On this week's #SundayGunday, were checking out the Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed, an updated version of a backcountry rifle long loved by Western hunters. Built for the mobile hunter, the gun is as at home in the deer woods as it is deep in the mountains chasing elk. A fluted sporter-contour steel barrel keeps the rifle light and portable, while its muzzle is threaded M13x0.75 for the easy attachment of a suppressor, the included radial muzzle brake, or the Browning Recoil Hawg Sporter muzzle brake for even more reduction in recoil. The entire barrel is free floated from an action bedded both at the recoil lug and the action screws, for the utmost in potential accuracy.
Both action and barrel have been finished in a Cerakote Smoke Bronze finish, for durable protection against the elements. The action feeds from a detachable box magazine, and is worked by a spiral fluted bolt with a short, fast, 60-degree lift and an ergonomic knob shape. A bolt unlock button works in tandem with a top tank safety to provide an additional layer of security when checking the chamber, or unloading. Optics, which are easily cleared thanks to that 60-degree bolt, are attached via an X-Lock Scope Mounting System, utilizing four screws per base for solid attachment. Beneath all this, a DLX Trigger takes advantage of a three lever design for no creep, take-up or overtravel, and is adjustable down to three pounds. The factory presets each trigger to 3.5 pounds.
The most eye-catching difference between the X-Bolt 2 Speed and standard X-Bolt 2s, however, is its composite, Vari-Tech stock. The Vari-Tech stock boasts an adjustable length of pull, an adjustable comb for the perfect cheek weld, and even interchangeable sporter and vertical grips, with overmolded gripping surfaces. A 1 1/4-inch thick Inflex recoil pad dampens the kick of even hard-charging rounds, while Browning Ovix camo keeps the gun concealed in the field. The X-Bolt 2 Speed is also available with an O.D. Green or Flat Dark Earth finish on the stock.
Altogether, the Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed weighs between 6 pounds 10 ounces and 7 pounds 2 ounces, depending on chambering. There is also an SPR—or suppressor-length—version available, which has a barrel shortened by four inches over the standard model. These weigh between 6 pounds 3 ounces and 6 pounds 12 ounces. Thirteen chamberings are available for the standard Speed, including old favorites like .308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield and 6.5 Creedmoor, all the way up to rarer fare like .300 PRC and 28 Nosler. Capacity again depends on chambering, but is either three or four rounds. For more information on the X-Bolt 2 Speed, which retails for between $1,499 and $1,599, visit browning.com. And for more #SundayGunday any day of the week, check out our playlist on YouTube, where all previous episodes are archived.
