Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Quality of the Browning X Bolt Blued barrels?

Anyone know much about the manufacturing process of these barrels? If I remember correctly, they are Button Rifled and have a recessed target crown. I haven't seen any mention of the type/quality steel that is used in their production. The reason I ask is I traded a Tikka t3 Lite in 25-06 for the Browning Hunter model in 30-06. Well, The Tikka out shot the Browning with mostly sub moa groups sometimes in the mid .3's. The Browning is lucky to get under an inch groups. This is all with hand loads so, maybe I just haven't found the magic load yet or, could the Sako barrel on the Tikka just be a better made barrel? Now the Tikka trigger is around 2lb's and the Browning is as low as it will go around 3lb's but I haven't checked it yet with my Lyman Digital Pull Scale. The Browning trigger is nice and crisp and no over travel but, I'm just used to lighter triggers. There are lighter springs that can be put in the Browning to drop it about one more pound but, I don't want to induce creep and maybe shoot no better if, the barrel is the limiting factor. Looking for all opinions Thanks!

If you had a rifle that would shoot in the .3's and traded it... I'm kinda at a loss for words.

I've shot many rounds thru an X-Bolt in 7WSM and been satisfied. It shot factory fodder in the .8's and would consistently shoot handloads in the .6's if I was up to it.

An Ernie the gunsmith spring got my trigger down to 2.5 lbs. No ill effects at all.

Man, you should have held on to that rifle. You may go the rest of your life and half of another before you find a factory rifle that will consistently shoot in the .3's

JM

Yep, I don't know if it could consistently group in the .3's but I do regret getting rid of it as it was a tack driver. It seems every time a trade a gun in, the Brand new one I get never shoots as good.

If you had a borescope and compared 100 tikka barrels with 100 browning barrels it becomes readily apparent on average who makes a nicer finished bore with more consistant concentric alignment of chamber to bore. Tikka/Sako wins hands down.

Shsssss. I wouldn't tell that story to many people.

i'm sure the "quality" of browning barrels is fine. you mention concerns with accuracy and trigger pull weight. sako/tikka offer an accuracy promise, while browning does not (i assume you knew that when you acquired the browning). as for the trigger, a quality smith can take that browning trigger to 2#s in no time. you do mention getting near moa accuracy with the browning, and if this is a hunting rifle, "close to moa" will kill just fine. bottom line - if you want moa or less, and that is the primary objective in selecting a hunting rifle, you need to send the browning down the road and go back to a sako/tikka in 06'. good luck with your choice.

Yeah, I've been thinking about maybe selling and getting either another Tikka or, maybe a Thomson Center Precision Icon any thoughts on those? Thanks!

I will agree that you shouldn't have pitched the TIKKA. I have 5 xBolts and all will shoot 1" three shot groups or better. That is better out-of-the-box groups than most new rifles will produce. The TC rifle will not better nor will it equal the browning or the TIKKA. You seem to be going from exceptional to terrible, but whatja want for the browning? post a pic should you want to sell.

I have a TC Icon that handily outshoots my Browning X-Bolt. This group was shot with factory Barnes Vor-Tx 168 grain TTSX's that I purchased from a fellow Campfire member. The rifle shoots 168 grain Sierra MK's just as well.

Dude, you are making retrograde progress!! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!! Was there some particular reason you weren't happy with the Tikka that caused you to move it? If there wasn't some underlying problem that you found with Tikka's, then move the Browning and go get another Tikka and be happy. This thing about constantly trading guns just as an end in itself is something I never understood. I still have the same old Remington 788 LH in 6mm Rem in a Bishop stock that was my first centerfire I got as a teenager. Still have the Remington 7600 in .280 that I took to Colorado in 1990. The same Marlin 1894 I bought at K-Mart for $100 back in the 70's. The same original grade I Browning T-Bolt. You get the drift. I rarely move rifles unless I have a serious reason. I stay happier that way...lots of 'old friends' to use.

Sell the Browning, go by another Tikka, and keep it this time.

Thinking there was probably a reason the guy wanted to trade the Browning.

Every one I own shoots significantly better than a 1" at a hundred with handloads and they stay around 1" with factory fodder.

Had a Sako 75 in 300 WSM for a short period of time. Beautiful rifle, but wouldn't shoot better than 1.5 no matter what we did.

Guessing it was sold to me for a reason as well.

JM, I'm thinking you're right on this one.

While I do not own any most of the T/C Icons and Ventures I have seen shoot were all very accurate. I have sold several rifles that were consistant 1/4" groupers just because I wanted something else or someone wanted it more than I did. I am on my 4th Steyr Mannlicher Professional and all of them have shot under 1/2" with factory loads.

I wonder how many deer are killed each year, with rifles that won't even approach 1" groups? I'm guessing trainload after trainload after trainload...........

For a hunting rifle, you've got nothing to fuss about. If you want a target rifle, buy one and stick with it.

The Browning is new so maybe I can find a hand load it really likes. It's plenty accurate enough for deer hunting I was hoping to get the nice wood and, match the Tikka's accuracy. I'll just keep using my Savage 10fp in .223 and CZ527 Varmint Kevlar .204 for paper punching/Varmints as they both equal or better the Tikka with less recoil. Unless the Browning begins to give problems I will probably keep it to deer hunt with. I'll know more when I try a few more hand loads through it as it has only had about maybe around 40 rounds through it and most of them factory rnds. All I've tried so far is 150gn. bullets I think I'll load some 165s or 168s to try I really like the Browning,S fit and finish I'm just picky when it comes to accuracy. Thanks!

I've read quite a bit of positive reports on the accuracy of the TC Precision Hunter that's why I asked.

don't give up on the browning just yet. spend a few bucks having the trigger tuned, then buy a couple boxes of factory 165gr bullets, maybe some 180's. i am confident your rifle will shoot a few of them well enough to kill any deer at 350 yards. it's all good!

A friend of mine at our local gun club bought a .223 in the T-C Icon. It shot so well that within a week he had gone out and bought another in .308. From the targets he showed me it shot equally as well. Enough to make me start trying to find one in the local gun shops. No luck so far.

Jim

I have been around several Icons and all have been extremely accurate. Last fall a LGS had a huge sale on these rifles that coincided with TC's $150 factory rebate. I have $425 including taxes in this rifle. Several of my friends bought these rifles and everyone has been happy with them. My only regret is not buying another one!

My rifle's test target showed a group of .32" and from what I have seen it easily does that.

Gosh, you guys are making me really want a TC-ICON Precision Hunter now!