(Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp)
May 20, 2025
By J. Scott Rupp
Our July/August 2024 issue featuring the new Browning X-Bolt 2 had been out only a couple days before a reader wrote in to complain about the stock, which he found unattractive. He wanted to know why our review gun didn’t have an “honest to goodness walnut” stock. Well, here you go.
The X-Bolt 2 Hunter dispenses with Browning’s Vari-Tech polymer stock in favor of a good-looking black walnut stock—albeit one that doesn’t provide any of the adjustments the Vari-Tech offers. The wood on my sample was excellent. It had a slightly wavy grain pattern with nice contrast and a low-glare satin finish. The hand-filling grip has a slight palm swell on the right side, and its bordered point-checkered panels sport the Browning Buckmark.
The straight-comb buttstock has a subtle shadow line that extends rearward from the graceful sweep of the grip. The cushy, 1.25-inch-thick Inflex recoil pad is slightly concave and lightly textured. It was a tiny bit proud on my sample, which detracts a bit from the looks, but I’m just being overly fussy.
The fore-end tapers gently forward and has finger grooves at the top on both sides. Checkering fully covers the bottom of the fore-end; on the sides it slopes downward from a peak just in front of the receiver, following the line of the finger groove.
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Taking Stock The X-Bolt 2 features a redesigned receiver with a beefier raceway and an excellent new trigger, the DLX. It retains the two-position tang safety with a bolt-unlock button on the bolt handle, but the bolt knob has been reshaped. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp) While the Vari-Tech polymer stock on non-Hunter models was big news with the X-Bolt 2, the action itself also came in for some subtle but important changes. For starters, it has more surface area in the bolt raceway for smoother operation.
The three-lug bolt is machined from bar stock, and while the extractor, spring plunger and 60-degree lift are unchanged, the bolt body now has wide, bold spiral fluting. Instead of the flattened oval bolt knob found on most standard X-Bolt models, the X-Bolt 2’s handle has a rounded triangular shape.
The bottom metal on the X-Bolt 2 is thinner, and the trigger guard features a gold Buckmark inlay. That matches up nicely with the new DLX trigger, which has a gold finger lever. The DLX is adjustable down to three pounds. The one on my sample averaged two pounds, 12 ounces, with no creep or overtravel. Adjusting the trigger is simply a matter of removing the barreled action from the stock and turning the adjustment screw with a 5/64 hex wrench.
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The two-position tang safety locks the bolt on Safe. There’s a bolt-unlock button atop the bolt handle that allows you to operate the bolt while the rifle is still on Safe. A red-marked indicator protrudes behind the bolt shroud when the action is cocked.
Barrel and Fit The well-executed checkering on the fore-end slopes gently downward, following the line of the finger groove. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp) The barrel has a medium contour and sports a matte finish. Barrels are 22 inches on standard calibers, 24 inches on the 6.5 PRC and 6.8 Western, and 26 on the long-action magnums. X-Bolt 2 Hunter barrels feature a recessed crown at the muzzle to protect the rifling. Barrels are not threaded on Hunter models.
The rifle feeds from a flush-fit rotary magazine with integral latch that holds four rounds in standard calibers and three in other chamberings. I’m a big fan of rotaries, favoring them over single-stacks because they provide good capacity without protruding below the stock.
I was pretty jazzed when Browning told me a Hunter test rifle was available in .243 Win., which appealed for two reasons: It doesn’t recoil much, and it’s not a 6.5 Creedmoor. The latter is a cartridge I do like and use, but we get so many test rifles so chambered that I wanted a light-recoiling rifle in something different.
For testing I mounted a Nightforce SHV 3-10X in Nightforce ultralight rings. Remember that the X-Bolt was originally named that because of the four-hole pattern for optics mounting, and it requires specific bases.
Weight and Handling The grip has a slight palm swell on the right side, and the checkering panel incorporates the Buckmark logo. A subtle shadow line extends rearward from the grip. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp) With scope, the rig weighed seven pounds, 10 ounces, and it was a real pleasure to shoot from the bench. Accuracy results are shown in the accompanying table.
The X-Bolt 2 Hunter handles great from field positions. As a right-handed shooter, I love the stock’s palm swell, and the redesigned receiver makes for smooth, sure bolt work. The new bolt handle contributes to that.
There were no feeding problems, and the trigger is outstanding. While a .243 doesn’t kick much to begin with, the Inflex pad does a terrific job of soaking up what recoil there is—and would be a big benefit for the more powerful chamberings.
The X-Bolt has been a top choice for hunters and shooters for a long time, and the X-Bolt 2’s improvements make it an even better rifle. It’s not inexpensive, but if you’re a fan of traditional sporters with wood stocks, the X-Bolt 2 Hunter is totally worth the money. It offers solid accuracy, great handling and 100 percent reliability. It’s also one of the best-looking rifles out there.
(Accruacy results chart provided by the author) Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter Specs Type: 3-lug bolt-action centerfireCaliber: .243 (tested), 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .270 Win., 6.8 Western, 7mm Rem. Mag., .308, .30-06, .300 Win. Mag.Capacity: 4+1 (as tested)Barrel: 22 in. (as tested), 1:10 twist; unthreadedOverall Length: 42 in.Weight: 6 lb., 8 oz.Finish: matte blueStock: satin-finished black walnut, Inflex recoil padTrigger: DLX adjustable; 2 lb., 12 oz. pull (measured, as received)Sights: none; drilled and tapped for X-Bolt basesSafety: 2-position tang w/bolt unlock buttonMSRP: $1,180Manufacturer: Browning, browning.com
