Tested and Reviewed: Browning X-Bolt 2

After making a gnarly 1,000-foot descent into the belly of a jagged canyon in Spain's Sierra Nevada Mountains, the buck appeared. He was alone, working slowly along a chalky ridge that dropped into endless drainages. The range was just shy of 400 yards. Going prone wasn't an option; tall grasses on the mountain's north face would obstruct my crosshairs. Luckily, I found a boulder—a very obscure boulder—but a boulder, nonetheless.

Tossing my backpack on the gnarled granite rock, I crouched, found my cheek weld, acquired the ram and squeezed. It was a high-pressure shot. Adding to the difficulty was the backdrop and the buck's position. From my shot angle, the distant background would make it tough to see any missed shots. Plus, I knew if my 175-grain Long Range Sierra Tipped GameKing bullet didn't hit home, the buck would vanish in the maze of canyons and small drainages below.

Browning's X-Bolt 2

I'm an X-Bolt fan. Since the bolt-action's inception in 2008, X-Bolt rifles available in various calibers have created a legion of Buckmark followers. That tends to happen when freezers get filled and hunters find themselves behind the animals of their dreams.

The X-Bolt 2 family continues to grow, with 37 SKUs currently available. My go-tos are X-Bolt 2 models fitted with Browning's Vari-Tech Stock System. The Vari-Tech stock is a customizable stock that helps shooters improve their accuracy. It allows for length-of-pull, comb height and grip angle adjustments. Why?

Browning knows that comfort, fit, and feel boost shooting confidence and help shooters put bullets where they need to go. In most X-Bolt 2 models, length of pull (LOP) is adjustable via four included spacers between 13-5/8 and 14-1/8 inches. You don't have to be a gunsmith to make your X-Bolt 2 fit you like a glove.

To make LOP adjustments, use a small Phillips-head screwdriver to loosen the two screws holding the Inflex II recoil pad in place. Next, remove the recoil pad and use the same screwdriver to remove two more internal screws in the top half of the stock's backend.

With those two screws removed, pull back on the stock's bottom half. The bottom half will pull away, exposing the pair of spacers that come standard with any X-Bolt 2 rifle. You can now stack one or two of the included spacers on top of the spacers already in the stock. Once LOP is set, repeat the assembly process.

Highly Adjustable Vari-Tech Stock for a Custom Fit

The Vari-Tech's adjustable comb height is one of the X-Bolt 2's most attractive and accuracy-enhancing features. Like adjusting LOP, altering comb height doesn't require an MIT degree.

With your optic mounted, look through that optic standing, kneeling, prone, on a shooting bench and on sticks. Regardless of your shooting position, your eye-to-optic alignment must be perfect. With your cheek welded to the rifle's comb, you should be able to close your eyes, open them and have a clear, whole field of view.

The size of the optic you place on your rifle and the slope or contour of the barrel as it exits the receiver will dictate whether you need low, high or medium rings. Without an adjustable comb, you're at the mercy of those rings and how high or low your scope sits on the receiver. With an adjustable comb, you move your comb up or down so you're not craning or scrunching your neck to see through your optic. The Vari-Tech stock gives the shooter three comb-height positions to ensure exact eye-to-optic alignment and proper fit, feel, and maximum downrange accuracy.

Like a traditional stock, you'll find two holes that connect the 1-1/4-inch Inflex recoil pad to the stock. Above the top hole, you'll find a second, smaller hole. Begin the comb height adjustment process by inserting a 2.5mm hex wrench into the hole. You will need a wrench with a longer stem to reach the internal screw. You will feel the wrench drop into the screw hole. If you don't, turn the wrench clockwise slightly. You're in the proper comb adjustment hole if the wrench feels tight. You'll also feel the nut loosen as you turn the Allen counterclockwise, which you'll need to do to relieve screw tension so you can properly adjust the comb.

The last piece of the Vari-Tech stock puzzle is the grip. Your X-Bolt 2 rifle will come with Browning's Sporter grip attached, but you'll also receive a vertical grip. I recommend trying both grips to find which one feels best to you. Accuracy is all about confidence. That's why Browning added purposeful bells and whistles to the X-Bolt 2 line. The manufacturer strives to give you that unwavering confidence.

Swapping grips means removing the stock. To remove the stock, take out the pair of bolts that run through the trigger housing and lock the stock in place to the barrel and action. All that's required is a 4mm hex head screw. Pull up firmly on the barrel, and the barrel and action will pull away from the stock.

Inside your Browning box, you'll find your vertical target-style grip. Looking down inside the stock, you'll notice a single silver Phillips head screw. Loosen the screw until the grip falls away. Now, insert your vertical-style target grip and reassemble.

Field Confidence

The shot from the X-Bolt 2 Speed LR was perfect. Despite the tough angle, challenging terrain and pressure to harvest a dream animal in a foreign land I'd dreamed of hunting since boyhood, my Sierra Tipped GameKing hit home.

I cried a little. It was a sweet moment in Spain's Sierra Nevada Mountains. Of course, range time played a significant role in my success. However, Browning's X-Bolt 2 Speed LR filled me with so much confidence on the range—banging steel to 800 yards—I knew the rifle would do its job if I did my job.

With sweat pooling in my hands, the X-Bolt 2's black, overmolded gripping surfaces held my grip solidly. Thanks to the reduced recoil, I watched the buck lift off his feet and tumble over the ridge when the shot broke. Having put hundreds of rounds through various X-Bolt 2 rifles over the past three years (one year of testing pre-launch), I quickly worked the slim, redesigned spiral-fluted bolt with new, more ergonomic bolt knob shape. Though the bolt's throw is still a 60-degree throw, the new bolt design ensures smoother, more rapid cycling. As good as the original X-Bolt's bolt was, the X-Bolt 2 bolt design trumps the original.

X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite

I crave heavy backpacks full of elk meat and late-night tromps back to camp. On the evening of October 7, 2024, I was able to fulfill this craving. The 300-inch 6x6 bull broke off the herd and made a beeline for a cross-fence section of the pasture. On the other side was private land and another screaming prairie monarch and his cows.

We'd been dogging the herd for hours. A 360-plus-inch bull had the girls, and several respectable satellites, like this bull, were circling. The rifle in my hand was Browning's X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite. A top-end bolt action with an economical price tag, this X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite gives bolt-action goers all the perks of the Vari-Tech stock, redesigned bolt and other new X-Bolt 2 features like the adjustable, multi-lever DLX trigger. With the X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite, you get the rubber overmold on grip surfaces for an exact, positive, and repeatable grip no matter the conditions, and the non-reflective matte blued finish on the barrel and receiver, along with the Matte Black stock finish, reduce game-spooking shine and make the X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite a do-all hunting rifle.

My 26-inch barrel, 7mm Rem Mag was topped with Leupold's VX6-HD Gen 2 3-18x50mm. The slope of the Sporter contour barrel coming out of the receiver is ideal for large bell scopes. The slight downward barrel slope provides bell clearance and allows the end user to go with low and medium-height rings, keeping the scope body closer to the receiver.

At 7 pounds, 3 ounces (bare weight), the longer 26-inch barrel with a 9.5-inch twist rate promotes exact accuracy at extended distances. The X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite features a recoil-reducing muzzle brake, and the muzzle is threaded for those who prefer to shoot/hunt suppressed. The reconfigured receiver with additional bolt guidance surface area ensures smooth operation, and the detachable polymer magazine is a breeze to load. Best of all, you get all of this in a Buckmark-branded package that sells for between $1,129.99 and $1,179.99.

I have a rule with elk: I keep shooting until the bull is on the ground. I knew my first shot from 360 yards was lethal, but big bulls are tough. The 700-plus-pound bull absorbed the energy, quartered away, and started walking. The redesigned fluted bolt with a 60-degree throw is fast and smooth, and three locking lugs provide exceptional bolt strength. I quickly dumped three more bullets into the bull's side. X-Bolt 2 rifles are a joy to shoot.

My buddy, Darrel, was sure he saw the bull fall. I didn't. Though the muzzle brake and all-new 1-1/4-inch thick Inflex recoil pad soaked up post-shot recoil, I lost the bull in my scope after the last DLX Trigger pull. This adjustable trigger comes set at hunting weights but is easily adjustable. I didn't change a thing; it was crisp with zero travel from the factory.

Quickly, I reloaded the magazine, chambered a round and pushed the top-tang safety to the safe position. I searched for the bull but couldn't turn him up. We opted to return the next morning with a cold front on the way. Darrel was right. The bull crumbled on my last shot from 456 yards. I'd hit the bull with four shots, and though he traveled less than 200 yards, I was amazed he could carry himself that far. Elk are remarkable creatures.

Final Thoughts

The X-Bolt name is legendary, and the X-Bolt 2 has many new upgrades that make it a must-have hunting rifle. Available in many styles and popular big-game calibers, from short-action tack drivers like the 6.8 Western to long-action thumpers like the .300 Win Mag, the X-Bolt 2 has all your big-game hunting needs covered.

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