Browning X Bolt Long Range Hunter 7 Mag

E

EBalk

Inactive
I am toying with the idea of purchasing a new rifle in the next couple of months and I have heard a couple of good things about the Browning X Bolts.

I've been thinking that I would like to get a 7mm Mag and the Long Range Hunter doesn't look bad but the gun only weighs 6lbs 13oz - it is significantly lighter than any 7mag that I have done any shooting with in the past. Recoil normally isn't a problem for me but I don't want to buy a gun that I will dread taking to the range.

Does anyone have any experience with this model or with the browning X Bolts in general? Any input would be appreciated.

I want a rifle that I can use as my go to rifle for any hunting situation. I have been using my father's guns for years and have never gotten around to buying any rifles for myself. My dad has recommended that I get a .308 as he thinks it will make for a better all-around rifle if I am only going to buy one. He doesn't have any problems with the 7mag he just thinks that it is overkill for whitetail/mule deer and that it is a bit too heavy to be really enjoyable at the range. He also hunts elk and larger game and I am regularly invited but he thinks I would be better off owning a .308 and borrowing one of his larger rifles in the event that I actually find the time to hunt larger game with him. What do you guys think?

I would like to spend $1500 or less on the rifle.
 
Advice from an old guy

You don't say how old you are but I can just tell you from life's experience that my Dad didn't get really smarter than me till I was about 30:D

I agree with your Dad about the 7 mag being way overkill for whitetails unless you want to shoot at them while they are in the next county. I can also tell you from studying this and other shooting boards that a lot of elk have been killed with a .308

Buy a nice .308, kill a lot of deer with it, and enjoy shooting the heck out of it at paper.
 
I think your dad gave good advice. If I were to only have one rifle, it would probably be in 308.

Jimro
 
7mm Mag is certainly more than necessary for whitetail deer.

I don't like recoil and I like to enjoy shooting my guns so I don't buy one that has more recoil than I need for the job.

That's what you're buying with the 7mm Mag too, the deer won't be any deader but your shoulder will be hit harder and the tree on the other side of the deer will absorb more energy.

Also, the "long-range hunter", while I didn't read through the whole list and make a point by point comparison, essentially seems to be the same gun as any other X-Bolt. The weight, for instance, is the same as the 7mm Mag version of the other X-Bolt models. Point being, you're not really stuck with the 3 cartridges that they make in that exact version, because the appearance of the stock seems to be the only variable.

Me, I'd go with the Stainless Stalker in .243Win, 7mm-08 or .25-06, in that order.

In regards to the X-Bolt, I've shot one a bit and researched them fairly extensively. It is a very nice, very well built, accurate gun. The bolt function/movement is excellent and the trigger is top-notch for a factory trigger.
 
In my opinion, it's a good choice for one rifle hunter if you handload, since you have a lot of flexibility up or down. I mean, you can keep it down in the 25-06 / 7mm-08 / 270 range if you want with a 110-120 gr bullet at 3000fps or really crank it up with 160 gr bullet at the same velocities for bigger game.
 
I concur with your dad and the other posters. The 7mm Rem Mag is a great round, I have one and like it, but from 0 to 300 yds, it won't do anything the 308, or 7mm-08 won't do.

I also have several Brownings, including two x-bolts, and they are great rifles. If you get one in any caliber you won't be disappointed.
 
Replies

I'm 24 so I definitely don't have the shooting experience that you guys (or my dad) have, sounds like the general consensus is that the 7mag isn't the best choice for me, at least not as my only rifle.

I will be primarily hunting white tail and probably 1-2 elk hunts per year. My dad is a row crop farmer so I do quite a bit of field hunting. I have been out of the game for several years (while away at college) and even if an opportunity presents itself I don't think I am at a point where I can make a responsible 400+ yard shot on a deer. I am comfortable in the 300 range but not much beyond. I definitely need to put some serious time in shooting paper.

I have access to hand loading equipment and am going to try my hand at loading whatever caliber I purchase. I want something a little heavier than a .243. I have never used a 7mm-08 in the past, would it be better suited to my needs than a 7mag or .308?
 
I wouldn't say the 7-08 is better-suited for your needs than a 308, but both of those, in my opinion, are better-suited than the 7mm Rem Mag. I say that not because there's anything wrong with the Rem Mag, but because the 7-08 and 308 are really hard to beat within the parameters you mentioned. They are easier on the shoulder, ears and wallet(unless you reload), and rifles chambered in them are lighter and quicker-handling, again, in my opinion.
 
Any of them, including the .243, are perfectly acceptable elk guns. The 7-08 is probably (IMHO) the best all-around big game rifle for North America.
 
A 308 will do you just fine. A 165gr Sierra Gameking at 2,650 fps will give you a solid 300 yard zero on an 8 inch "kill zone" if you zero 5 inches high at 100, and be only 14 inches low at 400 (meaning aim for the top of the shoulder of a deer to drop it in the boilermaker). At 400 yards that bullet will still have over 1,500 ft/lbs of energy, which is more than enough to drop even an elk.

A 7mm Rem Mag will have a flatter trajectory, but the animals won't be any deader. The rounds will be more expensive, and barrel life will be shorter.

I handload both rounds, and I really love the 7mm Rem Mag for long range shooting. But if I had to choose just one, it would be 308 Win.

Jimro
 
Best brand

I am going to try and get my hands on a 7-08 and give it a try. I have a little time because I am not planning on buying the gun until the latter part of October. I have decided to rule out the 7mag and go with a more reasonable caliber. It will probably be a .308 or a 7-08 since they both seem similar and actually both seem much more suited to my needs than any of the large magnums.

Some of you guys said that the Browning was a good gun and I have not seen anything negative about the X-Bolt. I guess my question is: is this the best rifle in my price range? I want to keep it $1500 or less. My dad cant really help me here - the guns he uses regularly are outside of my price range. All he really had to say was that the deer won't know or care who made the gun that hits it.

Any pointers would be appreciated.
 
There're lot of options out there and "best" is a bit subjective.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy an X-bolt if that's what I wanted but if you're one who would take pride in doing your own, you could quite easily build yourself a Savage based rifle for well under $1500 and it would be excellent, one of a kind and exactly what you want. Your required time frame might dictate, since you're probably looking at a couple months or a bit more for a good custom barrel.

As another option, though a tad over your budget (only 30% or so;)), there's a very nice looking Cooper rifle chambered in 7mm-08 on gunbroker right now.
 
gunbroker

I have never checked out gunbroker before, even the X-Bolts on there are significantly cheaper than the prices I've been seeing elsewhere. I could stretch my budget a bit but then that is cutting into my optics budget. I'll definitely check out the listings in depth. A custom rifle pushes back my time frame but if that is a better idea I can always continue to use my dad's guns while it is being built.

What does a company mean when it calls something a "Varmint rifle?" Is that just a title for a model or does that mean something about the gun itself? Should rifles with that title be avoided?
 
The name itself doesn't necessarily mean anything but I might assume that a "varmint rifle" was likely to be heavier, with a larger diameter barrel and chambered in a smaller cartridge like .223, .204Ruger, .22-250 or even .243. I don't recall having seen a gun chambered in 7mm-08 being labeled "varmint".

That's really just an assumption though. It's really just a marketing term, like calling a car a "GT". You'll have to look at the rifles specs to see what it weighs, etc.
 
It is very fashionable for new hunters, especially younger guys to be way over gunned. Its a common mistake to over compensate caliber for field experience. Its a natural reaction and the hunting/gun magazines have exploited this big time.
Beware of the old hunter with one rifle, usually in one of the older 30-06, 270, 308, 280, 243, 300 Savage, 7mm -08, 30-30, 35 Rem, etc... These old guys usually forgot about more deer they have killed than most younger hunters toting big magnums remember killing.:D

You can see this talking to some of the older successful hunters on a Sunday after church. I small talk some deer rifle talk and usually they look a little lost about Ballistic Coefficient, new bullets, etc... These guys are hunters, not snippers. They usually say how many deer they kill with one box of shells out of their Thurddy-Thurddy. The gun industry doesnt make any money off these guys. They spend $15.00 on a box of shells and it yelds them 10 years of venison. They know its works for them so why mess with a proven system.....Who am I to argue.:)
 
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