to jump to the conclusion
that this was just a Browning A-Bolt with a few cosmetic differences but
after making a closer inspection it was noticeable that the new X-Bolt
has some major design refinements.
Upgrades from the A-Bolt
design
The main difference between the A-Bolt and the X-Bolt is the redesign
and upgrade of the bolt body and extractor. The A-Bolt has an outer body
around the bolt shaft which acts as the bolt guide and remains
stationary in the action while the bolt turns within the outer body as
the bolt is closed and the action locked up. This has now gone and has
been replaced by a synthetic bolt guide embedded in the bolt shaft which
has simplified the bolt significantly, making it easier to insert into
the action and much easier to clean and maintain. The extractor is now
Sako style instead of the Winchester type which most would agree is
stronger and a little more reliable.
The magazine has seen significant changes also. The magazine system of
the A-Bolt was a reasonably clever system and had the best features of a
hinged floor plate and a detachable magazine but was a little
complicated and it was not fast to change mags. The X Bolt’s magazine is
simple
and very quick to change as well as
offering light weight and corrosion resistance. One of the best things
about it is that the release catch is part of the magazine so when you
detach it, the magazine just has to be in your hand which is
excellent. It is a rotary design which holds the top round in the middle
for straight line feeding and in the standard calibres holds 4 rounds.
Although I am not a huge fan of composite or plastic used in the
construction of actions and bolt parts I can see the sense in their use
in magazine construction. They are lighter and tend to feed more
smoothly and don’t gouge or peel brass
off the cartridge or damage the tips of projectiles to the same degree
as metal. I think that this magazine is one of the best detachable
magazine I have come across. The X-Bolt Action In most respects apart from the complete bolt redesign
the body of the action is the same as the A-Bolt with three locking lugs
and a separate recoil lug plus the old A Bolt’s
60% lift; it is strong in design and slick in operation. It has a
half cock but be careful because if you touch the trigger on half cock
the bolt slams closed and is likely to fire the round in the chamber.
I don’t like the idea of hunting on half cock and recommend that you use
the two position safety which is very nicely placed on the tang. There
is a bolt release button on the top of the bolt handle which allows you
to work it
The new X Bolt design. You can see the
bolt release button on top which allows the bolt to be cycled while the
safety is on. The black polymer protrusion half way down the bolt is the
new guide that is a big improvement on the A Bolt. A very obvious
cocking indicator is a nice touch.
Top; The X Bolt trigger, mine was too
heavy, but could have been a maverick out of the factory. Note the
classy bolt release. Above;
What a great magazine, see
how it aligns the cartridge for straigh line feeding.
while the rifle is still safe, very clever Mr Browning designer.
The Browning receiver has had the addition of two extra holes added to
each scope base so that there is one in
each corner; an X if you like which gives this gun its
name. The idea of this is to achieve better base to action alignment of
the rings and bases and would also add strength. I never had any
problems with the existing fixing designs but extra strength has to be
good for you. This rifle came with alloy Talley rings which are included
in the price. They are good rings of solid design. Bases are also
available for Talley’s premium steel rings if you want. No doubt Weaver
and other manufacturers have bases available. The modifications to the
bolt are a significant design improvement over the already well designed
A-bolt action. I would imagine the engineers and designers from Browning
will have to do almost the impossible to make further improvements in
the years to come. The Trigger Here is Browning’s new “Feather Trigger” which they say is
clean and crisp with very little over travel. It is also weight
adjustable. It is said to be designed to be around 3 pounds and comes
set from the factory at 3.5 pounds. Components are hard chrome with
polished surfaces housed in alloy. The Browning I had set the trigger
gauge off at between 5.25 and 5.5
pounds of pull. It was crisp with little over travel
but by my standards was heavy and made it hard work on the range to try
and shoot little groups. I tried to adjust it to the point where the
adjustment screw came right out of the rigger body and it was still
heavy. This could be sorted I am sure but not as simply as adjusting the
trigger by winding a screw.
Verdict on the trigger is it could be better. The Bedding Browning has for sometime made an effort to use an epoxy
bedding material to bed their actions in the stock. The A-Bolt bedding
consisted of a blob of epoxy around the recoil lug. The X-Bolt has this
with the addition of bedding compound just forward of the trigger group
where the rear king screw goes into the action. The barrel is free
floated.
It is not what I would call a fantastic bedding job but it would be
beneficial and is a better effort than most rifle manufacturers make. The Barrel This 7mm-08 had a 22” stainless hammer forged barrel with a
cleverly recessed crown which would prevent damage and loss of accuracy
from wear and tear. There was a bit of copper
fouling in the rifle when I got it and it fouled a little
after shooting which is pretty normal from a brand new rifle.
The barrel had machine marks which were evident under borescope
examination however this has been evident in every Browning barrel I have
examined and in general they have always shot extremely well. I am sure that
with a little more running in the fouling would cease.
little palm swell on the pistol grip which is a feature I like. It is a
classic design and was very comfortable. There was a grippy texture where
the checkering would normally be which I liked and it had some frilly design
that looked good without being over done.
Browning has also seen sense in the addition of a decent recoil pad as have
a lot of the other US manufacturers.
This certainly makes the rifle a lot more
The excellent Talley rings that come with the
rifle and the new power ring on the Kahles scope.
The Stock This X-Bolt is the stainless synthetic version, but the stock is
not just your average plastic stock. Browning has made an extra effort to
produce a better quality stock than most of their competitors. The
Dura-Touch rubberized finish had a nice feel and there was no hollow sound
when you tapped the stock that you normally associate with plastic stocks. I
am sure that serious bush stalkers will like this feature. It wasn’t
excessively heavy compared to other stocks available with rubberized finishes and there is a nice
comfortable to shoot than the old A-Bolt.
Shooting the X-Bolt The rifle was a pleasure to shoot apart from the fact I
struggled a little with the trigger. I used Winchester 140gn Ballistic
Silvertip 140 grain factory ammo on my first attempt.
It shot this extremely well for a new rifle out of the box with no running
in.
The group measured 24mm at the widest point and I am sure with better
adjustment of the trigger I may have done even better.
I fired my next group straight after.
without cleaning or letting the barrel cool which was not a
fair expectation of a new sporting weight rifle. It still produced a good
tight group however with a 140 Gn Nosler Accubond; 32mm. Finally and again
without cooling or cleaning I shot a group with 140gn Sierra GameKings. The
barrel was now
quite hot and the group expectedly was not quite as good as the previous
two measuring 38mm, but still very respectable. Results – Top; 140gn Winchester Ballistic
Silvertip-24mm. Middle; 140gn Nosler
Accubond handload, 32mm. Above; 140gn
Sierra GameKing handload, 38mm.
The Scope The rifle was wearing a Kahles 3-9x42 KX. This is a quality scope
which performed very well on this rifle. It had a nice fine duplex reticule which
made it easier to shoot precisely on targets.
This is the first time I have seen this
model and I noticed that the Kahles had
undergone a couple of changes. The
older scopes had a rubber ring glued
on for the magnifi cation adjustment. In
time and after much use these always
tended to come un-stuck and fall off.
This scope had a grip moulded into the
power adjustment ring and a similar grip
was moulded into the turret caps which
were both good improvements.
The optics were very good without
comparing it directly with other Kahles
models.
Conclusion
The Browning X-Bolt is a very nice hunting rifle with lots of features. It
retails at around $2450 including rings
which is a little more expensive than the
Tikka T3 or the Remington SPS which
I consider would be direct competitors.
Maybe it would be best compared to
the XCR Remington which is around the
same price. The Browning X-Bolt has a
lot more features than either the Tikka
or the Remington and you can certainly
see that the Browning would be more
complex to manufacture.
I do like the
simplicity in the construction of the Remington and the Tikka however the Browning has more to offer in all round features at a slightly higher price.
Top; Browning have made a good effort with
their bedding compound around the recoil lug and also forward of the trigger
group where the rear king screw homes in. Above; The well made and soft
recoil pad.
Specifications
Action:
Bolt Action
Magazine:
Detachable rotary-3 rounds WSM calibres-4 rounds other calibres
