Browning's X-Bolt 2 Speed SPR Part One

06/16/2024 – I know, this week was supposed to be Part II of the Winchester Featherweight 6.8 Western series. Fortunately, I have lots of excuses. Predominately… is there a postdominately? Neither the new set of reloading dies, or factory ammunition, or brass arrived until this past Tuesday. That did not leave enough time to work up handloads and evaluate accuracy and make the weekend deadline. Additionally, there was a time consuming wildlife crisis that needed to be addressed.

A Northern Cardinal, at least that is what it calls itself, took up residence at the feeder. A feeder that is affixed to a pole and located adjacent to a Japanese maple tree. The bird does not look like any other cardinal I have ever seen. It looks more… big, awkward, clumsy, not red, and aesthetically challenged.

Initially, NC hogged the food. However. under relentless aerial attack by goldfinches, sparrows and titmouse… titmice? NC now complies with local approach and flight pattern norms. Unfortunately, the cardinal problem has been replaced with others.

A deer first hit the salad bar, the hydrangeas, then polish off the sunflower seeds and grain on the feeder platform. The deer was followed in the food line by a family of raccoons. I am currently working on an electrical device that will discourage ground based assaults on the feeder.

The worst interlopers were the chipmunks. Public enemies #1 and #2, mugshots pictured above. #1, foreground, was caught twice in a Have-A Heart Trap, and released on an OR no cash bail. Not only did it not learn its lesson from this incarceration, but it returned to the scene of the crime with a buddy… AKA public enemy #2, background.

So they are both spent the night at Rikers, this time no bail. They were arraigned the next morning, and adjudicated to the oversight custody of a hungry fox.

A lightweight and compact Browning

I have to say, I am more accustomed to reviewing long barrel Brownings, that cause me to break out a wide roll of seamless background paper, and add a center fill light. I am also used to their non-lightweight characteristics. This one did not fit that mold.

Please remember, I am very old… ancient, so I think a rifle not stocked in walnut, is like the Mona Lisa sporting a mid 1970s Burt Reynolds style mustache. For me it is as though the past forty years of firearm evolution never occurred.

I also believe, that real men expect to distort, stretch and otherwise disfigure their person to comply with rifles of rigid and unyielding dimensions. None of this namby-pamby adjustable stock… stuff. Flying in the face of all I enjoy and expect, for the younger sportsman, Boomers, down through Gen Z, this is a excellent rifle, of modern design, made of modern materials, in a state of the art manufacturing environment.

For those with my refined sensibilities, there is a fixed walnut stock and blued steel version of the 308 Winchester chambered X-Bolt 2  rifle, with a 22″ barrel, Item Number 036001218. I’ll say no more on that issue. So, for the other 99% of the people existing in any form of reality…

What makes an X-Bolt a 2, instead of a non suffixed X-Bolt?

The market is seeing an unprecedented number of adjustable stock product. I can give the glut of adjustable AR-15 stocks that led us here credit, or I could affix it to the Anschütz Biatholon rifle finally catching on with the cool kids. For anyone that shoots either, stock adjustment for an individual shooter just makes a good deal of sense.

The Browning X Bolt 2 Vari-Tech stock design is the best that pragmatism has to offer. The comb facilitates the use of various optics and mounting schemes, by providing a 1″, six position, range of comb height adjustment.

The buttstock moves horizontally relative to the grip portion of the stock. Length of pull is adjusted with the use of spacers, left, lower frame. The pull length range is 1″, 13 1/8″ to 14 1/8″, in 1/4″ increments. Four spacers are included with the X-Bolt 2.

Sporter versions of the X-Bolt 2 are shipped with a… sporter style pistol grip, however, a vertical grip is also included for those who like a target shooting form. Rubber overmolding replaces checkering, or stippling at gripping locations.

The X-Bolt 2 barrel is full floating. The ribbed reinforcement in the stock’s forearm has locations that can be drilled to mount accessories… rails, rearview mirrors, etc. Swivel studs are already present. The camouflage is a modern pattern and clearly effective. I found myself feeling around on the photo table in an effort to locate the firearm.

The receiver has received additional interior bolt guidance surfaces that slick up bolt travel over the original X Bolt. Not easy to do, as the original was pretty slick. The safety is two position, on or off, with the bolt locked in the closed breech position with the safety on. The button at the top of the bolt handle, cleverly nomenclatured “Bolt Unlock Button”… does what it suggests, and permits cycling the bolt to empty the chamber with the tang safety engaged.

Apparently, the Feather multi lever trigger with zero creep and overtravel, and adjustable from 3 lbs to 5 lbs, has been replaced with the… DLX multi lever trigger with zero creep and overtravel, and adjustable from 3 lbs to 5 lbs. Okie Dokie. The DLX is noted as a refinement. As it feels as good as the Feather trigger, which is really good, I am going to move on with no further interrogation of the subject. A hex wrench is supplied with the rifle, which allows stock on trigger adjustment.

Well look at you with your Cerakoted, fluted body, three locking lugs, 60° lift, slide extractor, and spring loaded plunger ejector.

I will say this much, if I couldn’t afford the rifle, I might be tempted to buy just the bolt, as a conversation starting aesthetic piece for the coffee table. I’d put it right next to the Suzuki liter bike titanium connecting rod. Browning does do nice work. So does Suzuki.

The Bowing X-Bolt 2 Speed SPR rotary magazine, while flush to the underside of the rifle, still holds 4 rounds of 308 Winchester ammunition. I kept wondering what made it a 2 Speed then, about a week into this, I realized it is X-Bolt 2… full stop, Speed. The Speed denotes short, lightweight and fast handling.

The stock is light, the barrel is 18″ long, with a fluted barrel, in a light sporter contour. With all of this weight saving effort, the end result is a rifle that weighs a nudge over six pounds. Complimenting those features; the rifle has an excellent, soft Inflex recoil pad that not only dampens recoil, but also lifts the lint off of my sweaters. A threaded radial muzzle brake ships in place on the rifle.

Yes, the X-Bolt 2 with the SPR designation… suppressor, is just waiting for a silencer to soften that muzzle bark and recoil. The rifle is supplied with the recoil dampening brake and a 5/8″- 24 thread protector, either for use when suppression is not the plan.

Did you ever think we would get here?

Wake up!..!! No, the Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed SPR does not include my old beater Burris Fullfield II scope. However, it is nice glass and it performs well. When you get older, you will understand why mature people do not throw away things that work well, just because they are old.

I happen to personally like this little rifle. It is light and fast handling… a different type of rifle for Browning, yet it retains that Browning snooty pride of ownership thing. Clean design for a hunting rifle, well thought out aesthetics, quality materials and assembly.

Next will be range time with factory and handloaded ammunition so we can quantify shooting performance.