Browning 12ga A-Bolt returns in 2011

[artjr338wm]

I just read in Shooting Times that Browning is going to start to produce their famious A-bolt in 12ga 3" with a fully rifled bore.
Now the bad news, MSRP is around $1100. Makes me wonder if they did not sell enough of them at $800 what makes them think they will at $1100? Especially with the Savage slug gun selling for under $600 to compete with.

Glad I bought mine at close-out for $550 about 6-8yrs ago.
Must admit my A-Bolt will shoot 1.5" 100yrd 3-shot groups all day with Fed/Barnes Tiped Expanders. My A-bolt is of excellent fit and finsh a all around excellent quality firearm, with excellent wood and bluing and has a easy to adjust trigger that can be adjusted while the rifle is still fully assembled no less.

But I have to admit it is now way out of my price range.

I guess for those who always wanted a Tar-Hunt bolt gun but could not afford it, the new Syn/stocked A-bolt might be in their price range.

Will be interetsed to see if they offer it in 20ga.

[hornet22savage]

Yeah there was a big dicussion on these over on the Shotgunworld forum. Seemed to be a lot of interest in them. One strong point of the A-Bolt was it's 1:28 twist. The Savage's have always been 1:35 even the new 212 is 1:35. Kind of slow in my own opinion, I was once told that slug guns today are being produced to give performance with both slow moving full bore slug as well as the fast moving sabots. Doing neither one very well. I would like to see a move towards more application specific slug guns. After all the bolt guns are already dedicated slugs guns why not offer a faster twist say 1:24 for fast sabots and keep the slower twists for full bore slugs.

[tcmech]

The browning is definitely the pick of the litter amongst all of the bolt action slug guns that were made a few years back.

I have the marlin 512 which also used a 1 in 28 twist. Accuracy is good, but I hardly ever hunt with it since I belong to a hunt club in a rifle county.

If I were to spend that much money I would probably have a custom barrel made for my beretta a390 20 gauge, and have it pinned to the receiver.

[krieger]

tcmech,

I have a Berreta Extrema II, it shoots OK, but would like more accuracy. Where do you get the custom barrels?