Browning X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion: A Sterling Beauty

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Like Reaganomics and Rubik’s Cubes, I am a product of the 1980s, and while I thought we’d left that sense of fashion and music far behind, I can’t help noticing how the mullet has made something of a comeback recently. Kids who wouldn’t know a white snake from a deaf leopard are roaming the streets, paying homage to the hair metal days with party-in-the-back hairdos. While I could do without the hair we had in the ’80s, there is one thing from my childhood I wish I could bring back: the classic sporting rifle.

I don’t seem to be alone in this, and I noticed while writing the annual RifleShooter big game rifle roundup there were a substantial number of new rifles with walnut stocks. Browning in particular seems to be leading the charge, and more than 20 percent of its new X-Bolt 2 rifles come with walnut, maple or laminate stocks. The most impressive rifle of the bunch, in my opinion, is the new X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion.

The White Gold Medallion is unabashedly retro with the high-gloss finish on its grade III/IV walnut stock and the rosewood caps. It even has honest-to-goodness white-line spacers, which used to be standard issue on any high-grade sporting rifle. And contrasting all that fine woodwork is a barreled action that is polished to a mirror gloss that matches the wood. In an age when big game guns seem intent on blending into their surroundings, the X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion intends to stand out with its highbrow look.

My affinity for classic sporting rifles makes it easy for me to love the new White Gold Medallion, but as someone who has spent a lot of time shooting those classic rifles, I must admit that not all the old guns were great. In truth, the high gloss finish and rosewood adornments sometimes distracted from other issues. Those old sporters had the look, but in many cases they lacked substance.

Refinement

Some had poor fit and finish, most had triggers that weren’t as good as those in entry-level rifles today, and many simply weren’t that accurate. I know these things to be true because I’ve purchased a lot of older rifles, and some of the guns I’ve wanted to own all my life let me down when I actually got to shoot them.

This is why the new X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion appeals to me. I’m surprised by how often gun writers in that era wrote about having their ’smiths tune a new rifle’s trigger without raising the obvious question of why the trigger wasn’t any good in the first place. But this rifle features Browning’s DLX trigger, which is crisp and clean as well as adjustable. At two pounds, 14 ounces the new DLX is as good out of the box as many retro rifles were after a trip to the gunsmith.

The new White Gold Medallion’s action is bedded at the recoil lug and action screws, and the barrel is free-floated. Browning’s barrels are hand-lapped and button rifled by Miroku in Japan, and each rifle is hand-chambered for proper headspacing.

The m.o.a. guarantee you see on many rifles today is a rather recent development, largely because companies would not—or could not—promise that level of performance in years past. Browning still doesn’t plaster an accuracy guarantee all over its website or in its ads, but having fired more than a dozen X-Bolt and X-Bolt 2 rifles in total, I’ll say that if a new X-Bolt 2 is paired with ammunition it likes, these guns are capable of shooting under an inch. Some will shoot closer to a half inch with a load they really like.

Intentional Choices

Since the days of the A-Bolt, Browning has favored the two-position tang safety with separate bolt-release button. The concept makes sense to me, and I think the new thumbs-forward style of shooting bolt-action rifles, popularized by long-range competition shooters, favors the Browning safety layout more than other designs. As a hunter I have an affinity for the tang safety because it’s simply the fastest, easiest and most reliable design to access, requiring the least amount of game-spooking movement.

Fans of classic sporting rifles wrinkle a lip at the mention of polymers, but sometimes polymer makes perfect sense. For example, the new X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion makes use of a polymer rotary magazine. However, unlike many other polymer magazines, this one functions flawlessly and fits properly in the gun. And it’s a flush-fit magazine, which jibes with the sporter aesthetic.

Medallion is the proper name for a rifle with this much bling. It’s designed to appeal to the customer who wants a rifle that’s bright, shiny and eye-catching. The stainless receiver and barrel both feature a “polished gray” finish, although I’d describe it more as a bright mirrored finish.

There’s scroll engraving along the angled upper sides of the trim receiver, a nice touch that’s classy and not gaudy. Like the receiver and barrel, the bolt has a glossy silver finish, as does the bottom metal. The trigger guard displays the classic gold Browning Buckmark logo.

Fit and Finish

In addition to its mirror finish, the bolt body is spiral fluted for an added touch of class. The X-Bolt and X-Bolt 2 are very similar rifles, but the bolt handle has been redesigned so it is more ergonomic and easier to operate. The receiver has also been beefed up slightly, and that makes the bolt run through more smoothly for sleek operation.

The added metal in the upper receiver also offers more purchase for the eight screws in the X-Lock scope base design. I’m not sure more metal was needed atop the receiver, but the increase in rigidity and strength is worth the minimal addition in weight. The three-lug bolt design from the previous-gen X-Bolt remains, so bolt lift is just 60 degrees, which keeps your knuckles away from the scope objective.

The Monte Carlo stock profile is a classic styling touch, which also helps align the shooter’s eye with the optic. The new 1.25-inch Inflex 2 recoil pad is dense and features a nicely radiused heel that doesn’t hang up on your hunting coat when you’re slithering into the prone position to make a long shot.

The X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion is available in chamberings from .243 Win. to .300 Win. Mag. Which chambering you choose determines whether the gun comes with a 22-, 24- or 26-inch sporter-weight barrel, as well as its twist rate, but all these rifles have radial muzzle brakes and thread protectors. All White Gold Medallions feature M13-0.75 threading. The rifle’s trim action and sporter-weight barrel keep weight to a minimum, just 6.5 pounds for the short-action offerings to seven pounds for the magnums.

Classic Sporting Rifle

I mounted a Trijicon Huron 3-9x40mm riflescope on the test rifle using Warne rings and a Leupold slotted one-piece base. The whole rig weighed in right at 8.5 pounds unloaded. Even at that weight the .300’s recoil was snappy, although the brake and the recoil pad did cut recoil substantially. Muzzle blast was pronounced, but this rifle was suitable to shoot for extended periods and doesn’t jab, jam or poke the shooter uncomfortably.

The Browning’s sporter-weight barrel does not care for the heat very much, though. The 26-inch steel barrel got hot in a hurry, and shooting for the “extended periods” mentioned above required a lot of downtime to allow the barrel to cool, thanks to ambient temps hovering near 90 degrees. This isn’t a rifle designed to throw down on a range in the desert heat and pop off hundreds of rounds in short order—at least if you’re hoping to shoot great groups.

In the give-and-take world of rifle design, Browning opted to lighten the barrel for weight savings at the cost of high-volume shooting. If lots of long-range shooting trips your trigger, I’d lean toward the Hell’s Canyon McMillan LR X-Bolt 2, with its heavier barrel profile. If you plan to shoot the White Gold Medallion for long range sessions on hot days with no breaks, you’ll likely see accuracy wane as the barrel temperature rises.

With sufficient cooling time for the barrel, the rifle managed good accuracy, which is what you can expect from an X-Bolt rifle. The best groups were between 0.80 and 0.94 inch shooting Hornady 200-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter ammunition. With the two bonded test bullets—Winchester 190-grain AccuBond LR and Federal’s new Fusion Tipped 180-grain load—the rifle managed accuracy that hovered in the 1.2-inch range. Again, this was after the barrel had ample time to cool.

Accuracy and Reliability

The rifle functioned perfectly. Browning’s rotary magazine is best-in-class and has never caused me issues, and cycling was smooth and precise. Even with a one-piece base there was room to single-load the rifle through the action, and the tang safety is easy to operate. I must admit that I do prefer the placement of the bolt release button on Browning’s A-Bolt 3 rifle—which is just aft of the bolt handle—to the on-handle placement of the release on the X-Bolt 2, but that’s a matter of personal taste.

The old X-Bolt trigger was fine, but the new adjustable DLX trigger is indeed an upgrade. It is sharp and crisp, and I like the semi-flat face and gold color.

The X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion is a rifle you will appreciate, especially if you remember the days when all fine hunting guns offered white-line spacers and glossy finishes. But the Browning is a more practical take on our American sporter, a gun that looks like the classics and shoots as well as we all wished those old guns would.

Browning X-Bolt 2 White Gold Medallion Specs

• Type: bolt-action centerfire
• Caliber: .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .270 Win., 6.8 Western, 7mm Rem. Mag., .308 Win, .30-06, .300 Win. Mag. (tested)
• Capacity: 3
• Barrel: 26 in. stainless; sporter contour w/radial brake; threaded M13-0.75
• Overall Length: 46.75 in.
• Weight: 7 lb.
• Stock: Grade III/IV walnut
• Finish: polished gray
• Trigger: DLX adjustable; 2 lb., 14 oz. pull (measured, as received)
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped for X-Lock bases
• Price: $1,920
• Manufacturer: Browning, browning.com

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