Light. Accurate. Well-balanced. Excellent trigger. Versatile adjustable stock. Attractive appearance. Outstanding fit and finish. Butter-smooth bolt. Weather resistant. There are a lot of excellent features to commend the new Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed rifle.
With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $1,469.99 at the time of this writing, the X-Bolt 2 Speed falls into the medium price range for full-power rifles. A wide range of premium features justify the elevation of the X-Bolt 2 out of the sub-$1,000-price-range.
The rifle is manufactured for Browning in Japan by Miroku.
If you would like to invest in a better-than-budget-class rifle, the X-Bolt 2 Speed is definitely worth at least a first and second look.
Background
Early in 2023, I tested Browning’s original X-Bolt Speed in 6.5 Creedmoor. I found the rifle to be light and well-balanced with outstanding fit and finish, moderate recoil, a great trigger, and excellent accuracy.
Then when Browning updated the X-Bolt, they recommended that I take a look at the new model. A glance at the new Vari-Tech composite stock had me hooked. I asked to borrow a sample for testing and evaluation and Browning was kind enough to agree.
Why 6.5 Creedmoor?
More and more, I have been trying to standardize my firearms testing to a limited number of chamberings. That way, when I review two different rifles or two different handguns, it will be more of an apples to apples comparison than if I compared two that were chambered for different cartridges. For handguns, I have settled on 9mm as my preferred test chambering. For carbines, I have settled on 5.56 NATO. For rifles intended for medium-sized game, I have settled on the popular 6.5 Creedmoor.
I selected 9 mm and 5.56 NATO because they are so widely used. I selected 6.5 Creedmoor because it is flat shooting, produces less recoil than many other full-powered chamberings, and is available in a wide variety of factory loadings.
I am aware that there are a host of other chamberings, many with certain distinct advantages (and disadvantages) when compared with the chamberings that I have settled on. For those with other preferences, I hope that the benefits of an apples-to-apples comparison might in some way atone for my neglect of your favorite cartridge.
If you don’t happen to prefer 6.5 Creedmoor, the X-Bolt 2 Speed can also be purchased chambered in .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7 PRC, .28 Nosler, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .300 PRC.
First Impressions
The most obvious difference between the original X-Bolt and the X-Bolt 2 is the new Vari-Tech composite stock. The new stock is easily adjustable for length of pull, comb height, and grip angle. The receiver and bolt have also been redesigned. The rifle has a 22-inch, fluted, sporter-weight, free-floated barrel with a radial muzzle brake installed. The exterior metal parts are coated with a Cerakote smoked bronze finish that Browning claims gives better corrosion resistance than stainless steel.
The stock comes with an OVIX camo finish and includes an Inflex recoil pad. Rubber overmolding on the grip surfaces provides excellent purchase for the hands.
The adjustable DLX trigger has zero creep, zero take-up, and zero over-travel. It is adjustable from approximately 3.5 to 5 pounds.
The rifle is remarkably light, weighing in at only 6 pounds 7 ounces.
The composite magazine has a capacity of 4 rounds and sits flush with the bottom of the receiver. A flush-fitting magazine is a real advantage when struggling through heavy brush. I found the magazine easy to remove, easy to load, and easy to insert throughout the testing process.
The gold-plated trigger provides an elegant accent to the appearance of the rifle.
The two-position tang safety with a bolt unlock button on the upper part of the bolt handle proved to be very practical and intuitive.
The rifle came without scope bases. I recommend that Browning rectify this situation. It could be frustrating for a buyer to get home from the gun shop and find out that he does not have the bases needed to mount a scope on the rifle. In my case, I had kept the bases that I purchased for testing of the original X-Bolt, so I did not need to order any additional parts.
The Trigger
I found the trigger to be outstanding, providing an extremely smooth pull and crisp break.
I measured the factory setting on the adjustable trigger using a Ready Up Gear Digital Trigger Pull Weight Gauge. A series of five readings yielded a low trigger pull weight of 2.99 pounds, a high of 3.73 pounds, a median of 2.28 pounds, and an average of 3.30 pounds.
Mounting a Scope
I removed the polymer fillers from the pre-tapped-and-threaded holes provided for the mounting of scope bases. I then installed the bases using a T10 Torx driver from a set in my toolbox. It is a good idea for manufacturers of after-market bases to provide a driver along with the bases. Not every buyer will have the appropriate driver on hand. I mounted a generic set of rings on the bases. I then secured a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9X40mm Hunt-Plex scope in the rings.
The generic rings placed the scope too high for a good cheek weld using the factory-set comb height. I could have adjusted the comb higher, but it is good for the line of sight to be as close to the line of bore as possible, all other things being equal. Instead I switched to a set of lower rings that I had on hand. They were a pair of Leupold Rifleman medium rings.
The scope was still a little too high in relation to the comb. There was enough clearance between the bottom of the scope and the top of the rifle that I probably could have installed a set of low rings. Since I did not happen to have a set of low rings on hand, I decided to adjust the comb instead. I should probably pick up a set of low rings sometime in case I need them for future testing.
The comb adjustment was an easy, six-step process:
I removed the bolt.
I put a small dot of petroleum jelly around the adjustment hole in the recoil pad to prevent damage to the pad.
I inserted the provided 2.5mm hex wrench into the adjustment hole and engaged the head of the adjustment screw.
I turned the adjustment screw 25 full turns counterclockwise.
I slid the comb rearward, raised it in the stock, and slid it forward. The comb was still not quite high enough, so I repeated this step one more time. The resulting comb height was perfect.
I re-tightened the adjustment screw by turning it clockwise 25 full turns.
I then leveled the scope in the rings and tightened them evenly.
Preliminary Range Session
I took the rifle to the improvised range behind my pole barn. It was a gorgeous summer evening. The temperature was 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mosquitoes began to turn out in force, so I put on a bug jacket.
I set a Lead Sled on a table 25 yards from the target stand and placed the rifle on the lead sled. I tried to bore sight the rifle, but the comb was now high enough to block the line of sight through the bore. Instead, I chambered a single round of Sellier & Bellot 131 grain SP and fired at the center target. The bullet struck eight inches to the left and one inch below the point of aim.
I adjusted the scope and then fired several more rounds, adjusting the scope after each shot. Finally a shot hit on the center line of the target one inch below the point of aim. That is about where I wanted my point of impact to be at 25 yards in order to make sure that I would be on paper when I tested the rifle at 100 yards.
I then loaded two more rounds into the magazine and fired them. The three-shot group was 0.18 inches in size. I found that result to be sufficient for my preliminary work, put my equipment away, and returned to the house.
In preparation for further testing, I removed the muzzle brake and replaced it with the thread protector. That would help to prevent excessive noise at the indoor range.
The Second Range Session
I made my way to the 100-yard range of the local rod and gun club.
I loaded a single round of Sellier & Bellot 131 grain SP. It struck four inches to the left and 2 inches above the point of aim. I adjusted the scope, and then loaded three more rounds of the Sellier & Bellot ammo into the magazine. That three-shot group was sub-MOA at 0.93 inches.
I also fired three-shot groups of Winchester Target and Practice 125 grain Open-Tip Range, Norma Whitetail 140 grain SP, and Hornady Match 140 grain Eld Match. The rifle did not like these other loads as well as the Sellier & Bellot load that I had started with. The other loads produced three shot groups ranging in size from 1.55 inches to 2.18 inches.
So the rifle is capable of sub-MOA groups using the right ammo, and produces halfway decent groups even using ammo that it does not like as much. In the hands of a bench rest shooter who is more skilled than I am, the results would undoubtedly be even better.
During my range testing, I noticed that the Inflex recoil pad worked well. There was astoundingly little felt recoil for a rifle this light. I was very impressed.
Conclusions
The Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed in 6.5 Creedmoor would be an outstanding rifle for hunting medium-sized game. It is highly accurate, light enough to carry all day in the field, weather resistant, and blends well with a wide variety of backgrounds.
Disclaimers
Browning provided me with a sample of their X-Bolt 2 Speed rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor for testing and evaluation. Ready Up Gear provided me with a sample of their Digital Trigger Pull Weight Gauge to review for an earlier article. I tried not to allow the kindness of these vendors to interfere with my objectivity, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.