail even one time (thousands of rounds, dozens of animals, rain to snow, -30 to 90+, mud and sand, horseback and canoe). In my book that translates to reliability and is the reason I was curious as to how the A Bolt had gotten a bad rap with some. Seems I read here on the fire once that a guy had a barrel blow on one that he had tape on - isolated or chronic?

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Browning had a bad run of steel... as did many manufacturers at baout the same time... and a large number of A-Bolt barrels blew... tape did not seem to be an issue...


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Originally Posted by 340mag

I read thru this several times, shaking my head..my only comment would be, if you allow ANY GUN to be subjected to this level of care and maintinance and lack of careful cleaning and inspection,...well other than maybe an AK47 ...then your likely to have problems
a cleaning kit, careful inspection every night,and cleaning with a can of WD40, some gun oil, a few patches and brushes, a cleaning rod, screw drivers and having a stainless gun with a synthetic stock can go a long way toward preventing problems, in the field, IVE used a synthetic stocked stainless A-bolt in 375H&H on several ELK HUNTS and found it does its job quite well.
yes its a bit heavier than nesessary but thats not always bad in a 375 H&H


I know all that sounds ideal 340 but get into Alaska's bush or coastal areas and all that maintenance you descibed goes out the window. Chitty weather, sand, silt and mud, salt water or salt spray, snow and or ice. All these things make doing what you describe daily near impossible or at last for me undesirable. I have had guns literally wet for an entir week, whether its cuz its being rained on while I am carrying it or packing it, or just from the extreme level of moisture in the tent that keeps the gun from completely drying. I am partial to certain guns that can withstand this kind of use year in and year out and from all the horror stories I have heard Browning seems to be right in the middle of em. Rugers and Winchesters not so much!....grin

I did have an A-Bolt in 280 Rem at one time and it killed deer in dry azz West Texas with no problem, but West Texas aint Alaska!

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Originally Posted by Sitka deer

"...and cleaning with a can of WD40,..."

I guarantee you a ruined Alaska hunt if you keep that up. WD-40 has no use in gun cleaning and the gum it builds will catch you sooner or later...


I'll scond that Art, and learned it the hard way. I'd oil my trigger, action and barrel with spruce tree sap before I'd spray it down wih Rem oil. That stuff sucks!

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test1328

Thank for the clarification. I'm not a gunsmith or a guide. I haven't yet made it to Alaska for a hunt. So I'm not pontificating on anyone's opinions. I don't think you feel like I have...

As for my opinion. If I REALLY needed the most dependable rifle available I would have a Mauser action. Again, just my opinion...

Idahoguy101


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Originally Posted by Sitka deer
Just enough to make them a poor choice, IME&O, with far more than 3 hunts behind one...
art


+1. Exactly.

I certainly do not want to debate the merits or lack thereof of the Abolt versus another brand of rifle. Ranger1 asked to hear about failures and I thought I'd share. Idahoguy asked how other makes might compare if subjected to the same conditions, so I shared my knowledge of how another make, used by the same guy and under similar circumstances had faired. About the only useful comparison that I can think of, really. Obviously, everyone is going to draw their own conclusions from the above information and to each his own. However, elk, deer, bear, sheep, goat, and any other hunting down here in the lower 48 cannot compare to some of the conditions encountered in AK or some areas of Canada. Unless you've been there and experienced it, you'll never understand. Accuracy, stock design, whether or not you like the way they feel, all of these have no bearing on a discussion of failures of the Abolt, which is what I thought this topic was about. If you like your Abolt, well then use it and enjoy yourself! laugh You don't have to justify your ownership and use of one to anyone here. smile
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Originally Posted by test1328
Lodgepole,

Glad you at least got a laugh! <grin>

As a client, it is easy to sit back and say, "well my rifle is in perfect working order and I have never neglected it and never would. It always gets cleaned after every day." However, as a guide/outfitter, as you probably know, they have a lot of other worries, headaches, etc. to deal with besides looking after their rifle. The problem is compounded by the fact that many of them spend weeks and/or months out in the bush in the rain/snow with only a tent and one hunter/client after another. So, most of the guys that I know in this profession jump at anything that will save them some time and make their lives a little simpler and this includes rifles that they don't have to baby, clean, and inspect every single day to make sure that it will operate as expected.

As I've alluded to, if you want to hunt with an Abolt, be my guest, and I'll never have anything bad to say about anyone who does. I was just sharing my experience and admittedly limited knowledge. However, I will say that Sitka deer appears to have greater knowledge than myself and has reached a similar conclusion.

Test


Well Test, they say laughter is the best medicine. Enjoy !

Would I take an A-Bolt on an expensive and/or potentially dangerous hunt? No. Thats where the high end stuff comes in. A-Bolts are for the canyons, sage flats, and lodgepole forests of home. In that capacity they have kept bad weather and scratches off the expensive toys for years. Its their niche as I see it.


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well, I hunt about 80% of the time with a synthetic stock/stainless weatherby MARKV in 340 wby caliber and Im forced to say Ive never been to alaska but I do backpack hunt for days at a time in colorado, and wy on occasion for ELK and I see lots of snow and colder temps on most hunts, now I don,t SPRAY down my rifles, but I do disassemble them from the stock and wipe them clean and clean them carefully almost every night, and Ive never had return to zero problems (but then Im happy with consistant 1"-1.3" groups in an elk rifle)
both rifles are heavy but the a-bolts almost a full pound heavier, and a 375H&H has no advantage Ive seen on ELK over the 340wby

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Ranger ,a stainless stalker was my main hunting rifle for about 10 years and i was satisfied .But while giving it a thorough cleaning i noticed that the screw that goes through the trigger would not tighten and when i removed it the threads came out with the screw.Ifixed it with a moyers trigger but i had lost confidence in the gun and sold it.



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Sorry I can't add to the list of horror stories. I'm not questioning the veracity of any of them (if Sitka says something its good in my book) -- but I have shot the dickens out of an A-Bolt for the last 26 years. It has a new stock and it needs a new barrel but it has never failed me. I have a friend that hunts as much as I would like to and all he has ever used are A-Bolts. He shot the barrel out of a lightweight .338WM a-bolt! Had it replaced and still shoots it for prairie dogs and coyotes as well as elk, moose etc. He has never coddled any rifle and the a-bolts are beat to hell but they still work.


“My horn is full and my pouch is stocked with ball and patch. There is a new, sharp flint in my lock and my rifle and I are ready. It is sighted true and my eyes can still aim.”
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I have an A-Bolt Medallion in 300WM. Never shot it that much, though it seems to shoot fine. I bought it used in the box, looked like it had never been fired. The safety started sticking and it would not go ON safe. Cleaned it and made sure the mechanism wasn't stuck, but it happened enough that I sent it to Browning. I never did find out what was wrong with it. I might carry it on a day hike elk or stand deer hunt, but I'm not taking it on an overnight trip. It just lost my confidence.

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I am canadian, I had 2 triggers break. the rifle was an abolt 1.
First snapped where the the pin joins the trigger to the rifle. same trigger snapped in the middle.
Mettle was very poor and full of air holes( ie not solid).
The rifle was extremely accurate after I bedded it. Original bedding material disintegrated with oil.
The problem was brownings customer service in canada, it was awful. They left me pretty bitter and vocal.
For a long time there was a web site called " broken browning" until its owner was forced to close it. I thought my case was isolated, I found out that is was a resonably common problem with a bolt 1. I suppose that is why there was an abolt 2.
I had the entire trigger group replaced after the second break and have had no further problems since although the rifle gets very little use. I just lost my faith in the rifle and the company. Please no hate mail, I'm just giving facts as i saw them

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They haven't changed,I guess. My brother bought new a BBR 300WM.The BBR was before the A-bolt,a cross between a Weatherby and a A-Bolt.He leaned the rifle against the cabin wall and it slowly fell over,the stock broke in half. The wood was punky,as in rotten. He had to buy a used stock from Browning service.


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In my hunting group consisting of myself, Dad and Uncles we have a few Brownings and continue to buy them based on our very favorable experience with them.

We have the following that have many years of use on Deer, Elk, Bear, Coyote, etc.

For A-bolts we have:
7mm Rem Mag Composite Stalker
300 Win Mag Composite Stalker
7mm WSM Composite Stalker
30-06 Hunter FLD

For BAR's we have:
7mm Rem Mag Safari
270 WSM Shortrac Stalker
300 WSM Shortrac Stalker

For X-Bolts we have:
300 WSM Composite Stalker
325 WSM Synthetic Stalker

I also have 2 Citori's, 1 Gold Deer Hunter Special, 5 A-5's, and a BPS in 12 gauges.


I cannot recall any of us ever having a single misfire, jam, failure of any sort. I think an A-5 was having trouble ejecting light loads once, but we just needed to reconfigure the spring and sleeve configuration. I know for sure that non of them have had to go to the smith.

I don't think anyone can deny their out of the box accuracy.

As a side bar, They have not spent a lot of time in salty environments, but have all been hunted pretty hard.



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Well I havent had my A-Bolt all that long. It was a 300 Rem Ultra Mag that I had rebarreled to a 8mm Remington Mag. I had it coated so maybe any issue with corresion if there was an issue will be solved. I asked the smith that rebarreled it about replacing the trigger and his reply was there was nothing wrong with the trigger although I had him adjust it and it is sweet. It was restocked by MPI with a light weight stock. I know some on here are not impressed with MPI but I sent it to them to be done and at this point I am satified. I am taking it to Kodiak in May for a bear hunt so I trust it. I have had Brno,Remington,Sako,Colt Sauer,Savage, and a custom Peter Noreen. To my mind nothing was as sweet as the Colt Sauer, smoothest bolt bar none. The A Bolt offers short bolt throw, Tang Safety, and a Clip magazine. These are all desireable to me. My hunting partner has had his A Bolt for 20 years and has taken Bear,Moose,Caribou,Deer,etc and never had an issue, although he does maintain it. It sits outside the tent in the rain, in the snow, etc. I believe there can be faults with any rifle. I also know there are alot of die hard Winchester folks here and the A bolt is manufactured in Japan, which bugs some, me as well. I am of the opinion that it is a good rifle. It does how ever seem to stir more comments than most

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Get back to us on how much you love that "clip" after it falls out on you... Of all the "features" I would choose for a DGR, that would be last.

However, I have seen first hand how well duct tape works to renew the latch. wink



Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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I have been hunting with a .270 Gold Medallion for years and I have never had a problem. It's not the A-bolt II, it's the older style with the fluted bolt.

It's a pleasure to shoot, it's very accurate and the walnut is pleasing to my eye.

That's my experience.
I have other rifles, Remingtons, Winchesters and Rugers and I could say the same about them all. The Browning is my favorite deer rifle though.


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The A-bolt I owned failed to impress me enough to keep it. Too heavy and didn't like the Ergo's. I didn't ever have an issue with accuracy or function even in some bitter cold.

While I think some things on the new X-bolt are positively stupid, like 4 screws/base and that stupid plastic magazine, I did like the "feel" of the rifle. I don't mean the tacky overmold but the slim forearm and fairly slim grip felt good.


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I'm with ruraldoc on this one.

I've had A-Bolts since they came out. I've fallen down scree slopes, into rivers, off of logs and dropped mine more than a few times. I am NOT a cleaning fanatic - in fact - I'm more of a "shoot it until I have a problem" kind of guy.

Not one of my A-Bolts has EVER failed me - in any way.

I wished I could say that about some of the other brands I own. Hint - one of my worst brands that I own in regards to needing visits to the gunsmith - is the darling of the "modifiers" - you know - the brand that everyone takes to their gunsmith to get them they way they want them - and then raves about! smile

Not only have all of my Brownings been trouble free - they have all been accurate - BEFORE - a trip to the gunsmith - not like that other brand. wink


Brian

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The three screw,two piece bottom metal can cause nonfeeding,when the middle screw backs off. Since the clip is on the floorplate, the magazine drops enough for the bolt to pass over the cartridge.It doesn't take much.The blueing wears off quickly. The finish on the wood is much too hard,it shatters easily.


You can hunt longer with wind at your back
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