Accuracy of a Browning A Bolt

[North Nick]

I have a A-Bolt II Stalker in 7mm Mag.  It has been difficult to get decent accuracy out of it (i.e. 3" at 100yrds off a bench).  One gunsmith told me to get it Mag-na-ported ,which I did.  Didn't help.  I tried numerous brands of bullets and brand of ammo, still no help.

Any suggestion as to my next course of action to get more accuracy out of it?

Thanks,

North Nick-

[mjbgalt]

mine is impeccably accurate...however...i handload for it and it took me several load and bullet combinations to get it that way.

do you reload?

-Matt

[HuntingGuy]

What sort of rest are you using?  Mine has been extremely accurate, as well.  Have you tried letting the barrel cool between shots?

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

You said you tried different brands----were these all the same bullet weight??

My old A-Bolt .270 went like this----130 grainers were like a shotgun pattern---150 grainers were 1 to 1.5in groupers----140 grainers would consistantly be in the same hole if I did my part.

Point is---if I just stuck with the 130's---I would have thought I just got one of the worse rifles ever made----the 140's turned it into a one-hole tack driver.

My usual procedure with a new rifle--is to buy the cheapest loads I can find in various bullet weights---usually Winchester Power Points-----see what bullet weights my gun likes---and then refine further from there-----Power Points can be amazingly accurate---despite their low price.

[beemanbeme]

It sure was nice of that smith to pick up a few bucks from doing work for you that has ABSOLUTELY no affect on accuracy. 
I've  only owned one Browning.  An A bolt in .300WM.  It would put 3 180gr Rem Core Lokts inside an inch at 100yards. 
I'd clean it good.  Make sure there wasn't any contary pressure on the barrel from the forearm and maybe see about bedding the action.  Is your scope good and tight?  Does your scope have a proven track record?  What ammo are you shooting in it??  What weight bullet? If you haven't already, try some 160 or 175 wgt bullets.  If you're trying to really cook that 7mag without using premium bullets, you may find that's your problem.

[Nebraska Kelly]

Dump the piece of s#$%.  Dont waste another day on it.  I have had 3  A Bolts over the years. Not a single one of them shot well with one exception. That was the A Bolt that had the BOSS on it.  I could not get the other two guns to shoot no matter what I did to them.  Bite the bullet and take your loss. Buy something else to play with. Like maybe a Tikka light. They are going for $479 at my favorite store right now with rings. Just my opinion.

Nebraksa Kelly

[Redhawk1]

I have two A-bolts, one in 243 and one in .338 Win Mag. Both will shoot extremely accurate with either factory or reloaded ammo.

What kind of rest are you using, also how familiar are you with heavy recoiling rifles, both of which may be a factor.

[Zachary]

I have never seen an A-Bolt shoot over 1.5"...never.

In fact, I have 2 original A-Bolt I models that shoot under 1/2" with their favorite ammo (Federal premium with sierra boattails.).

Something is definately wrong with the gun, and it could be any number of things.  Bottom line, you've gotta take it to a competent gunsmith and let him take a look at (and IN) it.  It could be the bedding, it could be the inside of the barrel, it could be inproper attachment of the barrel to the receiver, it could be just about anything.

Zachary

[Don Fischer]

I'm with beemanbeme, get a new gunsmith. Had he checked the squareness ot the crown, I'd buy that but not adding Mag-na-port. Try tighting the guard screws then loosing the front screw slowly while watching the barrel at the front of the stock; it should not move at all. If it does there's abedding problem. Next try running a dollar bill between the barrel and the stock with the stock snugged down. Your feeling for high spots or tight spots in the barrel channel. You might have up pressure built into the fore end, put the dollar bill behind that first when you reinstall the barrel/action. Then it might be bedded solid full length, I'm not sure any are any more, but maybe. If thats the case, try sanding out the barrel channel to create a gap between the barrel and the barrel channel in the stock. I like to bed solid for about 2" in front of the action but my mof 70 is free floated full length and shoots great. If you need to take out some barrel channel, first stop about 2" short of the action, easier to leave it than to replace it later and you can always remove it later. Also make sure that where you stop is straight across the stock and not at an angle. If it's solid but at an angle, the barrel will bounce off the long end and cause acccuracy problems.

It might be the action and barrel are out of square but unless your a machinest, you'll have to have a gunsmith fix it, a good gunsmith. I doubt it's that far out that it would make that much difference. It's also possible to have a bad chamber but again not likely that bad. My guess is bedding. It's the easiest to correct and that's where I would start.

Now one more question. I assume you have other rifles, how well do you shoot them?

[nabob]

Copper fouling is my guess. Run some Wipe Out  through it and see if the patches don't come back blue.

[North Nick]

Thanks to all who responded.

I am a reloader, mainly pistol and shotgun, but have reloaded for my 45.70.  The dies, brass, and bullets for the 7mm are on my bench, just haven't had the time to go play.

I have tried a number of different weight bullets in factory loads without much noticeable difference in the grouping.  But I will try it again at a couple of shooting session.  When I shoot I use a set of Caldwell Deadshot Bags when sighting it.

Checking the barrel for any binding sounds like a good idea.So does giving it a good cleaning and go through the screws making sure they are snug.  A set of Timney trigger springs are on their way from Brownell.

I have shot 100's of rounds through my 1885 45.70, but that is not to say it couldn't be me. Maybe I will get someone else to see what they can do.

The Tikka is tempting, but I am a lefty shooter and as far as I can tell they do not make a lefty (Sako does).  I did have a A-bolt medallion w/ BOSS in 30.06.  I shot the smallest group of my life with the gun (1/2" at 100yrds).  Just could not stand the noise of that dang BOSS

Looks like I have some work to do.  Thanks again for all the help,

North Nick

[HuntingGuy]

I looked at the Sako before I bought my Kimber.  Sako makes a beautiful rifle from what I've seen, and supposedly they are deadly accurate.

[kenjs1]

NorthNick - my bet is that your problem is with the stock.  I have one and I got aggravating results from the factory stock.  It would occasionally shoot great but then, next time out with same ammo, shoot completely different. I got better results by monitoring this and resting the stock as close to the trigger as possible.  In other words as far back as possible.  I replaced it with a Bell and Carlson Medalist and "Ouila" it groups everything well now.  I also noticed the magazine latch was more square and the action noticeably slicker.  That factory stock has a tendency to bind if things are not just so and I know it can make contact with the barrel depending on how it is rested.  If you don't want to shell out for a new stock try bedding or stiffening up the existing one with some aluminum rods or other material.  Another trick on that stock was to fill the stock  (the butt end) with expanding foam to deaden that hollowness.  Anyway- I dealt with the same problem and this is how I defeated it.  Glad I did because I love the rifle and it is now driving tacks.  Good luck.

[bearfat]

Guess I missed this post when it 1st started but I see it's still alive. My oldest rifle is a stainless A-Bolt in 30-06. It's a love hate relationship with mine.

I free floated the barrel but that's all. I've had good and bad accuracy with factory and hand loads. One fluke that appeared with some reloads (not all reloads) is it wanted a dirty barrel before it settled down. This year a possible bad scope is in question along with it's quirky history.

So I'll add another negative checkmark like some of the others did in accuracy problems. I am switching to a different bullet to see if it settles down and switching the scope out after a few dozen test rounds to verify the scope prob if I can.   

One thing I had happen twice with Redfield scope mounts on the rear windage screw is they snapped. I was using full Nosler 200 grain Partition loads and figured that's what did it, and like kenjs1 says above it might be the stock too that was twisting the receiver. It was the same screw that snapped both times. I don't know. I'm really guessing.

All I know is my A-Bolt is no longer my friend. They're be issues and a divorce possible down the road. Certainly a mistress is not out of the question.

[Tackleberry]

my A-bolt Gold medallion in .280 is a laser beam shooter.. 1/2 to 3/4 groups...with factory federal ammo (nickel plated)  I have killed 6 deer with it, none have taken a step after being hit...It is my most accurate and (Pretty) rifle....

Dave