I have 2 X bolts - 30-06 magazine works great. 7mm 08 Magazine has issues feeding when I put in a 3rd round, nose hangs down and gets pushed into front of mag by bolt. I called Browning and they said to call Browning certified gunshop for service. I called the gun shop and they asked if I was using reloads, i said yes. They said 'that's the problem' xbolt mags are not designed to shoot reloads'. Said I would have to mail them the rifle and mag and they would modify it to make it work for reloads. I couldn't believe my ears! Anyone else have this issue?
Browning X Bolt Magazine problems
- Thread starter billee
- Start date
I use reloads in my .223 x-bolt without any issue. I full length resize all my brass though. Are you FL sizing or neck sizing only? Some rounds will have greater difference in case body between fired vs unfired. This is why Wilson makes different case holders for fired and new/FL sized brass for their trimmers. I have a hard time believing they make their mags that tight though...
I also had a .280 rem x-bolt that I loaded for and don't recall ever having any mag/feeding issues with it either.
I also had a .280 rem x-bolt that I loaded for and don't recall ever having any mag/feeding issues with it either.
FreedomIsn'tFree
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I'm having the exact same problem with one of my new mags with 7/08. Would you mind sending my the # for where you called so I can see about getting it replaced. The dam mag cost 50 bucks and is useless.
This topic was discussed about 6 months ago on this forum and there were a number of people that had this same issue of the cartridges jamming on the shoulders with the cartridge being sloped so that the case head is low and the bolt slides over the cartridge. This has happened with my 308 Win. X-bolt many times. I do use full length resized reloads that are properly sized. The worst situation has been when I am shooting during negative temperatures during the winter using 165 gr. Hornady' ILBTs seated to the cannelure. The cartridges slide forward in the mag during recoil and the shoulder gets jammed into the edges of the mag ,; with the case stuck on an angle. If i use 165 Speers that can be seated out further, it actually helps a bit as the bullet stops the forward movement of the cartridge before the shoulder gets jammed to much. If you do a search on the internet you will find lots of discussion about this issue.
Based on what I have read including on this forum. The following trends seem to be emerging: more common problem with 308/7-08 style of cases; problems occur more during cold weather (maybe the polymer magazine is changed by the cold).
I found this recent article from the American Rifleman and copied some text that clearly shows that Browning designed the mag to arrest the forward momentum of the cartridge by the shoulder. https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/10/15/the-browning-x-bolt-rifle-10-years-later/
"Another advantage of Browning’s polymer rotary magazine is its internal design that retains each cartridge by its case’s shoulder, rather than just floating it in the box supported only by the shell underneath. In this way, rather than slamming the bullet tips into the hard front wall of the magazine during recoil with every shot, the forward momentum of a cartridge in the magazine is arrested by its own shoulder. This is a real, yet rarely mentioned, problem with many magazine-fed guns, especially those with magnum recoil. Riflemen spend top dollar on bullets with the best ballistic coefficients and painfully map their data; having the bullet’s tip get rubbed off or deformed before the bullet is ever fired can negatively affect accuracy, especially at long ranges. The X-Bolt’s magazine remedies this."
Based on what I have read including on this forum. The following trends seem to be emerging: more common problem with 308/7-08 style of cases; problems occur more during cold weather (maybe the polymer magazine is changed by the cold).
I found this recent article from the American Rifleman and copied some text that clearly shows that Browning designed the mag to arrest the forward momentum of the cartridge by the shoulder. https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/10/15/the-browning-x-bolt-rifle-10-years-later/
"Another advantage of Browning’s polymer rotary magazine is its internal design that retains each cartridge by its case’s shoulder, rather than just floating it in the box supported only by the shell underneath. In this way, rather than slamming the bullet tips into the hard front wall of the magazine during recoil with every shot, the forward momentum of a cartridge in the magazine is arrested by its own shoulder. This is a real, yet rarely mentioned, problem with many magazine-fed guns, especially those with magnum recoil. Riflemen spend top dollar on bullets with the best ballistic coefficients and painfully map their data; having the bullet’s tip get rubbed off or deformed before the bullet is ever fired can negatively affect accuracy, especially at long ranges. The X-Bolt’s magazine remedies this."
I have no factory rounds to try. However, it worked fine with my reloads for approx 25 rds and then suddenly would no longer feed if I put 3 rounds into the mag. I believe the internal spring weakened or broke and am waiting to try the new mag Browning is mailing to me. Appreciate all your input and comments
