Category Archives: Rifle Tests

Tests of new Rifles

Browning XBolt “Speed” 7mm Rem. Mag.- Likes and Dislikes – My Grade?

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X-Bolt Speed

Browning X-Bolt 7mm Rem Mag with 1:9.5 twist in a light 6 lb 13 oz mountain-rifle configuration. Fluted, sporter-weight 26 inch barrel with radial muzzle brake. Cerakote Smoked Bronze finish. Composite stock with highly versatile Browning OVIX Camo.

https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/rifles/x-bolt/x-bolt-speed.html

My retail cost. $1349 with Browning Scope Mounts.

This is a hunter’s rifle. It is meant to hunt in any weather anywhere.

As a mountain rifle this would be great to carry high on a mountain or in a valley out as far as you are comfortable shooting.

It is not glossy, but made for a serious hunter looking for stealth.

It is not designed for target shooters with heavy guns and bull barrels and light triggers to shoot holes in holes, but never the less can shoot sub-MOA for some loads and powders up to heavy bullets like175 grain Nosler’s I have tested. 

It is worth the money! Read on…

What I like most? 

  • Does it shoot? Yes and decent MOA and even sub-MOA groups too depending on the bullet.
  • The 60°bolt throw in the X-Bolt is extremely smooth and cycles like lighting, I have shot dozens of rifles and find the bolt throw and smoothness… first class.
  • Overall weight 6lbs 13 oz. is amazingly light to carry.
  • The fluted sporter barrel in Smoked Bronze Cerakote and is well made, handsome and ready for any fowl weather.
  • I was immediately impressed with how fast it cycles for a second shot. Like lightning!
  • The removable beefy 3 shot clip is exceptionally well made of composite material and audibly clicks when installed.
  • The composite stock has texture along with the cool OVIX camo and grip swell. 

What I like least?

The trigger adjustability needs improvement. However it is a crisp 4 pounds.

Twist rate could be a bit faster. I would have preferred a 1:8.5 twist which manages improved heavier bullet stability but it still shoots 175 grain for long range.

My Test Conclusion

It shoot sub-MOA for 140 grain bullets and is stable in twist to shoot up to 175 grain Nosler bullets that I have shot 1 1/4″ at 100 yards. 

An acquaintance hunted Africa with me years ago and took a 1000 + pound Blue Eland with one shot from his 7mm Rem Mag and a 175 grain bullet. It was a heart shot! 

My best moose bullet so far is Nosler 168g ABLR with initial sub MOA 3/4″ group at 3005 fps.

I shoot without a muzzle brake and recoil is surprisingly moderate but I am used to shooting big magnum’s. 

My Overall grade without including the trigger is a solid A.

With trigger as is, gets an A minus. I will add a Timney in time.

I am taking this Browning rifle to hunt moose in Newfoundland this September and will write about the hunt. 

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2023

Browning X-Bolt Speed 7mm Rem Mag with Hand Loaded IMR 4831 Powder and 168g Nosler ABLR for Moose

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X-Bolt Speed

My Browning 26 inch 9.5 twist rifle barrel likes hand loaded 7mm 168 grain Nosler ABLR with a hot load of IMR 4831 per Nosler web load data. I chrono’d an average of 3005 fps. Wow! These are cookin’ !! COAL was 3.255 inches. No pressure signs except the primer was a bit flatter… as expected. Three rounds measured 3/4 inch but more testing will firm that up. I will change the trigger to a Timney at some point as it is impractical to easily adjust with a 2mm Allen wrench on a sealant filled screw. If you like 4 pounds for a factory trigger it works, for some hunters, not me. All my rifles are set near 3 pounds. 

Research with Bryan Litz Applied Ballistics Book finds that  the Nosler 175g ABLR Form Factor of 0.94 is considered low drag but the 168g ABLR is considered VLD Very Low Drag with Form Factor of 0.896 thus holding its energy better at long range than the 175g ABLR.

Assuming I use the 168 Nosler ABLR for long range Newfoundland moose hunting, I can reach out in a large open terrain tundra-like bog with my BOG tripod Death Grip to steady the shot out to 600 yards.

Distances I will practice this summer, in prep for the hunt, is out to 600 yards. With a 300 yd zero, at 100 yards the bullet is 3 inches high and 150 yards is 4 inches high, dead-on at 300 yards and Max Point Blank Range is 376 yards. At 600 yards terminal energy is 1822 ft-lbs and still traveling over 2200 fps. At 400 yds it holds a truck-load of energy at 2200 ft-lbs. Just have your laser rangefinder at hand and be ready for a follow-up shot. The 60 degree bolt throw is a big plus for very fast second shots.

Below is the JBM ballistic report for the Nosler 168g ABLR at 3005fps and zeroed for 300 yards.

 

Trajectory
Input Data
Manufacturer: Nosler Description: Accubond Long Range Spitzer (G7)
Caliber: 0.284 in Weight: 168.0 gr
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.353 G7 (ASM)
Muzzle Velocity: 3005.0 ft/s Distance to Chronograph: 10.0 ft
Sight Height: 1.50 in Sight Offset: 0.00 in
Zero Height: 0.00 in Zero Offset: 0.00 in
Windage: 0.000 MOA Elevation: 0.000 MOA
Line Of Sight Angle: 0.0 deg Cant Angle: 0.0 deg
Wind Speed: 10.0 mph Wind Angle: 90.0 deg
Target Speed: 10.0 mph Target Angle: 90.0 deg
Target Height: 48.0 in
Temperature: 45.0 °F Pressure: 29.92 in Hg
Humidity: 0 % Altitude: 0.0 ft
Vital Zone Radius: 5.0 in
Std. Atmosphere at Altitude: No Pressure is Corrected: Yes
Zero at Max. Point Blank Range: No Target Relative Drops: Yes
Mark Sound Barrier Crossing: No Include Extra Rows: No
Column 1 Units: 1.00 in Column 2 Units: 1.00 MOA
Round Output to Whole Numbers: No
Output Data
Elevation: 6.548 MOA Windage: 0.000 MOA
Atmospheric Density: 0.07859 lb/ft³ Speed of Sound: 1101.3 ft/s
Maximum PBR: 376 yd Maximum PBR Zero: 318 yd
Range of Maximum Height: 174 yd Energy at Maximum PBR: 2318.7 ft•lbs
Sectional Density: 0.298 lb/in²
Calculated Table
Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead
(yd) (in) (MOA) (in) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (in) (MOA)
0 -1.5 *** 0.0 *** 3009.8 2.733 3378.7 0.000 0.0 ***
50 1.4 2.8 0.1 0.2 2938.4 2.668 3220.4 0.050 8.9 17.0
100 3.4 3.2 0.4 0.4 2867.8 2.604 3067.5 0.102 18.0 17.2
150 4.3 2.7 1.0 0.6 2798.0 2.541 2920.0 0.155 27.3 17.4
200 4.0 1.9 1.8 0.8 2729.1 2.478 2777.8 0.209 36.8 17.6
250 2.6 1.0 2.8 1.1 2661.0 2.416 2640.9 0.265 46.6 17.8
300 -0.0 -0.0 4.1 1.3 2593.7 2.355 2509.2 0.322 56.7 18.0
350 -3.9 -1.1 5.6 1.5 2527.4 2.295 2382.5 0.381 67.0 18.3
400 -9.2 -2.2 7.4 1.8 2462.1 2.236 2260.9 0.441 77.6 18.5
450 -15.9 -3.4 9.5 2.0 2397.7 2.177 2144.1 0.503 88.5 18.8
500 -24.1 -4.6 11.9 2.3 2334.2 2.120 2032.2 0.566 99.6 19.0
550 -33.9 -5.9 14.6 2.5 2271.7 2.063 1924.8 0.631 111.1 19.3
600 -45.4 -7.2 17.6 2.8 2210.3 2.007 1822.1 0.698 122.9 19.6
650 -58.7 -8.6 20.9 3.1 2149.8 1.952 1723.7 0.767 135.0 19.8
700 -73.9 -10.1 24.6 3.4 2090.3 1.898 1629.7 0.838 147.4 20.1

 
25-Jan-23 07:58, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reloading the 7mm Remington Magnum for my Browning X-Bolt w/ New Norma Brass

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I purchased Norma Brass this January for reloading my new Browning Rifle for moose hunting. There were no other Brass manufacturers available on the Internet, that I could find at the time… but glad I bought them.

I purchased a lot of 50, packed in plastic bags and boxed. How did they weigh-out? 

Accordingly, I weighed 10 case random sample and did a Standard Deviation, Average and Extreme Spread. 

Std Dev.  0.74 grains

AVG Wt. 214.83 grains

Extreme Spread of 2 grains in the ten cases. That is excellent!

 

 

 

I took a photo of the flash hole from inside this unsized case. Notice that there is no apparent burr. Some manufacturers like Norma drill the flash hole instead of punching. Drilling is better!

I found this informative review below of Norma Brass on line. 

Norma 7mm Rem Mag Brass Review

 

Adding the primers with my press was much more difficult as they were new and difficult to seat. The good news is that these primer pockets will firmly hold the primer and make reloading the case less susceptible to loose primers. Norma says the brass can be reloaded  up to 10 times according to the above article. 

I used my RCBS Rock Chucker Press, RL-22 powder and loaded Nosler 7mm 175 grain AccuBond Long Range. The bullets are boat tail thus I thought it would make it a bit easier to press the bullet.  They still pressed hard but did not hurt the case.

I shall chamfer the inside of case necks on the next batch to make the bullets press easier. 

I shot enough to zero at 100 yards (groups 1 1/4″) then chronographed them at 2615 fps. I expected a much faster bullet. I was hoping for 2900 fps says Nosler data with 1:9 twist and 24 inch barrel. My barrel is 1:9.5 twist with a 26 inch barrel. Accordingly, I will experiment with powders to see what I can safely wring out of these bullets. Inspecting the fired case and primers look normal. 

The trigger still pulls heavy for me (4 lbs) and soon I will have a Timney to swap out the factory trigger. 

I also loaded some Nosler 168 grain ABLR’s with IMR 4831 and they chrono’d at around 3005 fps and grouped at 3/4 inches at 100 yards. I liked that load!

This round may turn out to be better for long range moose than the 175 ABLR.

More Soon!

 

 

 

Sent email to Timney Triggers to Test Trigger for Browning X-Bolt- They Responded

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Hope to hear back from Timney folks. They Responded.

In just a week or two Timney will send a Trigger for the X-Bolt to test and share with readers, including my removal of the original trigger, replacement and hunting/shooting tests. You don’t need a gunsmith! The shooter has choices of pull weights set at the factory. Mine will be 3 pounds pull weight.

https://timneytriggers.com/browning-x-bolt/

I have had great luck with these triggers.

. Browning X-Bolt

Bullet Stability/Barrel Twist – Browning X-Bolt 7mm Remington Magnum – UPDATED

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I purchased a Browning X-Bolt for Christmas. Hurray! But bullets are a bit harder to find. I did find a 175grain Nosler ABLR bullet that I liked and purchased it but later calculated the bullets stability to be 1.37, just below the 1.5 military stability criteria in my 1 in 9.5 twist rate barrel. Bullet length included the polymer tip in overall length. Without the polymer tip as part of the bullet length, the formula now says the bullet is very stable. 

Experts argue about including polymer tips or not.  I will load some in a week or so.  

Lets take a look at this imperfect science…

It is known that barrel twist rate and a given bullets size, length, BC and velocity effects bullet stability. As a general rule bullets that are exiting the barrel have some yaw or as some say “yaw spiral” or gyroscopic effect.

It is the bullets “yaw” that can affect the grouping of a bullet, but yaw diminishes as it travels down range making groups tighter..

Calculators

You will need the length of the bullet below to enter this in the stability formula. Some folks subtract the polymer tip from bullet length. The JBM formula below takes the polymer tip into account. Measure the bullets overall length and measure the polymer tip length. 

https://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/lengths/lengths.shtml

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi

At typical 100 yard ranges your bullet may exhibit some yaw thus grouping may be somewhat larger than expected. I ran into this with the .243 Winchester and my former 338 Win Mag where yaw was pronounced with heavy, longer bullets. 

The good news is, this minor yaw will disappear at longer distances and stability and grouping improves, 

The only way to know how stable your bullet is, is to shoot some at temperatures and distances your going to hunt in.

Accordingly, I would fire them at 100 and 150 yards and then shoot out to my max hunting distance of say 500 to 600 yards for group. 

UPDATE

I had some Nosler 140g E-Tips and 7mm brass in my cupboard and eagerly loaded and shot them at 100 yards with 62g IMR 4831 powder clocking an estimated 2900 ± fps at the muzzle. Yes, that is a bit slow, but Nosler recommends working up loads with gilding copper E-Tips.

Below is the very first 100 yard 3 shot bench rest group. It measured 3/4 inch. Sub-MOA! Luckily there was no measurable wind and I used a COL of 3.24 inches where my bullets had at least 0.05 inches off the lands.

 

Can’t wait for my heavier bullets to arrive. 

Good Shooting!

 

Age of Hornady’s Precision Rifle Cartridges 6.5, 7mm, 300 PRC Target and Hunting?

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The truth is that the 6.5 PRC is faster than the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 7mm PRC is faster than the 7mm Remington Magnum and the 300 PRC is faster than the 300 Win Mag.

Having said that: Should hunters run out and sell the Creedmoor, 7mm Rem Magnum or the 300 Win. Mag?

I think not, if you own them already. I love my 6.5 CM but am open to the 7mm PRC.

Well, The Creedmoor, 7mm Rem and 300 Win have great accuracy and punch for hunting already.

These PRC cartridges were designed for long range target accuracy and are somewhat faster, kick a bit more, than the aforesaid cartridges but not enough to replace them as a hunting cartridge. Others think similarly. 

As for target shooters, ceteris paribus, (all else being equal) it takes a faster bullet to win a match against the wind at long range, where fractions of an inch make the difference in point score. The PRC’s were designed “first” for target, having no belt, extremely concentric and in some cases can shoot a heavier bullet with a rifle with a faster twist.  

But, for example,  if you don’t own a PRC rifle or load for the cartridge, getting a new rifle in a PRC may be a good choice as a hunter hand-loader.

Note, the PRC cartridges and rifles are not in every gun store at this time.  

I love my 6.5 CM for deer and thin skin game hunting but do not as of this writing have a 7mm rifle, so I am keeping that in mind.

There are only a few rifles in manufacture at this time for the 7mm PRC but more are coming. Still cant go wrong with a custom 7mm Rem Mag or Weatherby Mag or even a 280 Rem.

In the final analysis, the rifle quality may make the difference in my choice, not just the cartridge. 

More on this coming.

Good Hunting!

® Copyright 2022

 

Is The .375 Ruger A Good Brown Bear Gun?

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A search on the web by a hunter asks;

Is the .375 Ruger a good brown bear gun?

The .375 Ruger is used world wide to take many dangerous and non-dangerous game species. Here in North America, I believe it excels at taking giant Kodiak brown bear.

It has 6% more powder case capacity than the mighty .375 Holland and Holland Magnum, made famous in Africa. The .375 Ruger is not a belted cartridge and easily feeds in a standard length bolt action. Racking a second round is faster perhaps than the Holland round. And you just may need it. 

I have owned and hunted with this rifle caliber in the Ruger M77 African for several years. I love it!

Below I was in training for my Newfoundland Moose Hunt with it in my Bog Death Grip. I was shooting 300 grain Nosler AccuBonds at 150 yards. 

It did the trick with one shot on this smaller antlered adult bull moose at 100 yards in a 20 -30 mph snow squall. He stood bewildered for a moment and fell dead right there (DRT as they say). With a Pachmayr Decelerator Recoil Pad, its like shooting a 30-06. Free standing the recoil is more of a hard push. Accuracy? It shoots sub-MOA, less than an inch at 100 yards.

Shot placement, is key.

On brown bear I would opt for a Hornady DGX (Dangerous Game Expanding Load). It costs about $70 dollars for a box of 20 rounds. I shot some DGX while testing the Ruger African at 50 yards on a bench rest. All three rounds in the same hole. That put a smile on my face!

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/375-cal-.375-300-gr-dgx-bonded#!/

Remember, A bullet in the foot of a brown bear will just enrage him. You have to place that bullet in the heart/lung area. Head brain shots are not recommended. Besides, you can’t enter a blown apart skull in Boone and Crocket record book. Practice with at least 3 shot fast groups to learn to work the bolt. If the bear is closer than 50 yards, you may likely need that skill. 

Below are some questions the experts in Alaska answer.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=kodiakbear.ko+

iakfaqs#shoot

Hope that helps!

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021

Refurbishing an old JC Higgins Sears Roebuck 22 Single Shot Bolt Action with CCI Quiet ammo.

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An 80 year old model J.C. Higgins Sears Roebuck 22 Single Shot Model 103.18 rifle came back into my life. It was the one that I cut my hunting teeth on as a boy of 11 yrs old. It could shoot 22 Short, 22 Long and 22 Long Rifle ammo and it was very accurate. It was a great woodchuck rifle! Across the street from my home was a 100 acre field full of chucks! I was in boyhood heaven! My father would give be two high velocity 40 grain bullets to shoot at chucks so I had to make them count.

It came back into my life from a relative who had it, but it was in poor condition as the barrel was showing lots of  surface rust. Decades ago the plastic butt plate broke and was replaced with a red rubber boot type that today was found disintegrating. Back in the 1960’s I carved the front of the stock to have a cooler European for-end, but never finished it or stained it. I have recently been re-acquainted with it because of its versatility, shooting shorts, longs and long rifle 22 cartridges.  This little single shot was made for garden pests around the farm besides plinking.  I decided to finish the refurbishment project of long ago and give the rifle a place of honor.

The first thing I did was to point the rifle in a safe direction, open the bolt (it was empty) checked the bore and cleaned it. Safety first! Not as bad as I thought. After cleaning I ran a bit of JB Bore-bright through it. It polished well. I decided to disassemble and inspect it in detail. Again, not as bad as I thought. I sanded the barrel exterior with 400 grit sand paper removing the dovetail sights (with a punch and hammer) and polished the barrel with steel wool for bluing.

I used Birchwood Casey Super Blue. It worked great with 2 coats.

 

Westlake Market, Birchwood Casey Super Blue Liquid Gun Blue Plus 2 Disposable Absorbent Pads for Gun Restoration Projects

In between bluing, I sanded the stock, replaced and ground and installed a new plastic buttplate.

 

I stained the rifle stock with some brown gun-stock stain I had on hand from my flintlock build,  and after drying I put 2 light coats of Helmsman Varnish on the rifle stock. I didn’t want it glossy, just enough to protect the finish, after all this is a working rifle.

Now it looks so much better and ready for quietly plinking or garden varmints!

 

 

The rear sight was in poor shape and not the original one that was on it. I broke the bank for 14 bucks to put the original dovetail rear sight on it.

I was surprised that there were some parts available for this rifle on-line! Perhaps you may have an old rifle that needs some TLC.

Below is my back yard 25 yard test shot with CCI Quiet-22. It is very quiet and works very well with this rifle. I am a CCI fan! I was only 3/8 inch off with open sights. It’s the first shot that counts!

Final test shot with CCI Quiet

© 2020 Copyright. All Rights Reserved.

Good Shooting!

 

 

 

Rifles: Want to improve your field hunting accuracy?

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Experienced and successful hunters will tell you, It is not the accuracy at the bench rest that ultimately brings home the wild game.  It is how you and your rifle work together in the field and forest.

Are you training for a field match or to shoot at a game animal.

Photo above, I took this South African SCI Gold Medal Kudu with a Ruger M77 with VX III Leupold scope with .338 Win mag and 250 grain Nosler Partition bullets.  My training paid off, big time! I practiced in the field, off-hand, and could fire and keep 4 rapid shots on a pie plate at 80 yards. Of course plains game was often at 200 plus yards and may be out to 300 and 400. Your Professional Hunter – PH will tell you if your up for the shot or get you closer. Most opt for closer, say 200-250 yards.

It is very often the case that you will only get one shot.

Make it count!

First, bullseye targets do not move, but wild game does! Yes it sounds intuitive but it is often overlooked. Over the years I believe, the key to shooting accurately in the field is to know when your trigger will break and what clothes/jackets you will wear for hunting so that you will know in advance if you need to adjust “length of pull” to prevent snags. And finally to “understand” the felt recoil of your rifle.  That  comes with shooting and practicing in field conditions at the distances you expect to shoot. Are you using a tripod, bipod, shooting sticks or your backpack to use as a rest? If so, then practice with it. So many variables, right? 

Length of Pull -The top of your list should be length of pull (LOP), trigger break in pounds, and having an adequate recoil pad and cheek weld.  Most rifle hunters today use a scope, If the scope is too high then your cheek weld will float around and so will your shots. Typical LOP for a rifle is around 13.25 to 13.75 inches. Again, what clothing jacket are you wearing? 

Triggers today are often adjustable in the 2.5 to 6 pound range. Most experienced  hunter like a trigger at around three to four pounds. Having too light a trigger with cold fingers can cause you to not feel the trigger very well and result in accidental discharges. Conversely, a heavy trigger can cause you to miss game that is moving, by not knowing when the trigger will break. How to determine what is right for you… takes some shooting awareness when you “think” the trigger will break and fire but doesn’t. The closer you and your trigger agree is where you want to set your trigger. Keep in  mind that you are hunting, not target shooting. Many gun-shops will often have a trigger scale to test the break point of your trigger. I own a digital scale and use it regularly. 

Recoil Pads today on newer rifles are better than a decade or two ago. Most can reduce felt recoil by half. Older rifles often need harder rubber pads replaced. Why? Less recoil translates directly to improved accuracy. Shooting a .375 H&H with a state of the art recoil pad is like shooting a 30-06 or .270. Shooting smarter not harder! 

Cheek weld for scopes is vital and often overlooked. If your cheek does not make solid contact with the comb of your rifle then your eye is floating as it looks through a scope.  At 50 yard that may still work for you but at over 100 yards it can mean a clean miss. There are many devices out there as add-on’s for bringing your cheek higher and allow ideal eye alignment with your scope. 

These variables are just a few of the vital aspects of good accuracy. Then comes breathing, trigger squeeze and understanding recoil. 

Even the best game shots stay the best because they practice. 

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2020

A Golden Age- New Firearm Costs Very Low but Wow! Accurate!

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Looking back, I believe, as do many,  that the Obama years desire to change or do away with the Second Amendment had created such a scare across the country, for nearly a decade, that powerful and overwhelming and unprecedented buying of ammo and guns that the firearms industry became wealthy indeed. See this Forbes Article below. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminiter/2013/10/20/is-the-obama-administration-the-cause-of-gun-ammunition-shortages/#4572f12c2215

The industry however took much of those earnings and reinvested in state-of-the-art rifle and pistol tooling equipment and in some cases began 24 hour three shift operations to keep up with demand.

This retooling perhaps is evidenced by American Manufacturers with lower prices, improved accuracy and the ability to mass produce that is unprecedented.

The use of new Hammer Forging tools, for example in barrel making, has made volume and quality significant and has reduced costs measurably as well as molding technology.

I have tested Ruger and Savage Rifles and found costs below average and quality and accuracy far above average. Further, that synthetic stocks are dominating the market for rifles, but not just black in color but all the colors of the rainbow and camo patterns that are beautiful. 

This is a golden age for buying a new rifle, shotgun or pistol/revolver

Ammo costs are equally low today so stock up my friends.