Browning AP3 Review

Bill Gabbard

Being a longtime fan of the original A-bolt rifles by Browning I was looking forward to doing a good rundown on the AB3. The AB3 is Browning’s entry-level bolt-action rifle, designed by Browning and manufactured by Miroku in Japan. Miroku is a long-time producer of Browning firearms, building some models since 1965. Shaundi Campbell of Browning sent me a Shot Show Special AB3 in .243 Winchester with a non-reflective matte blued barrel and action with a composite stock featuring a Mossy Oat Bottomland finish. The AB3 came equipped with a detachable box magazine and a threaded barrel furnished with a Radial style muzzle brake as well as a thread protecter.

Shawn Skipper of Leupold came through with a sample of Leupold’s latest model the VX®-6HD GEN 2, in 3-18x44. Look for more on this outstanding optic in another article. Mounting the VX®-6 was simple using a set of Leupold Backcountry Ringmounts. These mounts simplify installation because the bottom half of the ring and the base are a single piece of 7075 Aircraft grade aluminum, eliminating any chance of misalignment.

Armed with an impressive selection of factory ammo from Hornady, Lapua, Nosler, and Remington we tried ammo featuring bullet weights of 58, 75, 85, 87, 90, 95 and 100 grains. This range of factory loads helps explain the little .243’s reputation of being a great varmint round and yet heavy enough for deer and antelope. I tried a total of twelve different factory loads. After bore-sighting the Leupold it was time to head to the range.

Thanks to my old friend The Turkey Slayer, JJ Reich at The Kinetic Group Along with Jonathan Harling and Jackson Crawford of Murray Road I was able to try five different loads from Remington. The 95 gr CORE-LOKT TIPPED shot the best group of the test with a 0.307-inch group at 100 yards.

Browning AP3 Testing and Review

Remington

Geoff Esterline of Capstone Precision rounded me up a sample Lapua 90 gr Full Metal jacket ammo. The Lapua was the most consistent ammo of the test.

Lapua

Seth Swerczek from Hornady supplied ammo including their explosive V-Max, the old-line InterLock and one of my favorite hunting bullets, the SST. The 87 gr SST Custom-Lite Reduced Recoil proved to be the most accurate and consistent of the offerings from Hornady. The Reduced Recoil load along with the muzzle brake made recoil feel like a 22 Rim-Fire. This load is definitely worth looking into if you are working with a youth hunter or a shooter that is recoil sensitive.

Hornady

Nosler’s Zach Waterman offered three examples of Nosler’s ammo, two featuring The Ballistic Tip bullets, one Ballistic Tip Hunting and one Ballistic Tip Varmint. The third one featured Nosler’s’ deadly 90 gr AccuBond bullet. Two of the three examples of ammo that Nosler sent shot groups of less than one-half inch and averaged three groups of less than one inch.

Nosler

The Browning AB3 is a lightweight user-friendly rifle that handles like a dream and shot everything we thew at it great. If you like accurate rifles, you will love the AB3 in .243. Eleven of the twelve different types of ammunition we tried shot groups of less than one inch, with five of those averaging three, three shot groups under one inch. Six different loads produced groups of less than one-half inch. The light recoil of the .243 reduced even more by the included radial muzzle brake makes felt recoil seem more like a .223 than a .243. Browning includes a thread protector if you prefer not to deal with the increased noise and muzzle blast caused by the brake. A $35 adapter from Silencer Central allowed me to attach the Banish Backcountry which reduced recoil and noise. The M13X0.0.75 threaded barrel leaves the options open. Great handling, excellent accuracy in an extremely versatile caliber and of course fantastic looks thanks to the Mossy Oak Bottomland finish, doesn’t leave much off the checklist on a great hunting rifle. I think this one is a keeper!

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