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Browning X-Bolt, your opinion?
- Thread starter Topshot
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MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
Well.... I have shot neither.... but Ihave heard and read lot's of raving about the accuracy of the Tikka and precious little about the Browning A-Bolt or X-Bolt.....
They are both factory rifles. In their clalss of factory rilfe, you have the Vanguard, Sub MOA Vanguard, Howa, Remington SPS or XCR and Savage rifles that have good reps for accuracy. You just dont hear a lot about the X-Bolt. I wonder why?
-MR
They are both factory rifles. In their clalss of factory rilfe, you have the Vanguard, Sub MOA Vanguard, Howa, Remington SPS or XCR and Savage rifles that have good reps for accuracy. You just dont hear a lot about the X-Bolt. I wonder why?
-MR
happylilcuss
Well-Known Member
Well.... I have shot neither.... but Ihave heard and read lot's of raving about the accuracy of the Tikka and precious little about the Browning A-Bolt or X-Bolt.....
They are both factory rifles. In their clalss of factory rilfe, you have the Vanguard, Sub MOA Vanguard, Howa, Remington SPS or XCR and Savage rifles that have good reps for accuracy. You just dont hear a lot about the X-Bolt. I wonder why?
-MR
Hmmm this reply smells of internet idealism.... The mines the best and Im gonna tell everyone.
If you dont own and never have shot either than why would you even come to this post and say anything??
It does not help with his question and really only serves to waste bandwidth..
For me, I might throw a guess that most that own them do not get online and "brag" about what they have.
I however do have remingtons, sub moa vanguard, brownings, a tikka, and have thrown howa's away..
To answer the first question IMHO the tikka and the x-bolt are very close to each other out of the box. The new browning trigger is every bit as nice as the tikka in my expierence. The original a-bolt stock trigger sucked (to heavy) but easily fixed with after market springs. Both are very accurate out of the box. Both my 223 brownings and tikka shoot sub moa at 100 yds. Both browning and tikka seem to be going after the light rifle market.
I give the edge to the browning on parts but really its tit for tat. They are both hard to find parts for. Both are also hard to find smiths to work on. If you are going to try and shoot above 500yds frequently I would suggest looking at a different rifle. If your looking for a very nice packable rifle to shoot up to 500 I would say either one would be a very nice and very capable weapon.
Tikka, and the x-bolt have a detachable mag and some prefer that over the browning hinge plate design on the a-bolt. I like the way the tikka feeds but the x's new rotary mag is very smooth.
If berretta would have brought the tikka super varminter over in the 243 I would have bought one in an instant. Instead I have chose to get the x-bolt varmint in 243. I cant wait to put it to the test.
I am also getting a rem 700 custom built in 6mm rem with a lilja barrel so I cant wait to see how the factory rifle stands up. Just remember your buying a over the counter stock rifle not a semi custom or full custom. Use it for what its designed for and I promise you wont be disapointed in either.
Good Luck!
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
Hmmm this reply smells of internet idealism.... The mines the best and Im gonna tell everyone.
If you dont own and never have shot either than why would you even come to this post and say anything??
It does not help with his question and really only serves to waste bandwidth..
For me, I might throw a guess that most that own them do not get online and "brag" about what they have.
I however do have remingtons, sub moa vanguard, brownings, a tikka, and have thrown howa's away..
Idealism? Could you explain what you mean by idealism?
You threw away your Howa's? Really... you actually threw them away? I wish you would have told me first, I would have given you something for them. They are a good rifle with a good reputation and if you search the threads in here and some other sites, you find almost nothing but praise written for them. I'm knid of surprised you didn't throw away your Sub MOA Vanguard as it is a Howa. Kinda makes me wonder if you know what a Howa is or ever owned one or a Vanguard?
I have a S&W M1500 (Howa) and it's a well made rifle. I haven't wrung it out yet but it has shot a couple of sub .5 MOA groups.
If you're a Browning owner, I didn't mean to step on your toes. I was just making an observation that I have heard a lot about lot's of rifles and not much about Brownings. What I have read and heard has been mixed reviews. Some good and some not so good. I still wonder why I haven't read or heard much about them? Maybe they need better marketing, but consistantly good rifles usually market themselves.
I do have a friend with a Tikka 270 WSM and that rifle shoots. I have seen the targets. The stock isn't much to talk about, but niether is the Browning (synthetic) - I have handled the Browning's.
I posterd just to pass along what I have read and heard. As i mentioned, factory rifles are factory rifles. You take a chance buying one. You might get a good one or maybe not. I've got a rare peice of junk Sako Finnlight. My Remingtons and Rugers and S&W (Howa) have all out shot the Sako for a lot less $$$.
If I was making Topshot's choice, I would go with the Tikka. In fact, I'm sorry I didn't buy a Tikka instead of my Sako. Yeah, I know they are made by the same company.
-MR
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Seven Oaks
Well-Known Member
I'm looking at a Browning 7MM WSM X-Bolt right now.
What I like:
The stock provides a really good feel. Improvement over the A-Bolt. (It's walnut)
The Trigger is one of the best I've felt on a Factory gun. Again a big improvement over the A-Bolt.
The fit and finish is done very nicely. It's bedded properly. No Big goop like the A-Bolts I have.
The Bolt unlock is a nice feature they've added.
I like the detachable magazine. The swing out detach's on the A-Bolt were ok.
What I don't like:
The smaller bolt handle. Gonna replace that with an A-Bolt handle.
The new receiver seems to be lighter than on the A-Bolt. It says it weighs 1 oz. more than the A-Bolt in the same model & caliber??
I believe the X or 4 screw configuration for scope base mounting was arrived at because they have thinned the top of the receiver and had to put the mounting holes at the edges in order to have some steel to hold the mount screws.
Info on the net: Everything I have read and seen point to the fact that their good shooters. I found accuracy comparisons where they were 1, 2 or 3 by different magazines. My Brother in Law has one in .280 and it will shoot 3/4 at 100 which isn't bad.
Several Magazines gave it their gun of the year award in 2008. I checked the Hunting Boards before I bought. Almost all the folks who had one were pleased. Alot of the negative feedback was from folks who hadn't even shot one, But owners seemed to be very satisfied.
How mine shoots, I have no idea. I'm waiting on my scope now. I hope it's a moa or a little less, my 4 other Brownings are. After I break the BBl. in and shoot it some I'll let you know if it's a good gun or not.
Tikka T-3 My Uncle has one and I have shot it 20-30 times off of the bench.
What I Liked:
Rifle is as accurate as my A-bolts, good shooter.
The action looks like an action should look, well built.
It had a good trigger, but not as good as the X-Bolt.
What I didn't like:
The gun wasn't much on fit and finish, a few gaps and inletting of composite stock was rough.
Has a plastic trigger guard.
Not a well balanced gun compared to the X-Bolt.
Just my 2 cents. I think you've narrowed it down to 2 good choices. Either will do fine for hunting.
Best,
Dee
What I like:
The stock provides a really good feel. Improvement over the A-Bolt. (It's walnut)
The Trigger is one of the best I've felt on a Factory gun. Again a big improvement over the A-Bolt.
The fit and finish is done very nicely. It's bedded properly. No Big goop like the A-Bolts I have.
The Bolt unlock is a nice feature they've added.
I like the detachable magazine. The swing out detach's on the A-Bolt were ok.
What I don't like:
The smaller bolt handle. Gonna replace that with an A-Bolt handle.
The new receiver seems to be lighter than on the A-Bolt. It says it weighs 1 oz. more than the A-Bolt in the same model & caliber??
I believe the X or 4 screw configuration for scope base mounting was arrived at because they have thinned the top of the receiver and had to put the mounting holes at the edges in order to have some steel to hold the mount screws.
Info on the net: Everything I have read and seen point to the fact that their good shooters. I found accuracy comparisons where they were 1, 2 or 3 by different magazines. My Brother in Law has one in .280 and it will shoot 3/4 at 100 which isn't bad.
Several Magazines gave it their gun of the year award in 2008. I checked the Hunting Boards before I bought. Almost all the folks who had one were pleased. Alot of the negative feedback was from folks who hadn't even shot one, But owners seemed to be very satisfied.
How mine shoots, I have no idea. I'm waiting on my scope now. I hope it's a moa or a little less, my 4 other Brownings are. After I break the BBl. in and shoot it some I'll let you know if it's a good gun or not.
Tikka T-3 My Uncle has one and I have shot it 20-30 times off of the bench.
What I Liked:
Rifle is as accurate as my A-bolts, good shooter.
The action looks like an action should look, well built.
It had a good trigger, but not as good as the X-Bolt.
What I didn't like:
The gun wasn't much on fit and finish, a few gaps and inletting of composite stock was rough.
Has a plastic trigger guard.
Not a well balanced gun compared to the X-Bolt.
Just my 2 cents. I think you've narrowed it down to 2 good choices. Either will do fine for hunting.
Best,
Dee
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WRG
Well-Known Member
Though I have never shot the Tikka T3, I will give you my opnion on the X-bolt so you can compare it to any replies you get on the T3.
I own an X-bolt in 7mm RM and with any off the shelf hunting rifle it is hit or miss whether or not you get a shooter. I believe I did. Being that I also have been rolling my own ammo for a little over 25 years for a number of calibers, I definitly have an edge over someone who doesn't. In my experience over the years with new rifles the break-in procedure is key. That coupled with a stridgent cleaning regiment makes all the difference in the world as far as accuracy goes. Break-in on my rifle consisted of 40 rounds of Vital shock ammo that impressed the s%#t out of me. I had a good feeling right from the start to say the least. I managed to work up several loads with various bullets, powders, primers, & cases. So far the Browning shoots an amazing 0.122 "CTC" 5 group shot on average consistantly with one load and with a couple others not far behind. Rearly a flier unless it's from a cold clean barrel or I didn't do my part. Rifle seems not to fussy with 63.5 to 64.0 grn of a couple different powders / bullet combinations it likes best. Must be the magic grain wieght for this rifle. Velocity right about 2930 fps.
Don't care much for the trigger pull set a little over 3 lbs from the factory. I like all my rifles at a smigg over 1 lbs because it gives me the best accuracy with my off hand shooting style so thats gonna change. The rifle is sleek and light and the 60% bolt rise is kick ***. I plan on blue printing the action and lapping the lugs to 100%. I also like the fact the mag chambers the rounds from the center and is long enough for a bullet to be seated right to the lands with room to spare if thats what it likes. Browning was thinking there! I found mine likes the bullets I use .050 off the lands. The three lug bolt is also a good feature.
Not sure if your looking to buy one or not, but if you are and you do, I have a couple of recipes you could try if you reload. If not the Vital shock's looked good out of mine.
I am as intereted as you are how others like the Tikka.
WRG
I own an X-bolt in 7mm RM and with any off the shelf hunting rifle it is hit or miss whether or not you get a shooter. I believe I did. Being that I also have been rolling my own ammo for a little over 25 years for a number of calibers, I definitly have an edge over someone who doesn't. In my experience over the years with new rifles the break-in procedure is key. That coupled with a stridgent cleaning regiment makes all the difference in the world as far as accuracy goes. Break-in on my rifle consisted of 40 rounds of Vital shock ammo that impressed the s%#t out of me. I had a good feeling right from the start to say the least. I managed to work up several loads with various bullets, powders, primers, & cases. So far the Browning shoots an amazing 0.122 "CTC" 5 group shot on average consistantly with one load and with a couple others not far behind. Rearly a flier unless it's from a cold clean barrel or I didn't do my part. Rifle seems not to fussy with 63.5 to 64.0 grn of a couple different powders / bullet combinations it likes best. Must be the magic grain wieght for this rifle. Velocity right about 2930 fps.
Don't care much for the trigger pull set a little over 3 lbs from the factory. I like all my rifles at a smigg over 1 lbs because it gives me the best accuracy with my off hand shooting style so thats gonna change. The rifle is sleek and light and the 60% bolt rise is kick ***. I plan on blue printing the action and lapping the lugs to 100%. I also like the fact the mag chambers the rounds from the center and is long enough for a bullet to be seated right to the lands with room to spare if thats what it likes. Browning was thinking there! I found mine likes the bullets I use .050 off the lands. The three lug bolt is also a good feature.
Not sure if your looking to buy one or not, but if you are and you do, I have a couple of recipes you could try if you reload. If not the Vital shock's looked good out of mine.
I am as intereted as you are how others like the Tikka.
WRG
happylilcuss
Well-Known Member
Idealism? Could you explain what you mean by idealism?
You threw away your Howa's? Really... you actually threw them away? I wish you would have told me first, I would have given you something for them. They are a good rifle with a good reputation and if you search the threads in here and some other sites, you find almost nothing but praise written for them. I'm knid of surprised you didn't throw away your Sub MOA Vanguard as it is a Howa. Kinda makes me wonder if you know what a Howa is or ever owned one or a Vanguard?-MR
Well thats pretty much enough said.
Now back on topic I agree with the other posters on this thread.. I think that basically you are going to find out that either of these rifles are equally competant. Both are very accurate and well built. I really agree with sevenoaks about the browning bolt handle and the tikka trigger guard.
The 22-250 tikka I have is one of my favorite rifles and has out shot my rem 700 22-250 pretty much every time I have had them out together. My browning a-bolt 223 to me shoots and feels better than my brothers tikka t3 223. I have a browning a-bolt 270 and a 270 wsm and to me I enjoy the 270wsm the most. My brother shoots a 270wsm tikka t3 and my nephew shoots a 270 x-bolt.
I honestly think that for a factory rifle you are not going to go wrong with either one. As has been stated there are other accurate nicely built rifles available but as you asked about these two Restricting advice on them is what I will do.
Godd luck and straight shootin.
Thank you for your input, It sounds like they would both make good rifles for the price!
Happylilcuss, I had a tikka super varminter .243 in my hot little hands yesterday! Man they have a lot of plastic in that stock! A lot of the locals down here are using them for their varmint rifles.
A mate of mine is doing a review on the Browning x-bolt in .325WSM for a local hunting magazine. The 23" barrel is a put off for me but it should make a good off hand rifle for the larger animals. Interesting to see how his review goes?
The reason I was asking about these two rifles is that I was looking at either a 7mmRem Mag in the Tikka or a 7mmWSM in the Browning X-bolt.
I have since been made an offer by my gunsmith to convert my .25-06 long action Remington to 7mmWSM. I think this is the way I will go.
Happylilcuss, I had a tikka super varminter .243 in my hot little hands yesterday! Man they have a lot of plastic in that stock! A lot of the locals down here are using them for their varmint rifles.
A mate of mine is doing a review on the Browning x-bolt in .325WSM for a local hunting magazine. The 23" barrel is a put off for me but it should make a good off hand rifle for the larger animals. Interesting to see how his review goes?
The reason I was asking about these two rifles is that I was looking at either a 7mmRem Mag in the Tikka or a 7mmWSM in the Browning X-bolt.
I have since been made an offer by my gunsmith to convert my .25-06 long action Remington to 7mmWSM. I think this is the way I will go.
signature542
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2009
- Messages
- 139
Thanks Norm!
I'll let you know how we go with the review rifle......Accuracy has been excellent from the X bolt a TT's mate has one in 325wsm 3 shots touching with factory Accubond load.. Boonie has seen 2 others all shooters.. As for the round .. very bad Sambar medicine. and Boonie has been doing some filming..
Only 7 left in Aus according to Winchester.. Next shipment? Gregie picks his own spanka X bolt 325wsm up Saturday morning..
Still waiting for the new Model 70 all weather.. dont think we will ever see them here down under the way things are going.
MMMM I have shot a few things with the T3 but this rifle just feels more solid .. I dont like the A bolt but the X bolt is growing on me.. I think I may need to buy it if its a shooter..!
TB
I'll let you know how we go with the review rifle......Accuracy has been excellent from the X bolt a TT's mate has one in 325wsm 3 shots touching with factory Accubond load.. Boonie has seen 2 others all shooters.. As for the round .. very bad Sambar medicine. and Boonie has been doing some filming..
Only 7 left in Aus according to Winchester.. Next shipment? Gregie picks his own spanka X bolt 325wsm up Saturday morning..
Still waiting for the new Model 70 all weather.. dont think we will ever see them here down under the way things are going.
MMMM I have shot a few things with the T3 but this rifle just feels more solid .. I dont like the A bolt but the X bolt is growing on me.. I think I may need to buy it if its a shooter..!
TB
happylilcuss
Well-Known Member
Topshot is there anyway to get that 243 to the states? I would really love to have it!! Cant find them anywhere......
sdoc
Member
i know this thread is old but i recently picked up an x-bolt in 7mm rem mag used from a gun shop. it has a 26 inch fluted barrel and a muzzle break (not a BOSS) i was told was put on by a local gunsmith.
i just started reloading also and would love to get those loads from WRG
without doing much research i just asked around at my local gunshop about loads for 7mm and looked at a few manuals there i decided on IMR-4350, fed mag primers and 154gr hornady sst's. i also bought a box of factory winchester powermax 150gr ammo. i used winchester brass and made loads from 59 to 63 grs in 1 gr increments.
at the range i was disapointed after a few shots to get where i wanted at 100yds i shot 2 3shot groups with the factory ammo both were around 2 inches off the same bench rest i often shoot 1/2" groups with my savage 110 in 270. then i tried my loads all the way up with no improvement....
so idk what im doing wrong i figured i could do close to MOA with the factory ammo but 2 MOA is unacceptable as i bought the gun for shooting 500-700 yds. maybe need to just try different bullets and powders? primers? suggestions would be great
i just started reloading also and would love to get those loads from WRG
without doing much research i just asked around at my local gunshop about loads for 7mm and looked at a few manuals there i decided on IMR-4350, fed mag primers and 154gr hornady sst's. i also bought a box of factory winchester powermax 150gr ammo. i used winchester brass and made loads from 59 to 63 grs in 1 gr increments.
at the range i was disapointed after a few shots to get where i wanted at 100yds i shot 2 3shot groups with the factory ammo both were around 2 inches off the same bench rest i often shoot 1/2" groups with my savage 110 in 270. then i tried my loads all the way up with no improvement....
so idk what im doing wrong i figured i could do close to MOA with the factory ammo but 2 MOA is unacceptable as i bought the gun for shooting 500-700 yds. maybe need to just try different bullets and powders? primers? suggestions would be great
SavageScott
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2011
- Messages
- 329
I have a plain X-Bolt in 300 wsm (23" barrel) and I will never get rid of it. I don't have time to reload, but what I use is Winchester 150 gr Supreme Elites. They group right around a 1/2" for me if I do my part right. Who put your muzzle brake on? Sounds like it could be causing an issue.......
Fitch
Well-Known Member
So far the Browning shoots an amazing 0.122 "CTC" 5 group shot on average consistantly with one load and with a couple others not far behind.
Wow.
I plan on blue printing the action and lapping the lugs to 100%.
Really? Why? The rifle is shooting in the 1's, which is bloody awesome, and you really think you will make it better by "blueprinting" the action?
If I had a hunting rifle shooting like that, I'd make anybody bleed that that touched it with a tool. Customs frequently don't shoot like that.
Fitch
