I found out last week that I was going to be going on an elk and bear (black, maybe a few brown) hunting trip in a couple of months. I've hunted bambi around here before but have always used my ex-sniper Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R in original milsurp condition (iron sights) as it's been enough for my needs. But for this trip, I was faced with either significantly altering the gun (new stock + scope) to get the most out if it or getting an actual dedicated hunting rifle, and I chose the latter.
I'll post pics later as I'm at work, but the gun I chose is a barely used Browning A-Bolt in .300 Winchester Magnum. I feel pretty confident that it can handle just about anything I'll be hunting. It's the Hunter version with a gold trigger, matte blue finish and walnut stock. Has a Bushnell 3-9x (not sure of the mm) scope on it too. Very nice looking, and the scope is solid, tight, and seems to work well. When I looked down the bore with the light at the shop it looked awful, which is why I got a heck of a deal on it. If I'm not mistaken, don't these guns sell for over $1000 new, without a scope? I got it for $499 for the gun, scope, and sling.
BUT, I could tell the difference between extreme dirt and rust when I saw it...so I took it home and gave it a good scrubbing with a bore brush and some Hoppes, then followed up with a light coat of gun oil. Sure enough, the bore turned out to be mirror shiny with no spots of corrosion and sharp rifling. Like new condition. Success!
Otherwise the rest of the gun is also in like new condition. No corrosion, just hadn't been cleaned. A little work with some Hoppes, rags, and gun oil revealed a super smooth, like new shiny action. Stock has some very minor scratches from field use but is in overall excellent condition.
I have to say I really like the smooth action, great trigger (adjustable too, correct?) and detachable box magazine. I'm going to love taking this one to the range and sighting it in. About the only thing I don't like is the cost of .300 Win. Mag, but I want to be able to hunt anything in N.A. with this gun.
As I said I'll post pics later today, but for those of you who own or have shot one, how did I do on price for the condition? And can you share any information on the accuracy and quality of these Brownings? Or any other thoughts on them? I'm not new to guns obviously but I am new to guns explicitly for hunting, as I mentioned previously I used to use my milsurps in that capacity but I felt like it was time to step up.
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I'll post pics later as I'm at work, but the gun I chose is a barely used Browning A-Bolt in .300 Winchester Magnum. I feel pretty confident that it can handle just about anything I'll be hunting. It's the Hunter version with a gold trigger, matte blue finish and walnut stock. Has a Bushnell 3-9x (not sure of the mm) scope on it too. Very nice looking, and the scope is solid, tight, and seems to work well. When I looked down the bore with the light at the shop it looked awful, which is why I got a heck of a deal on it. If I'm not mistaken, don't these guns sell for over $1000 new, without a scope? I got it for $499 for the gun, scope, and sling.
BUT, I could tell the difference between extreme dirt and rust when I saw it...so I took it home and gave it a good scrubbing with a bore brush and some Hoppes, then followed up with a light coat of gun oil. Sure enough, the bore turned out to be mirror shiny with no spots of corrosion and sharp rifling. Like new condition. Success!
Otherwise the rest of the gun is also in like new condition. No corrosion, just hadn't been cleaned. A little work with some Hoppes, rags, and gun oil revealed a super smooth, like new shiny action. Stock has some very minor scratches from field use but is in overall excellent condition.
I have to say I really like the smooth action, great trigger (adjustable too, correct?) and detachable box magazine. I'm going to love taking this one to the range and sighting it in. About the only thing I don't like is the cost of .300 Win. Mag, but I want to be able to hunt anything in N.A. with this gun.
As I said I'll post pics later today, but for those of you who own or have shot one, how did I do on price for the condition? And can you share any information on the accuracy and quality of these Brownings? Or any other thoughts on them? I'm not new to guns obviously but I am new to guns explicitly for hunting, as I mentioned previously I used to use my milsurps in that capacity but I felt like it was time to step up.
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