Browning Stalker Long Range - 300 Winchester Magnum Part I

The Stalker Long Range’s typical applications depend upon the shooter’s philosophy and bent. The long barrel 300 Winchester Magnum has a history of successful use in 1,000 yard competitive shooting and long range hunting for use on game from medium to large and dangerous.

But what about close up and personal?

At 10+/- lbs, with a loaded magazine and scope mounted, this model Browning would probably not see duty in a setting with a lot of brush, dense tree growth and steep grades. It would be as practical as wearing a high quality parka in the summer. Ballistically, the 300 Win Mag and stout bullets can handle inside 50 yard to 100 yard shots on medium and big game, and do so without shedding jackets or fragmenting bullets. So, no, with a size and weight handicap, the Stalker Long Range, as the name implies, would not be a first choice.

That said, there are many people in areas as described above, where there is also access to tree lined of agricultural fields, or otherwise cleared acreage, where 300+ yard shots are a potential. Certainly, areas where long shots are rule of thumb for hunters, or competitive shooters, the Stalker Long Range would be at home and a primary choice. I’m intentionally not using the term “western states” as that would be a misnomer. Long shot topography can be found in many eastern seaboard, southern and mid western states.

The subject Browning X-Bolt Stalker Long Range is available in: 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, 308 Winchester, 280 Ackley Improved, 7mm Remington Magnum, 28 Nosler, and 300 PRC. I selected the 300 Winchester Magnum version for this article as a cartridge that has been around for a long time and familiar to many.

An illustration of long range

“Long Range” is a relative term that varies with shooter competency and setting. In this case, I selected 500 yards to define hunting long range as shooting the distance of 5 football fields probably represents the extreme for most.

Typically, setting up for a known long range shot would place the rifle’s zero closer to the anticipated shooting distances, or at least optimized for minimal hold over. In this case, I just went with best zero, a 6″ maximum target size 500 yards of coverage.

Point blank range, where the bullet never rises more than 3″ above or below line of sight, is 284 yards. That is a distance of nearly three football fields where a shooter would not have to be concerned with critically estimating range or bother with holdover. A slick ballistic coefficient provides more than enough retained energy for certain penetration and a clean kill.

Browning’s Firearm refinements

Browning brings a lot of safety to hunting. The handily placed tang safety is either on or off, locking the bolt when on and blocking both sear and firing pin. While still in the safe position, the bolt unlocked button can be depressed to allow the bolt to open to clear the gun’s chamber. The cocking indicator provides a visual cue; exposed red stripes indicates action is cocked.

The three lever Feather Trigger has no take up, no creep, and it is clean breaking with virtually no over travel. The trigger is preset to 3 1/2 Lbs at the factory, but pull is adjustable from 3 to 5 Lbs. The components are hard chromed and precision finished to assure the same quality trigger pull remains consistent through thousands of rounds without maintenance.

The Browning X-Bolt has three locking lugs and a shallow 60º bolt lift for reduced bolt throw and increase scope eyepiece clearance when cycled.

The bolt face is recessed, providing additional safety by enclosing a cartridge’s case head. The ejector is a spring loaded plunger type.

Rather than a long, non-rotating full length claw type extractor, or a small fixed extractor embedded in the recess of the bolt face, the Browning has a spring loaded hinged extractor that is recessed into the side of the bolt.  The result is no extractor drag and no structural space taken away from inside of the the bolt face.

Beating recoil, so it doesn’t beat you

Publish magnum related information, and the knee jerk comments will go on and on about dislocated shoulders, detached retinas, physical pain, etc., and that’s just describing the effects of reading the information. The Recoil Hawg muzzle brake, yet one more inference of gun owner illiteracy, cuts felt recoil by up to 76%. Add to that the gun’s heft and the Stalker Long Range is a pretty soft touch.

I was able to sit at the bench and work up a litany of handloads with no ill effect, and I am an old, brittle bone guy. Why do some folks whine? I would attribute that to the falling testosterone levels, and general softening in young men. Fortunately, a good number are still suffering from toxic masculinity and those folks will find the recoil… refreshing.

As a plus, the 5/8″-24 muzzle threads work with silencers of sufficient capacity. No, they will not quiet the big 300 Winchester Magnum to “Phew, phew” levels, but they will be kind to your hearing and, also, be a way to reduce felt recoil.

Watch your butt…

I usually don’t care for the appearance of adjustable combs. Especially those using weird hardware and flat lifeless form that never reaches noggin compliance. Here? Mona Lisa. The incorporated angles, bevels, compound curves, and smooth radii make for strength, rigidity, high functionality, and aesthetic appeal. Yes, I did overdo the description. And, no, it doesn’t quite duplicate a Michelangelo’s David moment, but it is excellent.

What the adjustable comb will do is provide stable, adjustable support for a shooter’s face. Browning lists comb height and heel adjustment. I see the comb adjustment, but I see know adjustment at heel or toe, but that is just me. I do see the Inflex II Technology recoil pad. Terrific pad that dampens and redirects recoil away from a shooter’s face.

Yes, there are still good magazines. Just not the kind you read…

I am a steel, hinged floorplate snob. Compared to flush fit poly magazines they… corrode, shed bluing, are a pain in the neck to empty, and the only one you have is the one that is inletted into the gun’s stock. Well, I guess saying it aloud, the choice doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

These poly mags, like talkies, will never go away. They have the survival will and longevity of cockroaches in the wake of a nuclear holocaust. They will fill the rifle, hold alternate or backup ammo in a pocket, latch in an out securely, and fit flush and out of the way of supporting hands, rests and brush. In the case of the 300 Winchester Magnum, the magazine hold three and there is room for a fourth in the chamber.

No, I don’t know it it meets the AR standard or if 50 round drum magazines are available. And no, magazine capacity does not work as testosterone replacement therapy. If you cannot bring it down with four, I recommend getting closer… the stalking part, or put in more range time.

What is the basis for magnum comparison?

There is a documented 6,437 versions of .30 caliber magnums, offered by just about as many rifle and ammunition manufactures. If the objective of a magnum is to enhance a standard cartridge’s external ballistic performance by 15%-20%, without incurring substantial negatives, 6,435 or 6,436 were misguided and lost their ballistic way.

The objective is not to projectile vomit, expensive, unburned powder. Nor is it to flame cut the lands and grooves out of a barrel after 400 rounds. Nope, should not dislocate the shooter’s shoulder or blow out eardrums. A need to consistently hit at 1,000 yards? Hmm… not really.

The 300 Winchester Magnum has remained the most popular .308 caliber magnum since its introduction in 1963, as a slightly longer than a 30-06 Springfield length belted magnum.

Child of the full length 375 H&H, the 300 H&H Super Magnum, with ski slope body and shoulder taper intended to accommodate long strands of Cordite, is long gone. In reality, it barely exceeded 30-06 Springfield performance.

The rest of the Ultra long, Ultra short, ultra fat 300 magnums are drifting off into niche history. Why? Not a meaningful improvement over the 300 Win Mag? Ammo not readily available? Too much of a ballistic overkill? $125/box ammunition? Too rough on barrels? COVID? Democrats? Too much competition from readily available, inexpensive, high grade 300 Winchester Magnum rifles?  Doesn’t matter. The market spoke and said, “The 300 Winchester Magnum, por favor”.

I think we have covered all of the Browning’s Stalker Long Range numerous features but, in isolation, what does the 26″ barrel and 300 Winchester Magnum cartridge bring as an improvement over a  24″ barrel model?

To that end, the Browning 26″ barrel gun was shot alongside a Savage Impulse 300 Winchester Magnum with a 24″ barrel with the same Remington Express Core-Lokt ammunition.

Velocity pickup was 163 fps for the Browning, with an increase of 363 Ft-Lbs in muzzle KE. Not a huge difference between two 300 Winchester Magnums, but long range shooting thrives on nuance differences. How does the Browning X-Bolt Stalker Long Range, 26″ barrel, 300 Win Mag compare to a very popular 22″ barrel 30-06 Springfield? 30-06 ammo was also Remington Express Core-Lokt…

Compared to a typical 30-06 Springfield Sporter, the Browning extends point blank range by 46 yards and cut drop approximately in half out to 500 yards and cuts wind drift by 31%. KE retained at 500 yards is 62% greater than the 30-06 Springfield.

Why not just buy a 30-06 Springfield with a 26″ barrel? For one, they are scarce, and for good reason. The modest 68 grain capacity of the 30-06 Springfield does not leave a great deal of potential beyond the 22″ barrel. The 90 grain capacity 300 Win Mag and use every bit of  a 26″ barrel. And, again, the Browning Stalker Long Range, as presented, is much more than 2″ of extra barrel length.

Break time! Hey, I am old and I am tired…

I though of everything I could think of, I think, so I am going to move on the handloads with the bullets appearing below. So tune in next week, same Bat time, same Bat place…