My new X-Bolt Hunter in .270 arrived today, so I went to my local shop to pick it up. My first impression is that it's a nice rifle, shoulders and points well, the stock and finish are nice.
The bolt will be seeing some action while I watch some of my shows over the next couple of nights. It's not bad by any means, but certainly could use some break-in and smoothing out. I cleaned the bore and put a little lube on the bolt then wiped it down. The bolt-release button is a nice feature, so that the bolt can be opened while the safety is on.
I adjusted the trigger down from the factory 4 lbs to about 3 lbs. I do really like the feather trigger, nice and crisp.
One thing that surprised me a little was the roughness of the inner stock where it houses the action. It almost looks splintered, just no finish work there. However, it's not a big deal and doesn't really bother me. One other minor complaint is the metal quality of the bottom metal/trigger guard. It leaves a little to be desired. Also, the tang safety seems to be a bit of a loose fit, with a small amount of slop. These are all minor complaints, but things I thought might be refined at the price-point of these rifles. Certainly not deal-breakers.
I've read a lot of complaints about the composite detachable magazine but I actually like it. It's tough as nails and I like the smooth, flush fit, unlike that of my Tikka's magazine.
Overall, I really like the rifle and am anxious to get it to the range. I'm rebuilding my fun-budget in order to get some good glass for it. In the meantime, I'll be putting my Nikon 2-7x32 on it so it can see some range time and hopefully spend the last couple weeks of Maine's rifle deer season in the woods with me.
The bolt will be seeing some action while I watch some of my shows over the next couple of nights. It's not bad by any means, but certainly could use some break-in and smoothing out. I cleaned the bore and put a little lube on the bolt then wiped it down. The bolt-release button is a nice feature, so that the bolt can be opened while the safety is on.
I adjusted the trigger down from the factory 4 lbs to about 3 lbs. I do really like the feather trigger, nice and crisp.
One thing that surprised me a little was the roughness of the inner stock where it houses the action. It almost looks splintered, just no finish work there. However, it's not a big deal and doesn't really bother me. One other minor complaint is the metal quality of the bottom metal/trigger guard. It leaves a little to be desired. Also, the tang safety seems to be a bit of a loose fit, with a small amount of slop. These are all minor complaints, but things I thought might be refined at the price-point of these rifles. Certainly not deal-breakers.
I've read a lot of complaints about the composite detachable magazine but I actually like it. It's tough as nails and I like the smooth, flush fit, unlike that of my Tikka's magazine.
Overall, I really like the rifle and am anxious to get it to the range. I'm rebuilding my fun-budget in order to get some good glass for it. In the meantime, I'll be putting my Nikon 2-7x32 on it so it can see some range time and hopefully spend the last couple weeks of Maine's rifle deer season in the woods with me.