Though it wasn't the first rifle I ever hunted with, a Browning Stalker A-Bolt in .270 Winchester was the first deer rifle I ever owned. I think I'd only taken a grand total of five whitetail deer before I bought that rifle, but I found myself hunting a great deal with the A-Bolt. In those first few seasons, I dropped more than two-dozen animals with my Browning Stalker, and that fueled the passion that eventually became my career.

Not surprisingly, I have a warm place in my heart for Browning's A-Bolt rifles. So I was shocked and a bit upset when I heard that the folks in Morgan, Utah, were unveiling a new bolt-action rifle for 2008.

I felt a little better when I learned that the new rifle was not meant to replace the A-Bolt, though I must admit I was a bit perplexed as to why Browning would bring out another centerfire, bolt-action rifle if the A-Bolt wasn't going away. But after spending the last few months with the new X-Bolt, I've come to appreciate the new design features that prompted Browning to introduce its latest turn-bolt.

The X-Bolt In A Nutshell
The X-Bolt is basically an updated A-Bolt with more modern styling, a few neat design features, and a lower price point. It seems to me that Browning hit on the perfect mix of old and new with the X-Bolt line.

The X-Bolt retains the A-Bolt's three locking lugs and short, 60-degree bolt lift. The shroud-mounted loaded-chamber indicator remains, as does the tang-style safety. A stout, M16-style extractor and plunger-style ejector serve to pull empty casings from the chamber and eject them well clear of the X-Bolt's steel receiver.

A detachable, rotary magazine of rugged polymer feeds the rifle. In a clever design twist, the release lever is part of the magazine, so you can't help but end up with the magazine in your hand when you release it. The magazine lines up the top cartridge with the center of the bore so that cartridges feed directly into the chamber. This straight-line feeding makes for sure, smooth loading. Molded-in shoulders inside the magazine keep cartridges from battering their tips on the front of the magazine during recoil.

Another useful change is the bolt-release button. The button is mounted on the base of the bolt shank. By depressing it, you can cycle the bolt without deactivating the safety--a big safety improvement in my book.

The top of the receiver is where the X-Bolt gets its name. Rather than the conventional two-hole set-up for attaching scope bases, the X-Bolt has four screws per base. There is one screw at each corner, hence the "X." This would give lesser makers fits, as any degree of error would make mounting a scope darn near impossible. But with the level of tolerance Browning's factory is able to hold, it's no problem for the X-Bolt.

The X-Bolt's new Feather Trigger is the feature Browning's engineers are most proud of. The trigger is set from the factory at approximately 3.5 pounds, and it is user-adjustable from 3 to 5 pounds. The steel trigger components are hard-chromed, and all engagement surfaces are polished to a high sheen for the cleanest trigger pull. The unit is contained in a rugged, alloy housing. The simple, robust system uses three levers to reduce creep and minimize overtravel. The mechanical advantage gained by the addition of the third lever makes the trigger feel completely devoid of creep.