Are some Browning bolt models better shooters than others?

[MZ5]

For example, I have a 'standard' A-bolt II (with BOSS) that shoots very well.  What I'm curious about is people's experience with other than 'standard' Brownings.  I simply assume that the Medallion is the identical rifle to a 'standard' one, but with polished bluing, scrollwork, and rosewood caps.

What I'm mostly interested in is things like the Eclipse, the Varmint guns, and so forth.  Maybe even the Target.  Those guns cost somewhere between a bit more and a whole bunch more than the 'standard' A- (or X-) bolt, or even than the Medallions.  What would I be paying for by paying for a Varmint or an Eclipse?  Do they normally shoot better?  Or am I just paying for different stocks and sometimes a medium-heavy barrel?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[pastorp]

A heavy barrell or wide forend on the stock does not make the rifle any more accurate. Accuracy comes from a quality barrell and matching the bullet length to the rate of twist in the barrell. The heavy barrell will keep the rifle from heating up as fast and the wide forend will rest better on bags and so the gun may be easier to shoot well. But they don't make the inherant accuracy any greater. JMO

Regards,

[MZ5]

I agree, which is why I was wondering whether I'm paying for a more accurate rifle, vs. paying only for the heavy barrel and different stock.

[1sourdough]

 I would start with what you plan with the rifle? If it's targets or stationary P-dogging type shooting, heavy is O.K.. If it's for most other hunting, I'd go lighter.

[MZ5]

Well, I was contemplating an A-bolt Eclipse, but they're normally WAY more money than an A-bolt.  I like the M-1000 Eclipse stock a lot, but not $500-worth.  I also prefer a heavier barrel, even when I'm going up and down hills at 8,000 feet.  I'm just weird like that.    I also prefer more barrel length than most rifles come with.  22" just doesn't get it done for me in many cartridges.  Still, I'm not at all likely to pay double the money for a heavier barrel or a thumbhole stock if it's pure cosmetics.  Now, if they took more time on the barrels for those models, or if they shot some of the barreled actions and the best ones went into those rifles, that's a different matter.  I doubt this is how it works, but thought I'd ask.

[charles p]

Write down your current thoughts on gun weight, barrel length, and high altitude climbing.  Put the paper in your gun cabinet to reread every decade. 

[MZ5]

That would no doubt be an interesting exercise.  For example, I would find that I like a heavier rifle now than I did a decade ago.  To me, though, it makes most sense to have/take with me what I prefer at the time.  If my needs change in some way at some future time, then I have the option to change what I have or take with me at that time.  To have what I don't want, nor like, nor shoot as well now, just in case I change my mind a decade or more into the future, doesn't make any sense to me.

[swampthing]

A heavier barrel is stiffer, flexes/vibrates less when shot, these things do lend to accuracy.
Funny how your gun is never light enough... seems that you would be happier with one just a 1/2pound less than what you got... that is until you are caught with your pants down and you need to make an off hand shot at slowly moving game.. nice to have a little weight and length to help smooth you out.
 Whippy guns are good, but guns that move like a spinning gyroscope through space will allow you hit what you aim at  with eerie precision.

[mcwoodduck]

A heavier barrel is stiffer, flexes/vibrates less when shot, these things do lend to accuracy.
Funny how your gun is never light enough... seems that you would be happier with one just a 1/2pound less than what you got... that is until you are caught with your pants down and you need to make an off hand shot at slowly moving game.. nice to have a little weight and length to help smooth you out.
 Whippy guns are good, but guns that move like a spinning gyroscope through space will allow you hit what you aim at  with eerie precision.

+1  the thicker barrel does two things.  It is stiffer and reduces the flex as Swampthing said making the barrel more accurate.  Short thick barrels are better.
The second is the larger diameter barrel has more mass and take longer to heat up than the thinner Barrels and with a greater circumfrance it has more surface area and will cool faster as well.  So the barrel designed for multiple shots on a Dog town will give you more consistant shots over the course of the day than will a standard taper barrel.  This is the reason they also went to fluting guns.  Add surface area to keep the rifle barrel cooler so less heat distortion, and removing the metal lightens the rifle while adding about 3 to 5X the surface area.  Same reason the old buffalo rifles had octagonal barrels.

[scootrd]

Has anybody had and hands on experience with the Model 700™ XHR  ?

Remington claims 

"This barrel design allows us to shave weight while maintaining the rigidity of a traditional round barrel. And the weight that remains is in all the right places. Plus, its surface area facilitates rapid cooling for more accurate followup shots."

Was wondering if the triangular barrel is more hype or if the claims Remington boasts are indeed true.

[BNC04]

This is a new stock X-bolt and a mediocre shooter at 100 yards with 100 Grain Sierra Varmint bullets and 43 Gr of Varget. Measured 4 shots, I pulled one slightly which I called ( indoor range and someone shooting a 338 next to me )

As far as accuracy out of the box, My buddy and I have an x-bolt hunter in the 7mm-08 caliber and they both shoot like this. If I had a fine cross hair scope with more magnification and knew what I was doing, I could probably get these to be even better.  This group was at the end of a 45 shot string with zero cleaning. I have about 350 rounds through this gun now.



Brett

[mcwoodduck]

Has anybody had and hands on experience with the Model 700™ XHR  ?

Remington claims 

"This barrel design allows us to shave weight while maintaining the rigidity of a traditional round barrel. And the weight that remains is in all the right places. Plus, its surface area facilitates rapid cooling for more accurate followup shots."

Was wondering if the triangular barrel is more hype or if the claims Remington boasts are indeed true.

Have seen them and played with them in the store but have not shot one.
Makes sense that the three right angles will allow little flex- Kind of like a three angle I Beam  I guess that would make it a Y beam. 
The large slab sides can radiat heat and the small area that the scope looks over will show smaller heat distortion.  Makes sense. 

[TLARbb]

Has anybody had and hands on experience with the Model 700™ XHR  ?

Remington claims  

"This barrel design allows us to shave weight while maintaining the rigidity of a traditional round barrel. And the weight that remains is in all the right places. Plus, its surface area facilitates rapid cooling for more accurate followup shots."

Was wondering if the triangular barrel is more hype or if the claims Remington boasts are indeed true.

Have seen them and played with them in the store but have not shot one.
Makes sense that the three right angles will allow little flex- Kind of like a three angle I Beam  I guess that would make it a Y beam.  
The large slab sides can radiat heat and the small area that the scope looks over will show smaller heat distortion.  Makes sense.  

I can't help it, but I have to respond to this.  The triangular flute barrel is stiffer than a barrel that is the diameter of the root of the fluting, but it is not stiffer than the round barrel they cut the flutes in. You can't make a barrel stiffer by taking material off.  It saves some weight, but that is it.  It's not that much weight.  So most of what is going on is marketing.  They may have limited the accuracy potential of the barrel by doing this as it may distort the bore; thier manufacturing process would have to be significantly modified to make sure the bore is round in a barrel they ground the flats on..  I'll take a round barrel every time. - EJ

[Country Boy]

I found a used A-b0lt in .243 at a good price. Anything wrong wwith the A bolts.  It's a hunter model . Why did they quit making the A bolt ?

[pastorp]

Oh as soon as they get a model perfected they feel compeled to introduce a new improved model & start the whole process over.

Concerning the heavy barrel. I'm not in the camp that believes they are inertly more accurate. They do heat up slower but stay hot longer. The things that make a barrel accurate is it's quality, the smooth mess of the rifling, the bedding, the barrel harmonics must be free to vibrate the same each time. A short stiff barrel can be accurate but so can a quality lighter contour barrel.

JMO,