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Everyone wants into the act!
nononsense
Member Posts: 10,928 ✭✭✭✭
Apparently, Browning is making a commitment to the Target shooting community. I haven't handled one of these yet but it might be something to spend some time shooting. The only drawback that I see is the short forearm. I would have suggested using a 7mm WSM chamber instead of the .300 WSM for better variety and paying attention to what's winning at the longer ranges. Anyway, here's what been written so far:
Browning Produces New Target Rifles in .223, .308, 300 WSM
"Late this year or early in 2009, Browning will release a new A-Bolt Target rifle. The new A-Bolt Target rifle represents a whole new direction for Browning ?_" no doubt spurred by the success of Savage?_Ts F-TR and F-Class Target rifles. The A-Bolt Target will be offered in both matte blued and stainless versions, in three calibers: .223 Rem, .308 Win, and 300 WSM.
Featuring a laminated wood stock (with adjustable comb), heavy-contour 28?_3 button-rifled barrel, and single set-trigger, the new Browning should be effective in F-TR (target rifle) class. (Sorry, Browning hasn?_Tt released the set-trigger?_Ts end pull-weight.) With detachable box magazines, and a quick 60A? bolt lift, these rifles may also prove popular with tactical shooters (though tac guys may want to shorten the barrels). The .223 version also would make a nice varminter. The .223 has a 1:9?_3 twist while the .30-caliber guns come with a 1:10?_3 twist rate.
The Browning A-Bolt Target rifles have some nice features normally found on custom rifles. The action comes glass-bedded in the stock. According to press releases, the buttoned barrels will all be hand-chambered for improved accuracy. The stocks features a satin finish with nice checkering on the grip. The varmint-style forearm looks rigid enough to work well with a bipod, but we think the forearm should be longer for better weight distribution (longer ?_owheelbase?__). The stock is not 3?_3 wide, so you?_Td probably want to mount a 3?_3-wide sled if you shoot this gun from the bench or in F-Open class. What?_Ts all this cost? MSRP for the stainless .223 and .308 rifles is $1489, while the matted blued guns in the same calibers are $1269. 300 WSM versions cost $30.00 on top of those prices for stainless and blued respectively."
Best.
Browning Produces New Target Rifles in .223, .308, 300 WSM
"Late this year or early in 2009, Browning will release a new A-Bolt Target rifle. The new A-Bolt Target rifle represents a whole new direction for Browning ?_" no doubt spurred by the success of Savage?_Ts F-TR and F-Class Target rifles. The A-Bolt Target will be offered in both matte blued and stainless versions, in three calibers: .223 Rem, .308 Win, and 300 WSM.
Featuring a laminated wood stock (with adjustable comb), heavy-contour 28?_3 button-rifled barrel, and single set-trigger, the new Browning should be effective in F-TR (target rifle) class. (Sorry, Browning hasn?_Tt released the set-trigger?_Ts end pull-weight.) With detachable box magazines, and a quick 60A? bolt lift, these rifles may also prove popular with tactical shooters (though tac guys may want to shorten the barrels). The .223 version also would make a nice varminter. The .223 has a 1:9?_3 twist while the .30-caliber guns come with a 1:10?_3 twist rate.
The Browning A-Bolt Target rifles have some nice features normally found on custom rifles. The action comes glass-bedded in the stock. According to press releases, the buttoned barrels will all be hand-chambered for improved accuracy. The stocks features a satin finish with nice checkering on the grip. The varmint-style forearm looks rigid enough to work well with a bipod, but we think the forearm should be longer for better weight distribution (longer ?_owheelbase?__). The stock is not 3?_3 wide, so you?_Td probably want to mount a 3?_3-wide sled if you shoot this gun from the bench or in F-Open class. What?_Ts all this cost? MSRP for the stainless .223 and .308 rifles is $1489, while the matted blued guns in the same calibers are $1269. 300 WSM versions cost $30.00 on top of those prices for stainless and blued respectively."
Best.
Comments
Since you mentioned it, is there any feedback at this point on how long the 7 WSM barrels are lasting? I know that has seemed to be a drawback of top competitors using the 6.5-.284. With a slight download though, the barrel erosion subsides considerably(??) I've heard. Also, the 6mm BR is pretty amazing in the 30" barrel Savage offers. A shame Browning didn't consider it as a possibility.
I am glad to see it happen for Browning. The A-bolt would be a good target platform. We'll just have to see how many of the little things they do to make it more accurate. 6.5 Heaton would be a hot choice for me with this rifle as well.
The 6mmBR is a pretty bad-* cartridge
I'm glad Browning is finally responding to the increase in target and accuracy activity around the world. It's about time.
As a primary manufacturer, Browning is trying to cater to the market that their statistics and bean counters tell them will yield the greatest profit. The same process has been used for the .30-06 and the .270 Win. for decades. So their choices make sense from the aspect. But my disagreement stems from their decision to stay with the stodgy choices rather than making the jump to some small form of innovation.
The .223 Rem./5.56 NATO has a great following due to the surplus market. This cartridge is about to get the full impact of a total lack of surplus and support from the government. Once again, we'll all be back to reloading instead of calling our suppliers for a case of .223 Rem. and paying for increasing shipping costs.
The .308 Win. is a natural simply due to the competitions and competitors that continue to use it in huge numbers. It's also a great cartridge that demonstrates flexibility in loading and accuracy in performance. I'm glad it's on their list.
The .300 WSM is almost a gimme as far as they're concerned. First, Browning has to support their decision to continue to promote the WSM line of cartridges while waiting on FN to get the `new' Winchester M70 out and in the hands of the general public. So any opportunity to use one of those cartridges in a model line gets the nod from management. There is also the thought that the .30 caliber cartridges will have a greater draw for the public as opposed to the 7mm cartridges.
So much of this discussion could orient itself to the swinging of the pendulum from one winning cartridge to another. We get all worked up when one competitor wins a Match with an unrecognized cartridge and we all jump on the bandwagon to get rifles chambered and ammunition loaded so we too, can have the newest and the best. Then a whole bunch of us shoot it happily for a fairly long period of time until someone decides to point out the downsides of that particular cartridge. Another shooter wins with a different cartridge and the pendulum swings in a new arc. We've seen this same scene play out over and over no matter which field or endeavor we're talking about. The only one with any consistency for a longer period of time is the 6PPC. Lots of us want to find the holy grail of cartridges that will dump the king of point blank benchrest but none have succeeded so far.
The replacement for the .300 WSM in the lineup could have been an easy one with the selection of the standard .284 Win. since that's the new darling of the long range crowd. But I suspicion another contributing factor was to offer an action with the magnum bolt face in order to increase the sales to folks who wanted the set up but not the cartridge. They take the barrel off and replace it with a new one chambered for their favorite while Browning makes the profit. It eliminates the problem and complaints about having to open up a bolt face to accommodate the 0.532" rim size. This can put folks off and cause a lot of loud complaining on the Internet that would bode badly for Browning.
As far as roasting barrels and erosion is concerned, I've done my share and will continue to do so as long as I enjoy shooting those cartridges. It's a tradeoff that I make willingly for the pleasure of shooting some cartridges while others are too cheap. There is some common sense applied to the lower end of acceptance, of course.
The 7mm WSM is on the lower end of acceptability for erosion when discussing competition, but it still sits perfectly placed for the longer range hunters. It also lets Browning use a magnum bolt face. Barrel life will depend on the shooter's habits as much as the heat energy transferred to the metal. I've yet to shoot a 7mm barrel out but I'd guess that the 7 WSM would get the requisite 800 to 1,200 rounds before losing the competitive edge. This could be extended by carefully balancing the load as you point out. I don't let it bother me with the 6.5 x 284 because it's a great cartridge with absolute top end performance so I'll just keep setting the barrel back or putting on new barrels. The 6mmBR fortunately has stuck around after being ignored by the general public for so many years. Now look at it! It rules long range shooting at targets for all age classes and gender. It's mild, easy to shoot, accurate and there's a great variety of components for everyone to choose from. As far as Browning in concerned, it might be a problem of getting it to feed from the magazine but I don't know that for sure.
Best.