I never understood the Browning hate. It seems the stories of them breaking and failing in the field are widely exaggerated or the few cases are spread and repeated by many. *Note that I'm not calling anyone here a liar. I'm sure there are documented cases of browning rifles failing in AK or Canada or Africa or elsewhere, just like any other rifle can fail when it's put through a torture test. They seem to work fine in most places.
I always thought they were great rifles until I joined this forum, but luckily now I know they are crap...... Good thing I haven't told my extended family as they own at least 20 x-bolts and a-bolts between them and have never had a problem. I've personally owned 1 x-bolt and 2 a-bolts and have never had a single issue. Every single one that I've shot or seen shot would group good to very good right out of the box and often with cheap factory ammo.
I don't really care if they are tough to work on or have glue under the action. I don't care if they have a 20 piece bolt or a 6 piece safety. I don't care where they were made. When I spend $700-$1000 on a rifle, I expect to take it and shoot it and kill stuff without having to fix it or modify it or adjust it or bed it or replace half of it. (Note most of them need a little trigger work just like 99% of factory rifles.) I like the short bolt throw. I like the ergonomic lines. Sure they look a little more modern than a classic wood stock 700 or 70, but to me they are just a tool and I like function over form any day. I like the weight. They are a little heavier than a kimber and a lot lighter than a 700.
The best gun purchase I ever made was a stainless 7mm08 x-bolt I bought lightly used on this forum. I paid half the price of a new one, and it took me less than one hour in the loading room and one trip to the range to have 2 loads with 2 proven bullets that both shoot sub moa. One of those loads with 120 ttsx shoots ridiculous little cloverleafs and kills with great authority with so little recoil, I've watched the bullet impact on several longish shots.
In short, I love the x-bolts and don't really care what anyone else thinks.
I never understood the Browning hate. I always thought they were great rifles until I joined this forum, but luckily now I know they are crap...... When I spend $700-$1000 on a rifle, I expect to take it and shoot it and kill stuff without having to fix it or modify it or adjust it or bed it or replace half of it.
And to your point, I had an M-77 with a tool-marked barrel that I replaced with the Browning. So it's a fine rifle except for that, which means not. Or that Kimbers have a lot of shared stories of accuracy problems with the wood stocks, but they're great too I'm told. Well, a rifle is only as good as the one in my hands works. My X-bolt does everything great. I wish the bolt lift was a bit longer so it would be a bit lighter, assuming that would do it. But hunting, when I cycle a round, it is not done daintily. I can do it with the rifle from my shoulder so not really much of a problem. Sure, I had to get used to the looks. BUT I didn't have to get used to the feel. It handled and shot great. Nice on my shoulder (light) and great to shoot. I wish some shotguns mounted and pointed as well. So that's why I was wondering why no love for the X-bolt. I know now. Thanks for the comments. Syl
The x bolt is made in japan and those shrimps killed my uncle in WW 2 and started a world war.
That's why I will not buy a gun from them.
I understand that. But I haven't ever run into someone who said the same thing about Mausers or Sauer or Blaser. Merkel? I don't hear it. Never heard it and I grew up around guns and shooters and I'm 46 now. Maybe its because our family and a lot of our community is of German decent. Further, my sister is a Jew and she owns her SECOND Volkswagen. No internal conflicts. The old neighbor who taught me how to fly fish had a son who was shot by 3 bullets from a Japanese machine gunner. Old Peck used, to the end of his deer hunting, a sporterized Arisaka 6.5, I crap you not. (Six point five Jap he called it )
My cousin cuts the hair of a WWII vet from the Pacific. From what he saw fighting the Japanese, he has no sympathy for what happens to anyone in or from that country. But why, when more people from my home town fought the Nazis, many bilingual Polish immigrants or their sons, isn't there the animosity for German weapons? Or German stuff. I don't hear it. H&K? Walther? Sig? Glock? (Hitler was Austrian) Mercedes? Porche? Audi? My Brother in law's father fought in Germany (he recently passed away) He had a Mercedes.
I challenged myself that if I had only admiration for all those products from German companies, I shouldn't feel any different with Japanese. That's how I dealt with it. I think it is a completely natural, human, racist impulse against the Japanese. That's what humans do reflexively. They are the 'other' but certainly with something behind it (aka World War freakin' TWO!) AND the japs haven't had their noses rubbed into it like the Germans or been as openly repentant as a people and government.
If this helps you understand what my process to 'reconciliation' is, I'm glad. I understand and honor your opinion.
I don't believe anyone who built my rifle or my citori had anymore animosity against Americans than any other of our allied democracies.
Despite the schitty design of the bolt, 6 piece or whatever it is trigger, glue for bedding and something about the lines being hard to get used to mine shoots decent for a factory rifle with factory loads.
I had a few of the 45 grain Winchester USA hollow points that I was burning up for brass. Handloads consist of a 50 Ballistic Silvertip on top of RL-15 set off by a Federal GM Match primers, same sized groups on average.
Last edited by 10gaugemag; 02/25/16.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
I don't have any personal experience with one, but a wise old gunsmith who built rifles for guys on here told me he refused to work on them. He worked on everything else.
IIRC, that was Mickey C... And, FWIW, I won't work on 'em either...
It was Mickey. To me, the funny part is Browning rifles are very popular around here. I'm sure you know the guy who comes in to camp with his chest poked out talkin' bout "I shoot a Browning, what about you"? I bet it was a sight when that guy walked in Mickey's shop.
Nothing against Browning in general. I love my 3 1/2" Browning Gold Hunter.
Funny thing is they used to be considered a rich mans gun and now most of their arms are no higher than a lot of the Remington, Ruger and Winnies, Savage too.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
The x bolt is made in japan and those shrimps killed my uncle in WW 2 and started a world war.
That's why I will not buy a gun from them.
I understand that. But I haven't ever run into someone who said the same thing about Mausers or Sauer or Blaser. Merkel? I don't hear it. Never heard it and I grew up around guns and shooters and I'm 46 now. Maybe its because our family and a lot of our community is of German decent. Further, my sister is a Jew and she owns her SECOND Volkswagen. No internal conflicts. The old neighbor who taught me how to fly fish had a son who was shot by 3 bullets from a Japanese machine gunner. Old Peck used, to the end of his deer hunting, a sporterized Arisaka 6.5, I crap you not. (Six point five Jap he called it )
My cousin cuts the hair of a WWII vet from the Pacific. From what he saw fighting the Japanese, he has no sympathy for what happens to anyone in or from that country. But why, when more people from my home town fought the Nazis, many bilingual Polish immigrants or their sons, isn't there the animosity for German weapons? Or German stuff. I don't hear it. H&K? Walther? Sig? Glock? (Hitler was Austrian) Mercedes? Porche? Audi? My Brother in law's father fought in Germany (he recently passed away) He had a Mercedes.
I challenged myself that if I had only admiration for all those products from German companies, I shouldn't feel any different with Japanese. That's how I dealt with it. I think it is a completely natural, human, racist impulse against the Japanese. That's what humans do reflexively. They are the 'other' but certainly with something behind it (aka World War freakin' TWO!) AND the japs haven't had their noses rubbed into it like the Germans or been as openly repentant as a people and government.
If this helps you understand what my process to 'reconciliation' is, I'm glad. I understand and honor your opinion.
I don't believe anyone who built my rifle or my citori had anymore animosity against Americans than any other of our allied democracies.
Hang around and you'll quit "understanding and honoring" Savage_99's opinions real quick. It won't stop him though unfortunately.
The x bolt is made in japan and those shrimps killed my uncle in WW 2 and started a world war.
That's why I will not buy a gun from them.
So by your opinion we shouldn't buy anything from the Japanese. Should we not buy anything from Germany, Italy, or all of Easter Europe because of WWII? How about the Spaniards for the Spanish-American war? What about England, we have fought a couple wars with them too. How about Mexico, we fought them also. We fought the French so they are out. The Koreans are out and so are the Chinese because they flooded over the border in Korea. Didn't we fight against what would be Canada when we fought the British and the French and the Indians. A large part of southeast Asia is out also. Well the Russians helped the North Vietnamese so we can't go there. I forgot about all the Ottoman lands in WWI that we fought. Since we fought a Civil War should the Mason Dixon line still divide the nation for trade?
Seems like we are left with India, most of south America and Australia. I would call that limiting our options and growth potential.
It seems like you want to be an isolationist. While the idea sounds lovely, like Communism, it does not work in the real world.
According to the guy doing my family tree, Alfred the Great is way up there in the branches somewhere. During his reign, Vikings raided pretty much all over the British Isles, killing, raping, etc.
Back to topic... Of the two new deer rifles I bought - A rem 700 laminate Stainless steel mountain in 7-08..
And xbolt SS in 3006...
The highly regarded remington required warranty work for several issues and still doesn't shoot real well. It has mis-feeding issues where a shell will get caught in the LH side in the hollow of the action. Really irritating while out hunting...
The x-bolt flat out shoots and comes in lighter and ergonomically better than the 700.
I would sell the 700 if I didnt like the looks and the older SS looks better than what you get now. I'm just waiting for it to increase in value before I give it the heave ho because it doesn't come out now the x-bolt arrived.
Of course I could stick a bunch of money in bedding and tweaking the 700 like most guys do or just use my x-bolt..
If my wife decided to deer hunt, I would buy an x-bolt. All the better make rifles seem to be hitting similar price points so the browning expense is getting to be less of an issue.
There's a horror story out there about every product that has been around long enough but on average Toyota and Miroku make excellent products.
Miroku makes better than decent shotguns. Most of Brownings other guns I happen to like a great deal, especially the BPS shotguns and the Buckmark pistols. It is not a brand issue with me, nor a Made in Japan issue... it is a ridiculously poorly designed action with a ton of shortcuts. Love the "bedding" with hotmelt glue!
Bedding on the Xbolt is not hotmelt glue for one thing. Funny how a very complicated design(and that it is) can work 24/7 while the rifle brand most idolized here has to be tweaked so it can shoot and function like it was supposed to when it came out of the factory. I have owned Abolts and X Bolts but no longer, it would take a lot of work to find someone that has had an issue with one.
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