Few Questions on New Hunting Rifle-Maybe Browning X Bolt

[Yo Mama]

My buddy really wants a new hunting rifle, and has been looking at the Browning X Bolt. His price range is roughly 800 for the rifle.

1. Are there known issues with the X Bolt? Namely ejection issues if cycled to fast?

2. In his price range, with weight being an issue, are there other rifles for him to check out that would outperform the X Bolt?

 

[cmdc]

Tikka T3 Lite is a good one to consider. Relatively light, in the price range, and accurate. Nothing wrong with the x-bolt, though. I have a couple.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Winchester Featherweight. About the same weight about the same price

 

[dvdcrr]

I would consider a Kimber classic or montana

 

[jmr40]

All good suggestions so far. I can't say anything bad about the Brownings, I just don't like them. It would probably be a good choice. The Tikka is a darn good gun, very light, and well under $800 leaving more in the budget for optics. If weight is a primary concern this is a good choice. It is the lightest, most accurate rifle under $1000.

I personally like either the Winchester FWT or Kimber the best. The Winchester is about the same price and a very good rifle, but it is a featherweight in name only. By 1950's standards it was, but it is the heaviest of the suggestions so far. Not too heavy, many would say just right.

The Kimbers are well made, and the lightest of the bunch. But quite a bit over the $800 budget. Closer to $1,100-$1,200.

I use my Kimber when weight is a big concern. The Winchester FWT is my all around rifle when a couple of extra pounds is not a concern. I've owned Tikka's in the past. Nothing wrong with them, I just like the Kimber and Winchester better so I sold the Tikka's.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I am not a huge fan of the aesthetics of the Kimbers. There are two things I think they could do to make them great looking rifles.
Curve the bolt handle some...just don't like that straight bolt handle.
Make a little relieve cut in the stock at the action. They just look weird to me with the wood going straight up to the ejection port

 

[ShortFatHokie]

Get the X-bolt and don't worry about anything else...

 

[CaliCoastie]

Love my tikka t3 lite in synthetic and stainless. Ran me 650, I think it was a steal at that price.

 

[Ks5shooter]

T/C Venture,with money saved you get a great rifle and enough leftover for some awesome optics.

 

[burrhead]

The X-Bolt is a little over 3/4s of a pound lighter than a Featherweight. I've got a wooden stocked hunter version in 308 and have found it to be fast pointing due to it's perfect balance and light weight. As to accuracy, I've shot a 0.82" ten shot group off of a front bag. The amazing thing about that was I used two completely different loads with two different brands of powder and bullets. It is a consistently sub-minute gun. I highly recommend an X-Bolt to anyone as a general purpose hunting rifle.