whast the real deal with a-bolts?

I don't know if anyone has posted this yet but...
When the A-Bolts first came out I was working at Wholesale Sports in Edmonton. At the time they were the warranty depot for most of the big gun companies.
I know at that time we saw a lot come back for warranty work on the magazine retention clip on the floor plate.
It seems that when you snapped it in when it was "really" cold out the clip would break leaving you with a single shot(would not feed when loose in there).
I have heard that this is no longer a problem as they changed the source of the steel that was used for them.

They are really good rifles. Personally not my favorite, but definitely well made and reliable. As far as accuracy is concerned they are probably no better or worse than any of the others..
 
I don't care! I have a 270wsm in a A bolt - IT IS BY FAR the best rifle I have owned for accuarrcy, fit, finish and weight. It does the job! I personally don't think I paid too much.
 
todbartell said:
Im not much of an Abolt fan. Point the rifle straight up to the sky and open the bolt and it wont even budge out of the action, not very smooth. The magazine puts alot of upward pressure on the bolt body. The mag system is overengineered and stupid. Whats the point of a detach mag inside a floorplate? GUess they couldnt make up their minds. :confused: Stocks are tupperware, nothing great there. Id expect more for a thousand bucks, something fiberglass.

Browning in a whole sure has a cult following though, some guys just love the look of the Buckmark.
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What were you doing to it prior to this TEST?:rolleyes: Using it for a Jack handle?
& as far as Tupperware stock have you only seen ONE A-Bolt?
I have a A-bolt Varmiter with a very well designed Laminate stock-- wouldn't trade it for ALL of your Remingtons!:runaway:
 
Stocks are tupperware, nothing great there. Id expect more for a thousand bucks, something fiberglass.
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Just looked at the Weatherby Vanguard comparsion spec sheet and it says the A bolt Composite stalker is graphite / fiberglass: http://www.weatherby.com/_docs/VanguardSyntheticMatrix04.pdf

I found the A-bolt very accurate in 223 and trigger is easily adjusted to about 2.5-3 lbs and crisp. It also has a very short bolt lift 60 degrees compared to 90 degrees for most others. ( Nice if you have a large eyepeice scope). In the 223 it is only 6.1 lbs. The stalker is dull finish and certainly compariable in price (< $700) to the rem. new.
What am I missing in a hunting rifle?
bbuffett
 
A Bolts Rule

I own a 7mm Rem Mag that is very accurate/reliable. I just took a 300WSM to South Africa and took 11 animals, 9 of which were one shot kills from 50 to 360 yds. The one that hurts though is my pet .338 which my evil ex got in the divorce proceedings, man I miss that rifle.
So IMHO A bolts rule.
The detachable mag is handy if you are in and out of truck or boat or quad very much. I've never had a problem with any of them.
That being said the last two rifles I bought are Kimbers for the controlled round feeding for dangerous game. A .338 and a .375 H&H for the next trip to Africa.
The only other thing I dislike about Browning is the shiny stocks, so all mine have been composite stocks.
 
I think the A-Bolt II is a great rifle and most of the arguments here are simply personal bias.
As far as the trigger being junk I have to disagree... ten minutes and a different spring and they break clean and crisp at two pounds or less. As far as engineering flaws go that is news to me...:confused:
The mag system is great if you take the time to get used to it... you can load it over the top just like a closed well or hinged floor plate... you can load the mag while it is attached to the floor plate or you can carry a spare and switch very quickly.
The bolt design is well thought too and because the body does not turn with the bolt handle they have less friction than a one peice bolt... very smooth. Three lugs make for a good lock and short angle as well.
As far as being sticky this is absolute nonsense and any one who owns one knows how smooth and fast they are after very little use.
Lately the cost difference is less than you would think and if you compare them to the Savage, Rugers or Remingtons they are definitely not out of line.
Accuracy??... I am shooting a Varmint Stalker that will shoot 1/4 MOA or less with most bullet weights.
DarrylDB is coming this morning to shoot I will let him check it for accuracy.;)
 
I too would have to say the complaints about the A-Bolt II are bunk. had one in 30-06. First, the rifle was accurate out to the 400 yard gongs. Second, the synthetic stock was the nicest I've ever owned. You could hardly see the seam line. The palm swell worked in such a way that it helped line up the pad of your fore-finger perfectly with the trigger. The safety was easy to use. The trigger, out of the box was a bit heavy, but crisp and perfectly useable as is. The detachable magazine, which only became detached when I cleaned it was loaded affixed to the floorplate. That way I never had to worry about loosing it. I see no practical purpose for trying to point a rifle upwards and seeing if the bolt comes back. As I see it, the bolt worked flawlessly when I mannipulated it. I'm not relying on gravity to cycle my bolt. The finish was top notch, even in the matte blue, it still looked rich. The overall weight and feel of the rifle just screamed "Take me hunting!" As for being over priced, I don't think they are. Compare apples to apples. WSS catalauge from 06:

A-bolt Stalker stainless reg cartridge: $999.95
Remington XCR: $869.95
Sako 75 Stainless/Syn: $1549.95. Now who's over priced?
 
I have a A-bolt and I love it yah the mag is a different but it still works well. Action is as tight as my Weatherby Mark V and almost the same bolt throw which is super nice for follow up shots. But just like Truck some people like GM some people like Ford and other like Toyota. Just a personal choice.
 
I have found A-bolts to be well finished and fairly accurate,but I could never get used to that abortion of a magazine system.Either use a floor plate or a detachable mag,not both.
 
I picked up my first a bolt last fall. Its a lefty micro hunter in 325 wsm.The trigger adj to a nice crisp break,and it shoots extremly well.Recoil in the short lite package is suprisingly gentle for a max handloaded 200 grain bullet.I want another in 22 hornet now.
 
A bolt's are A okay

I own an A bolt and I love it. As a Tool and die maker I truely appreciate the quality put into these rifles. Mine is accurate and very well fit and finished. The rifle is very accurate and for the price one most reliable I've owned. The mag system is priceless and has saved my ass a few times in "sticky situations". Try and unload 5 rounds from a typical top load mag in 3 seconds.None the less, I wouldnt carve one until I owned it. If you disagree let me Know, Cheers, Stu
 
joe-nwt said:
So. Why is having the bolt fall back when you have the gun pointed at the sky an important feature anyway?
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joe, every once in a while you actually make an astute observation instead of the other kind ;)
 
mjcurry said:
well i guess im going to have to pick one up when i get the monies. maybe an A-bolt composite stalker with a 3x9x40 luepold vx-2 should do the trick eh?

but what caliber hmmmm
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Another nice thing about the a-bolt vs. ....say Tikka, many cartridge choices available.

p.s. Did I mention that they make a lot of LH guns?
 
My youngest son has a LH 30-06 A-bolt II

Good:accurate,light,well made
Very Bad: two piece bottom metal and only two guard screws,if the back screw loosens the floorplate will drop down and the bolt will not pick up the cartridge
the bolt lock pin rusts too easily,jamming the bolt closed
Poor: the wood finish is too brittle,it shatters.
The blueing is thin,after two years the rifle looked much worse than my 20yr+ Remington
 
i love the tikka i just bouight at christmas, almost bought an a-bolt varmint if it wasnt for that absolutely retarded magazine idea. who ever thought that up should never be allowed to have anything to do with a gun ever again. I have an older a-bolt in 7MM and a 270 Win in remmy 700. i only shoot my abolt because it is bigger and has more knock down power. if they were the same calibre the abolt would never see the outside of our safe. the bolt on the remmy in smoother, mag. is a normal design, feels better to me goin up and is a joy to shoot. the abolt has a way stiffer bolt, if any miniscule bit of presure is put on the side of the bolt when pushing if foreward the bolt becomes very sticky and takes 3-4 times longer to get the bolt in and closed
 
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