Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Gentlemen,

I just bought my first Browning rifle. What a disappointment.

I just bought a new 243WSSM. I can load a cartridge directly into the loading port (without pushing it down into the magazine) and push the bolt closed (with ease), and then open the bolt and eject the cartridge. All is well there.

But, if I load the magazine with 3 cartridges (or even just one), and try to close the bolt, the bolt experiences hard resistance against the back of the top cartridge's head. If I were to force the bolt closed, I am sure it would jam the bullet against hard steel near the entrance to the chamber. It appears that the top cartridge in the magazine is not being positioned high enough to allow the bolt to push it forward into the chamber without hitting steel at the front part of the receiver. I checked the magzine and it is labeled "243WSSM". It does not say "Browning" on it. By the way, I have been using dummy loads sized and seated to SAAMI length to try to solve this problem. I am afraid to put a live cartridge in this beast.

Anybody had this problem? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
John[:@]

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

As this post is more of a question, andis seekingan answer. I would repost it in the gun forum. It has a larger audience, and more active viewers. I think you are more likely to get a quicker response their.....Good Luck

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Sometimes you have to bend the front of the Magazine spring up a bit. I have never had to take the Browning Magazine apart and do it but I have with Savage and Remongtons. I am not sure what kind of spring the brownings have in them.

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Don't screw with it....if it's not right just return it to Browning for repair.

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

If your gun is new,send it back to browning since is under warranty.If you mess with it it will void your warranty. but it sounds like your magazine spring might be in backwards to me,just off the top of my head.send it back. vangunsmith

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Vangunsmith,

You made a decent guess about the magazine spring being backwards, but the spring is riveted to the follower. The body of the magazine is tapered front to back same as the follower, and this means that the follower and spring can only beinserted one way. My gunsmith verified this. He said that he could not do anything for this rifle. I tookthe gunto a 2nd gunsmith (a Browning certified repair shop); he is going to call Browning.

The magazine is really cheap: the follower is plastic, and it does not make the top bullet lie "poking upwards" so to speak, so that the bullet has a chance of entering the chamber. Plus, the magazine's bottom plate will fall out of the magazine if you handle the magazine wrong.

This whole problem may turn out to be just a defective magazine. Maybe I need to look for a non-Browning magazine. John Browning would never have let a gun like this out the door.

The next time that you have the opportunity look at any of the threeA-Bolt WSSM calibers. You might see what I am talking about.
John
P.S. The spring is a Z-shaped accordion type spring, typical of many guns.

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

I have a .243 in a rem 700 and it isnt very nice about loading a cartridge into the chamber off the magazine either. it requires some finess at times.

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Let us know the outcome on this , as everything Ive owned that was made by browning , has been a quality item .

UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

The local Browning-certified gunsmith told me that this gun will onlyfeed cartridges from its magazine into the chamber that have aCOL equal to or less than the factory ammo's COL (about 2.220"), and that the ballistic tip bullets (very pointy) are about the only ones that will feed from the mag into the chamber without jamming against the front edge of the chamber entrance.

So...I shortened my ballistic tip reloads by 0.060" and they feed just fine. Further measuring shows that HPBT bullets (almost pointy) need to be shortened another 0.015".

The bottom line here is that, ifyou wish to usereloads with a COL long enough to have the bullet close to the lands, then you have to use the rifle in single-shot mode (no feeding from the magazine). The magazine is very cheap and falls apart in your hands sometimes, so this is no loss.

This gun is still disappointing.

John

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

That's why I don't like detachable magazines...restricts the COL too much. Got one in a Rem.7mm-08 700 Mountain Rifle and had a heck of a time getting accurate load worked up due to COL restriction with detachable magazine.

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Why I can understand your disapointment , I dont think you should bash the gun for not being abel to shoot a COL [case overall length] cartrage, that is over the spec's . If thats what was intended , you probably would have been better of with a single shot like the #one . I believe all magizine feed rifles will have this same problem , and it will be exadurated with the super short , super fat cartrages , like the 243wssm .

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

FWIW, my .223 magazine won't allow me to load much over COL specs, but it seems to have no effect on accuracy.

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Push the cartridge down into the magazine while pushing the bolt forward.

Problem solved.

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

I brought the same Browning A Bolt Medallion 243 WSSM home last night and could wait to load up. The first shell snagged on each attempt. I had to throw the bolt very hard to get it to chamber. When I ejected the round, the tip and the casing were badly scarred. This was consistent each time I tried to load the first round. The second two were not so bad but were still lightly scraped. I am a little torqued about that. Has Browning acknowledged the problem and are they going to fix it???

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

This sounds like it has little to do with the gun, and almost everything to do with the WSSM cartridges. The sharp shoulder angle of the short mags are inherently problematic in terms of feeding a cartridge into the chamber. I wouldsee if you can't exchangeit for a regular 243 Win or a 6mmRem.

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Not uncommon at all foryou not be able to reach the rifling and be at max length or even have to shorten for feeding.

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

I dont own any WSMs. But from what I've heard and read they aren't as slick in feeding as your 'standard' cartridges. They say that this is due to the thick case body and sharp shoulder. Sounds logical. This may be the case especially with the .243 WSM and the .223WSSM.
I'm sure pushing that shoulder up against the front of the magazine feels like hitting a brick wall. Did you actually try cycling rounds from the mag to the chamber without being too tentative? Take it to the range or a safe area and try it. You may just not be used to this rifle/cartridge combo yet.

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

What is COL?

RE: UPDATE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

Iknow this is a stupid response, but sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. With one of my top load guns, if i personally push the cartridge down too far it will cant to an angle and will not load properly. Try to push it just into the magazing and let the spring and magazine lip hold it in tight. Might just be pushing it too far down and it goes at an angle.

RE: Browning A-Bolt 243 WSSM--What a disappointment
 

For the money you spent, it should work. Call browning and tell them you need it fixed well before rifle season.
okcmco