# Browning X Bolt [email protected]!!!



## upgrayedd

Hi there, new to this forum.
So my dad gave me a Browning X Bolt rifle(7mm rem mag) 4 months ago and I just got back from putting it through the paces.
Everything was fine untill 300 yards plus.
Keyholing began to show up immed and some bullets hit the paper SIDEWAYS.
We tried different shooter as well as 139, 154, 169 grain ammo...all factory Hornady.
No dice.

I called Browning and they wouldnt even give me the benefit of the doubt by issuing me a return auth number.
When I asked them(I spoke to several people that were supposedly "in charge" at Browning) if they could duplicate this problem at their facility, they told me "Browning only gaurantees 2' MOA at 100 yards.."

The problem doesnt EXIST at 100 yards, nor did I ASK for a 7mm Rem Mag to shoot at 100 yard targets..
no dice..

BUYER BEWARE when it comes to the X Bolt. I am supremely dissapointed in so many ways but it hurts the most when a company that is a large as and enjoys such a great reputation (for whatever reason)wouldnt even give the customer the benefit of the doubt when he told them that his BRAND NEW 4 month old rifle doesnt work.

I will NEVER recommend Browning to anyone
I will NEVER purchase Browning or Winchester rifles if I can help it
I will make SURE that all people that consider the X Bolt as their next purchase, know what they are getting when they Buy a Browning product(made in China).

I WILL be buying a Remington 7mm Rem Mag
I WILL be sending this rifle back to Browning with No return label and a nasty letter.
They can keep that Junk, I wont have it in my house :******:


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## bearhunter

so are ya saying you don't like browning :huh: they do make good fence post's :-?


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## KurtR

Hey if you dont want that pile crap send it to me. I will even pay for shipping and forward the nasty letter to those browning chumps. Dont give them the satisfaction of geting a rifle back and selling it agin. I need a jack handle and this sounds like the perfect fit just let me know and i will get you my address.


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## crewhunting

I like my x bolt I know of a gun shop that does work for browning i bet they would go to bat for you??? Let me know I actully have some friend that work at the shop. Mine shoots great you must have got a lemon! That sucks?!?!? LEt me know


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## NDTerminator

Your post is a bit confusing. Take a deep breath, put the anger away, and relax. Can't help if all you are posting for is to eviscerate Browning. 
I've had a good number over the years and never had one, new or used, that didn't shoot at least well.

That it would keyhole at 300 yards but not closer makes no sense whatsoever. If it's keyholing out there it will be unstable upon leaving the bore. When the bullet comes out that unstable, you are lucky to hit within 3 feet of POA at even 100 yards. Likely as not if your round is that unstable it wouldn't even make it to the target at 100 yards, let alone 300 yards.

So being, we need to ask a couple questions...

Is this a brand new out of the box rifle, and if so did you follow a barrel break in procedure?

If used did you thoroughly clean the bore before shooting? I mean thoroughly with a copper solvent such as Sweets 7.62 or Kroil & JB Bore Paste?

Did you check to ensure the lug screws are all tightened down.. Likewise, how about the scope base & mount screws?

Did you check the crown for burrs or obvious visual issues?

Presuming this is a stock rifle, what are your expectations of accuracy, are you figuring it should print MOA out of the box? If so, I'm aware of only one production rifle with a 3 shot MOA standard, that being Sako/Tikka.

Are you saying it gave you acceptable accuracy until 300 yards or more?
Exactly what size of center to center groups are you getting at what ranges?

For example, I have a $1600 Weatherby Accumark that has a gaurantee of 1.5" at 100 yards with factory ammo. At 300 yards, this translates to 4.5" (a fairly good sized group) and that's off the bench under perfect conditions. However, with carefully tailored handloads, this rifle will print sub-MOA.

If it's a used rifle, it could be as simple as a thorough cleaning. I'm amazed at how many don't know how to truly clean a bore. I have bought a number of rifles that were "shot out", that simply had so much copper fouling that they literally couldn't shoot accurately. The old Kroil & JB Bore Paste treatment turned all into accptable to outstanding shooters.

Presuming you broke in the barrel first, and/or cleaned thoroughly before you started, how many rounds did you go between cleanings?

After break in, I go no more than 20 rounds between cleaning for optimum accuracy and to prevent fouling to build up so much it's a chore to get it out.

Sometimes you can just get a lemon. I once bought an NIB Model 700 LH that wouldn't print 6" at 100 yards. Couldn't see any burrs or obvious crown problems. I took it back to the dealer, who swapped me for another which shot just fine. Turned out the barrel was cross threaded into the reciever when it was assembled at the factory.

If you bought this new and are completely convinced it has a defect, take it back to the dealer you bought it from and ask for either a replacement, or have them send it back to Browning for you...


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## NDTerminator

Upgrayedd...
Been nearly three weeks since you started this thread with no response to the folks who took the time to post up, or even an update on how this situation turned out or how you are coming with the rifle.

Did you join NoDak just to bash Browning one time, or were you actually looking for help?

Curious minds want to know....


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## zackinma

One thing you did mention is that you tried several different bullet weights. Every extended range shooter knows bullets that are heavy require a faster twist to be stabilized over long distances. And since your problem is at longer distances, I would think that could be it. However you tried different weights, so that rules that out. HOWEVER you did not try bullets from different manufacturers. I would suggest you do that. I have seen some crazy stuff related to bullet weight though. I saw a keyhole at 100 yards from a bullet too heavy for the rifling, and I have seen lighter bullets actually fly apart from rifling too fast. One shot, multiple odd shaped holes. With quality ammo too&#8230;
I have seen key holes come as a result of a bullet being out of balance as well. This tends to only show at longer ranges as the bullet leaves straight, but takes time in flight to develop the wobble. This effect can be exaggerated with magnum cartridges as they travel faster, so the aerodynamic forces are greater. Once even the slightest wobble develops, the stability goes to hell very fast. I'm talking round hole at 200 yards, and oval hole at 225 kind of fast.
Try ammo from a different manufacturer and if you hand load, try a hollow point boat tailed round and see if the behavior is duplicated. I wouldn't suggest hunting with target bullets like that, but target bullets are by design built for long range shooting and extreme aerodynamic efficiency. If you don't have the key holes with target bullets, but get it with hunting bullets, I would suggest another ammo. I strongly suspect your choice of ammo is the problem. 
I'm not going to knock Hornady as they generally make a quality product, but I had some accuracy problems with them myself in the past with hand loads, so it wouldn't surprise me. I prefer Sierra bullets for target work, and Nosler for hunting. I have had great success with both. When it comes to shooting factory ammo, I prefer Winchester. 
In closing I have a Browning x-bolt Stainless Stalker chambered in 30-06. My only complaint is that despite the barrel and receiver being stainless, the bolt is not. I also wish it came with a 24" barrel, but the 22" seems accurate enough. It shoots sub-moa for me with hand loads and about 1 moa to 1.5 moa on factory ammo. I can't ask for more. The shorter barrel just costs a little downrange energy in exchange for weight and portability.


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## gjz

I am kinda ignorant to the 7MM mag so this is a question.
Are those weights 139-168 at the low end for that caliber? 
I know that my 300WM. and 300WSM hate light loads. 
I did some loads with 150 barnes X and the mags hated them ( A-bolts, and 700) but when I loaded 308 with the 150 and they went strait. I know that powder make and weight can make a difference, but just the jump to 175 made a HUGE difference.


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## utgreenhead

I bought a new X-Bolt this past summer in the .270 WSM caliber. I live in TN and mainly hunt fields during rifle season, so I wanted something that shot flat with good knockdown power. I originally wanted a 7mm RM, but after looking at the ballistics I noticed the 270 WSM was very comparable and since the biggest animal I hunt is deer, that's what I went with.

After I bought my gun, the first thing I did was contact Mr. Lucas to get me a bore guide for cleaning (Yes I'm anal about cleaning a gun correctly). Here's a good tutorial for anyone who doesn't know how... http://www.rifle-accuracy-reports.com/b ... ak-in.html . The only thing I deviated from was that I cleaned after each shot for the first 5 shots, then I shot 3 shots then cleaned. I did that 5 times for a total of 15 more shots. Then I shot 10 shots and cleaned. I then considered my barrel broken in. After this, I sighted my scope in and found quickly that this gun was the most accurate (out of the box) gun I've ever owned.

I sighted my scope in at 150 yards and covered my next five shots up with a quarter.

Well, now to the bottom line. I don't kill many deer, only doe for eating and bucks for wall decor (donate buck meat to a local shelter). Unfortunately, I didn't get any wall decor this year, but I was able to make a 327 yard doe kill with my new X-Bolt. Entry hole was 1/4 inch and exit was 3/4 inch.

Maybe your gun was a lemon, but my gun is a "Peach"!


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## KurtR

bbl break in is a myth. and here is some thing for the guys that like to clean the bbl so much you are putting more wear on it than just shooting it.http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthr ... 656&page=1


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## alleyyooper

Just a bash job.

 Al


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## tsimp1211

*The only thing I deviated from was that I cleaned after each shot for the first 5 shots, then I shot 3 shots then cleaned. I did that 5 times for a total of 15 more shots. Then I shot 10 shots and cleaned. I then considered my barrel broken in. After this, I sighted my scope in and found quickly that this gun was the most accurate (out of the box) gun I've ever owned.*
Hi guys new to the site. I was doing some searching around for X-Bolt reviews and came across this one. Let me say this, I have been a long time Browning shooter, and have never had one that didn't shoot well. I have only had one problem with a browning rifle, and that is with my A-Bolt Hunter .243 WSSM. It was a feeding problem that was solved when I sent the gun back to browning free of charge.

As far as accuracy out of the box goes I believe that the quote above is absolutely correct. People can argue each way, but I have always done barrel break ins and have always found, from experience, that barrels that are broken in will shoot better. As far as the X-Bolt being crap, I find that hard to believe.

Just My Two Cents--
Ty


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## sh9683

your the only guy thus far who's complained about accuracy! maybe you don't know how to shoot, or you got a defective one! browning is exellent and reviews are 4.9 outta 5 and 5 otta 5 for accuracy, so i don't know where your problem is coming from or maybe you can't shoot even if your life depended on it! and if your bullet went sideways its the bullet not the rifle! 
or maybe the rifling of your rifle got tampered with, because accuracy on this gun is amazing! according to 99.9% of the people!


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## KurtR

amazing might be going a little to far. but they are good enough for most people


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## Mangoeater2

The original poster is obviously no longer interested in this topic - but here goes:

He says they are Made in China! What . . . . . ?

They are made in Japan by Miroku (along with Weatherby, Winchester, Howa and Browning rifles) and Japan is up there with Germany as the best quality manufacturing nation in the world!

I wish he had said he was going to buy a Weatherby or one of the others (instead of the Remington) - it would have been fun rubbing it in! LOL

I just inspected a Browning X Bolt - perfect balance (for me), beautiful finish, great features and highly accurate (by reputation). This is going to be my next rifle (in 22-250)! I had considered a Sako but the balance was wrong for me.

Happy trails.

C'Ya


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## snowshoe

Hello I'm new to the forum like the fellow who started this thread. I bought a Browning X bolt last summer, the carbon model in 7 WSM. I am having accuracy problems. The guns shoot OK but isn't a tack driver. I have several other guns that do shoot very accurately, one being a Browning single shot in 7 MM Rem Mag. That shoots ½ groups or better depending on my shooting. It shoots 2 5/8 inch groups at 500 yards.

I broke the gun as per the article mentioned earlier in the thread. The best that I have been able to get out of it consistently is 1.5 inch groups. I have tried quite few loads, bullet brands and weights. It likes Nosler Accubonds the best but is always fussy. Most of the loads shoot fairly close shot to shot velocities but it doesn't translate in to tight groups on the paper. I am a very careful hand loader, let the barrel cool between shots and groups etc. and am puzzled why I can't get this gun to shot consistently. The gun will group under an inch once in a while but the next couple of groups will spread again. The best groups have always been with a cold barrel. Another interesting point is that I have never got much copper fouling. I have put 240 rounds through it and have almost no copper fouling. I have never had a barrel that has had so little fouling. Any one have any thoughts.

Thanks Brian


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## duckp

Cold barrel best.Is it bedded?


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## KurtR

If i have to wait between shots to shoot groups that is no good. I would look to see if some thing is touching the barrel. i expect the same poi at shot 20 as the first in a 20 shot string. try some 162 amax as seem to like almost any thing.


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## inSeattle

I felt absolutely compelled to reply to this string! I own a Browning X-Bolt in 7mmWSM. I've had tremendous accuracy problems with this rifle, but some limited success. At 100 yards, this rifle was shooting ½" groups. At 200 yards, the bullets are landing sideways with the classic keyhole profile, yet still landing in approximately 3" groups, sometimes 2". This isn't exaggeration; it is real and also REALLY frustrating. At the time the rifle did this, I was shooting Barnes TSX 175gr at 2953 FPS. The problem was that this bullet is so long, it didn't spin fast enough to remain stable beyond 100 yards. The book says my 9.5 twist rate is near the limit, but&#8230;it still didn't work. I also called Browning and was offered NO help.

The setup: I shoot with a Caldwell Rock BR 1000 bench rest and separate rear bag. The scope is a Bushnell Elite 6500 Tatical (4.5-30x50). I make all my own ammo. I batch weigh all my bullets and only shoot groups with bullets that weigh exactly and I mean EXACTLY (as accurate as my bar scale goes) the same. I weigh each powder charge. I weigh each case and each case is trimmed exactly to the same length with my digital caliper. I keep it as perfect as I possibly can. I use an "extreme" (temperature insensitive powder) Hogden 4831SC. I've used many bullets. 160gr Accubonds (they do not tumble), 150gr Barnes TTSX (also no tumble - they are shorter) and 168gr Berger (oh my god&#8230;wow). I use QuickLoad and the Optimal Barrel Time formula to determine which zone works best per bullet and then keep shooting until I find the perfection around a zone and then I work on seating depth (if you are not familiar with this technology, look it up - OBT is free).

I would like to share my secrets on how I it finally shoots well. First of all, before taking a single shot with the new rifle, I had the rifle professionally blueprinted. I had the stock glass bedded, I had the bolt worked, and I had the fore-end under the barrel opened up so it free floated better. The break-in process was carefully done, cleaning after every shot for the first 20, then every other for the next 20. There is absolutely no copper fouling of any sort. I have even had the barrel scoped - it is sparkling clean but the lands engage in an oblong pattern, not equally like a quality barrel would. The crown is flawless. I shoot two 5 shots groups and clean every time. I shoot 2 shots to foul and let the barrel get absolutely cold before grouping.

Fix#1: Bolt tension - the rear bolt must be exactly 45 inch pounds and the front bolt exactly 50 inch pounds. After having it worked on (the second time to re-do the fore end clearance), I was shooting 2-1/2" groups at 100 when before couldn't shoot the same ½" groups. It took months to figure out the bolt tension thing. Any more tension, the bolt will not close, any less, it shoots like srap. The riflesmith had the tension different when he returned it.

Fix#2 Barnes bullets- I can shoot consistent 1 ¼" groups at 200 all day long with Barnes 168gr VLD hunting bullets. Much better bullets= much better results. OBT zone 6 was practically perfect on the first attempt.

Fix#3 The stock - it is squishy! If you have any pressure on it, it can touch the barrel and that WILL hose our groups. Be sure you are truly free floating when shooting groups.

This is my long range hunting rifle which has killed two antelope so far. With consistent 1-1/4" groups, I'll keep this thing, but I swear I HATE THIS RIFLE. I do not like hunting with Barnes "hunting" exploding bullets. All the other brands of bullets I've tried give me 3-4" groups at 200 which doesn't work in the 500+ yard game I prefer. I'm trying the Swift bonded line next&#8230; I will never, ever, ever buy any browning rifles again. Next purchase: G.A. Precision Crusader - I'm done tying to polish a turd.


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## KurtR

Did you mean berger 168 grn bullets? As barnes does not make a .284 168. If that is all it takes to shoot i would just get gun built with all that time and effort. With that much cleaning it should be wore out in short order. To much cleaning does damage also. I broke my rem 700 in by shooting it shoot some more and then if groups open up clean it and that takes about 15 minutes and back to shooting. Best i have done is 6.5 inch 10 shot group at 500 with no cooling just shooting(gun is better than shooter i need more practice). That was off bipods and back pack there are no mechanical rests in the field. All that just to get a factory stick to shoot, better off getting a savage :wink:


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## inSeattle

Yes - correct, I mixed up the brands while typing - oops. The best accuracy was from the Berger 168 gr VLD. The Barnes 150 gr bullets sucked for accuracy. However, the Bergers will explode on contact, so if I were to hit a shoulder bone, it may not make it to the vitals. The Barnes are tremendous for killing and wouldn't stop at a bone, but the accuracy stinks.

In the past few weeks I have been experimenting with the Swift Scirocco II 150 gr .284 and I am very, very happy. I've had a single 3 shot group at just under 1/2" at 200 yards which is even better than the Berger 168 by a lot! Other groups were not as good so I need some more range time to work on the load. I cut open the Scirocco and the wall is very thick, a fantastic design and will be great on animals. Lastly, I'm not sure I agree cleaning is hard on a barrel.


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## KurtR

I think many dead animals will disagree that the berger explodes.


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## MLM date

Not sure what you did with you x bolt and why it shot bad but out of the box with my 243 topped with a burris 4.5-14 x42 I sited in at 100 yards and put 6 for 6 on a metal gong at 600 yards hope you keep shooting browning makes a hell of a gun.


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## Plainsman

inseattle, I had a guy ask me to look at his Browning Stainless Stalker. His forward action bolt was to long. When he tightened it he could not work the bolt. When he loosened it he couldn't hit anyting. I just ground the bolt down and everything worked great. He picked the gun up used, and cheap. Someone dumped it to fast I think. Anyway, the problem sounds a lot like yours.


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## jk3hunter

I'm a fan of the older Belgian brownings my brother owns a Belgian BLR which shoots great for its purpose and we love it. It is tough for me to get my head around the fact that they are made in Japan. I may be biased but I will always choose an American brand over any other country.


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## Plainsman

1.


> Belgian brownings


2.


> I will always choose an American brand over any other country


  You may want to rethink what you just said.  American made would be Savage, Thompson Center, Ruger, Winchester, and Remington etc. Even then some may be imported, I'm not sure.

Anyway, I agree the old Belgian was a good firearm, but I also know Japan makes some excellent steel. The only problem I can see is that today all of these companies are cutting corners to keep costs down. The latest Belgians I think is the reason Browning has them made in Japan today.


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## jk3hunter

They all should be American except for Savage which are made in Canada. But that is close enough for me


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## Plainsman

jk3hunter said:


> They all should be American except for Savage which are made in Canada. But that is close enough for me


That jolted me awake. I went to the Savage site just to check and found this


> : Savage has opened a factory in Canada to produce all .22 rim-fire rifles


I would have really been disappointed if their centerfires were made there. I couldn't find anything other than Utica, New York, and wood stocks in Connecticut for them. Have you ever seen information that there are centerfires made in Canada? I sure hope not.

Anyway, I was just giving you a hard time about the American made, since the old Belgium Brownings were made in Belgium.


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## jk3hunter

haha no Plainsman you are correct I have a Savage 17HMR that is why I said Canada. I didnt think that the centerfires were made there I believe Utica is where those are made.


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## Plainsman

jk3hunter said:


> haha no Plainsman you are correct I have a Savage 17HMR that is why I said Canada. I didnt think that the centerfires were made there I believe Utica is where those are made.


I would really have been disappointed if Savage had everything made in Canada. It's tough to tell what's made in the U S sometimes. I had a 1984 Chevy and about 70% of the parts were Mexican and some Canadian. Then I bought a Toyota Camry and parts are made in Japan, but they are assembled in the United States. It turns out more American labor was in the Toyota.


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## viking

The X Bolt in question could have a twist issue when it was made. Just saying. I sighted a new X bolt in once, it had a Leupold mounted and I used Barnes factory 140 grainers (7mm mag). That combo was a treat to work with. 2 shots and done....


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## dirtytree

Japanese steel made samurai swords for centuries (some of the strongest & most refined steel in the world today, and way beyond comparison back then). I wouldn't say they're incapable of quality products.


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## jk3hunter

I know they are they make some fine motorcycles. as for guns i prefer american


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## Lee Rabbit

I am a Marine qualified expert rifleman, not saying I'm a Marine Sniper, I wouldn't dare, those guys are freaking amazing, but I know how to shoot is my point. I recently purchased a Browning X-Bolt in .308 caliber and I must concur that this is the worst grouping rifle I have ever owned. I have tried Federal, Hornady, Remington, and Winchester ammunition and can't get anything to group worth a crap. I know that Browning makes high quality firearms, but I am questioning my decision to leave remington. I have to believe that I haven't found the bullet that this gun likes, can anyone tell me what brand, bullet type and weight they have used that shots well in their X-Bolt? I am not making judgement on this rifle yet, but I am close. I have not contacted Browning, but from what I have read on this forum it won't do me any good. I deer hunt with this rifle so i am not looking for a target rifle, only looking for a quality round that will provide good kill shots out to 300 hundred yds. THanks for your input.


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## KurtR

168 grn hornady amax loaded to mag length pushed by 45 grains of varget wlr primer. not max load but work up to it to be safe. It shoots will under moa out of the rem vtr and have not found a .308 that does not like the amax with varget. It will kill well beyond 300 yds. Just worked up a ttsx load for a guys .270 wsm xbolt that would not shoot worth a crap. Gave him the 100yd target and was pleased with the 1 inch 5 shot group. It was amazing what a half a grain of powder would affect . not going to list that load as it is well over book max but still shows no presure signs.


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## Lee Rabbit

Thanks for the info, I will get the ingredients and give it a shot when I get time. I will be sure to let you know how it works out. Thanks again for sharing what i am sure took allot of time to come up with. LR


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## burroughs

I know this is old but i did have problems with my 300 win mag stainless stalker x bolt, but the only problem was spending money on different ammo to see what it liked. But thats typical after purchasing a new rifle. I probably spent hundreds on different ammo. I was getting really frustrated and my pocket was taking a beating. Then I decided to try that ugly green box. Remington Core Lokts, Pointed Soft Points 180 grain. I couldnt beleive my eyes. The bullet hole edges were touching each other at 100 yards. I was on a led sled though. Helps a lot when testing because this gun kicks hard. This is to be my moose gun, so i was extremly happy with the results. Core lokts are a great hunting round and it shoots great out my gun. My hunting ranges are in the 50 to 250 ranges. I love this set up!!!
Its too bad when people dont realize that they have to experiment first and test to find out which ammo works best with there particular rifle!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## scorpiont52

snowshoe said:


> Hello I'm new to the forum like the fellow who started this thread. I bought a Browning X bolt last summer, the carbon model in 7 WSM. I am having accuracy problems. The guns shoot OK but isn't a tack driver. I have several other guns that do shoot very accurately, one being a Browning single shot in 7 MM Rem Mag. That shoots ½ groups or better depending on my shooting. It shoots 2 5/8 inch groups at 500 yards.
> 
> I broke the gun as per the article mentioned earlier in the thread. The best that I have been able to get out of it consistently is 1.5 inch groups. I have tried quite few loads, bullet brands and weights. It likes Nosler Accubonds the best but is always fussy. Most of the loads shoot fairly close shot to shot velocities but it doesn't translate in to tight groups on the paper. I am a very careful hand loader, let the barrel cool between shots and groups etc. and am puzzled why I can't get this gun to shot consistently. The gun will group under an inch once in a while but the next couple of groups will spread again. The best groups have always been with a cold barrel. Another interesting point is that I have never got much copper fouling. I have put 240 rounds through it and have almost no copper fouling. I have never had a barrel that has had so little fouling. Any one have any thoughts.
> 
> Thanks Brian


did you check your stock and see if its pinching barrel you say it shoots good on cold barrel, well check to see if barrel get warm and maybe flexes and touches stock and cause a bind


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## Fire fox

I have read the post on the X-Bolt and was very interested in the post. However, I wonder if he had a problem with Browning due to an attitude problem on the contact. I have had great results from them. My wife bought me a 7mm mag X-Bolt Stalker stainless steel for a present. ( My wife is great to me) The rifle has been one of the most accurate rifles out of the box I have had but i did follow the break in procedures I always use in all of my other rifles. It has never shot less than a 1 inch group and with its favorite reloads it has always shot under .75 inches. I have been testing it for almost a year now and two loads stand out. the 139 gr hornady interbond with RL 22 and the 162 gr sst with the same powder. I am retired and have the advantage of being able to shoot a lot at very long ranges here in the mountains. Ranges are varying from 100 yds to 1000 yds. The X bolt is shooting great groups even at 1000 yds of from 2 in to 7 in depending on me and the wind and weather and luck. None of the bullets have keyholed at all. I have shot many groups at the 300 to 500 yd mark the groups have been in the 2 to 4 inch range. I recently tried the 139 gr GMX bullet with RL22 and it is as accurate as the previously mentioned bullets. This rifle has been doing well with H4831 but the velocity has been low. With the GMX and interbond 134 gr with RL22 the velocity has been above 3200 fps and the 162 gr has been above 3000 ( this has been the best long range bullet). The only thing I do not really like about the rifle is the trigger pull. It is too heavy a trigger for me and I am sending it to a gunsmith to improve it for me. Please do not take this as a cut on Browning but I like a very light pull.I have , in the past used Savage, Remington, and Weatherby rifles with great results and now can add the browning X- Bolt to my favorite rifle. The weight and the balance of the rifle are like a dream to me. Hope this helps.


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## Fire fox

Hope this helps with the 7mm WSM. I have worked with 5 rifles in the caliber and found all of them particular on their loads. Overall I have found that the best powder in each case for this caliber has been RL15. The best primer has been CCI 250.I have tried many combinations and had problems with consistancy until using these two things. Bullets have been another problem in them . In this the 139 gr interbond,140 gr nosler accubond and 140 gr partition have been best.All of the other brands have not done as well. However for extreme long range the 162 gr sst with RL22 and the 180 gr VLT with RL25 has been great. I was greatly suprised about the partition bullet because it has not been known for really great accuracy although a great hunting bullet. All of the bullets and powder/primer combinations have resulted in consistant 1 inch and under groups. This has been the hardest caliber to get to shoot well for me.I hope this helps.


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## Fire fox

Sorry I made a mistake on the 7mmWSM post. I miss typed RL15 and ment RL19. RL19 has been the best overall powder and followed by RL22 and Rl25 only in the two incidents mentioned. Again sorry hope this helps someone.


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## johnnylw

I recently acquired a Browning X bolt 300 Win Mag w/a Zeiss Conquest 4-14-44 and when I went to the range I was able to zero @100 yds 1.5" 3 shot group.
When I moved out to 200 yds my groups were horrible. I was shooting 180gr Remington core lokts and Winchester supremes.
I waited for @least 5 min between shots and could never get a decent pattern.
I have purchased a limb saver barrel dampner and a box of 165gr.Barnes VOT-TX I have given the rifle a thorough cleaning and am planning another trip to the range. 
I also had my Remington Sendero in 300RUM and had no problems shooting three different types of ammo, all 180gr.
I was using a lead sled and am really baffled rather disappointed by the performance of the X bolt.
Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,


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## KurtR

first the limb saver black gummy thing is a joke if it worked the best shooters in the world would use it they don't. What were your groups at 200 if you had 1.5" 100 probally have about 3 at 200. Out of the few I have messed with only one has been satisfactory and that was with 130 tsx that I hand loaded for it and took a little tuning to get right. what did you use to mount the scope I would start there first then check you chamber length and see how far the boolits are jumping. I would not expect much more than an inch from the core lokts and what grain of winny surpremes were you shooting? is the stock touching any where are the action screws all tightened. how fouled up is the bbl I would give it a good cleaning also.


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## johnnylw

I was surprised how clean the bore actually was when I cleaned it. I have never used one of the barrel dampness, but am sorta grasping. I would say the groups at 200 were more like 6". And everywhere. I removed the stock and am not very impressed with the cheaply looking plastic stock, didn't really notice anything like pressure points and was able to slide three bills between the barrel and stock. I'm leaving next week to Col. And was wanting to use the 300 win as primary rifle, but unless I can group better this Tues I may take a 7mm or 270 as backup and use the Sendero as primary. The scope is mounted witth Leupold rings and bases and properly torqued with red loctite. This isn't the first time I have had issues with the Winchester ammo, but Both core locts and ballistic tip, leads me back to the rifle. I'm gonna move back in to 100 yds zero again and try to move back out.


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## bgraftaas

Every gun company makes a lemon occasionally, but I've always had great luck with Brownings, and I'd be surprised if they didn't stand behind them. I've got two Browning A-bolts (.223 and .270) and love them, and a Browning Eurobolt in 7mm Rem Mag, and it's my favorite rifle. I did pick up an X-bolt in .25-06 a while back. Fit and finish are nice, but haven't had time to get any real range time in with it yet.


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## confusedsoul

Mine is super consistent with factory hornady ammo. I've shot as good as .33 CTC for 3 rounds so far. Also had good luck with Nosler's Ballistic Tip in Federals ammo but have only had one box of those.


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