Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles How did I do on a used A-bolt 270?

Well I went out and bought a used rifle. The local dealer at my house had a Browning A-bolt 270 Win used for sell. It's pretty much mint condition, has a very minor scratch on the foregrip. Like so minor I didn't notice it for two days of owning the gun and have to point it out to people if I ask them to find it when I tell them it has a scratch. The internals all look good with little wear if any. I checked the serial number and it was manufactured in 2011. It came with a 8-point scope, I know not the best but at least it's something. I gave $460 for the rifle and scope.

i would say you got a better than fair deal even with out the scope. if it shoots (and it should) well then you are good to go.

If you like it, isn't that all that really counts?

You did great. It would have cost you hundreds more to walk out with a new one. Mine shoots very well. Enjoy it!

W

True that I'm the one that counts... I need to keep that in mind more often. It shoots very well imo. The dealer said it was already sighted in. I was shooting 2 inch groups at 100yds with me as the shooter. Possibly could do better with more experience shooting the rifle or in a more experienced shooter hands. This is my first major rifle. I have a 22 to plink with at the range so I'd have something to do when my buddies sighted in and practiced with their hunting rifles. I'm not experienced in buying guns as a friend of mine is and he's convinced that I got screwed on the gun. Not because the performance of the gun, just that I overpaid. I think he's more worried about it than me. He called me up to talk about it out of the blue. So I just thought I would get some opinions.

Sounds like to me you might know more about gun prices than your buddy.

The Simmons 8=Point scope is a pretty inexpensive scope, so you might do better with a higher quality scope/mounts and, if you don't reload, by trying a variety of factory ammo. My 270s shoot good groups with a variety of factory ammo, some of them doing better with a particular brand and bullet weight, while others do well with a variety of brands and bullet weights. Even the inexpensive Hornady American Whitetail 130 grain loads shoot less than 2 MOA from my Remington 760 and MOAish from my S&W A and CLR. I have found that Federal Blue Box ammo will often give you a good idea what a particular rifle/sights/shooter is capable of.

Federal Fusion 130's is where I would start....

W

is it a medallion or a hunter model? if it a medallion thats top dollar for one in my area,if its a hunter you payed way more then i would.used abolts don't sell very well in my area.

you got a great caliber. put a good 140gn bullet in it.

How do I tell that? It's all black with a synthetic stock. The older pre-98 rifles you could tell by the serial number. Unfortunately they stopped that so I'm not sure how to pin down the exact model outside of A-bolt.

It's an A bolt and a .270
That's 2 strikes around here...

you did ok. Like said before, if you like it, and it shoots, that is all that matters.

Anything in 270 Win is a winner!

If it's a Medallion it will be inscribed on the metal of the receiver. I don't think Medallions came with synthetic stocks. Sounds like yours is just the standard model. That price wouldn't be too far out of line around my area where brownings are generally highly thought of. If you were buying it to re-sell, you probably didn't do great. However, it sounds like you bought it to use, so if you're happy with it all is good. My only 270 is an A-Bolt White Gold Medallion, and it is one of the most accurate rifles in my safe. It has been hunted exactly once with one shot and one kill to it's credit.

Use it and enjoy!

There isn't any inscriptions that say medallion. Yeah definitely planning on getting some range time this summer and a deer with it this year. Tired of plinking around at the range with the 22.

You did fine.

Enjoy learning how to shoot it. You may want to find some one who knows a lot about shooting (and not just talks like it) to help you get fit, feel, and range setup down.

Mike,
You did fine with your purchase - tell your buddy he's wrong.

As mentioned earlier, set aside some shekels and get yourself a decent scope when the opportunity arises.

Thanks guys for the suggestion. I got a few boxes of ammo. Some federal fusion, barnes vor-tx, winchester, and mostly remington corelokts. I bought them all in 130 grain. The 2" groups came from the core lokts. I was going to try to get my shooting more consistent before changing anything. Then upgrade the scope and start changing ammo and see what I like the best. I would like to change the scope now, but good glass costs more than what I have right now.

Maybe its just me, but when I buy a used firearm, I clean the bore down to the bare steel, so that I know where I'm starting from. If you're shooting a fouled bore, you may be wasting ammo. Wasting ammo is wasting time and $$.

I'd second the notion that the Fusions are usually the place to start for factory ammo. They work great on deer also.

Mike,

You did just fine with that deal. You did GREAT if you happen to like it. The scope sucks a little, but it will work for the time being. Enjoy your purchase and don't sweat what anyone else says.

Dave