7mm-08 Accuracy in X-bolt??

Tabacco Brook

Tabacco Brook

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Hey everyone,

The Browning X-bolt stalker is next on my list to buy and I was thinking of getting it in 7mm-08. So my question is for the 7mm-08 X-bolt shooters,... how accurate is it, and how do you like it for killing ability.
I will be using this rifle for hunting Whitetails when the weather turns bad.
 
Tabacco Brook said:
Hey everyone,

The Browning X-bolt stalker is next on my list to buy and I was thinking of getting it in 7mm-08. So my question is for the 7mm-08 X-bolt shooters,... how accurate is it, and how do you like it for killing ability.
I will be using this rifle for hunting Whitetails when the weather turns bad.
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my youngest son has an X-bolt Micro Hunter in 7mm-08. Together, they have earned the nickname "dead-eyed-####":p. Every year there is a head shot venison in the freezer!
 
Homesteader said:
What's the big deal about all this top loading on detachable mags. Sorry if I don't get it, just an honest question from me.
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Why would a magazine clip be so designed to disable the top loading? What does this feature get?
To me, top loading is a plus. Especially when you are in a situation like a pack of wolves approaching, you can shoot a couple rounds and refill the the magazine at the interval. In this extreme case, you have better chance to live.
 
I had an X Bolt in 243, it was a good accurate shooter, nothing outstanding but it did its job well. It seemed to like the heavier bullets I tried, my normal coyote load consists of 75 grain HPs, but this rifle did not shoot them well, it preferred the 95 grain SSTs which worked out well because it would double as a deer load too. I like the way the X Bolt operates and the ergonomics too, the non top loading mag is not an issue as far as I am concerned, maybe I don't get out enough but a pack of wolves has never been a threat for me. I usually have a spare mag loaded in my jacket pocket and that is generally all I carry for ammo for a day in the field.
 
Crashman said:
I had an X Bolt in 243, it was a good accurate shooter, nothing outstanding but it did its job well. It seemed to like the heavier bullets I tried, my normal coyote load consists of 75 grain HPs, but this rifle did not shoot them well, it preferred the 95 grain SSTs which worked out well because it would double as a deer load too. I like the way the X Bolt operates and the ergonomics too, the non top loading mag is not an issue as far as I am concerned, maybe I don't get out enough but a pack of wolves has never been a threat for me. I usually have a spare mag loaded in my jacket pocket and that is generally all I carry for ammo for a day in the field.
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That's inertesting. I picked up an X-bolt varmint and so far have got "not bad" accuracy from the 70 and 85grain bullets i like but it loves 58gr vmax. Well under an inch at 200yards with those. Trying to get a a heavier bullet loed now...I'll try those SST's.
Thanks
 
If the X-bolt floats your boat, I say get it. Most accurate light weight sporter I've owned. Mine was a 300wsm, sorry not a 7-08. Mine weighed just a hair over 7lbs scoped.

What I liked:

Feel of stock, and how the gun handled/balanced, light weight, rotary mag fed those fat cartridges as slick as grease thru a goose, superb accuracy, recoil absorption.

What I disliked:

Trigger design, and the dead feel of the trigger. Very small bolt.

If a good aftermarket trigger were available I'm sure I'd still have it, but I am a gun whore so can't say for sure :)

The 7-08 will kill anything within reasonable ranges say out to 300yds with the right bullet. I know it's been used further but that's my take on the cartridge, as I don't usually hunt deer. I also wouldn't choose it if I ever chose to hunt something that wanted to do serious harm to me, but I also wouldn't choose an 06 either.

Good luck, and let us know what the outcome is.
 
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I have dealt with a couple of these in 7-08. Both shoot 3/4 moa out to 300 yards with 120 and 140's. Handloads were slightly better in performance. Mag design is good as the bullets don't seem to catch if they get bumped around even when there is only 0.015" clearance on the overall length. Triggers are just as good as any of the other comparable brands, that being said it isn't a Sako trigger, but it isn't Sako price. If you are used to shooting a winchester 94 or british 303 it will be amazing. If you want to top load buy an A-Bolt. 60 degree bolt lift is amazingly fast and smooth. Stock ergonomics are good, but it either fits or not, so try one before purchase. The inflex recoil pad is as good or better then a limbsaver.
These are just a few things I have noticed, that being said i don't own one, but there is one in my gun cabinet
YMMV
 
Sold my X-bolt in 308 for a Sako A7 in 7mm-08.

That 308 was a 1/2 moa shooter out to 200y with cheap ammo, but I didn't care for the stock erganomics.
 
I loved my X-bolt in .375 H&H, and I can't even begin to see a problem with not being able to load from the top. You can still throw a loose round in the action, just not charge the mag. The advantage of the mag not being able to be charged from the top is the fact that it can't be dis-charged from the top. It is not an uncommon problem for the feed lips of an internal mag or detachable mag to become enlarged, which can allow rounds to come out the top - not a good thing. The X-bolt's mag allows the cartridge to come out the front, towards the chamber only. It essentially turns a push-feed bolt into a controlled round feeder. I personally think it is a great system, and I've been shooting Mausers and such for decades, so I am definitely used to loading from the too. So, pack of marauding wolves aside (really, REALLY?!), I love the system. As far as the killing power of the 7-08, if you can't get it done with that cartridge, then you need to get closer, or leave Mr. Grizz alone! It is the modern equivalent of the 7 Mauser, and lots of dead pachyderms say it works (lots of dead Americans, too, but that's another story).
 
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