i don't like their looks. something strange about the shroud and shape of the bolt handle and flats on the receiver. they are greatly over-priced. just aesthetics mostly for me. but they do shoot.
If I were a Japanese-made gun collector, I suppose I'd have several.
The reason that I don't have any Japanese made guns is that my mothers only brother was killed by the Japanese army in WW11. We have his letters and pictures. Now I happen to covet a M52 Sporting or even a new Highwall or Lowwall but I have drawn the line.
Perhaps my decision is only one in a million but thats how I see it.
There are some Brownings that are made in Europe such as the BAR.
realwood1 I have owned A-bolts and have seen them fail. The triggers are prone to freezing up from corrosion when near saltwater. And they do it fast! The extra parts used to make an A-bolt bolt do not inspire confidence in them...
The banana peel explosions that have shown up are not a big concern, but I have never seen a 700 do that, nor heard of one either... art
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
The one A-Bolt I owned was a decent shooter and all, but I ended up selling it because I just couldn't get used to the looks and it never felt right in my hands. The Sako I bought to replace it fit me much better, was a little more accurate and looked a lot better to my eyes. Since that one experience, which occured about 5 years ago, I've never seriously thought about buying another A-Bolt.
I bought one in '92 and another in '94, both have killed everything they have been fired at. ( edit here- there was one cow Elk that got away) My 280 sees little use anymore but my kids 7 mag still gets regular use. Since I've been forum "educated" I know better now, but before I learned how bad they were I liked them.
Thanks to all for the responses. I think there is enough to draw from here to steer me elsewhere on my next purchase. I am also looking at the WSM's and Browning has gone shorter (23" barrels) than Winchester or Kimber for some reason.
I have owned two A-Bolts in the past. A Hunter & a Stainless Stalker.They were ok, but not my cup of tea. I personally think they are over priced status symbols. Kinda like a "bankers" gun. Gimme a true hard working AMERICAN made rifle anyday.
If I were a Japanese-made gun collector, I suppose I'd have several.
The reason that I don't have any Japanese made guns is that my mothers only brother was killed by the Japanese army in WW11. We have his letters and pictures. Now I happen to covet a M52 Sporting or even a new Highwall or Lowwall but I have drawn the line.
Perhaps my decision is only one in a million but thats how I see it.
There are some Brownings that are made in Europe such as the BAR.
I have Sako, Tikka, Remington, and yes a Browning. Just bought the Browning last year because a buddy got one and I saw the excellent accuracy he was getting. I had never been a Browning fan in the past . . . thought they were too bright and shiney. But I got a Stainless Stalker (I think all synthetic stocks are kind of ugly) and the thing just plain shoots. I also like the short bolt throw, but dont care for the safety . . . especially with a glove on. I dont think the action is very smooth either. But for a rough weather rifle that shoots lights out, I like it.. . especially in the 7m-08.
I've only own two Browning rifles first got in 1965 still shoots great on it's fifth barrel, got the next one last year and it's a great shooter took and elk with it. It got down to around 18 below hunting for afew days and it's a tough rifle. The rifle has one of Rick's paint jobs sure makes the rifle stand out.
This "I won't have one because they're made in Japan" stuff every time the subject of Browning rifles is brought up is kind of amusing . There was a post just a few days ago about Howa rifles and that didn't seem to spark such a response.
I love my Browning A-Bolt as well as my Toyota Tundra and my Honda ATV. They're good values and they work.
I have several Japanese Brownings including a BPS 12 which I consider the best pump shotgun on the market and the only one for lefties (I am not a leftie, so THAT is not my issue).
I have a buckmark and several Clitoris. The A-bolt I find an insult to John's name... It has nothing to do with the company or the source. It has everything to do with the design. As I have posted more than once, I had a bad problem with an A-bolt new out of the box. The CS was extremely good. The rifle was cleaned up and polished, a perfectly functional barrel was replaced (I had not complained about accuracy) and it was returned free of charge. It shoots incredibly well. I will still buy Browning, but never another A-bolt... art
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
I have two A-Bolt shooters, one is a Micro Medallion chambered in 7-08 that I purchased new in '91. It's my go to gun. I was shopping for a light weight rifle to hunt in the high Sierra Nevada's with. After selecting the 7-08 cartridge I found a limited number of factory chambered rifles for it at that time. I had boiled it down to choosing between the Rem Model 7 and the Micro. The Model 7 at that time only came with the 18.5" barrel which was a big negative with me. The Micro had a 20" barrel. Other features that I prefer are: the tang safety, 60 degree bolt turn (the throw had to be lapped), detachable magazine (I thought the trap door was rather novel and still like the idea), the pistol grip (although I wish it were a thumb hole stock and a palm swell would also be an improvement), the recessed muzzle crown, the flattened angled bolt handle. The features on the Micro that I didn't like: the pull length was way to short (a slip on recoil pad solved the problem, it's way to shiney (was looking for a matte finish like the current Micro Hunter but it wasn't offered then, I put clothe type bottom land camo bow tape all over and no one has yet been able to identify it), the aweful stock trigger pull (had the trigger profesionally tuned to 3#'s crisp and now it's perfect). This rifle fits me like a glove and is very enjoyable to carry for at high altitudes or long distances. It's also very accurate with the handloads I've tuned for it and very fast to get on target with.
My second A-Bolt, also a pre-Mk-II, I purchased around y2k is a Stainless Stalker 7 RM. The previous owner had Williams open sights installed and left the Leupold QR base on it. The brass bead on the front sight had broken off when I got it so I replaced it with the Firesight and a hood. Still haven't sighted those open sights yet. I lapped the bolt because the travel was again gritty, worse than the Micro was, but it will never be as slick as the Micro nor my pre-64 Win 70 which is by far the smoothest, and the trigger still needs to be lightened and tuned a little. Even with these nuances it is a very accurate shooter, I suspect because the weight and balance with it's 26" barrel. It loves 160 and 175gr Mag-Tips with H870. It doesn't have the barrel compensator, I forget what they call it but I've always thought they look like a wart on the end of the barrel. I want to have the plastic stock filled with foam one day to surpress the hollow sound it makes when bumped or tapped. To be honest I don't care for the quality of the Stainless Stalker as much as I do for the Micro Medallion. I've often thought the Medallions were produced more for show or display but they sure can shoot once the trigger is properly tuned.
I collect rifles factory chambered in the .284 Win and I have a Micro Medallion nib but I'm still missing the Medallion and Hunter. I've missed two of each nib at reasonable prices by only a day both times. dayum.
The Browning A-Bolts fit me well and I've had no serious problems with either of them. Only the factory triggers and rough bolt travel. I also have Savage 340B, 111FC, Rem 700, Ruger 77RL (tange safety), Sako TGR-S, and Pre-64 Win 70 and I still like my A-Bolt Micro best (see attached pic) followed by the Pre-64 Win 70. I had bought a new Winchester 70 Classic SS/composite chambered in 300 Wea. and the workmanship (ha) on it was terrible and the stock felt like a club in my hands.
The only country of origin that I'm opposed to is [color:"red"]China[/color] and I do my best to avoid purchasing ANY products made there.
"Lord, Let me shoot clean and let me kill clean and if I can't kill clean, let me miss clean"
I am a Remington Man. Some people are Winchester Men. And on and on. I don't know any Browning A-bolt men, though I know a few BAR men. Not to say there aren't any, or that there'd be anything wrong with being one. I just don't know any. I rarely hear much about Browning rifles from any shooters other than those that like BARs. The A-Bolt's reputation as far as I know is not one at all really. Not exceptionally good or bad THAT I KNOW OF. Why? I don't know. Maybe their marketing is shoddy which is no reflection on their product. Some other posts here indicated they are overpriced and show no signs of being worth the price tag in terms of being consistantly accurate out of the box, or fine workmanship. That being said, they may be overshadowed by the lesser expensive Sakos and the like due to their reputation for accuracy, and a heavier presence of advertising. The fact that I am always looking at rifles and pondering a purchase and have never considered buying an A-bolt, not because I hear bad things but because I hear nothing at all tells me their marketing is off.
