In your opinion is Browning X-Bolt worth paying extra over AB3?

Eagleye said:
At one time, long ago, Browning made very good rifles.........now, not so much.

Dave.
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I agree 100%, that being said the best browning has to offer these days is an x-bolt. It shoots very well, and is built very well. The rest of Brownings centre fire rifles can stay on the gun store shelf as far as I am concerned. The A-bolt in any configuration is a poorly designed POS.
 
My A-bolt in .243 is an absolute tack-driver, but I find myself never shooting it anymore as the magazine set-up on that things is just plain stupid. Browning shoulda gave their heads a shake when they introduced that thing. I inherited it, but would have never paid for it myself. My father has an X-bolt in .300 and it seems to be a very nicely designed rifle and the quality seems up there. The magazine set-up is leaps and bounds better than what they were passing off prior to that.
 
X-BOLT I have a few the synthetic stocks are nice and recoil is absorbed nicely. the mags are designed to prevent the bullet from hitting the mag in recoil and feed in single centered arrangement.
3 lug bolt and so on. I'm thinking it might be the action to build a custom rifle on, in some weird wildcat cartridge maybe another DASHER or 6XC.
 
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I think both exceed the value you get for the intended market audience.
Xbolt is a nicely crafted piece with some fine attention to detail (like way nicer then a Ruger for example) for around $1000. I find the plastic rotary mags a bit of a letdown...they work, but they are cheap and not the most durable.
With the AB3 same deal, nicest gun that you will find in the $500-$600 range, mags are actually pretty decent too. Just nothing fancy.
 
I have 3 A bolts & neither is for sale. I like the mag system & with a timney trigger spring set at 2.5 pounds I like the trigger much better than any other. As far as the new cheaper rifles I don't like the finish on them. Sticking with my a bolts but would have no issue going to the X bolt either.
 
saskcop said:
.... the magazine set-up on that things is just plain stupid. Browning shoulda gave their heads a shake when they introduced that thing.
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I have a few A-Bolt IIs and all are exceedingly accurate rifles with decent triggers out of the box. The magazine does take some getting used to but after a while I have come to like them. No accidental dropping of a magazine when walking in the bush; No crap or debris working there way up into the action from below; Magazines small and compact enough to fit easily in your pants pocket. What's not to like? ;)
 
Not sure about the AB3, but I have an older A bolt, its a nice rifle. As its is a hunting rifle and not a range toy, I have no issue with the magazine. Very good fit and finish. And its true that you cannot cycle the bolt with the safety on. I do find that curious.
T
 
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