Browning’s X-Bolt has develop into among the finest flagship bolt rifle fashions of our period, and this yr, they’ve up to date it with the X-Bolt 2. The X-Bolt 2 isn’t all that totally different from the unique, however some adjustments embrace bolt fluting that permits extra floor space contact between the receiver and bolt physique for smoother operation and adoption of a brand new, cleaner-breaking DLX set off. Base fashions are available a user-adjustable Vari-tech inventory however, as with the present X-Bolt line, the up to date motion is being supplied in plenty of tiered variations. A brand new addition to the road I used to be excited to see is the inclusion of carbon-wrapped barrels from Most well-liked Barrel Blanks. A present development in light-weight searching rifles is to go along with a brief 18- or 20-inch barrel topped with a suppressor and a target-style or folding chassis inventory and the X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber is simply such a gun — I couldn’t wait to get my grubby mitts on one.
Browning X Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber Specs
- Cartridges: 6.5 Creedmoor (examined), .308 Win., 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, 7mm PRC, .300 Win. Magazine., .300 PRC
- Barrel: 18 inches, stainless, carbon-wrapped, 1:7 twist, threaded 5/8-24
- Receiver: X-Bolt 2, Cerakote end
- Inventory: McMillan Sport Warden 2.0
- Set off: Browning DLX, 3 kilos, 2 ounces (measured)
- Weight: 5 kilos, 13 ounces (measured)
- Worth: $3,999
Key Options
- Up to date bolt and receiver for smoother motion
- New Browning DLX adjustable set off
- McMillan foam/carbon-fiber inventory has a thick vertical grip
- 18-inch Most well-liked carbon-wrapped barrel
- Muzzle threaded for suppressor or included brake
- Rotary journal
- Aluminum Picatinny rail for mounting bipod
- Q.D. sling sockets
Overview Highlights
- Compact and lightweight
- Wonderful accuracy
- Nice set off
- Optimized for searching with a suppressor
- Ejecting instances nonetheless ding the Cerakote on the receiver
- Accuracy: .692 inches (common of 59 5-shot teams with 12 sorts of ammo)
Configuration as Examined
High Performing Ammunition
The Browning X-Bolt 2: Delicate Modifications To Make A Good Motion Higher
The X-Bolt’s tenure as a dominant flagship rifle mannequin is justified by efficiency. For mass-production weapons, they’re reliably good-quality, accurate-shooting rifles. Even contemplating all the road extensions and upgraded fashions, the fundamental X-Bolt remains to be a unbelievable searching rifle. Each customary and a number of the heavier-barreled fashions are fairly correct and firmly rooted within the mid-priced rifle class. For the X-Bolt 2, there’s no motive to ditch one thing that works so nicely, and a few easy design adjustments solely elevate the platform. Listed here are the fundamentals on what has been up to date:
Receiver-Bolt Interface
The X-Bolt has at all times been a comparatively clean motion, however it may generally bind or really feel sticky. To scale back wobble and make the motion smoother, Browning has barely lengthened the rear portion of the motion to create extra bearing floor with the bolt. They’ve additionally thickened the highest of the receiver to provide the scope mounting screws a stronger connection.
Re-designed Ejection Port
The brand new X-Bolt 2 receiver has a barely re-designed ejection port that’s angled to enlarge the opening on the backside of the port fairly than the squared entrance and rear edges that the unique X-Bolt has. The X-Bolt 2 receiver remains to be simply Cerakote-finished metal. It’s stable and dependable, however I’d actually wish to see them dabble with titanium X-bolt actions.
![X-Bolt 2 6.5 Creedmoor ejection port](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2217.jpg)
DLX Set off
The X-Bolt 2 comes with Browning’s new DLX set off that’s user-adjustable — although you will need to disassemble the gun — and cuts any set off slop or overtravel all the way down to nothing. It’s a pleasantly crisp-breaking set off that’s adjustable down to three kilos. Mine got here set just some ounces heavier than that, and I had no motive to vary it.
Vari-Tech Inventory
Although the X-Bolt 2 Professional fashions have totally different shares, the bottom fashions of the brand new X-Bolt have the brand new Vari-tech inventory that has adjustable size of pull, comb top, and grip angle. It has comparable ergonomics as earlier X-Bolt shares, however with extra adjustability.
The X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber: What Goes Into A $4,000 Manufacturing Rifle?
If there’s something {that a} discerning hunter may choke on in relation to this top-tier X-Bolt, it’s the worth. There’s no two methods about it, $4,000 is a whole lot of coin. That may make it a rifle that it’s a must to thoughtfully save for, however we’ve obtained to see what we’re getting earlier than making that judgment. This gun goals to suit into a powerful class of premium searching rifles from corporations like Allterra Arms, Proof Research, Seekins Precision, and Weatherby that fall into comparable (or larger) worth ranges. Clients are prepared to pay for high quality, however the gun has obtained to deliver the products. For me, to ensure that a $4,000 rifle to justify its worth, it must be practically good. However what goes right into a premium searching rifle?
McMillan Sport Warden 2.0 Inventory
One of many premium parts that this rifle sports activities is a Sport Warden 2.0 inventory made by McMillan. It’s a foam core wrapped in carbon fiber, and weighs only one pound, 12 ounces. Regardless of its feathery really feel, this inventory neatly incorporates ergonomic options of a goal inventory to make the rifle extra manageable. Many ultralight searching rifles — the Christensen Ridgeline FFT Ti for instance — use conventional grip profiles and thin forends, and they’re powerful to shoot precisely and persistently.
![Browning X-Bolt McMillan](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2215.jpg)
The thick vertical grip, reverse comb, and large goal forend on this Browning X-Bolt 2 present the shooter with a greater grip, extra steady platform, and extra constant head place. Regardless of being gentle, the rifle sits securely on baggage and, whether or not on a bipod, or braced, the grip aids with low-torque, rearward stress and a constant set off squeeze. The fats grip fills the hand, and each it and the forend have tough, grippy texturing. There are gently scalloped-out thumb rests alongside both facet of the tang that place the thumb for optimum grip stress and to simply manipulate the tang security. As an entire, these options give the shooter a significantly better sense of management and stability when capturing from varied positions than you’ll get with many ultralight rifles.
Below the hood, the Sport Warden 2.0 Inventory on this X-Bolt 2 comes fitted with two aluminum bedding pillars. The rear pillar, simply behind the journal, has a portion hogged away due to how shut the rear motion screw is to the journal. On prime, the inventory has bedding compound round each pillars, within the recoil lug recess, and a dab underneath the rearmost portion of the barrel. It’s not a full-tilt bedding job, however sufficient to make sure a repeatable, constant match.
![Bedding in X-bolt 2 McMillan Stock](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2221.jpg)
Writers Don’t Get Cherry-Picked Rifles
One subject I did encounter with the inventory dispels the parable that writers get hand-picked samples to review. The concept being that standard manufacturing fashions might be of lesser high quality or produce worse accuracy than these “ringers.” Based mostly on the small dents within the receiver’s Cerakote end behind the ejection port, I may inform that this pre-production rifle had been fired fairly a bit — probably a SHOT present demo gun. At early phases of manufacturing, samples aren’t at all times available. A nit-picky draw back of the X-Bolt is that, no less than with some cartridges, ejecting brass case necks are inclined to strike the rear portion of the receiver, chipping away on the end.
A problem I rapidly encountered was unreliable feeding, that I suspected may simply be {a magazine} subject. A brand new magazine didn’t repair it, so I tore the gun down and investigated additional. Finally, I discovered that the inletting on the underside of the inventory (probably a McMillan subject, not Browning) had left the underside of the rear bedding pillar (and the froth round it) extending too far down. With out screws, the underside metallic was high-centered and teetered on the rear pillar as an alternative of becoming evenly and flush. This prevented the journal from being held tightly towards the receiver. I rigorously eliminated a few sixteenth of an inch from the underside facet of the pillar and surrounding foam floor with a file, and the problem was cured.
Although this actually was a minor subject, a $4,000 rifle shouldn’t get out the door with that form of becoming downside. Browning would do nicely to control that as rifles roll out.
![bedding pillars on Browning X-Bolt 2 McMillan](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2223.jpg)
A Premium Light-weight Barrel
An awesome barrel is vital to a good-shooting rifle and, although we will generally be pleasantly shocked by cheaper weapons which are actual shooters, persistently great-shooting barrels are dearer. The carbon-wrapped variations are much more costly. These are the primary X-Bolts to be supplied with carbon-wrapped barrels — a function that has been steadily rising in reputation for hunters who need premium accuracy and the related weight financial savings they supply. On these X-Bolt 2 rifles, Browning is utilizing barrels from Most well-liked Barrel Blanks, one other firm based mostly in Utah. The stainless/carbon barrel on my pattern is eighteen inches lengthy, threaded in ⅝-24 on the muzzle, and has a gently sloping goal crown.
I’ve executed a ton of capturing with this rifle, and have famous that it dissipates warmth rapidly — not all carbon-wrapped barrels are created equal. Additionally, it doesn’t appear to ever accumulate a lot fouling. I attempt to keep fairly constant barrel circumstances when testing totally different ammo, and I’ve discovered this barrel to scrub in a short time and it hasn’t ever constructed up a lot copper fouling in any respect. Even once I first acquired it — after being shot who is aware of what number of instances, there wasn’t actually any copper to take away after I swabbed and brushed the carbon fouling out.
Different X-Bolt 2 Fare
Many options of the X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber might be acquainted to X-Bolt shooters. It has a ahead/backward sliding tang security and a security override button on the bolt that permits you to open the bolt whereas the protection is engaged. In any other case, the bolt stays locked. LIke different X-Bolts, this rifle has a brief 60-degree bolt throw to open its 3-lug motion. Each motion screws are ahead of the set off guard, straddling the journal, and are specified to be torqued to 35 inch-pounds.
As talked about earlier, this mannequin makes use of the usual X-Bolt rotary journal, however another fashions make the most of AICS-pattern magazines. Manufacturing rifles of this suppressor-ready mannequin are to ship with one-piece Picatinny rails. Mine didn’t, however I truly want the light-weight Talley base/ring combo for a rifle like this. An enormous one-piece base simply provides additional weight.
The Embodiment of a Trendy Searching Rifle
The desires and whims of hunters fluctuate continuously, however all of us appear to worth the identical searching rifle traits — albeit in various proportions. Accuracy, weight, ergonomics, and dealing with traits are all essential, and hunters have at all times been required to begrudgingly settle for trade-offs. A sheep hunter should sacrifice some accuracy, ergonomics, or shootability if they need the lightest rifle doable to pack by way of the mountains. Hunters who don’t cowl as a lot floor on their ft are sometimes OK with a heavy, extra cumbersome rifle due to its precision. Nowadays, the traces between these beforehand impartial attributes, and the sacrifices required, are getting blurry.
In the event you’d have advised me 20 years in the past that I’d see a sub-6-pound rifle with a McMillan target-style inventory that was extra correct that any rifle I’d ever fired on the time, I’d name you loopy. However it’s the reality. It is a rifle that’s simply as suited to carrying in a backpack as pounding metal plates off a tripod. It’s not awkward to hold single-handed underneath the motion, and it’s a rock-solid shooter in a wide range of positions.
![X-bolt 2 McMillan stock grip](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2224.jpg)
Alongside the exponential improve within the reputation of suppressors for searching rifles, a notable development has been to make use of shorter barrels that may be fitted with a suppressor and stay inside an inexpensive total size. Reducing down the size of your barrel does come at a value in velocity, however inside cheap searching ranges, that doesn’t matter a lot. In the event you’re taking photographs the place that additional two or 4 inches of barrel size imply the distinction between success and failure, I’d encourage you to rethink what you’re doing.
I did virtually all my capturing with a Banish Backcountry and Silencerco Scythe Ti suppressor, and in comparison with my 26-inch barreled Ruger Precision Rifle, the 18-inch-barreled X-Bolt 2 averaged about 100 fps slower when evaluating the identical hundreds — that’s not important. For testing, I topped the rifle with an older Leupold Mark 4 ER/T 6.5-20 x 50mm scope, however as a searching rig, I’d choose a light-weight scope that topped out at round 14x magnification at most. I’d be completely proud of this rifle carrying a Leupold VX3HD 2.5-10x40mm CDS scope. Even with the unnecessarily heavy scope, bipod, and suppressor, the gun weighs solely 9 kilos, 8 ounces, with an total size of 43.75 inches.
![Receiver of X-Bolt 2 receiver chipping](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2216.jpg)
Accuracy Testing the Browning X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber
I’ve already stated that this rifle is correct, however how correct? I recorded an extreme quantity of information with this X-Bolt 2 — partly as a result of I couldn’t cease myself from capturing it. It shot so nicely that I impulsively used it to check each manufacturing unit and hand-rolled 6.5 Creedmoor load I had available. In complete, I recorded 59 5-shot teams with 12 several types of ammo. These all averaged out to a bunch dimension of .692 inches. That’s unimaginable.
As a part of our ever-continuing efforts to enhance the standard and informative worth of our accuracy knowledge, the OL gun crew has begun incorporating bigger group pattern sizes and extra informative accuracy metrics like mean radius. A whole lot of the information I amassed with this rifle was used to fine-tune and higher perceive how these two issues can create a high-definition image of a rifle’s accuracy and the function every shot performs. That is useful to see variations in ammunition and rifles, but additionally debunks a whole lot of myths and small-sample illusions.
The very best-shooting load I examined on this rifle was Federal Premium’s 143-grain Hornady ELD-X load. This load averaged .585-inch 5-shot teams, and I recorded a 30-shot mixture group dimension of .806 inches with a imply radius of .229 inches. Second to that, Federal Gold Medal Center Strike 140-grain OTM load averaged .664-inch 5-shot teams. It had a barely smaller excessive unfold for its 30-shot group at .762 inches, however its imply radius was a hair bigger at .249 inches. That bigger imply radius signifies that photographs had been distributed farther from the middle of the group on common however, on this case, we are actually splitting hairs. They’re each excellent-shooting hundreds.
Barely much less correct, the budget-priced Freedom Munitions 140-grain BTHP Match load averaged .968-inch 5-shot teams, and printed a 20-shot group of 1.523 inches with a imply radius of .395 inches. That signifies that the common shot impacted .395 inches from the middle of the group over these 20 photographs. Nonetheless not dangerous.
The takeaway right here is that you just most likely received’t discover a extra correct hunting-weight, compact rifle. In the event you do, you higher not let it go. Rifles that may shoot some tight teams are widespread, however gentle, compact rifles that may do it each single time are unusual.
![Browning X-Bolt 2 Accuracy](https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_2220.jpg)
What the Browning X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber Does Properly
This Browning X-Bolt 2 successfully combines goal rifle accuracy and ergonomics with the advantages of a lightweight mountain rifle. It’s fantastically correct and pleasingly simple to shoot for a rifle that weighs so little. It’s an ideal suppressor host and searching rifle for the trendy age.
The place the Browning X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon May Be Higher
I don’t have complaints about this rifle, aside from the lengthy identify. Contemplating the hefty price ticket although, I’d wish to see a bit of bit tighter match tolerances between the inventory and metallic, and I’d like an answer to the chipping end from ejecting brass. The becoming downside of my backside metallic was a problem, however I don’t anticipate that to be one thing that’s encountered on common manufacturing fashions — so it’s not a motive to interrupt out the pitchforks.
Last Ideas on the Browning X-Bolt 2 Professional McMillan SPR Carbon
With the worth of premium rifles comes excessive expectations. Like I stated, for what many of those rifles go for, I anticipate perfection (or as shut as doable). For that motive, a few of my critiques might sound harsh, however they’re actually all little issues that I most likely wouldn’t hassle to handle with mid-priced rifles. Whether or not they’re deal-breakers is as much as you. Are there ways in which this rifle may very well be a bit of bit higher? Certain, however that doesn’t change the truth that I actually, actually like this gun. You’ll be laborious pressed to purchase or construct the same rifle that shoots any higher, and it’s unquestionably my favourite X-Bolt but.