I finally got out to the Mission Range last Saturday with my new .338 Win Mag Browning X-Bolt , I owned an A-Bolt in the same caliber previously so i was really looking forward to comparing the two of them, First off i like the feel of the x-bolt its slimmer and lighter ,The bolt cycles real smooth and the bullets feed flawlessly through the new composite clip, the new X-Lock scope mounts / rings fit perfectly fit and finish over all is excellent , the only thing i feel that should of been improved on is the clip release under the gun it protrudes a bit and you could possibly snag it on something and release the clip ?? Still i like the drop out clip better than the hinged floor plate of the A-Bolt , will make for quicker loading when you are driveing down a logging road and Mr Moose jumps out , the bolt release with the saftey on is a nice feature as well , The new recoil pad soaked up the recoil of the .338 mag real well there was a bit of muzzle jump but over all it was comforatable to shoot, the A-Bolt used to knock me around quite a bit and gave me a few bruises after a long day of shooting , I mounted a Busnell 3.5 x 10 x 50 MM on the X-Bolt , i used the High rings and that brought the 50 Mm bell just above the barrel , After sighting in with some old factory factory ammo ,i used some of the Hornady Factory .225 gr sst's .
I was quite pleased with my four shot group at 100 yards. after that I took a shot at the 200 yard gong and hit it first shot , So i set up a target at 200 yards and shot 4 rounds of Handloads .225 gr nozzler Partitions 69.5 gr of Imr4350 again another good group Maybee this rifle just fits me better and i feel more comfy shooting it but i could never get groups like these from my A-Bolt , With a bit more load development i am sure i can get the groups even tighter, Overall i like the new X-Bolt and am looking forward to useing it this fall for moose hunting Here a a few pictures the first target is at 100 yards and the second is at 200 yards.
I was quite pleased with my four shot group at 100 yards. after that I took a shot at the 200 yard gong and hit it first shot , So i set up a target at 200 yards and shot 4 rounds of Handloads .225 gr nozzler Partitions 69.5 gr of Imr4350 again another good group Maybee this rifle just fits me better and i feel more comfy shooting it but i could never get groups like these from my A-Bolt , With a bit more load development i am sure i can get the groups even tighter, Overall i like the new X-Bolt and am looking forward to useing it this fall for moose hunting Here a a few pictures the first target is at 100 yards and the second is at 200 yards.
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