The Browning A-Bolts have a wonderful fit and finish. Mine has a durable, high-gloss finish on pretty nice walnut. The bluing, as with every Browning firearm I have ever owned, is high quality and "deep". The receiver is both drilled for scope mounts and has dovetails. The trigger pull is about 5-6# with no creep. It is not easily adjustable as far as I can tell. But compared to my CZ-452 or even my re-barreled (KIDD 20" SS) Ruger 1022, the Browning A-Bolt is considerably less accurate. By this, I mean typical groups of around 1 inch at 50 yards at best, irrespective of ammo I have tried. Not terrible, but not great. Others have reported a similar lack of accuracy, somewhat incongruous with such a fine looking rifle. I suppose that some out there are more accurate shooters, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. The other thing of note is that replacement magazines for the A-Bolt in 22LR are ridiculously expensive.

 

Well I've had mine since they came out, in my opinion it is a very pretty rifle.
We've had a love hate relationship and it's still here. On a good day with good ammo it does OK.







Rich

 

I think the consensus has generally been:

Great looking well made rifles.

Accuracy is all over the board, some folks say theirs are great, others say theirs are mediocre.

I'd say mine was the least accurate bolt action .22 I've ever owned.

 

Beautiful rifle for sure. After a wee it of research I decided to pass for now.

 

Bought a used one 2 months ago because it is a rare laminated version w/out sights. One of only390 made. Mine is a twin to the one RichJ posted a picture of.

Accuracy seems ok but have only run Blazer bulk through it so far.

Nice big rifle feel to it.

Fit and finish very good, as with all Brownings.

yup---extra magazines are expensive and rare.

Triggers are very easy to adjust, just swap out the original with a Timney A-bolt spring kit, probably takes about 5 minutes to get a 2# trigger. The rest is easy to get to also if you have the desire to stone and polish.

I'll be shooing mine for quite some time. The A-bolt design is a classic.

 

Triggers are very easy to adjust, just swap out the original with a Timney A-bolt spring kit, probably takes about 5 minutes to get a 2# trigger. The rest is easy to get to also if you have the desire to stone and polish.

Well, I checked out the Timney A-Bolt trigger kit. Two small springs for $25.00. Gulp, well . . . OK, I guess. I filled in the info until I got to shipping and discovered standard shipping was $7.50 to ship the two small springs.

Sorry. In principle, while I am willing to pay for merchandise that will improve my Browning, and while I can afford to do it, something in me balks at obvious price gouging. I will pass on the Timney kit and maybe look for my own replacement spring.

:-(

 

You think .22 A-bolt mags are expensive, you should try to find and buy a magazine for a pre '81 BLR in .243. I think I paid $135 for one 2-3 years ago!!!

 

Browning A-Bolt

Hello All,

Please forgive a newbie question...are the A-Bolts made in Japan by Miroku? If not, where are they made and by whom?

Thanks,

Kix

 

They were made in Japan by Miroku, they are no longer made.

 

I think the ABolt is a fine 22lr...

I like the fact that it feels like a center fire, I like the Browning finish, I like the positive action of the bolt mechanism, I like the look...

What 'bugs' me a bite... the 'ok' accuracy...

At 25 yards, it shoots like every other 22lr (one ragged hole)... but when you strech the groups to 50yards... it cannot quite keep up with the Browing repro 52, the Brno and the Anschutz.

But all said and done, that's not much of an issue for me since I seldom shoot off a bench and most of my plinking is done between 15-30 yards.

If the price is right, I'd say go for it. Unless you're a benchrest shooter, you won't be disapointed. Beside, it's nice to have a 'different' rifle then every body else at the range

 

One of these just came into a local shop I help out at, and the fit and finish is great, i just hate A-Bolts as they are nothing but trouble! more come in for repair than any other 2 major brands combined. But darn if this little 22 is just the cats MEOW!! it has a period Redfield 4X scope with the factory box in 90% condition, I think I am going to break my ethecs buy buying a Japan Browning up to this point I only would buy FN built BRownings, great little rifle I think it will be in my safe next payday!Dale in Canada

 

I wanted an A Bolt 22LR in the 90's but after reading about accuracy being a crap shoot, decided to look at others. Lately I wanted a BL22 lever 22LR and discovered that it also has the same crap shoot for accuracy. Its a shame that such beautiful rifles are not great accuracy wise.

 

I don't get the accuracy problem. Every Japanese Browning I have had has been great. Two 1885 single shots and the Browning copy of a Win 52. That one I glass bedded, free floated and it does an inch at 100 yards.
I bet it is a bedding issue. I'd like to get one, do the work and see how it shot after is was sitting right and the barrel floated.
If you want a nice Browning, get the 52.

 

Before saying these guns are not accurate... you should

1) Define your need for accuracy
2) Define your expectation for accuracy

and more importantly,
3) Apply a "internet" factor to any group size beeing reported...

While many shooters on internet forums are happy to report 1/4" groups from just about any gun, shootgin just about any kind of promotional ammo... I've seldom (if ever) been able to duplicate these results. Heck, even using an Anschutz match 54, using Eley or RWS, these groups are not something I can do on command... (Note to self, I need to practice more)

I got to play with my uncle's BL22, and the accuracy isn't any worse (or any better) then my father's Marlin 39's or my 9422... The only thing I didn't particulary like about the BL22 was the rear sight folding at the most innapriopriate moment...

 

Their's a 5rd mag for a 22 a-bolt for sale on gun-broker right now $ 90.00 way too much for me. I have 1 5rd and 1 15rd that enough for me. :harry: Stick em up $90.00

 

Browning A-bolt 22 lr

I also have a Browning 22lr A-bolt. Beautiful little gun. I only shoot to 50 yards and have found mine to shoot in 1/2 inch groups with the right ammo. I also own a Browning model 52...........NOW THERE'S a gun. If you like the feel of a centerfire gun the 52 is your gun. Not to mention that it will shoot unbelievable groups. The trigger pull is amazing. Love them Brownings.......

 

I bought one of these about two years ago because the price was right.....could not get the thing to shoot consistent @50yds (nothing less than 1" consistently) and asked the same question here on this forum. Got pretty much the same answer - "crap shoot" with the .22 A-bolts. Seems the consensus on here was that there was a bad batch of barrels about the time that the A-bolt was produced and that this lead to the inconsistencies.

My rifle supported this in that the bore had sever "tooling" marks from the muzzle back about two inches. I had my gunsmith cut those two inches off and recrown - result was no noticable change in accuracy. So being the "semi-idiot" that I am I had the gunsmith install a Pac-nor match barrel on it....I literally just got it back yesterday and preliminary results with CCI SV ammo does indeed suggest that the barrel was the culprit. The main reason that I did this is because I REALLY liked the feel of the Browning. It was a substainial amount of money invested for a "fix".....and was it worth it.....you all know that answer to that one .

 

I have a Miroku made Winchester 1885 in .22 LR as well. The barrel is massive. A falling block should be just as accurate as the day is long. I believe that every semi auto .22 I have groups tighter than the 1885. But it sure is pretty.

 

Good job Penndog :bthumb: for doing what many of us have thought about...

And before I forget

 

Same with mine, beauty, but not the best in accuracy. Not too bad with stingers. Now my 22 mag is a shooter. With the cheap Win gray box ammo, I have several <3/4" groups at 100 yds. Very consistent. I may have gotten a good one.:t

 

I am a bit new to this website but have been collecting higher grade .22 rifles for 40 years. Last year I bought an A Bolt Medallion grade used for 400.00 with perfect metal except for the floorplate which is pot metal with a paint finish, and the lovely wood was dinged up a bit but included a cherry wood forend cap and pistol grip cap. I stripped the finish off using some special stuff from Brownells that did the job but took 10 coats and lots of steel wool, got a beautiful acrilic urethane finished stock smooth as glass. Gun is very accurate with almost every kind of ammo. I use it for shooting metallic silhouettes here in NC for fun once a week. Trigger was heavy and creepy. Drilled and tapped a 4-40 NF hole in trigger boss behind the trigger to adjust creep and stoned the round top surface of the unusual sear to get a nice crisp pull of about 2.5 pounds. The weight screw adjusts backwards, specifically you screw it IN to lower the pull. I took it out, found a boss on the screw that contacts the sear spring. I chucked the piece in a drill and used a Dremel with a cut off abrasive blade to cut back that boss so that there is very LITTLE pressure on the spring when seated in the middle of it's travel, just enough to reset the sear. Pull is nice and clean and crisp and 2.5 lbs weight is about as low and I feel is good in a field rifle. Not Anschutz sharp but on a scale of 1 to 10 the result is an 8.5 and it cost $.10 for the setscrew and 10 minutes of my time to do the sear adjustment. These guns are long gone so if you see one in nice condition, snap it up. Magazines are history. I got a brand new one from The Clip Joint but it cost me 65.00 plus postage!