FN Browning A-Bolt LA

The History of Browning

Browning Arms Company was founded in 1880 by the American John Moses Browning, one of the most, if not the most prolific and influential firearm inventor of all time, with the help of his brothers, in Ogden, Utah. A large portion of John Browning's rifle designs have been acquired and produced by other big-name companies, like Winchester, Colt, Remington, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium, and Miroku. Among his most famous guns produced were the 1895 Colt Peacemaker machine gun, the Browning automatic rifle, the .45-caliber pistol, a variety of .30- and .50-caliber machine guns used in World War II; and the Browning Automatic-5 shotgun first introduced in 1902 and still produced to this day. Beside firearms, Browning is also a manufacturer of various other products, such as gun knives, shooting accessories, bicycles, and clothing. In 1977 the Belgian firearms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN) purchased the Browning Company. In 1987 the US Repeating Arms Company (Winchester) was purchased from its former owners. The Winchester brand (licensed from Olin Corporation) was acquired at the same time by FN. In 1990, Société Générale sold the FN company to GIAT Industries.

In 1997, the entire FN family of companies (including Browning and the Winchester) was bought from GIAT by the government of a Belgian region named Waloon and was renamed to Groupe Herstal.

Browning A-Bolt LA Rifle Review

Browning A-Bolt is a centerfire bolt-action repeating rifle first introduced in 1984 as successor to the Browning BBR rifle model. The A-bolt series was upgraded in 1994 with the release of A-bolt II range. Some of the characteristics, including bolt and trigger mechanism, were modified, but the models retained their names. A-Bolt LA is a long action version of the A-Bolt series.

The rifle consists of a bolt with a small extractor, plunger-style ejector and three locking lugs that lock into the front of the receiver. Its barrel is free-floating, and the recoil lug is glass-bedded. The two-position safety catch is located on the neck of the stock, just behind the bolt, and readies the rifle to fire when pushed forward. The rifle was made in 3 versions: A-Bolt, A-Bolt II, and A-Bolt III. While the first two versions are very similar and feature the same mounting surfaces, the A-Bolt III version is a slight redesign and features different mounting surfaces. Browning A-Bolt is available in five different mounting surfaces:

A-Bolt SSA
A-Bolt Short (SA)

A-Bolt Short II (same mounting surface)

A-Bolt Long (LA)

A-Bolt Long II (same mounting surface)

A-Bolt III Short (SA)
A-Bolt III Long (LA)

Browning A-Bolt LA

Figure 1: Browning A-Bolt LA. Source: https://browningarmsusa.com/browning-a-bolt-iii-hunter-300-win-mag-bolt-action-rifle-with-checkered-walnut-stock/

Browning A-Bolt LA Calibers

Browning A-Bolt LA is chambered for the following calibers: *

.264 Win. Mag
.270 Win.
.280 Rem.
7mm Rem. Mag.
.30-06 Spr.
.300 Win. Mag.
.300 RUM
.338 Win. Mag.
.338 RUM
.375 H&H Mag.

*Caliber choice depends on the variant

Browning A-Bolt LA Variants

Browning A-Bolt LA is available in the following variants:

Classic Hunter Stainless
Composite Stalker
Digital Green
Eclipse hunter with BOSS
Grade III Octagon
Hunter
Hunter FLD
Hunter, Left Hand
II Long Range Hunter Composite
II Long Range Hunter Gray Laminate
II Long Range Hunter Stainless Mossy Oak Brush
II Target/Varmint Suppressor Ready Mossy Oak Brush
M-1000 Eclipse
Medallion Grade V Octagon 25^th Anniversary
Micro Hunter
Micro Hunter, Left-Hand
Mountain Ti
Mountain Ti Mossy Oak Brush
Mountain Ti, Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity
Stainless Hunter
Stainless M-1000 Eclipse
Stainless Mossy Oak Brush
Stainless Stalker
Target
Target Stainless
TCT Varmint
Varmint Stalker
White Gold Medallion
Wildlife Conservation Collection
Special Hunter
White Gold
Medallion

Browning A-Bolt LA

Figure 2: Browning A-Bolt LA, chambered for .280 Rem. (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/browning-rifles-a-bolt/browning-a-bolt-280-rem.cfm?gun_id=101723609)

Skica dimenzij

Figure 3: Browning A-Bolt LA receiver

A: 21.84 mm

B: 98.04 mm

C: 21.84 mm

BHU: 0 mm

Ø: 6-48

R1: R34 (35.6)

R2: R34 (35.6)

Scopes Mounts Interchangeable With Browning A-Bolt LA

Rifles That Have One-Piece Mounts Interchangeable With Browning A-Bolt LA

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece mounts interchangeable with Browning A-Bolt LA are the following:

Browning BBR
Browning Eurobolt LA

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Mounts Interchangeable With Browning A-Bolt LA

For two-piece mounts to be interchangeable the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the B dimension which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece mounts interchangeable with Browning A-Bolt LA are the following:

Steyr Mannlicher Classic SL
Steyr Mannlicher Classic L
Steyr Mannlicher Classic M
Steyr Mannlicher Classic S
Steyr CL II S
Steyr CL II L
Steyr CL II M
Steyr CL II SL
Steyr SM 12 L
Steyr SM 12 M
Steyr SM 12 S
Steyr SM 12 SL
Steyr Pro Hunter SL after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter L after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter M after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter S after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter S before 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter M before 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter L before 2003
Browning A-Bolt SA
Browning A-Bolt II LA
Browning A-Bolt II SA
Browning Eurobolt LA
Browning Eurobolt SA
Sako A7 S
Sako A7 M

Best Scope Mounts For Browning A-Bolt LA

Fixed Scope Mounts For Browning A-Bolt LA

These aluminum Talley 30 mm rings are the only fixed-mount option available.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts For Browning A-Bolt LA

We recommend this repeatable two-piece Rusan Pivot Mount since it is sturdy and reliable.

Picatinny Rails For Browning A-Bolt LA

This EGW Picatinny rail is a good choice, being sturdy and coming at a relatively low price.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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Leupold BackCountry Picatinny Rail for Browning A-Bolt LA

$69.00

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Leupold BackCountry Picatinny Rail for Browning A-Bolt LA (20 MOA)

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VIDEO

Introduction

In recent years we can observe that a trend of Picatinny rail has become widespread and global. It is driven by the NATO standardized rails, more commonly known as the Picatinny rail standard. Picatinny rail being the New Jersey Arsenal that developed it in 1995.

These mounting options are revolutionary. The biggest and best advantage being that the Picatinny rail can be used its entire length and not bordered to a few pre-designed slots like for example the Weaver rail standard was before.

The other main advantage is the ease of use and interchangeability. If a product is meant for a Picatinny rail design it will fit all Picatinny-rails, no matter the manufacturer or date of production.

Picatinny/Weaver Rail

Picatinny Rail and Weaver rail profile

Design

The Picatinny rail is almost exclusively crafted from a single piece of metal (in some cases aluminum). In this manner, the axis of the Picatinny rail is perfectly straight and aligned with the axis of the firearm. Therefore the rifle scope which is mounted onto this kind of configuration is certainly aligned with the rifle / gun and the trajectory of the ammunition.

Weaver rail design on the other hand is usually manufactured in two separate pieces, greatly increasing the possibilities for the axis to be crooked, overlapping, and out of line.

It is always harder to align two separate pieces to a third line than it is to align one piece to another. In this way, the lapping of two mounting rings on a single-piece Picatinny rail is no longer required.

The single-piece rail will assure that both rings are perfectly aligned to each other and that no unwished stress is transferred to the riflescope.

Picatinny compare to Weaver Rail

The Picatinny rail itself is an evolutionary step forward from the older Weaver rail. The main difference between Picatinny rail and Weaver rail is the spacing of the slots. Picatinny rail design has them evenly placed exactly 5.23 mm from one slot to the other, 3 mm deep. For this reason, the mounting options are repeatable and the same as other firearms using the Picatinny rail standard.

Interchangeability was a major driving force in the development of the new standard as different NATO armies need to be compatible with each other.

Weaver rail has 3.8mm wide slots and these slots can be placed anywhere on the Weaver rail and in any number that the producer wished.

Advantages of Picatinny design

A big advantage for using the Picatinny rail design is the ever-present recoil stop. Furthermore, the manufacturing of the rail is not very technically demanding and can be done without the use of state-of-the-art machines which greatly reduces the cost of the finished product, making it very affordable.

The Picatinny rail is easy to mount and usually, this type of configuration does not transfer negative stresses and forces from the fired weapon to the rifle scope.

In addition, the Picatinny rail with its very long useable surface works well for mounting longer rifle scopes or to achieve optimum eye relief.

The durability and toughness are other big pluses for this solution.

Manufacturers of Popular Models

A majority of the Picatinny rings are fixed, but a number of best rated European manufacturers (EAW, MAK,..) have, in recent years, put a lot of effort into the development of detachable ring with100% repeatability, with which it becomes easy to remove the scope from the weapon without the use of tools.

No re-zeroing is needed with such mount options, but these models tend to be expensive.

Weaver and Picatinny Rings

Picatinny rail and weaver rail share one more thing. It is possible to use the Weaver ring and the Picatinny ring on the Picatinny-rails, but it is usually impossible to use the Picatinny ring on the Weaver base. The reason being the above-mentioned positioning and spacing of the slots.

Picatinny mounts have a 5mm recoil stop that goes into the rail slot and since
Weaver rail only has 3.8mm wide slots such rings do not fit on Weaver rails.

Due to this reason, the Picatinny-rails are popular and prevailing on the market in recent years and eventually, these options will completely oust the Weaver rail from the market.

FN Browning A-Bolt LA

The History of Browning