Browning A-Bolt III

Specifications

Maker: Browning
Type: Rifle
Action: Bolt action
Era: Modern (1946–1999)
Produced: 1985–
Magazine: 4 rounds
Swedish class: 1, 2

Chambered in

.243 Winchester
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.300 Winchester Magnum

Stock

Wood
Polymer

What it is worth

$825

New · priced 2026-08-05

Blue Book of Gun Valuesvalue guide$825 2026-08-05

Indicative only. A second-hand gun is worth what its condition, chambering and provenance say — these are published figures, not an offer.

Chapter 01

Overview

The A-Bolt replaced the Browning BBR in 1984 and is made by Miroku in Japan; the budget AB3 that carries the name today was introduced at the 2014 SHOT Show and sells in Europe as the A-Bolt 3+. Gun Mart judged that the AB3 takes more from the X-Bolt than from the original A-Bolt.

Chapter 02

How it works

The original has three locking lugs, a 60-degree bolt lift, a non-rotating bolt sleeve, a thumb-slide safety on the tang, a free-floating barrel and a glass-bedded recoil lug. The AB3 keeps the three lugs and the 60-degree throw, adds a button that opens the bolt with the safety on, and swaps the old drop-plate magazine for a detachable double-column box holding four.

Chapter 03

Variants

The first generation ran to Hunter, Medallion, Micro Hunter, Composite Stalker, Stainless Stalker, White Gold and Long Range Hunter rifles among many others. The AB3 came as the walnut Hunter, the Composite Stalker and the short-action Micro Stalker for shorter shooters, and the A-Bolt 3+ Compo takes a swappable cheekpiece or an adjustable comb.

Chapter 04

In the field

Gun Mart’s 20-inch .308 came threaded 14×1 for a moderator and shot an inch at 100 m, which is the work a moose or deer rifle is asked to do for half the price of an X-Bolt. In .308 Win, .30-06 and .270 Win it is Swedish class 1 for all game; in .243 Win it is class 2, for roe deer and fox but not moose or boar.

Sources

Written from: Browning A-Bolt — Wikipedia, Browning AB3 Line: Affordable, Capable Bolt-Actions — American Rifleman, Browning A-Bolt III — Gun Mart, A-Bolt 3+ — Browning International, Klassifikation av jaktvapen i Sverige — Wikipedia (sv) — read 2026-10-29

Cross-reference