Thread: Browning x bolt

Anyone know what these are like?
Always had a good run out of my 7mm rem mag a bolt and was wanting to upgrade. Like the look of them and the 26 inch barrel but heard a tikka t3 would be better. Am wanting a rifle for dialing up and shooting to 600m.

I owned a S/S Browning X-Bolt in 7mm RM. Had no problems with VLD style bullets. Magazine had heaps of clearance left when bullets when seating 162gr A-max 0.010" from lands. For all the features stated above I chose the Browning over Tikka, Winchester, etc. Was a very nice rifle to shoot, very ergonomic to handle, nice to shoulder, handled the recoil well.

I had the action re-bedded (factory hot glue gun bedding was horrible), bolt face trued, barrel re-crowned and replaced the factory trigger spring with a light after market one. But....none of that helps when the chamber wasn't concentric with the bore, so I traded it in and purchased another Tikka T3.

Was told by two different (very well respected) NZ Gunsmiths that the action walls and stock walls (around the action) were very thin, potentially causing the action to twist/shift during firing and re-barreling it would be most likely a waste of time.

Was a shame too, I really loved the Browning, but had lost all confidence in it by the time I traded it in, hence going back to good old faithful (T3).

Got A Bolts in 223 and 223WSSM. Both very good rifles and very accurate. Took a mate out last month and shot 2 deer both neck shot @ 200m free standing with the light with the 223.[he is a pig hunter and does not shoot apart from his 16in Rossi]. We also have 3 Tikka 223's 8 twist for various loads [53 gr 62 gr and 64 gr].2 with cans and all Optilocked.

The a-bolts are deadly rifles and have been on super specials lately. Wouldn't think twice at the $$ they were asking in H&f a couple of weeks ago.

Have seen a couple of xbolts and while good enough shooters I would go for the a-bolt personally (the xbolt isnt an upgrade...).

Wat cyclist said.. The xbolts are dwngrades

when i was looking for a new rifle (in 7mmRM as well) i looked hard at the x-bolts due to the 26" barrel and trigger, the local quoted me 2600 for the gold medallion as i was after a wood stock over the plastic fantastic stock. Rem sendero SFII was 100 cheaper so that kinda made the decision for me.

comments about the chamber walls are rather interesting, kinda glad it was so bloody expensive now

I have had a couple or a-bolts apart an they are nicely made an threads etc are good fit an the 2 i had apart where nice an true, never had a x-bolt apart tho but if the thread was any bigger or if them milled more off the flats on the side of the action i could see it been thin through that point

Few xbolts have blown up..... Like action blown up kinda thing

Originally Posted by baldbob

Few xbolts have blown up..... Like action blown up kinda thing

Your warm loads?????

Originally Posted by tui_man2

Your warm loads?????

Whilst I was tidying up one of ur messes lol

AHHH Harsh!!

Originally Posted by Konev

when i was looking for a new rifle (in 7mmRM as well) i looked hard at the x-bolts due to the 26" barrel and trigger, the local quoted me 2600 for the gold medallion as i was after a wood stock over the plastic fantastic stock. Rem sendero SFII was 100 cheaper so that kinda made the decision for me.

comments about the chamber walls are rather interesting, kinda glad it was so bloody expensive now

I also went for the sendero but it also had a non concentric cut chamber. When looking through the bore scope at the throat start of the rifling it was crooked.
A bloke sold it to me after firing a box of ammo.... now know why he didnt want it.
So its back to square one looking for a rifle again!!!!

You could run a larger chamber reamer in to it Yogi.

Then you can keep your lovely rifle and get it upgraded with a bit more horsepower.

For example if its a 7mm rem mag contact kiwigreg here on the forum, he will run a 7/375 reamer into it for you and supply you with brass, dies and load data , problem fixed. And you get the upgrade that you were probably going to want to do in 5 yrs time anyway !!!!

What caliber and chambering is your Sendero?

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

You could run a larger chamber reamer in to it Yogi.

Then you can keep your lovely rifle and get it upgraded with a bit more horsepower.

For example if its a 7mm rem mag contact kiwigreg here on the forum, he will run a 7/375 reamer into it for you and supply you with brass, dies and load data , problem fixed. And you get the upgrade that you were probably going to want to do in 5 yrs time anyway !!!!

What caliber and chambering is your Sendero?

Still will never be right once the chamber is out its very hard to bring it back as reamers will follow each other

It was in 7mm rem mag and sent it back to the bloke i purhased it from. Dont think a reamer could have fixed it....an angle grinder would tho!!!
Half the rifling was missing at the start of the barrel at the edge of the throat.
It will probably end up floating around on trademe. A bloke always said to never buy rifles of trademe..... those words echoed in my mind when discovering it was a crook model.