Thread: Brand new 7mm08 Browning X-Bolt

From my experience with having two X-Bolts is that the trigger is a little heavy, even when lightened to minimum factory setting. Easy to remedy by popping into any engineering supply store and picking up a lighter spring. All you have to do is wind out the little grub screw at the bottom of the trigger assembly and swap the springs out. Triggers are mint then, no creep and break nice and crisp.

My 7mm-08 X-Bolt loves 140gr Nosler Ballistic Tips with Ar2208 behind them. Not the fastest velocities, but super accurate and a honey to shoot.

Even amongst the barrel makers there is not complete consensus on breaking in a barrel. However, having spent a shit load of money what is the issue with doing the break in? It takes a bit of time but if it potentially benefits your investment I would recommend doing it. Probably already too late in the case of the OP.

I break in all my bolt action rifle barrels more as a piece mind as my very first new guns the mini 14 and mini 30 I just shot them and never hardly cleaned them shot 2"-3" groups.

What optics you putting on it and are you going to chop and suppress it?

Originally Posted by tikka

I break in all my bolt action rifle barrels more as a piece mind as my very first new guns the mini 14 and mini 30 I just shot them and never hardly cleaned them shot 2"-3" groups.

What optics you putting on it and are you going to chop and suppress it?

I got a Zeiss 4-12. The best my budget could reach to. Never had a scope worth more than 100 before.

Thanks for the input, advice and support. I'll break it in properly. And will dismantle and seal tomorrow.

When I put it back together should I leave a slick of gun grease on the underside of the barrel to protect it?

What are you doing while it cools, might as well push a rag through

Shooting other guns I brought to the range... Duh :p

I took the rifle out for a break-in today. Nice and slow, shoot clean shoot. I only got eight shots in because I'm a Volly firefighter and the siren went up.

It's bloody loud to shoot. Louder than I expected. The kick is ok but after eight shots I was getting tired of it. No biggie just something to get used to. The ejected brass was quite cool. That surprised me too. Why isn't it hot?

I was shooting 150g partisan cheep stuff for break-in.

Originally Posted by YosemiteSam

I took the rifle out for a break-in today. Nice and slow, shoot clean shoot. I only got eight shots in because I'm a Volly firefighter and the siren went up.

It's bloody loud to shoot. Louder than I expected. The kick is ok but after eight shots I was getting tired of it. No biggie just something to get used to. The ejected brass was quite cool. That surprised me too. Why isn't it hot?

I was shooting 150g partisan cheep stuff for break-in.

Hope you are wearing ear protection at the range????

Yep. Full cans on the ears.

Just for the record, the browning X-bolt maple stocks are unsealed everywhere you can't see. They squirt the bedding onto bare wood and jam the action in and let it harden. And then never want to undo all that to seal the wood. But a tablespoon of Tung oil will fix all of that.

Because one day somebody wanting to buy an X-Bolt will read this... The 25th to 28th shots ever fired from my rifle. At 122 yards in a light breeze.