I'm stuck in a never-ending loop of looking for a good rifle, reading reviews on the internet, and then second guessing myself.
Currently, I'm really liking the features that come with the Browning X-bolt Hell's Canyon Speed A-TACS AU in .243 Win, but reading online comments gives me a little hesitation. This rifle has all of the features that I want and more, but what kind of accuracy can I expect from this rifle?
My purpose is Coyotes and groundhogs at 200-400 yards and most likely not high-volume.
Am I making a mistake looking at this particular rifle, or am I overthinking this?
Should I be looking at the Tikka T3X rifles instead?
I have allotted about $1,000 for the glass, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Talk some sense into me.
Welcome to the club of rifle envy and indecision.
Trying to buy a rifle based on someone's review of it's accuracy is silly. The accuracy issues in most rifles is the shooter, followed by the use of factory ammo (non match grade), followed by something being slightly loose like a scope ring or bedding screw, followed by the rifle. The point is the rifle its self (ie the barrel and action) are rarely the issue, and no matter how many reviews or opinions or data sheets you look at, you, your ammo, and your assembly of the rifle will always be exponentially bigger problems than the rifle.
My recommendation is to go to a gun shop with a good selection, throw a sand bag on the ground, and get behind a bunch of rifles until you find one that you like and feels comfortable. Nicer factory rifles will shoot sub 0.5MOA if you are a good enough shooter and you use the right ammo. And most of the 0.25MOA custom rifles will still shoot 1MOA if you aren't good enough to shoot 0.25MOA or refuse to take the time and money to find/develop the right load.
As someone who is fortunate enough to buy several similar rifles, the above situation is exactly my personal experience:
I currently own three 300wm rifles, my first is a rem 700 I bought used for $375, the second is a savage 110 that I paid about $1k for, and the third rifle is a custom $5.8k all carbon rifle (proof barrel, chassis, the works). All three rifles are 26" barrels, the rem 700 didnt have an accuracy guarantee, the savage is supposed to shoot sub MOA, and the custom rifle is supposed to shoot sub 0.5MOA. With factory non-match ammo, I shoot 1MOA+ with all three rifles all day long no matter how hard I try. With match ammo, I shoot the rem 700 around 0.7-1MOA, the savage around 0.6MOA, and the custom rifle around 0.6MOA. With hand loads, I shoot the rem 700 around 0.6MOA, the savage around 0.4MOA, and I still need to work up a load for the custom rifle but something tells me I'm going to have a hard time beating 0.4MOA. When I get down in the dirt and my bipod bites just right, and everything is perfect, I can shoot the rem 700 about 0.5MOA and the savage at 0.3MOA, I still need more time behind the custom rifle but I doubt I will be shooting much better than the savage.
The moral of the story is anyone justifying buying "this" rifle over "that" rifle, or a more expensive rifle over a cheaper rifle, and thinking they are going to somehow "improve" accuracy without fixing themselves or the ammo they use is not going to be happy with any rifle they choose. The best way to become more accurate is to become a better shooter, followed by hand loading, followed by a better rifle. Don't read anyone's reviews. Go to the gun shop, get into the position you intend to actually shoot the rifle from, see how all the stocks feel, pick the one you like, and commit to learning how to shoot that specific rifle really well. Or buy all the rifles.
Browning's nicer rifles shoot great, so do savage's rifles, so do every manufacture's higher end factory rifles...
I think Browning's X-bolt Hell's Canyon Speed A-TACS AU in .243 Win is a fine choice, and I think you should buy it if it feels comfortable in your hands, if the stock feels naturally comfortable in your shoulder, if your cheek welds nicely to the comb, and the trigger feels natural to you. Read some reviews on ammo choices and grain weight that people like, and get some lead in the air.
