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Old 02-16-2012, 02:45 PM
LeonH LeonH is offline
 
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Default Browning X Bolt 30-06

I am planing to purchase my first hunting rifle and have been researching some options.

X Bolt 30-06 white gold medallion really is making me drool. Anyone has any advice on X-Bolts?

I am open to other options to try out as well, so keep them coming.

Thanks in advance.
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  #2  
Old 02-16-2012, 02:54 PM
schian schian is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonH View Post
I am planing to purchase my first hunting rifle and have been researching some options.

X Bolt 30-06 white gold medallion really is making me drool. Anyone has any advice on X-Bolts?

I am open to other options to try out as well, so keep them coming.

Thanks in advance.
i bought my first rifle last year and figured since i didn't have a lot of experience at all with shooting, i didn't need something too fancy at all
any rifle out there will shoot more accurately than i am skilled enough to do, so i decided to go with a cheaper package
i bought the savage 111 package (with scope) in .30-06
guys will go on about how crappy they are, but i had no problem taking my first ever animal (a little whitey buck) down with it last year
another reason i went with it, was the money factor, im not exactly loaded
so if you have the cash, go for the x-bolt! if i could have had any rifle without completely breaking the bank tho, i would have gone with the winchester model 70 or remington 700
either way, good luck!
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Old 02-16-2012, 03:35 PM
Boxer-O Boxer-O is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by schian View Post
i bought my first rifle last year and figured since i didn't have a lot of experience at all with shooting, i didn't need something too fancy at all
any rifle out there will shoot more accurately than i am skilled enough to do, so i decided to go with a cheaper package
i bought the savage 111 package (with scope) in .30-06
guys will go on about how crappy they are, but i had no problem taking my first ever animal (a little whitey buck) down with it last year
another reason i went with it, was the money factor, im not exactly loaded
so if you have the cash, go for the x-bolt! if i could have had any rifle without completely breaking the bank tho, i would have gone with the winchester model 70 or remington 700
either way, good luck!
People may call them "crappy" but the Savages are the best bang for the buck from what I can tell. And the Savage Team has been doing better than most guys shooting custom rifles in the major Canadian and Us shooting competitions out to 1000 yds. The rifle will probably be better than you're able to shoot it right away, so if down the road you want an upgrade you'll get to play with something new.
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Old 02-16-2012, 04:00 PM
schian schian is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Boxer-O View Post
The rifle will probably be better than you're able to shoot it right away, so if down the road you want an upgrade you'll get to play with something new.
my thoughts exactly...
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  #5  
Old 02-16-2012, 04:05 PM
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Jamie Black R/T Jamie Black R/T is offline
 
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buy the xbolt if you can afford it....so many things that are just done well with them...stock design is superb...great recoil pad....fantastic trigger...glass bedded all from the factory!

not even to mention the rotary mag and 60 bolt lift

love my xbolt
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Old 02-16-2012, 04:09 PM
fish_e_o fish_e_o is offline
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love my xbolt

yup!!!
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Old 02-17-2012, 05:20 AM
AMisler AMisler is offline
 
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I have 2 x-bolts. A composite stalker in a 30-06 and a varmint special in a .22-250. I've shouldered the rem 700's, the tikka t3's, the crappy savages, they can't compare to a xbolt..x bolt feels way nicer. there will be another xbolt coming to my collection soon.
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Old 02-17-2012, 01:12 PM
LeonH LeonH is offline
 
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I do not like wasting money but at the same time whatever I choose most likely I will keep for very long time. That is where my logic was when thinking to pay more for X-Bolt and have higher possibility of being satisfied with my purchase.

The rifle will have to feel right as well.
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Old 02-17-2012, 01:44 PM
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Jamie Black R/T Jamie Black R/T is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonH View Post
I do not like wasting money but at the same time whatever I choose most likely I will keep for very long time. That is where my logic was when thinking to pay more for X-Bolt and have higher possibility of being satisfied with my purchase.

The rifle will have to feel right as well.
i wanted to get into a 243 earlier this year and after looking at MANY used options for sale on here and even considering a savage axis, I just said screw it and ponied up, bought a stainless synthetic Xbolt and am fully satisfied with it.

go get it...you will love it.
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Old 02-17-2012, 02:41 PM
AMisler AMisler is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Jamie Black R/T View Post
go get it...you will love it.
X2

That's why im going for my third
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  #11  
Old 02-17-2012, 03:08 PM
foxhunter540 foxhunter540 is offline
 
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i have a a-bolt 30-06 with muzzle break love it browning makes great stuff
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  #12  
Old 02-18-2012, 01:17 AM
karolko karolko is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AMisler View Post
I have 2 x-bolts. A composite stalker in a 30-06 and a varmint special in a .22-250. I've shouldered the rem 700's, the tikka t3's, the crappy savages, they can't compare to a xbolt..x bolt feels way nicer. there will be another xbolt coming to my collection soon.
AMisler, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind comparing the Browning X Bolt with the 700, T3 and Savages, as i am also debating on what will be my first hunting rifle.

Have you fired all four of these rifles, or have you just felt them out.

Thanks alot,

Adrian
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  #13  
Old 02-18-2012, 05:32 AM
LeonH LeonH is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karolko View Post
AMisler, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind comparing the Browning X Bolt with the 700, T3 and Savages, as i am also debating on what will be my first hunting rifle.

Have you fired all four of these rifles, or have you just felt them out.

Thanks alot,

Adrian
Hi Adrian,

Are you sill wide open or are you leaning towards a certain rifle? What caliber are you going with?

Leon
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  #14  
Old 02-18-2012, 06:31 AM
marv243 marv243 is offline
 
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Default browning fan

Iam i big browning fan, had a 30-06, 300wm, and just got my 308 last night, i have had meny rifles but the browning is the best. The tikka is a nice rifle but a little lite for me, The remington has done nothing but go down hill in the past few years.Hope this will help you , good luck hunting..
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Old 02-18-2012, 07:52 AM
AMisler AMisler is offline
 
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Adrian, I was in your shoes two years ago. I went out and shouldered each different model and played with the actions. Was specifically looking for a synthetic stock 30-06 with a detachable mag.

I shouldered the tikka, felt like the stock was from a toy gun. The action was really smooth but wasnt a fan of detachable mag. They are factory guarantees with a 1" group @ 100 yards.

I shouldered the remington 700 next. Great gun, stock and action were both really nice. I liked the style of the detachable mag too. I had heard a few things about lawsuits regarding the safety on the rem 700's that turned me away. But what you hear isn't always true!!

I shouldered the browning last because it was the most expensive of the three at the time. Right off the bat, I noticed the stock. They have almost a rubber finish on the stock that feels great in the hand, and the recoil pad is comfortable against the shoulder. The bolt is the next thing I noticed, it doesn't lift near as high as the rem or tikka. The detachable mag was really nice too.

If you want to shoot mine, let me know. For the rem and tikka, I can't help you.
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Old 02-18-2012, 11:02 AM
karolko karolko is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AMisler View Post
Adrian, I was in your shoes two years ago. I went out and shouldered each different model and played with the actions. Was specifically looking for a synthetic stock 30-06 with a detachable mag.

I shouldered the tikka, felt like the stock was from a toy gun. The action was really smooth but wasnt a fan of detachable mag. They are factory guarantees with a 1" group @ 100 yards.

I shouldered the remington 700 next. Great gun, stock and action were both really nice. I liked the style of the detachable mag too. I had heard a few things about lawsuits regarding the safety on the rem 700's that turned me away. But what you hear isn't always true!!

I shouldered the browning last because it was the most expensive of the three at the time. Right off the bat, I noticed the stock. They have almost a rubber finish on the stock that feels great in the hand, and the recoil pad is comfortable against the shoulder. The bolt is the next thing I noticed, it doesn't lift near as high as the rem or tikka. The detachable mag was really nice too.

If you want to shoot mine, let me know. For the rem and tikka, I can't help you.

AMisler,

Thanks fro the reply, i am still trying to decide what caliber i am going to use, but i am mainly trying to deciding between the 7mm Mag and a 30-06. I do not plan on doing alot of reloading myself so i like the fact that there are soo many different powder/bullet combinations available for the 30-06, ( i don't know if there is as many for the 7mm Mag)

I will be mainly hunting deer with the occasional Elk and Moose so i think the 7mm Mag might be too much of a rifle as a dominantly deer rifle.

I personallylike walking alot of bush when hunting so the weight of the X-bolt is very appealing and from the reviews i have read, the recoil is very nice with the recoil pad.

Thank you for the comparison of the Rem and Tikka. It helps alot. I too like the detachable Mag and the bolt safety feature. i would like to go with a wood stock butwould prefer a stainless barrel.

As for your offer to try your rifle, I would love to have some first hand experience with a rifle before i buy one of my own, not many people get that option. What is your X-bolt chambered in?

I am currently in Namibia working right now, but will be back Mid March. Could we schedule something for mid March? I'll buy the ammo

Thanks alot,

Adrian
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  #17  
Old 02-18-2012, 07:39 PM
AMisler AMisler is offline
 
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It's chambered in 30-06, if I'm not mistaken that was a calibre you were considering. Ill be here if you want to find me mid march. Offer still stands.
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  #18  
Old 02-18-2012, 10:46 PM
stc77 stc77 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonH View Post
I am planing to purchase my first hunting rifle and have been researching some options.

X Bolt 30-06 white gold medallion really is making me drool. Anyone has any advice on X-Bolts?

I am open to other options to try out as well, so keep them coming.

Thanks in advance.
I have an X bolt hunter in .30-06, and i love it. It's comfortable, light and accurate. The fact that the bolt is a low pull, it allowed me to use very low rings when mounting my scope which has been nice. Also the fact you can still open the bolt without having to take the safety off is a nice feature. I really like the trigger on it. Very little/no creep and it comes factory set at a 3.5 pound pull... which can easily be dropped down to a 3 pound pull. Some guys like lighter triggers than that... but i have found it to be excellent as is. If you have the money, i would very highly recommend you get the x bolt. If you have any more questions about it, feel free to send me a pm.
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  #19  
Old 02-20-2012, 04:46 AM
karolko karolko is offline
 
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Hey guys, fro both of you with the 30-06, do you have any ejection problems, both with live and spent rounds?

Secondly, what range do you typically shoot at, how far have you shot in your rifle to and does it still remain accurate?

I ask because i read on anohter forum of people complaining of their x-bolt keyholing at 300 yards and so forth. They were certain that it was the rifle itself and nothing more.

Do you find that your 30-06 x-bolt is very tempramental when it comes to cartidges, powder,and bullet weight? or does it shoot well with everything.

I want to have a rifle that is very accurate up to 400 yards, where i can actually become skilled enough to place a shot at that range with confidence,not just something that is good at 100 yards and nothing more.

Thanks alot for your help.

Adrian
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  #20  
Old 02-20-2012, 05:26 AM
AMisler AMisler is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karolko View Post
I want to have a rifle that is very accurate up to 400 yards, where i can actually become skilled enough to place a shot at that range with confidence,not just something that is good at 100 yards and nothing more.
Well if you can shoot a half inch group at 100 yards, I'm sure you won't have trouble making that 400 yard shot..Eventually..and also the key is, if YOU can make the shot, not the gun. My xbolt .22-250 will shoot holes touching on paper at 100 yards..although, sometimes I cannot.

I never have had any ejections issues with my 30-06 xbolt. My xbolt seems to like the Winchester 168 grain silver tips.
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Old 02-20-2012, 07:19 AM
karolko karolko is offline
 
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You are correct, it will mainly depend on the ability of the shooter.

I need to do some more reading and learn more about rifle barrleing and causes of keyhole-ing and so forth.
The reason i asked this question is becasue of a long thread i read on another forum, and usually i disregard posts where one person bashes something, but the more i read, the more often people reported similar results.

Here is the link if you want to give it a read, i think you might find it interesting if you have 15minutes.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/...hp?f=8&t=69585

Now i don't know if this is becaue of his calibre or poor ammo, or poor shooting, thus the reason i asked my previous question if these rifles are still accurate at higher ranges. I just don't want to have a rifle which llimits me to shorter range shooting.


Thanks A Misler, you are helping ALOT
Adrian
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  #22  
Old 02-20-2012, 07:56 AM
AMisler AMisler is offline
 
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I'll read that later on I'm supposed to be working right now haha! Search xbolt on YouTube, lots of videos on there.
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  #23  
Old 02-20-2012, 09:43 AM
LeonH LeonH is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karolko View Post
You are correct, it will mainly depend on the ability of the shooter.

I need to do some more reading and learn more about rifle barrleing and causes of keyhole-ing and so forth.
The reason i asked this question is becasue of a long thread i read on another forum, and usually i disregard posts where one person bashes something, but the more i read, the more often people reported similar results.

Here is the link if you want to give it a read, i think you might find it interesting if you have 15minutes.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/...hp?f=8&t=69585

Now i don't know if this is becaue of his calibre or poor ammo, or poor shooting, thus the reason i asked my previous question if these rifles are still accurate at higher ranges. I just don't want to have a rifle which llimits me to shorter range shooting.


Thanks A Misler, you are helping ALOT
Adrian
Adrian,

The way I think is that there are very few bad reviews (I have red them too and spent time looking for problem patterns) on this rifle and considering how many of these guns have been purchased out there if there was a real concern on these issues you would hear way more of them.

Now having said that, if you look for bad reviews hard enough you can dig something up for any make and model. Also, nothing is 100% perfect all of the time and there is always a chance that you (or me) could end up with a bad one but I do not think it is very probable.

I now believe firmly that X bolt is excellent rifle. Is it the only good choice, for sure not as there are other great makes/models out there but I sure like that White Gold Medallion. I would say I am 99.999% decided.
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Old 02-20-2012, 09:57 AM
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fordtruckin fordtruckin is offline
 
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If you haven't decided yet, I just looked at the new Weatherby Vanguard S2s yesterday. The stocks are much better than the old Vanguards, they are pillar bedded and have a 3 position safety. Also I believe they are Sub MOA guaranteed. Not bad for a 600$ rifle.
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Old 02-20-2012, 02:52 PM
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Canuck Bob Canuck Bob is offline
 
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I stumbled on this link.

http://www.thediyhunter.com/243-wssm...hotos-pictures

Good pictures and discussion of the A and X bolt.
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  #26  
Old 02-20-2012, 03:18 PM
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Okotokian Okotokian is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonH View Post
Adrian,

I now believe firmly that X bolt is excellent rifle. Is it the only good choice, for sure not as there are other great makes/models out there but I sure like that White Gold Medallion. I would say I am 99.999% decided.
X-bolt seems like a fine choice. I have an A-bolt myself but have heard good things about the X. You might want to reconsider the choice of the silver medallion unless you have money to burn and are unconcerned with durability, etc. Everyone has their own preference of course but I'm not willing to pay the extra money for a glossy stock (more visible), fancy scrolling, etc. My choice would be for a stainless barreled synthetic stock number. Just more durable in the elements and you don't cringe when you rest it against a barbed wire fence and it falls over.
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  #27  
Old 02-25-2012, 04:57 PM
LeonH LeonH is offline
 
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It is official, as of today I am proud owner of X-bolt White Medallion in 30-06. I did top it off with Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40. Sweet

Can't wait to hit the range to give it a try.
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  #28  
Old 02-25-2012, 07:46 PM
marv243 marv243 is offline
 
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Congrats !!!
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  #29  
Old 02-25-2012, 10:19 PM
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redranger15 redranger15 is offline
 
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Awsome, love my X-bolt. Get some pics of the new girl up.
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  #30  
Old 02-25-2012, 11:42 PM
karolko karolko is offline
 
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Congrats,

What did you pay for the rifle and the scope and where did you get them?

This is probably the exact combo i will end up getting.

Adrian
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