Browning X-Bolt for Long Range Target shooting

[CMP70306]

Hello Everyone,

I am currently in the process of trying to find a good long range target rifle for my dad, he currently has a couple X-Bolts for hunting so naturally I started looking at their long range offerings. I have narrowed it down the Hells Canyon McMillan, Target McMillan or the Target Fluted Eclipse in 6.5 Creedmoor. My only concern is the lack of reviews on these rifles and of the few reviews I've found the reviewers had mixed results. Has anyone here personally used any of these rifles that could provide some insight as to how well they shoot?

In addition to the Browning I was also looking into some alternatives in case that angle didn't pan out. One of the others was the Sako A7 Long Range, a guy had one at the shooting class I went to and it seemed to be shooting pretty well for him. Bergara is another company I have looked at however I have never actually had a chance to put my hands on one though I've heard good things about some of their new offerings.

I would prefer to stay away from Remington and Savage, I haven't been impressed with the quality of the new Remington's we've bought. As for the Savage while they may be accurate the actions I have shot were all a bit rough.

Some additional info, my brother has an RPR and I have a custom .300 win mag, my dad prefers a stock over a chassis however he is mainly getting it to go to long range shooting classes with us and doesn't want to spend the money on a custom rig. I reload so I will be able to gain some accuracy but would prefer it to shoot factory ammo in the 0.75 MOA or less range.

Thank you for any info you can provide.

 

[bkw1911]

The version not in the McMillan, but with the fluting, brake, cerakote job, adjustable trigger and bedding in 6.5 Creed shoots really well. I helped 2 of my coworkers set theirs up and they both shot half moa or better with the Hornady black box 143gr. That one in the McMillan I'm sure would be a great shooter.

To your question about a target gun, how heavy is the barrel you're looking at? I like the Browning's for a hunting rifle. Not sure it would be my choice for a target rifle, especially with offerings from Tikka, howa and Ruger for decent prices and a little more target oriented

 

[CMP70306]

The Hells Canyon one appears to be a heavy sporter while the target models are a 28" Bull contour. There is a 3 pound weight difference between the target models and the Hells Canyon according to the specs.

Since shooting with me is the only reason my dad is buying it I want to pick out something that he will love to shoot. I started looking at the Brownings because while he normally hunts with pump rifles he has gravitated towards the X-Bolt as his bolt action of choice so I wanted to get something he was already familiar with.

I haven't had time behind any of the others to form an opinion (except the RPR which is a solid rifle) though I have heard good things about them.

 

[10ring1]

I have often wondered the same about the higher end Browning target rifles. I have always been hesitant to spend that type of money on a rifle with little reviews. I am a Browning fanatic that I use for hunting primarily. Many of them shoot great and my new Xbolt 7mm is showing alot of promise. I do have a 22-250 abolt target rifle that shoots like a dream but that is my only experience

 

[z28kid]

Howa might be worth considering, they offer a cerakoted 6.5 creedmoor. Its not in the best stock tho.

 

[briang7511]

Any time i went down this road it was just a much longer, more expensive road to what i really wanted.

 

[CMP70306]

Any time i went down this road it was just a much longer, more expensive road to what i really wanted.

The problem is this isn't for me, I'm really into it so I saved up and bought a custom. In my dad's case he is only getting this rifle as a way to spend time with me doing what I love so he doesn't need a custom rig to shoot a couple times a year. If him and my brother were as into it as I am I'd be building two more Mausingfields for them.

The two main ones I am looking at are the target McMillan and the target eclipse fluted, they are essentially the same barreled action in different stocks with a $1000 price difference.

 

[JMGlasgow]

My father in law has a LH Browning Hell's Canyon LR McMillan in 6.5 Creedmoor on order. He ordered it in early March, with a promise from Browning to be shipped to his LGS by early July. He hasn't heard anything yet, and hunting season is coming up fast. He too is a Browning fan, and has several rifles of theirs that are very good shooters. It's disappointing that the firearm industry as a whole blows release dates and deadlines far too often.

 

[CMP70306]

Figured I would update here, he ended up choosing the Xbolt Fluted Target Eclipse and topping it with a Burris XTR II 5-25. I will report back later this week on performance after we get it set up and out to the range.

 

[10ring1]

Excited to hear how it shoots. Any updates?

 

[CMP70306]

Sorry for the delay I wanted to get a couple range trips in to confirm the results, currently we have just under 100 rounds through it. Long story short is that it flat out shoots, we have been able to consistently put the Hornady American Gunner 140gr BTHPs under 3/4 MOA with many of the groups less than 1/2 MOA. The rifle might be able to do a bit better as my dad was having issues getting the Burris as clear as he would have liked due to fading light and mirage on the two range trips.

Action has been very smooth, trigger was lowered to around 3# and breaks clean same as all the other X-Bolts. Mounting the suppressor results in a 1 MOA down shift same as the 30" heavy Palma on my .300 WM. Haven't l gotten the Magneeto on it yet to see the velocity increase over my brothers RPR but that will come soon. The thumb hole is comfortable to shoot with and the barrel fluting helps bring the balance back towards the rear. Overall the rifle is a perfect fit for my dad and if I wasn't dead set on CRF rifles I would probably pick one up myself in .204 or .223.

 

[10ring1]

Thanks for the update. Great to hear you got a great shooter there. Does your Dad like the Burris?

 

[CMP70306]

So far he likes it he was just having issues getting everything to focus as well as he would have liked. In the scopes defense the two times we shot were just before dark and in heavy mirage so not exactly ideal testing conditions. Once we play with it some more we should be able to get it all straightened out.