Browning X-Bolt Hunter .308 Winchester
Model: 035208218
Browning X-Bolt Hunter .308 Winchester
Model: 035208218
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Browning X-Bolt Hunter is a walnut-stocked bolt-action .308 Winchester built for deer hunting. Browning no longer makes it, so it is a used buy. Its detachable rotary magazine holds four rounds and sits flush with the stock, so nothing hangs below the rifle to catch a sling or a pack strap.
It has no sights. Scopes mount on Browning's X-Lock bases, which use four screws per base. The pattern is Browning's own, so a Remington 700 rail will not fit. The Feather Trigger is factory set at 4 lbs and the owner adjusts it from there. A bolt unlock button sits next to the top-tang safety, so the bolt can be lifted and the chamber checked with the safety still on.
If you're cross-shopping, the current Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter has an MSRP of $1,249.99, weighs 0.38 lbs more and moves to a 1:10 twist with a lighter 3.5 lb trigger. A Tikka T3x Lite is still in production, 0.1 lbs lighter, with a synthetic stock and a magazine that holds three. Buying used, confirm the rifle still has its magazine, because a replacement is a Browning part and nobody else's.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The barrel free-floats and the action is bedded at the front and the rear.
- The bolt throw is short, so the handle clears a low-mounted scope on the way up and the hand stays near the trigger between shots.
- An Inflex recoil pad is fitted, and walnut on blued steel can be refinished when a used rifle starts to show its miles, which a molded synthetic stock cannot.
- X-Lock bases are a Browning part, so the choice is a short list and the price sits above a 700-pattern rail.
- The gold-plated trigger and high-gloss bolt sleeve are a period look that sits apart from the matte finishes sold today.
- A previous owner may have moved the trigger weight, so the factory setting is not something to assume on a used rifle; check where it sits before the first shot.
Category Rankings
How the Browning X-Bolt Hunter .308 Winchester ranks among full-size .308 Winchester rifles.
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.308 Winchester Ballistics →Alternatives to Consider
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Tikka T3x Lite .308 Winchester
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— |
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Ruger Hawkeye .308 Winchester
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Remington 700 SPS .308 Winchester
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Remington 700 ADL .308 Winchester
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Bergara B-14 Ridge .308 Winchester
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$905.99 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Did any X-Bolt Hunter come with iron sights?
The .375 H&H Magnum version of this model did, with a fully adjustable rear sight and a brass bead front. The .308 came without.
What is the stock made of?
Grade I black walnut with cut checkering and a satin finish.
What replaced it?
Browning's X-Bolt 2 line. The Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter is the same walnut hunting rifle a generation on, with Browning's adjustable DLX three-lever trigger in place of the Feather Trigger.
