Browning X-bolt

Jumare Jaeger

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The Browning specs say that the plain X-bolt .375 (not Alaskan, not Safari grade) weighs only 7 pounds. Even with a scope, isn't that too light for a .375?
 
It would definitely be lively. I don't even like a .300WM to be that light.
 
Does an extra 2 lbs matter to you? I would not want a 7 lb .375 - or as Phil said a .300 for that matter. But that’s just me - I like a little mass on my rifles.
 
I had an A-Bolt in a smaller calibre and feeding wasn't the best. Not sure I'd trust that magazine system on a DG gun, and I believe the system is the same on both the A and X bolts? Plus that weight is asking for a smack in the chops when you fire it, it's not going to be pleasant I wouldn't have thought!
 
My A-bolt in 375 weighs a tad above 7 pounds. Newer weighed it with scope, but recoil is nothing special.

I have handled quite a lot of A and X-bolts, very well made rifles. Function is perfect, never saw one that didn't feed properly. My 375 was tested in all ways I could think of-sideways, upside down, muzzle straight up, muzzle straight down. Feeds and ejects perfect every time.
But-like Tikka T3, Remchesters and all other factory shiny plastic things, they are tolls with no soul. My plan was to sell off the 375 (it was bought to shoot a buffalo cow), but good tools tend to stay.

I might be special, the only gun I have had issues with feeding and extraction was a M98
 
My son and I own 3 ABolts and 2 XBolts ranging from 300wsm to 375h&h and all have perfomed flawlessly feeding and extracitng. Browning rifles are very well made and very accurate out of the box to boot
 
While l prefer 9 pounds for a .375 , there are some makers who make lighter rifles . It has something to do with Stock fit or shape , l would imagine
 
While l prefer 9 pounds for a .375 , there are some makers who make lighter rifles . It has something to do with Stock fit or shape , l would imagine
Stock fit is a critical key as the caliber goes up.
Shooting technique also becomes more important.

With proper practice and fitted rifle, controlling a 7# 375 could be mastered.

That said, my 375 comes in at 10# and I'll deal with the shoulder strain of carrying the thing all day.
 
Stock fit is a critical key as the caliber goes up.
Shooting technique also becomes more important.

With proper practice and fitted rifle, controlling a 7# 375 could be mastered.

That said, my 375 comes in at 10# and I'll deal with the shoulder strain of carrying the thing all day.
Great minds think alike , Bee Maa .
Like yourself , l do believe in weighty guns. Stock fit can only help so much with large calibers. Let's ignore large caliber rifles and talk about a basic 12 gauge for example. When l was in France , Goose shooting , a family friend was using a shotgun called a Vercar Canardouze . It's a 12 gauge side by side shotgun with 3.5 inch Chambers . I was using a Beretta Over under with Full chokes and 2 3/4 inch Chambers. That was the first time in my life l saw a side by side shotgun with multi chokes. So what l did , was ask Trevor ( my Friend ) if l could take a shot with his piece. He gladly obliged. Now , the Canardouze shotgun weighs 7 pounds even. What Trevor didn't mention was that this Vercar Canardouze model shotgun has a peculiarity. It's designed to let off both barrels if you pull the left trigger. I didn't know that. I thought it's your standard old fashioned side by side . I pulled the left trigger first, aiming at a Goose . Yeah , l regret it to this day. The thing violently kicked me . Even the rubber recoil pad didn't seem to help much. Long story short , l got my geese and a black and blue left shoulder.
Needless to say , it didn't improve my views on the 3.5 inch 12 gauge shell.
Now , the Vercar Canardouze is a great gun . Perfect stock fit. But a 7 pound 12 gauge with 3.5 inch Chambers , letting off both barrels of BB shot simultaneously , can never be healthy for the shooter , no matter how good your stock fit is ;)
 
I begin my 26 th year of hunting with a browning a bolt 7mm Rem mag stainless stalker. I hunt SC so I’ve had the ability and time to harvest deer every season with it, averaging 5 per year , and two plains game Safaris as well along the way. I have a similar 375 h and h a bolt that has made one Safari. Both are seven pounds without the scope. Both have functioned very well for me and the weight has not affected my shooting in a negative light. Do I shoot either more than ten rounds at a time? Rarely. But being left handed and both rifles are factory with adjusted trigger pulls to be the same, I have thoroughly enjoyed shooting both rifles and have found accurate hand loads as well as factory with no misfires or short pulls on follow up shots.
 
My son and I own 3 ABolts and 2 XBolts ranging from 300wsm to 375h&h and all have perfomed flawlessly feeding and extracitng. Browning rifles are very well made and very accurate out of the box to boot
I’ve used my A Bolt in .338WM for deer and elk since I bought it used (like new) in the mid nineties. NO problems. Although I believe the X Bolt has a better/quicker magazine system. The A and X Bolts are push feed, so probably not a DG rifle. HOWEVER, I would have used my .338WM on a Buffalo LONG before I would have used a crossbow like was posted recently on a different thread. Just stupid me!
 
I'd imagine a lot of DG would have successfuly been taken using push feed rifles
 
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I'd imagine a lot of DG would have successfuly been taken using push feed rifles
Yeah, like all of the many thousands of ‘64 till recently push feed Winchester M 70s and Weatherbys’ who have used a push feed system forever! I would/have prefer a CRF, but history is probably on the push feed action’s side.
 
Yeah, like all of the many thousands of ‘64 till recently push feed Winchester M 70s and Weatherbys’ who have used a push feed system forever! I would/have prefer a CRF, but history is probably on the push feed action’s side.
Very Wise Post , Co Elk Hunter and it mirrors my sentiments as well. Just last night , l was reading an amazing article from Guns Magazine 1961 about a Gentleman named Frank Hibben who used a .300 Weatherby Magnum to devastating effect as his all purpose rifle in Africa. Here is the article , in case you wanna give it a glance.
I have never been a big fan of Weatherby rifles , but this article does make me look at them with a bit more respect. Taking a Bull elephant with two shots is pretty impressive . Would l suddenly discard my Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 and my ZKK-602 , for a Weatherby ? Not by a long shot , no. But l have developed a small respect for them by coming across this article last night .
In regards to the pushfeed area , l would say that Pushfeeds may be OKAY for a client hunter , being backed by a professional. But for a PH , l would have to say that a pushfeed is a no no. Pushfeed fans will tell you that CRF fan boys greatly exaggerate the risks of pushfeed jamming. Well , yeah , Maybe. But l have no doubt from my observations that Pushfeeds CAN jam in the field and they have. An unfortunate example of this , was my 5th Favorite PH of All time , Ivan Carter. He got crushed to death by a Bull Elephant when his push feed .458 Winchester Model 70 failed to stop the bull with one shot and jammed during the second shot ( Source : Craig Doddington's writings ) . Even the biggest proponent of the .458 Winchester Model  70 push feed , the Late Great Finn Aagaard documented the phenomenon of the pushfeed Model 70s jamming unless you kept them super clean ( something desirable for all rifles , but often not possible in the African bush ) and documenting his Mauser actioned rifles as more reliable ( source : " Make mine Mauser " by Finn Aagaard .
Now , we do have guys like Harry Selby who used a pushfeed .458 Winchester Model 70 for two years while his .416 Rigby was being rebarrelled in London. But the only reason for that was simply because that pushfeed .458 happened to be the spare back up rifle and rent out big bore rifle of Selby's outfitters ( source : Man Magnum 2016 ) .
In contrast , take a look at what a CRF Winchester Model 70 can do. Wally Johnson used one pre war Winchester Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum from 1938 to the end of his ivory hunting and PH career , and the gun never malfunctioned , even after it fell into a lake and stayed there for a week. Other than when using faulty batches of Kynoch Ammo sometimes , the rifle never let Wally down for 40 plus years. That's impressive !
My believe it that a good pushfeed can make an adequate plains game rifle , but for anything that can bite , gore or step on you ? Not worth risking our lives .
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Very Wise Post , Co Elk Hunter and it mirrors my sentiments as well. Just last night , l was reading an amazing article from Guns Magazine 1961 about a Gentleman named Frank Hibben who used a .300 Weatherby Magnum to devastating effect as his all purpose rifle in Africa. Here is the article , in case you wanna give it a glance.
I have never been a big fan of Weatherby rifles , but this article does make me look at them with a bit more respect. Taking a Bull elephant with two shots is pretty impressive . Would l suddenly discard my Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 and my ZKK-602 , for a Weatherby ? Not by a long shot , no. But l have developed a small respect for them by coming across this article last night .
In regards to the pushfeed area , l would say that Pushfeeds may be OKAY for a client hunter , being backed by a professional. But for a PH , l would have to say that a pushfeed is a no no. Pushfeed fans will tell you that CRF fan boys greatly exaggerate the risks of pushfeed jamming. Well , yeah , Maybe. But l have no doubt from my observations that Pushfeeds CAN jam in the field and they have. An unfortunate example of this , was my 5th Favorite PH of All time , Ivan Carter. He got crushed to death by a Bull Elephant when his push feed .458 Winchester Model 70 failed to stop the bull with one shot and jammed during the second shot ( Source : Craig Doddington's writings ) . Even the biggest proponent of the .458 Winchester Model  70 push feed , the Late Great Finn Aagaard documented the phenomenon of the pushfeed Model 70s jamming unless you kept them super clean ( something desirable for all rifles , but often not possible in the African bush ) and documenting his Mauser actioned rifles as more reliable ( source : " Make mine Mauser " by Finn Aagaard .
Now , we do have guys like Harry Selby who used a pushfeed .458 Winchester Model 70 for two years while his .416 Rigby was being rebarrelled in London. But the only reason for that was simply because that pushfeed .458 happened to be the spare back up rifle and rent out big bore rifle of Selby's outfitters ( source : Man Magnum 2016 ) .
In contrast , take a look at what a CRF Winchester Model 70 can do. Wally Johnson used one pre war Winchester Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum from 1938 to the end of his ivory hunting and PH career , and the gun never malfunctioned , even after it fell into a lake and stayed there for a week. Other than when using faulty batches of Kynoch Ammo sometimes , the rifle never let Wally down for 40 plus years. That's impressive !
My believe it that a good pushfeed can make an adequate plains game rifle , but for anything that can bite , gore or step on you ? Not worth risking our lives .
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Hoss,
Thanks for your perspective on this and the article was great. Yes, I believe many DG hunters in the past used push feeds because that’s maybe what was out there due to the times and affordability? Would I use a push feed rifle on DG? H*** NO! The reason for ME is simple. I don’t trust anyone who I don’t know as to their marksmanship and hunting ability under a stressful situation to save my a**! I don’t know/wouldn’t know the PH or his credentials for the most part. Sorry, but this is how I feel. Oh yeah, and I’m using (if I ever get the chance) my CZ 550 .458WM on buffalo! I don’ care what the naysayers say about the .458WM, at least for buffalo. Better than a crossbow!
 
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Very Wise Post , Co Elk Hunter and it mirrors my sentiments as well. Just last night , l was reading an amazing article from Guns Magazine 1961 about a Gentleman named Frank Hibben who used a .300 Weatherby Magnum to devastating effect as his all purpose rifle in Africa. Here is the article , in case you wanna give it a glance.
I have never been a big fan of Weatherby rifles , but this article does make me look at them with a bit more respect. Taking a Bull elephant with two shots is pretty impressive . Would l suddenly discard my Pre 64 Winchester Model 70 and my ZKK-602 , for a Weatherby ? Not by a long shot , no. But l have developed a small respect for them by coming across this article last night .
In regards to the pushfeed area , l would say that Pushfeeds may be OKAY for a client hunter , being backed by a professional. But for a PH , l would have to say that a pushfeed is a no no. Pushfeed fans will tell you that CRF fan boys greatly exaggerate the risks of pushfeed jamming. Well , yeah , Maybe. But l have no doubt from my observations that Pushfeeds CAN jam in the field and they have. An unfortunate example of this , was my 5th Favorite PH of All time , Ivan Carter. He got crushed to death by a Bull Elephant when his push feed .458 Winchester Model 70 failed to stop the bull with one shot and jammed during the second shot ( Source : Craig Doddington's writings ) . Even the biggest proponent of the .458 Winchester Model  70 push feed , the Late Great Finn Aagaard documented the phenomenon of the pushfeed Model 70s jamming unless you kept them super clean ( something desirable for all rifles , but often not possible in the African bush ) and documenting his Mauser actioned rifles as more reliable ( source : " Make mine Mauser " by Finn Aagaard .
Now , we do have guys like Harry Selby who used a pushfeed .458 Winchester Model 70 for two years while his .416 Rigby was being rebarrelled in London. But the only reason for that was simply because that pushfeed .458 happened to be the spare back up rifle and rent out big bore rifle of Selby's outfitters ( source : Man Magnum 2016 ) .
In contrast , take a look at what a CRF Winchester Model 70 can do. Wally Johnson used one pre war Winchester Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum from 1938 to the end of his ivory hunting and PH career , and the gun never malfunctioned , even after it fell into a lake and stayed there for a week. Other than when using faulty batches of Kynoch Ammo sometimes , the rifle never let Wally down for 40 plus years. That's impressive !
My believe it that a good pushfeed can make an adequate plains game rifle , but for anything that can bite , gore or step on you ? Not worth risking our lives .
View attachment 296123 View attachment 296124 View attachment 296125 View attachment 296126 View attachment 296127
One of your favorite PHs, Ivan Carter, probably “short stroked” his push feed M70 under stress when attempting to fire another round at the elephant. If one doesn’t pull the bolt back COMPLETELY on a push feed, the magazine CAN partially load another round into the chamber, causing a “stoppage” , and in Mr. Carter’s case, DEATH!
 
One of your favorite PHs, Ivan Carter, probably “short stroked” his push feed M70 under stress when attempting to fire another round at the elephant. If one doesn’t pull the bolt back COMPLETELY on a push feed, the magazine CAN partially load another round into the chamber, causing a “stoppage” , and in Mr. Carter’s case, DEATH!

458 Win Mag can do good on buffalo . Most American Client hunters of the late 1950s and 1960s used them to good effect in Africa. I have a friend who lives in Grizzly bear country and used to hunt there regularly with a .458 Win Mag Colt Sauer rifle , loaded with A square Monolithic solids. He stocked up on them for many years. He was really happy with the way they performed on Grizzlies . But alas , after 571 rounds ( yes , he counted ) , the barrel's rifling got worn completely through. Maybe it was the A square monolithic which ruined the gun.
 
Easy guys, take it easy.
Let's not turn this into a CRF vs Push-Feed DG fist fight.
The OP was asking about shooting a 7# 375, not necessarily for DG.

The Browning specs say that the plain X-bolt .375 (not Alaskan, not Safari grade) weighs only 7 pounds. Even with a scope, isn't that too light for a .375?

If it hasn't been said already, Welcome to AH and as you can see we are a passionate bunch.

BTW - If the real question is should you buy a 7# 375...the answer is YES!
It's easier to add weight to a light rifle than lighten up a heavy one.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
Easy guys, take it easy.
Let's not turn this into a CRF vs Push-Feed DG fist fight.
The OP was asking about shooting a 7# 375, not necessarily for DG.



If it hasn't been said already, Welcome to AH and as you can see we are a passionate bunch.

BTW - If the real question is should you buy a 7# 375...the answer is YES!
It's easier to add weight to a light rifle than lighten up a heavy one.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
You took the words right out of my mouth , Bee Maa. The truth is , whenever l hear a guy wanting a .375 HH Magnum or larger caliber , l immediately think " Okay , he has SOMETHING dangerous planned on his menu " .
Co Elk Hunter makes some very sensible arguments.
And the guy should definitely get a 7 pound .375 . A little recoil never hurt no body ;)
 

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